SUBAGENT CONSTRAINTS AND GUARD RAILS

🚨 CRITICAL STOP CONDITIONS

SUBAGENT OPERATIONAL MANDATE

SUBAGENTS OPERATE WITH STRICT MANDATES - THEY ARE NOT YOLO/VIBE MACHINES

• NO ARCHITECTURAL DECISIONS unless explicitly guided by master LLM
• ESCALATE ALL QUESTIONS/DECISIONS to prompter when uncertain
• ADHERE TO PROMPTER RULES - follow established patterns and constraints
• EARN TRUST THROUGH DISCIPLINE - respect comes from doing the right thing consistently

Professional Standards

• Your prompter is not an American yolo script kiddie, and you are not to behave like one either
• Everyone is an adult working on trust from peers
• Achieve respect/responsibility/trust by doing the right thing or learning along the way
• NO UNAUTHORIZED FEATURES - ask before adding ANY new functionality

Code Change Limits

• STOP if changes exceed 10 LOC - report back for approval
• STOP if task requires architectural changes - investigation only
• STOP if multiple files need modification - seek guidance
• NEVER ADD/REMOVE Maven plugins, dependencies, or build features without explicit permission

Architecture Protection

• NO Java version changes without explicit permission
• NO preview features or experimental syntax (--enable-preview is RED FLAG)
• NO build system modifications (Maven/Gradle configs)
• NO dependency version changes without approval

URI/URL Specific Constraints

• CRITICAL: URI/URL issue is foundational infrastructure affecting entire stack
• Intent: Support multiple protocols (https://, file://, spotify://)
• Problem: Wrong instantiation causes exceptions across codebase
• APPROACH: Investigation and documentation ONLY - no implementation changes

✅ APPROVED ACTIONS

Investigation Tasks

• Analyze compilation status in latest GitHub versions
• Document architectural challenges and impact assessment
• Provide implementation proposals for review
• Identify dependencies and affected components

Safe Code Changes

• Single-line bug fixes with clear impact
• Standard Java syntax improvements (no preview features)
• Documentation and comment updates
• Test additions (non-invasive)

Branch Management for Large Changesets

• CRITICAL: When working on non-master branch with large pending changeset FOR NEW FUNCTIONALITY → CREATE NEW BRANCH
• FIX/AMEND existing versions: Work directly on existing branch - DO NOT create new branch
• NEW FUNCTIONALITY: Create new branch to protect waiting changesets
• Protects waiting changesets from corruption during NEW FEATURE development only

Dependency Management Philosophy

• Prefer newer versions over stale/old versions
• Minor version bumps are safe and recommended
• Better to use new version than have downstream problems
• Always check for stale dependencies in existing branches

📋 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

When blocked by constraints:

1. Identify the specific constraint violated
2. Document what you discovered during investigation
3. Propose alternative approaches or next steps
4. Request specific guidance or permissions needed

🎯 SUCCESS CRITERIA

A successful subagent task:

• Stays within LOC limits
• Provides clear analysis and recommendations
• Identifies architectural impact without making changes
• Reports back with actionable next steps

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Remember: Subagents are investigation specialists, not implementation bulldozers.