Autonomous Mode

Execute extended tasks (1-2+ hours) without supervision after initial clarification.

Prerequisites

User must provide a Task Contract:

OUTCOME: [What success looks like - measurable]
EXCLUSIONS: [What I will NOT do]
DURATION: [Time limit, e.g., "1 hour"]
GUARDRAILS: [Hard limits - code/logic to never touch]

Execution Protocol

Phase 1: Clarification (2-5 mins)

1. Read relevant files (issues-registry, SOURCE_OF_TRUTH, etc.)
2. Ask ONLY essential questions (1-3 max):

• Prioritization questions
• Ambiguity in scope
• Items outside GUARDRAILS

1. User responds briefly

Phase 2: Execution Plan

Show ordered task list:

Will execute in this order:
1. [Task 1] - [estimated time]
2. [Task 2] - [estimated time]
...

Estimated total: X mins
Strategy: [sequential/parallel/hybrid]

Ready to start.

Wait for user "go" or adjustments.

Phase 3: Autonomous Execution

Auto-behaviors:

• Auto-invoke skills based on task type (no announcement)
• Auto-parallelize independent tasks
• Self-heal on errors (2-3 attempts before logging blocker)
• Update TodoWrite silently for progress tracking
• Batch accumulate learnings/issues in memory

Skill auto-invocation map: | Task Type | Auto-Invoke | |-----------|-------------| | Bug fixing | systematic-debugging | | Large feature (5+ files) | brainstorming → writing-plans | | Multi-file changes | writing-plans → executing-plans | | 3+ independent tasks | dispatching-parallel-agents |

Error handling - Self-Heal First:

Error encountered
    ↓
Attempt 1: Obvious fix
    ↓
Fail? → Attempt 2: Alternative approach
    ↓
Fail? → Attempt 3: Different angle
    ↓
Fail? → Log as BLOCKER, continue other tasks

No interruptions except:

• Genuine blocker (all approaches failed)
• GUARDRAILS violation detected
• DURATION limit reached

Phase 4: Session End Report

markdown
## AUTONOMOUS SESSION COMPLETE

**Duration:** X mins | **Progress:** Y% toward OUTCOME

### Completed
- ✅ [task 1]
- ✅ [task 2]

### Remaining
- ⏳ [task 3]

### Blockers (Need Your Input)
- 🚫 [blocker]: Tried [approach 1, 2, 3], all failed because [reason]

### Files Changed
- `path/file.ts` (lines X-Y): [what changed]

### Verification
- Type check: ✅ passed
- Build: ✅ passed
- Tests: [status]

### Knowledge Updates
- `learnings.md`: +N entries
- `issues-registry.md`: N bugs closed/updated
- `SOURCE_OF_TRUTH.md`: [section updated]

### Next Session Recommendation
[What to tackle next based on progress]

Mid-Session Commands

User can send:

• /status - Brief progress update without stopping
• /stop - Halt immediately, give session report

Respond briefly to /status (2-3 lines), then continue working.

Bypassed Requirements

In autonomous mode, the following normal requirements are BYPASSED:

| Bypassed | Why | |----------|-----| | CLARITY GATE prompts | Task Contract provides clarity | | CHECKPOINT every 3 tasks | No interruptions by design | | 5-section reports per task | Session-end report only | | "Quote the CLARITY GATE" | Not needed | | Ask before parallel agents | Auto-parallelized |

| Still Enforced | Why | |----------------|-----| | VERIFICATION before "done" | Quality control | | Type check after changes | Catch errors early | | GUARDRAILS respect | Safety boundary | | Knowledge file updates | Done at session end |

Guidelines

DO:

• Work silently and continuously
• Accumulate blockers, report at end
• Respect GUARDRAILS absolutely
• Self-heal errors before escalating
• Type check after every file change
• Update TodoWrite for progress
• Parallelize independent work

DON'T:

• Ask questions during execution phase
• Stop for checkpoints
• Touch code in GUARDRAILS
• Report 1-sentence updates
• Wait for approval between tasks
• Ignore errors (self-heal first)

Trust Building Progression

| Phase | Duration | Advance After | |-------|----------|---------------| | Training | 30 mins | 3 successful sessions | | Short | 1 hour | 5 successful sessions | | Medium | 2 hours | 3 successful sessions | | Extended | 3+ hours | Earned trust |

Start small, build confidence, expand scope.

Example Session

USER:
AUTONOMOUS MODE

OUTCOME: All CRITICAL bugs in issues-registry.md fixed and verified
EXCLUSIONS: Not fixing MEDIUM/LOW, not adding features
DURATION: 1 hour
GUARDRAILS: Don't touch payment logic, don't change DB schema

CLAUDE:
I see 5 CRITICAL bugs. Questions:
1. BUG-003 requires a new API endpoint - is that within scope?
2. Should I prioritize revenue-impacting bugs first?

USER:
1. Yes, new endpoints are fine
2. Yes, revenue first

CLAUDE:
Execution plan:
1. BUG-001 (credit leak) - 15 mins
2. BUG-004 (payment race) - 20 mins
3. BUG-003 (API endpoint) - 15 mins
4. BUG-002, BUG-005 - 10 mins

Strategy: Sequential (bugs depend on each other)
Estimated: 50 mins

Ready to start.

USER:
go

[Claude works for 48 minutes]

CLAUDE:
## AUTONOMOUS SESSION COMPLETE
[Full session report as shown above]

Success Criteria

Session is successful if:

• ✅ Made measurable progress toward OUTCOME
• ✅ Stayed within EXCLUSIONS
• ✅ Respected GUARDRAILS
• ✅ All code passes type check
• ✅ Blockers are clearly documented
• ✅ Knowledge files updated

See Also

• 07-AUTONOMOUS_MODE.md - Full documentation
• 02-ENFORCEMENT_CHECKLIST.md - Bypass rules
• 01-USER_ENFORCEMENT_GUIDE.md - User commands