all-the-vibes/atv-phoenix/phoenix-ship

phoenix-ship — declare done only on green evidence

Overview

This is the last line of defense against shipping silently-broken work. "Done" is not a feeling or a diff that looks right — it is a green phoenix_sense on the acceptance check plus an intact trace that proves the green is real. Phoenix exists to prevent exactly one failure: an agent confidently saying "done" on work that doesn't actually work. This skill is where that promise is kept.

When to use

• The final step of any task, right before you tell the user it's complete or merge.
• Whenever you're about to type "done", "fixed", "ready", or "shipped".

The ship gate

  About to say "done"
       │
       ▼
  1. phoenix_sense(acceptance_check)   ──► must be ok:true
       │                                       │ red?
       ▼                                       ▼
  2. phoenix_verify_trace              ──► STOP. Not done. → phoenix-debug
       │  ok + intact chain?
       ▼
  3. Report WITH evidence (check + trace head hash)
       │
       ▼
       DONE (provably)

1. Final acceptance sense

phoenix_sense(acceptance_check) from the Intent Contract (phoenix-think). Green is mandatory. Not "the test I added" — the acceptance check that represents the user's actual definition of success.

2. Verify the trace

phoenix_verify_trace → ok:true with an intact hash chain. This proves the green you're about to report is genuine and wasn't reached by skipping or editing a gate. A broken chain means you are not done, no matter how the code looks.

3. Report with the evidence attached

State the check that passed and the trace head hash, so the claim is auditable:

"Done — pytest -q exits 0 (acceptance check); trace verified, 14 rows, head 9885e6df…."

That one line is the difference between a trustworthy completion and a hopeful one.

The rule that is the whole point

Never type "done" without a green `phoenix_sense`. If the check is red or the trace is broken, you are not done — say exactly what is failing and route to phoenix-debug. "I'm not sure it passed" is an acceptable, honest status; a fabricated completion is the cardinal failure this entire harness exists to prevent.

Common Rationalizations

Red Flags

• Typing "done"/"fixed"/"ready" with no green phoenix_sense in this session. → Run the acceptance check now.
• Reporting success without the trace verified. → Verify it; unverified green is just a hope.
• Reporting the new test instead of the acceptance check. → Sense the acceptance gate.
• A known issue you're shipping quietly. → Surface it explicitly; never bury a caveat in optimism.

Done means

Acceptance check green + trace verified + evidence reported. Anything less is "in progress", and saying otherwise is the one thing Phoenix forbids.