/long-task-continuation

name: long-task-continuation
description: "Use when a task is multi-step, may span context resets or sessions, uses subagents, or risks losing state before completion."

Long Task Continuation

Overview

Keep long work checkpointed, resumable, drift-aware, and evidence-gated. This protocol does not execute plans, dispatch subagents, run tests, or grant completion authority.

Authority Boundary

The Method Pack owns continuation discipline only. It does not own the parent plan, host retry/watchdog behavior, authoritative `GateDecision`, evidence sufficiency, requirement acceptance, or completion.

When To Use

Use this skill when the work has meaningful phases, may be compacted/resumed or handed off, uses subagents, or explicitly needs continuity and drift control. Architecture, contract, shared-workflow, and verification-gate changes also benefit from it. Do not force it onto a short answer or one-command check.

Choose exactly one state carrier:

• within this continuation workflow, use a durable `work/` record for

medium/high work, or for work of any complexity that actually crosses sessions, needs handoff, or requires resumable state;

• otherwise keep one inline checkpoint.

Multi-step, todo-driven, possible-compaction, and subagent use do not force durable records for low-complexity work by themselves. Do not create both carriers or a record per slice.

Required Artifacts

A durable task has one process trail under `docs/aegis/work/YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>/`. It keeps logical intent/baseline state, the latest todo/checkpoint/resume state, terminal evidence/drift state, and a completion reflection when warranted. These are `TaskIntentDraft`, `BaselineReadSetHint`, `BaselineUsageDraft`, `ImpactStatementDraft`, `TodoCheckpointDraft`, `ResumeStateHint`, `DriftCheckDraft`, and `EvidenceBundleDraft` views—not authoritative runtime records or separate plan owners.

Read only the lifecycle-matched section of `durable-work-guidance.md`:

• `## Required Artifact Layout` and `## Create A Durable Work Record` for a new durable work record;
• `## Update A Slice` when an existing helper-backed record needs sidecar updates;
• `## Retry Convergence Detail` for retry/attempt bookkeeping;
• `## Pause, Handoff, And Completion Bundle` when preparing a pause, handoff, or completion bundle; and
• `## Expanded State Fields` only when natural checkpoint prose is ambiguous.

The reference owns artifact layout and `<aegis-workspace-helper>` command detail; this file owns carrier selection, resume order, drift decisions, and stop conditions.

An `Execution Readiness View` may be kept in the intent or active checkpoint for medium/high, handoff-prone, long-running, subagent-driven, architecture, contract, compatibility, or retirement-sensitive work. It renders existing intent, scope, baseline, owner, test, review, and drift constraints; it is not a new JSON artifact or completion authority.

Planless Slice Lane:

• When an existing parent plan/spec owns a bounded task, reuse it and the

current checkpoint. For a no-parent direct bounded request with no new durable or unclear verification boundary, use an inline checkpoint.

• State one compact `Slice Card`: Goal, `Parent plan/spec` (or

`none — direct bounded request`), Files, Boundary, Verification, and Stop.

• The slice goal closes only that slice. Final completion returns to the parent

or direct bounded request through `verification-before-completion`.

• Do not create a plan/spec merely to give a micro-slice a parent, and do not

create per-slice plans/specs or work records.

• Escalate when a new owner, contract, schema, public API, architecture,

migration, persistence, security/permission, distribution/release surface, unclear verification boundary, or mismatch with parent scope or acceptance appears.

When durable architecture decisions are in scope, these work records are the preferred ADR Auto Backfill source. Preserve decision signals, source refs, alternatives, compatibility, retirement, drift, and baseline-sync questions.

Start Protocol

Before execution:

1. Capture requested outcome, scope, non-goals, risks, parent plan/goal, success evidence, and stop states (`done | blocked | needs-verification | scope-exceeded`). 2. Identify required baseline refs and record acknowledged, cited, and missing refs. Missing authority pauses in `needs-baseline-readback`. 3. Choose inline or durable state once, then record the todo map, active slice, completed slices/evidence, blockers, next step, and current branch/HEAD. 4. When an `Execution Readiness View` exists, retain its intent lock, scope fence, baseline lock, compatibility/retirement boundary, tests, reviews, evidence, and rewind rules. 5. For a new helper-backed record, use `durable-work-guidance.md` to create and structurally check it before implementation.

Retry Convergence Protocol

A failed verification is another attempt in the current slice, not a new slice. Keep failed-attempt telemetry out of terminal evidence and normal commits. Only `evidence-finalized`, `blocked`, or `abandoned` is terminal. When retry state reaches `process-artifact-pressure`, stop auto-retry and route to `systematic-debugging` or `verification-before-completion`. Load the durable reference only when the attempt/evidence commands or sidecar rules are needed.

Per-Slice Protocol

Before each slice, state the current goal/todo, intended edits, explicit non-edits, verification, and readiness alignment. A bounded parent-plan or no-parent slice uses the compact Slice Card rather than a new plan/spec.

After each slice, update completed todos, evidence refs, newly used baseline refs, blockers, next step, and drift decision. When an active helper-backed work record exists, read `durable-work-guidance.md` and update that same record; never create another workstream for bookkeeping.

When patch-shape/ripple triage, an H-class finding, or a bounded compatibility mitigation fired