fix(preamble): harden AskUserQuestion Format + Codex ELI10 carve-out

Follow-up to v1.6.2.0. Codex (GPT-5.4) under the gpt.md overlay
treated "No preamble / Prefer doing over listing" as license to skip
the Simplify paragraph and the RECOMMENDATION line on AskUserQuestion
calls. Users had to manually re-prompt "ELI10 and don't forget to
recommend" almost every time.

Two layers:

1. model-overlays/gpt.md — adds an explicit "AskUserQuestion is NOT
   preamble" carve-out. The "No preamble" rule applies to direct
   answers; AskUserQuestion content must emit the full format
   (Re-ground, Simplify/ELI10, Recommend, Options). Tells the model:
   if you find yourself about to skip any of these, back up and emit
   them — the user will ask anyway, so do it the first time.

2. scripts/resolvers/preamble/generate-ask-user-format.ts — step 2
   renamed to "Simplify (ELI10, ALWAYS)" with explicit "not optional
   verbosity, not preamble" framing. Step 3 "Recommend (ALWAYS)"
   hardened: "Never omit, never collapse into the options list."

All T2 skills regenerated across all hosts. Golden fixtures refreshed
(claude-ship, codex-ship, factory-ship). Updated the ELI10 assertion
in test/gen-skill-docs.test.ts to match the new wording.

Codex compliance to be verified empirically via test/codex-e2e-plan-format.test.ts.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Garry Tan
2026-04-22 21:34:31 -07:00
parent b7f6246061
commit 028627fbcd
36 changed files with 156 additions and 103 deletions
+4 -3
View File
@@ -467,10 +467,11 @@ available]. [Health score if available]." Keep it to 2-3 sentences.
## AskUserQuestion Format
**ALWAYS follow this structure for every AskUserQuestion call:**
**ALWAYS follow this structure for every AskUserQuestion call. All four elements are non-skippable. If you find yourself about to skip any of them, stop and back up.**
1. **Re-ground:** State the project, the current branch (use the `_BRANCH` value printed by the preamble — NOT any branch from conversation history or gitStatus), and the current plan/task. (1-2 sentences)
2. **Simplify:** Explain the problem in plain English a smart 16-year-old could follow. No raw function names, no internal jargon, no implementation details. Use concrete examples and analogies. Say what it DOES, not what it's called.
3. **Recommend (ALWAYS):** Every question ends with `RECOMMENDATION: Choose [X] because [one-line reason]`. Never omit this line. It is required for every AskUserQuestion, regardless of whether the options are coverage-differentiated or different-in-kind.
2. **Simplify (ELI10, ALWAYS):** Explain what's happening in plain English a smart 16-year-old could follow. Concrete examples and analogies, not function names or internal jargon. Say what it DOES, not what it's called. State the stakes: what breaks if we pick wrong. This is NOT optional verbosity and it is NOT preamble — the user is about to make a decision and needs context. Even if you'd normally stay terse, emit the ELI10 paragraph. The user will ask for it anyway; do it the first time.
3. **Recommend (ALWAYS):** Every question ends with `RECOMMENDATION: Choose [X] because [one-line reason]` on its own line. Never omit it. Never collapse it into the options list. Required for every AskUserQuestion, regardless of whether the options are coverage-differentiated or different-in-kind.
4. **Score completeness (when meaningful):** When options differ in coverage (e.g. full test coverage vs happy path vs shortcut, complete error handling vs partial), score each with `Completeness: N/10` on its own line. Calibration: 10 = complete (all edge cases, full coverage), 7 = happy path only, 3 = shortcut. Flag any option ≤5 where a higher-completeness option exists. When options differ in kind (picking a review posture, picking an architectural approach, cherry-pick Add/Defer/Skip, choosing between two different kinds of systems), the completeness axis doesn't apply — skip `Completeness: N/10` entirely and write one line: `Note: options differ in kind, not coverage — no completeness score.` Do not fabricate filler scores.
5. **Options:** Lettered options: `A) ... B) ... C) ...` — when an option involves effort, show both scales: `(human: ~X / CC: ~Y)`