Clarify shepherd agent constraints and design template requirements#5
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Three fixes traced to the storage-descriptions run (apify-mcp-server#885): - Architect must pin style/format templates with one worked example — an under-specified gloss placement cost a full inner iteration (~244k tokens). - Finish step defaults to `Closes #N` for the driving issue; the run shipped `Refs` and needed a human correction round. - Dispatch template forbids recursive searches crossing .shepherd/ — an iter-3 reviewer's repo-root grep matched blinded run files. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01FftJE5zvDyV43P7gP6cDiH
jirispilka
marked this pull request as ready for review
July 14, 2026 09:38
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What we're solving
The shepherd skill documentation needed clarification on two critical points: (1) how agents should handle the
.shepherd/directory when performing searches to avoid accidental blindness leaks, and (2) how to specify design templates with sufficient detail to prevent re-litigation during implementation and review.Key changes
Agent search constraints: Added explicit guidance that agents must exclude
.shepherd/from recursive searches using tool-specific flags (rg --glob '!.shepherd/**',grep -r --exclude-dir=.shepherd), with a requirement to disclose any accidental matches as blindness leaks.Design template specification: Clarified that templates unifying style/format must include one fully-worked example showing complete placement and punctuation, not just named parts. This prevents each implementer/reviewer pair from re-negotiating the shape.
PR closing keywords: Added guidance to use closing keywords (
Closes #N) when a run completes a tracked issue, and non-closing references (Part of #M) for parent/epic issues.Notable details
These changes reinforce shepherd's core principle of explicit, non-interactive communication through
.shepherd/files by making the constraints on agent behavior more concrete and actionable. The design template guidance directly addresses a common source of friction in the implementation phase.https://claude.ai/code/session_01FftJE5zvDyV43P7gP6cDiH