# Pass file template

A pass is one chunk of work, written well enough that an AI agent can pick it up cold and finish it
without asking anybody anything. I keep one file per pass in a `PASSES/` folder inside each project.
Copy this, fill in the brackets, and delete the notes in parentheses.

---

```markdown
# <Project>: <what this pass will do, in plain words>

**Target:** <which near-term objective this serves, e.g. T2>
**Status:** queued | active | parked | done
**Size:** Quick (30 min) | Short (1-2 hr) | Long (3-6 hr) | Marathon (split it into smaller passes first)
**Priority:** P0 | P1 | P2 | P3
**Objective:** <one or two sentences. What exists at the end that does not exist now.>

## Why this exists

<Where it came from. A link to the note, the conversation or the report. If a person approved it,
quote their exact words here so nobody has to ask again.>

## Evidence ledger

| # | Fact | How we know | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | <a fact the work depends on> | <the command you ran, the file you read, the page you checked> | VERIFIED / UNVERIFIED |

(Anything marked UNVERIFIED gets checked before the work leans on it.)

## Forks pre-answered

- <Every decision you can see coming, answered ahead of time, so the agent doesn't stop to ask.>
- <If a human answered it, write down what they said and when.>

## Gates

**Pre-cleared:** <what the agent may do on its own: edit these files, open a PR, create drafts>
**Needs a human:** <what it must stop for: publishing, sending to real people, spending money,
deleting anything it didn't create>

## DoD (definition of done)

- [ ] <Something you could actually check. "Endpoint returns X for input Y", not "it works".>
- [ ] <Each item says how to verify it: the command, the query, the screenshot.>
- [ ] A second agent that did not do the work reviewed it and agrees it's done.

## Pickup

<Where to start. What to read first, in order. The first command to run.>

## Result

<Filled in at the end: what shipped, where it lives, how it was checked, and anything left open.>
```

---

## A few rules that make it work

- If a DoD item can't be checked, rewrite it until it can.
- If something can't be defined yet, don't let the agent guess. Turn it into one question for the
  one person who can answer it, and park the pass until they do.
- One active pass per target at a time. When it's done, move the file to `PASSES/_archive/`.
- If it goes over the size budget, stop and decide: keep going, split it, or park it.