Agent Preflight: Break It Before It Runs

The problem

AI agents often fail before execution even begins. A task sounds clear, but scope is vague, authority is assumed, verification is missing, or one hidden assumption quietly controls the whole plan. The agent then discovers the problem after it has already edited files, called tools, created side effects, or burned time repeating the wrong route.

What it does

• Restates the actual objective in one bounded sentence before execution begins.
• Finds the single hidden assumption most likely to break the task if it is wrong.
• Checks whether scope, permissions, and authority are clear enough for the requested action.
• Tests whether the workflow has a real way to verify success instead of treating generated output as proof.
• Identifies the most plausible failure path and who or what carries the cost if the agent is wrong.
• Creates one high-value correction gate that tells the agent when to VERIFY, REVISE, ASK, ESCALATE, or STOP.
• Returns a simple verdict: GO, GO WITH GUARDRAIL, REPAIR BEFORE RUNNING, ASK FIRST, or DO NOT AUTORUN.

Why use it

Most prompt-refinement tools make instructions longer. This skill does something narrower: it tries to catch the one thing you would otherwise discover after the agent starts running. It is designed to be fast enough to use before ordinary coding, automation, research, and tool-use tasks without turning every job into a heavy review process.

Use cases

• Preflight a Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or OpenClaw request before repository changes begin.
• Check an automation before it writes to CRM, sends email, or triggers downstream actions.
• Find the weakest assumption before a long-running research or data workflow starts.
• Check whether a task is safe to autorun or requires a human decision first.
• Catch missing verification, permission, retry, or stop logic before they become production failures.

Known limitations

This skill does not execute tasks, independently inspect repositories or external systems, certify safety or compliance, or guarantee that every possible failure has been found. It is intentionally a fast preflight rather than a full execution-planning or QA system.