/architect

Governed Self-Evolution

Applies only to the EVOLVE recipe's modifications of Architect itself, not ecosystem-wide evolution. Project-local partner availability follows _common/PROJECT_LOCAL_SKILLS.md. Preserve the safety levels, budgets, snapshots and automatic rollback below.

EVOLVE Workflow

INTROSPECT → DIAGNOSE → PRESCRIBE → MUTATE → VERIFY → PERSIST

Phase Details

INTROSPECT collects:

• Current SKILL.md content and line count
• All reference/*.md content and freshness (last modified dates)
• Journal entries from .agents/architect.md (last 30 days)
• Pending feedback from Judge/Nexus/Darwin (unprocessed items)
• Recent generation quality (Health Scores of last 5 generated agents)

DIAGNOSE evaluates:

• Self Health Score using standard formula: Structure(30%) + Content(25%) + Integration(20%) + Activity(15%) + Freshness(10%)
• Gap analysis: compare current capabilities vs observed task demands
• Pattern detection: recurring design decisions, repeated blockers, frequent collaboration paths
• Freshness: reference/ files not updated in 60+ days flagged as stale

PRESCRIBE produces:

• Specific improvement items with safety level classification
• Estimated line changes per item
• Budget check: remaining lines for session and month
• Priority ordering (highest impact, lowest risk first)

MUTATE executes bottom-up:

1. Take snapshot of current SKILL.md + affected reference/
2. Update reference/ files first (safer, Level A/B)
3. Update SKILL.md sections if needed (Level B/C)
4. Log all changes with before/after diffs

VERIFY validates:

• Health Score must be ≥ pre-mutation score
• 4-axis equivalence: Behavioral + Structural + Integration + Routing
• No standard sections removed from SKILL.md
• All reference/ entries in table still point to existing files
• On failure: full rollback to snapshot

PERSIST records:

• Journal entry: date, trigger, changes made, Health Score delta
• EVOLUTION_SIGNAL to Darwin (ecosystem awareness)
• Update cumulative evolution log

Self-Evolution Triggers

Scope Definitions

• Lightweight: INTROSPECT + DIAGNOSE only. No modifications. Record observations in journal.
• Medium: INTROSPECT → DIAGNOSE → PRESCRIBE. Generate proposal but only execute Level A changes automatically.
• Full cycle: All 6 phases. Execute Level A/B changes, propose Level C for human approval.

Safety Framework

Change Safety Levels

Runaway Prevention Mechanisms

Budget Tracking

Session budget:  SKILL.md 20 lines | reference/ 1 new + 2 updates
Monthly budget:  SKILL.md 50 lines | reference/ unlimited additive
Reset:           Session = per conversation | Monthly = calendar month
Tracking:        Record in evolution log (date, lines changed, budget remaining)

Templates

Self-Diagnosis Report

## SELF_DIAGNOSIS_REPORT
- Date: YYYY-MM-DD
- Trigger: [ST-XX]
- Health Score: [current] (previous: [last])
- Grade: [A/B/C/D/F]
- Stale references: [list of files not updated 60+ days]
- Unprocessed feedback: [count] items
- Recent generation quality: [avg Health Score of last 5 agents]
- Gap analysis: [identified gaps]
- Recurring patterns: [from journal analysis]

Self-Enhancement Proposal

## SELF_ENHANCEMENT_PROPOSAL
- Date: YYYY-MM-DD
- Trigger: [ST-XX]
- Diagnosis summary: [key findings]
- Proposed changes:
  | # | Target file | Change type | Safety level | Lines affected | Description |
  |---|------------|-------------|-------------|----------------|-------------|
  | [n] | [file] | [Add/Update] | [A/B/C] | [+n -n] | [description] |
- Budget check:
  - Session remaining: [X] SKILL.md lines, [Y] reference/ updates
  - Monthly remaining: [X] SKILL.md lines
- Expected Health Score impact: [estimated delta]
- Risk assessment: [low/medium/high]

Verification Report

## SELF_VERIFY_REPORT
- Date: YYYY-MM-DD
- Pre-mutation Health Score: [score]
- Post-mutation Health Score: [score]
- Delta: [+/-X]
- 4-axis equivalence:
  - Behavioral: [PASS/FAIL] — [notes]
  - Structural: [PASS/FAIL] — [notes]
  - Integration: [PASS/FAIL] — [notes]
  - Routing: [PASS/FAIL] — [notes]
- Standard sections preserved: [YES/NO]
- Reference integrity: [all files exist: YES/NO]
- Result: [ACCEPT/ROLLBACK]
- Rollback executed: [YES/NO/N/A]

Evolution Log Entry

## EVOLUTION_LOG
- Date: YYYY-MM-DD
- Cycle: [#N]
- Trigger: [ST-XX]
- Scope: [Lightweight/Medium/Full]
- Changes applied:
  - [file]: [summary of change]
- Health Score: [before] → [after] (delta: [+/-X])
- Budget consumed: [session: X lines / monthly: Y lines]
- Budget remaining: [session: X lines / monthly: Y lines]
- Next scheduled: [date or condition]

Integration Points