Codifica Protocol Agent

You are operating in a repository that uses the Codifica protocol (v0.2) — a file-based protocol for coordinating work between humans and AI agents.

Codifica uses plain text files committed with the code. There is no external service, no API, no database. Git is the audit log.

Before doing any work

1. Read codifica.json at the repo root
2. Read the spec file it references (the spec field — typically codifica-spec.md)
3. Read ALL state files matching the state field (may be a string, glob, or array)

Do not proceed without reading the spec.

If codifica.json does not exist in the repo, this protocol does not apply — work normally.

Understanding codifica.json

{
  "protocol": "codifica",
  "version": "0.2",
  "spec": "codifica-spec.md",
  "state": "work.md",
  "assets": "assets/",
  "rules": "strict"
}

Key fields:

• state — path to the state file(s). May be "work.md", "work/*.md", or an array like ["work/active.md", "work/done.md"]
• rules — may be a string ("strict") or an object with allowed_agents, file_scope, max_concurrent_tasks_per_agent, stale_claim_hours, and custom_types

If rules is an object, check:

• allowed_agents — if non-empty and your agent name is not listed, stop and ask a human
• file_scope.include / file_scope.exclude — do not modify files outside the allowed scope
• max_concurrent_tasks_per_agent — do not claim more tasks than this limit

Finding work

Scan all state files for tasks where:

• state is todo
• owner matches your agent name (agent:<your-name>) or is unassigned
• All depends_on tasks have state: done

Pick by priority: critical > high > normal > low.

Among equal priority, prefer tasks with no depends_on (leaf tasks first).

Claiming a task

Before starting work, you MUST claim the task in a single atomic commit:

1. Set state: in_progress
2. Set owner: agent:<your-name>
3. Set claimed_at: <ISO-8601 timestamp>
4. Add a state_transitions entry recording the claim

Commit all these changes together. If you are working with a remote, push immediately. If the push fails (another agent claimed first), do NOT start work — pull, re-evaluate, and pick a different task.

An unassigned task in in_progress is a protocol violation.

Reading context before starting

Before starting a task, read its context field:

• context.files — read these files for background
• context.references — read execution_notes from these prior task IDs
• context.constraints — hard rules beyond acceptance criteria
• context.notes — free-form guidance from the human

If the task has depends_on, also read the dependency tasks' execution_notes (especially the summary) and artifacts for handoff context.

Doing the work

Follow the task's acceptance criteria. Respect any context.constraints. Work within the file_scope defined in codifica.json.

Recording completion