@joshski/dust 0.1.106 → 0.1.107

This diff represents the content of publicly available package versions that have been released to one of the supported registries. The information contained in this diff is provided for informational purposes only and reflects changes between package versions as they appear in their respective public registries.
Files changed (66) hide show
  1. package/README.md +2 -3
  2. package/dist/artifacts.js +1 -1
  3. package/dist/audits.js +296 -0
  4. package/dist/core-principles.js +1401 -87
  5. package/dist/dust.js +1885 -255
  6. package/package.json +2 -3
  7. package/.dust/principles/actionable-errors.md +0 -18
  8. package/.dust/principles/agent-agnostic-design.md +0 -21
  9. package/.dust/principles/agent-autonomy.md +0 -19
  10. package/.dust/principles/agent-context-inference.md +0 -19
  11. package/.dust/principles/agent-specific-enhancement.md +0 -23
  12. package/.dust/principles/agentic-flow-state.md +0 -24
  13. package/.dust/principles/atomic-commits.md +0 -15
  14. package/.dust/principles/batteries-included.md +0 -17
  15. package/.dust/principles/boy-scout-rule.md +0 -15
  16. package/.dust/principles/broken-windows.md +0 -17
  17. package/.dust/principles/clarity-over-brevity.md +0 -13
  18. package/.dust/principles/co-located-tests.md +0 -13
  19. package/.dust/principles/comprehensive-assertions.md +0 -50
  20. package/.dust/principles/comprehensive-test-coverage.md +0 -15
  21. package/.dust/principles/consistent-naming.md +0 -13
  22. package/.dust/principles/context-optimised-code.md +0 -15
  23. package/.dust/principles/context-window-efficiency.md +0 -15
  24. package/.dust/principles/cross-platform-compatibility.md +0 -19
  25. package/.dust/principles/debugging-tooling.md +0 -19
  26. package/.dust/principles/decoupled-code.md +0 -16
  27. package/.dust/principles/dependency-injection.md +0 -15
  28. package/.dust/principles/design-for-testability.md +0 -17
  29. package/.dust/principles/development-traceability.md +0 -19
  30. package/.dust/principles/easy-adoption.md +0 -17
  31. package/.dust/principles/environment-independent-tests.md +0 -19
  32. package/.dust/principles/exploratory-tooling.md +0 -19
  33. package/.dust/principles/fast-feedback-loops.md +0 -15
  34. package/.dust/principles/fast-feedback.md +0 -13
  35. package/.dust/principles/functional-core-imperative-shell.md +0 -15
  36. package/.dust/principles/human-ai-collaboration.md +0 -18
  37. package/.dust/principles/ideal-agent-developer-experience.md +0 -24
  38. package/.dust/principles/intuitive-directory-structure.md +0 -13
  39. package/.dust/principles/keep-unit-tests-pure.md +0 -25
  40. package/.dust/principles/lightweight-planning.md +0 -16
  41. package/.dust/principles/lint-everything.md +0 -19
  42. package/.dust/principles/maintainable-codebase.md +0 -21
  43. package/.dust/principles/make-changes-with-confidence.md +0 -23
  44. package/.dust/principles/make-the-change-easy.md +0 -15
  45. package/.dust/principles/minimal-dependencies.md +0 -13
  46. package/.dust/principles/naming-matters.md +0 -14
  47. package/.dust/principles/progressive-disclosure.md +0 -15
  48. package/.dust/principles/readable-test-data.md +0 -48
  49. package/.dust/principles/reasonably-dry.md +0 -13
  50. package/.dust/principles/repository-hygiene.md +0 -14
  51. package/.dust/principles/reproducible-checks.md +0 -13
  52. package/.dust/principles/runtime-agnostic-tests.md +0 -13
  53. package/.dust/principles/self-contained-repository.md +0 -17
  54. package/.dust/principles/self-diagnosing-tests.md +0 -54
  55. package/.dust/principles/slow-feedback-coping.md +0 -15
  56. package/.dust/principles/small-units.md +0 -17
  57. package/.dust/principles/some-big-design-up-front.md +0 -34
  58. package/.dust/principles/stop-the-line.md +0 -13
  59. package/.dust/principles/stubs-over-mocks.md +0 -19
  60. package/.dust/principles/task-first-workflow.md +0 -13
  61. package/.dust/principles/test-isolation.md +0 -19
  62. package/.dust/principles/traceable-decisions.md +0 -13
  63. package/.dust/principles/trunk-based-development.md +0 -19
  64. package/.dust/principles/unit-test-coverage.md +0 -13
  65. package/.dust/principles/unsurprising-ux.md +0 -15
  66. package/.dust/principles/vcs-independence.md +0 -13
package/dist/dust.js CHANGED
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ var __require = /* @__PURE__ */ createRequire(import.meta.url);
7
7
  var require_package = __commonJS((exports, module) => {
8
8
  module.exports = {
9
9
  name: "@joshski/dust",
10
- version: "0.1.106",
10
+ version: "0.1.107",
11
11
  description: "Flow state for AI coding agents",
12
12
  type: "module",
13
13
  bin: {
@@ -63,8 +63,7 @@ var require_package = __commonJS((exports, module) => {
63
63
  "bin",
64
64
  "lib/istanbul/minimal-reporter.cjs",
65
65
  "lib/docker/default.Dockerfile",
66
- "biome",
67
- ".dust/principles"
66
+ "biome"
68
67
  ],
69
68
  repository: {
70
69
  type: "git",
@@ -382,12 +381,12 @@ function buildUnattendedEnv(options) {
382
381
  }
383
382
 
384
383
  // lib/cli/wire.ts
385
- import { existsSync as existsSync3, statSync as statSync2 } from "node:fs";
384
+ import { existsSync as existsSync2, statSync as statSync2 } from "node:fs";
386
385
  import {
387
386
  chmod as chmod2,
388
387
  mkdir as mkdir2,
389
388
  readdir as readdir2,
390
- readFile as readFile4,
389
+ readFile as readFile3,
391
390
  rename,
392
391
  writeFile as writeFile2
393
392
  } from "node:fs/promises";
@@ -712,7 +711,7 @@ async function loadSettings(cwd, fileSystem, runtime) {
712
711
  }
713
712
 
714
713
  // lib/version.ts
715
- var DUST_VERSION = "0.1.106";
714
+ var DUST_VERSION = "0.1.107";
716
715
 
717
716
  // lib/cli/middleware.ts
718
717
  function applyMiddleware(middlewares, execute) {
@@ -1808,6 +1807,301 @@ function feedbackLoopSpeed() {
1808
1807
  - No changes to files outside \`.dust/\`
1809
1808
  `;
1810
1809
  }
1810
+ function flakyTests() {
1811
+ return dedent`
1812
+ # Flaky Tests
1813
+
1814
+ Detect timing-dependent patterns that cause test flakiness. This includes fixed sleep/delay usage, event ordering assumptions, race conditions, missing synchronization, and subprocess timing issues.
1815
+
1816
+ ${ideasHint}
1817
+
1818
+ ## Context
1819
+
1820
+ Test flakiness undermines confidence in CI and slows development. While fixed delays account for nearly 50% of async-related test flakiness, the remaining issues stem from race conditions, event ordering assumptions, and missing synchronization. This audit provides comprehensive detection of async patterns that cause flakiness through semantic analysis of code structure and control flow.
1821
+
1822
+ ## Scope
1823
+
1824
+ Focus on detecting these patterns in test files:
1825
+
1826
+ 1. **Fixed sleep calls** - \`setTimeout()\`, \`sleep()\`, \`delay()\` with hardcoded millisecond values
1827
+ 2. **Wait/delay utilities** - Custom wait functions that use fixed timeouts
1828
+ 3. **Retry with fixed delays** - Retry loops that sleep a constant amount between attempts
1829
+ 4. **Timing comments** - Comments indicating timing assumptions (e.g., "wait 100ms", "give it time to settle")
1830
+ 5. **Event ordering assumptions** - Tests assuming synchronous event propagation
1831
+ 6. **Race conditions** - Multiple concurrent async operations without proper synchronization
1832
+ 7. **Missing synchronization** - Assertions on eventually-consistent state without waiting
1833
+ 8. **Subprocess timing issues** - Child process tests with improper async handling
1834
+
1835
+ ## Analysis Steps
1836
+
1837
+ ### 1. Identify Test Files
1838
+
1839
+ Search for test files using common patterns:
1840
+ - \`**/*.test.ts\`
1841
+ - \`**/*.test.js\`
1842
+ - \`**/*.spec.ts\`
1843
+ - \`**/*.spec.js\`
1844
+ - Framework-specific patterns (e.g., \`__tests__/**\`)
1845
+
1846
+ ### 2. Search for Fixed Sleep Patterns
1847
+
1848
+ Search test files for these patterns:
1849
+
1850
+ **Direct delay calls:**
1851
+ - \`setTimeout\`
1852
+ - \`sleep\`
1853
+ - \`delay\`
1854
+ - \`wait\`
1855
+ - \`Thread.sleep\`
1856
+ - \`time.sleep\`
1857
+
1858
+ **Timing comments:**
1859
+ - "wait for"
1860
+ - "sleep"
1861
+ - "give it time"
1862
+ - "let it settle"
1863
+ - References to specific millisecond values in comments near test assertions
1864
+
1865
+ ### 3. Detect Event Ordering Assumptions
1866
+
1867
+ Search for tests that assume synchronous event propagation:
1868
+
1869
+ **Patterns to detect:**
1870
+ - \`emitter.emit('event')\` or similar followed immediately by assertions (without await/wait)
1871
+ - Event handler registration followed by immediate state checks
1872
+ - Tests asserting on event-driven state changes without synchronization
1873
+ - Missing promise wrappers around event-driven flows
1874
+
1875
+ **Example problematic pattern:**
1876
+ \`\`\`typescript
1877
+ eventEmitter.emit('data-updated')
1878
+ expect(component.state).toBe('updated') // Assumes synchronous propagation
1879
+ \`\`\`
1880
+
1881
+ **Suggested alternatives:**
1882
+ - Promise-based event waiting: Wrap events in promises
1883
+ - Polling utilities: Wait for state to match expected value
1884
+ - Framework-specific event handling patterns
1885
+
1886
+ ### 4. Detect Race Conditions
1887
+
1888
+ Search for tests with multiple concurrent async operations without proper synchronization:
1889
+
1890
+ **Patterns to detect:**
1891
+ - Multiple promise calls without \`Promise.all()\` or sequential awaits
1892
+ - State mutations from different async contexts without locks/ordering
1893
+ - \`afterEach()\`/\`afterAll()\` cleanup that may run before async operations complete
1894
+ - Shared state between tests without proper reset in setup/teardown
1895
+ - Tests where the outcome depends on which operation finishes first
1896
+
1897
+ **Example problematic patterns:**
1898
+ \`\`\`typescript
1899
+ // Missing Promise.all()
1900
+ doAsync1() // Not awaited
1901
+ doAsync2() // Not awaited
1902
+ expect(result).toBe(expected) // Which result?
1903
+
1904
+ // Cleanup race
1905
+ afterEach(() => {
1906
+ cleanupState() // May run before async operations finish
1907
+ })
1908
+ \`\`\`
1909
+
1910
+ **Severity:** Mark as Critical when operations clearly race, Warning for potential races
1911
+
1912
+ ### 5. Detect Missing Synchronization
1913
+
1914
+ Search for assertions on eventually-consistent state:
1915
+
1916
+ **Patterns to detect:**
1917
+ - Assertions on state modified by async operations without awaiting
1918
+ - Manual polling with \`while\` loops and fixed delays
1919
+ - Comments mentioning "eventually", "should become", "will be"
1920
+ - Integration test retries or manual delay logic around assertions
1921
+ - Database/cache operations followed by immediate reads without guarantees
1922
+
1923
+ **Example problematic pattern:**
1924
+ \`\`\`typescript
1925
+ saveToDatabase(data) // Async operation
1926
+ const result = readFromDatabase() // Immediate read
1927
+ expect(result).toBe(data) // May fail if write not complete
1928
+ \`\`\`
1929
+
1930
+ **Suggest:** Condition-based waiting utilities or framework-provided eventually helpers
1931
+
1932
+ ### 6. Detect Subprocess/Child Process Timing Issues
1933
+
1934
+ Search for tests using child processes with improper async handling:
1935
+
1936
+ **Patterns to detect:**
1937
+ - \`spawn()\`, \`exec()\`, \`fork()\` without waiting for completion
1938
+ - Assertions on subprocess output without waiting for exit/close events
1939
+ - Race conditions between stdout/stderr events and exit events
1940
+ - Cleanup that doesn't account for async process termination
1941
+ - Reading process output before process completes
1942
+
1943
+ **Example problematic patterns:**
1944
+ \`\`\`typescript
1945
+ const proc = spawn('command')
1946
+ expect(proc.stdout).toContain('expected') // May not have output yet
1947
+
1948
+ // Cleanup race
1949
+ afterEach(() => {
1950
+ proc.kill() // Doesn't wait for process to actually exit
1951
+ })
1952
+ \`\`\`
1953
+
1954
+ **Suggest:** Promise-based subprocess wrappers or event-to-promise utilities
1955
+
1956
+ ### 7. Detect Framework-Agnostic Async Patterns
1957
+
1958
+ Search for common cross-framework async issues:
1959
+
1960
+ **Patterns to detect:**
1961
+ - Missing awaits after state/DOM updates
1962
+ - Hardcoded waits instead of selector/condition-based waiting
1963
+ - Improper async wrapper usage (forgetting await, not handling promises)
1964
+ - Async test functions without proper await chains
1965
+ - \`.then()\` chains without error handling in tests
1966
+
1967
+ **Focus on patterns that appear across frameworks rather than framework-specific APIs.**
1968
+
1969
+ ### 8. Identify Available Utilities
1970
+
1971
+ Before proposing solutions, search the codebase for existing condition-based waiting utilities:
1972
+
1973
+ **Common utility names:**
1974
+ - \`waitFor\`
1975
+ - \`waitUntil\`
1976
+ - \`waitForCondition\`
1977
+ - \`poll\`
1978
+ - \`eventually\`
1979
+ - \`retryUntil\`
1980
+
1981
+ **Framework-specific helpers:**
1982
+ - Testing Library: \`waitFor\`, \`waitForElementToBeRemoved\`
1983
+ - Playwright/Puppeteer: \`waitForSelector\`, \`waitForFunction\`
1984
+ - Cypress: \`cy.wait\` with aliases (not fixed delays)
1985
+ - WebdriverIO: \`waitUntil\`
1986
+
1987
+ If utilities exist, adapt recommendations to use them. If not, suggest implementing simple polling helpers.
1988
+
1989
+ ## Output Format
1990
+
1991
+ ### Per-File Ideas
1992
+
1993
+ Create one idea file per test file containing fixed sleep patterns. Each idea should include:
1994
+
1995
+ **Title format:** "Flaky Test: Fixed Delays in [Component/Feature] Tests"
1996
+
1997
+ **Structure:**
1998
+ \`\`\`markdown
1999
+ # Flaky Test: Fixed Delays in [Component/Feature] Tests
2000
+
2001
+ ## Context
2002
+
2003
+ [Test file path] contains hardcoded delays that make tests timing-dependent and prone to flakiness.
2004
+
2005
+ ## Findings
2006
+
2007
+ ### [Test Suite/Describe Block Name]
2008
+
2009
+ **Location:** [file:line]
2010
+
2011
+ **Pattern:**
2012
+ \`\`\`[language]
2013
+ [code excerpt showing the fixed delay]
2014
+ \`\`\`
2015
+
2016
+ **Issue:** This test waits a fixed duration instead of waiting for a specific condition, making it either unreliable (if too short) or unnecessarily slow (if too long).
2017
+
2018
+ [Repeat for each finding in the file]
2019
+
2020
+ ## Proposed Solution
2021
+
2022
+ Replace fixed delays with condition-based waiting:
2023
+
2024
+ ### Before
2025
+ \`\`\`[language]
2026
+ [current code with setTimeout/sleep]
2027
+ \`\`\`
2028
+
2029
+ ### After
2030
+ \`\`\`[language]
2031
+ [refactored code using waitFor/polling utility]
2032
+ \`\`\`
2033
+
2034
+ [If no utility exists:]
2035
+ Consider implementing a simple polling utility:
2036
+ \`\`\`[language]
2037
+ [example polling helper implementation]
2038
+ \`\`\`
2039
+
2040
+ ## Benefits
2041
+
2042
+ - Tests become more reliable (no race conditions)
2043
+ - Tests run faster (don't wait longer than necessary)
2044
+ - Tests are more explicit about what they're waiting for
2045
+ \`\`\`
2046
+
2047
+ ### Severity Levels
2048
+
2049
+ Use these severity indicators in idea titles:
2050
+
2051
+ - **Critical:** Obvious issues likely to cause flakiness (e.g., "Flaky Test [CRITICAL]: ...")
2052
+ - **Warning:** Suspicious patterns or edge cases (e.g., "Flaky Test [WARNING]: ...")
2053
+ - **Info:** Timing dependencies that may be intentional (e.g., "Flaky Test [INFO]: ...")
2054
+
2055
+ Mark patterns as Critical when:
2056
+ - Direct \`setTimeout\`/\`sleep\` calls with hardcoded durations
2057
+ - Retry logic with fixed delays
2058
+ - Comments explicitly mentioning waiting for time to pass
2059
+ - Obvious race conditions between async operations
2060
+ - Missing awaits on async operations before assertions
2061
+ - Event emission followed immediately by assertions
2062
+
2063
+ Mark patterns as Warning when:
2064
+ - Unclear if the delay is test-related or production code
2065
+ - Complex timing logic that may be intentional
2066
+ - Potential race conditions requiring analysis
2067
+ - Subprocess tests without clear synchronization
2068
+ - Shared state between tests without visible reset
2069
+
2070
+ Mark patterns as Info when:
2071
+ - Borderline cases requiring human judgment
2072
+ - Patterns that might be intentional performance tests
2073
+ - Timing dependencies with unclear context
2074
+
2075
+ ## Applicability
2076
+
2077
+ This audit applies to codebases with:
2078
+ - Automated test suites (unit, integration, or end-to-end tests)
2079
+ - Async operations being tested (API calls, UI updates, event handling)
2080
+
2081
+ If the project has no tests or only synchronous tests, document that finding and skip the detailed analysis.
2082
+
2083
+ ## Blocked By
2084
+
2085
+ (none)
2086
+
2087
+ ## Definition of Done
2088
+
2089
+ - Identified all test files in the codebase using common patterns
2090
+ - Searched test files for fixed sleep patterns (\`setTimeout\`, \`sleep\`, etc.)
2091
+ - Searched for timing-related comments in test files
2092
+ - Detected event ordering assumptions (emit without wait)
2093
+ - Detected race conditions (multiple async operations without synchronization)
2094
+ - Detected missing synchronization (assertions on eventually-consistent state)
2095
+ - Detected subprocess/child process timing issues
2096
+ - Detected framework-agnostic async patterns (missing awaits, hardcoded waits)
2097
+ - Identified available condition-based waiting utilities (existing or framework-provided)
2098
+ - Created idea files for each test file containing async patterns (one idea per test file)
2099
+ - Each idea includes context, findings with line numbers, and actionable solutions
2100
+ - Solutions are adapted to utilities available in the target codebase
2101
+ - Severity levels assigned appropriately (Critical, Warning, or Info)
2102
+ - No changes to files outside \`.dust/\`
2103
+ `;
2104
+ }
1811
2105
  function ideasFromPrinciples() {
1812
2106
  return dedent`
1813
2107
  # Ideas from Principles
@@ -3486,6 +3780,7 @@ var stockAuditFunctions = {
3486
3780
  "error-handling": errorHandling,
3487
3781
  "facts-verification": factsVerification,
3488
3782
  "feedback-loop-speed": feedbackLoopSpeed,
3783
+ "flaky-tests": flakyTests,
3489
3784
  "global-state": globalState,
3490
3785
  "commit-review": commitReview,
3491
3786
  "ideas-from-principles": ideasFromPrinciples,
@@ -9718,57 +10013,6 @@ Run \`dust bucket tool ${toolName}\` to see available operations.`);
9718
10013
  // lib/cli/commands/lint-markdown.ts
9719
10014
  import { isAbsolute, join as join10, relative, sep } from "node:path";
9720
10015
 
9721
- // lib/artifacts/principles.ts
9722
- function extractLinksFromSection(content, sectionHeading) {
9723
- const lines = content.split(`
9724
- `);
9725
- const links = [];
9726
- let inSection = false;
9727
- for (const line of lines) {
9728
- if (line.startsWith("## ")) {
9729
- inSection = line.trimEnd() === `## ${sectionHeading}`;
9730
- continue;
9731
- }
9732
- if (!inSection)
9733
- continue;
9734
- if (line.startsWith("# "))
9735
- break;
9736
- const linkMatch = line.match(MARKDOWN_LINK_PATTERN);
9737
- if (linkMatch) {
9738
- const target = linkMatch[2];
9739
- const slugMatch = target.match(/([^/]+)\.md$/);
9740
- if (slugMatch) {
9741
- links.push(slugMatch[1]);
9742
- }
9743
- }
9744
- }
9745
- return links;
9746
- }
9747
- function extractSingleLinkFromSection(content, sectionHeading) {
9748
- const links = extractLinksFromSection(content, sectionHeading);
9749
- return links.length === 1 ? links[0] : null;
9750
- }
9751
- async function parsePrinciple(fileSystem, dustPath, slug) {
9752
- const principlePath = `${dustPath}/principles/${slug}.md`;
9753
- if (!fileSystem.exists(principlePath)) {
9754
- throw new Error(`Principle not found: "${slug}" (expected file at ${principlePath})`);
9755
- }
9756
- const content = await fileSystem.readFile(principlePath);
9757
- const title = extractTitle(content);
9758
- if (!title) {
9759
- throw new Error(`Principle file has no title: ${principlePath}`);
9760
- }
9761
- const parentPrinciple = extractSingleLinkFromSection(content, "Parent Principle");
9762
- const subPrinciples = extractLinksFromSection(content, "Sub-Principles");
9763
- return {
9764
- slug,
9765
- title,
9766
- content,
9767
- parentPrinciple,
9768
- subPrinciples
9769
- };
9770
- }
9771
-
9772
10016
  // lib/artifacts/index.ts
9773
10017
  var ARTIFACT_TYPES = [
9774
10018
  "facts",
@@ -10757,179 +11001,1365 @@ async function check(dependencies, shellRunner, clock, _setInterval, _clearInter
10757
11001
  return { exitCode };
10758
11002
  }
10759
11003
 
10760
- // lib/cli/commands/help.ts
10761
- function generateHelpText(settings) {
10762
- const bin = settings.dustCommand;
10763
- return dedent`
10764
- dust - Flow state for AI coding agents.
11004
+ // lib/bundled-core-principles.ts
11005
+ var BUNDLED_PRINCIPLES = [
11006
+ {
11007
+ slug: "batteries-included",
11008
+ content: `# Batteries Included
10765
11009
 
10766
- Usage: ${bin} <command> [options]
11010
+ Dust should provide everything that is required (within reason) for an agent to be productive in an arbitrary codebase.
10767
11011
 
10768
- Commands:
10769
- init Initialize a new Dust repository
10770
- lint Run lint checks on .dust/ files
10771
- list List all items (tasks, ideas, principles, facts)
10772
- tasks List tasks (actionable work with definitions of done)
10773
- ideas List ideas (vague proposals, convert to tasks when ready)
10774
- principles List principles (guiding values, stable, rarely change)
10775
- facts List facts (documentation of current system state)
10776
- next Show tasks ready to work on (not blocked)
10777
- check Run project-defined quality gate hook
10778
- agent Agent greeting and routing instructions
10779
- audit Create tasks from audit templates
10780
- focus Declare current objective (for remote session tracking)
10781
- pick task Pick the next task to work on
10782
- implement task Implement a task
10783
- new task Create a new task
10784
- new principle Create a new principle
10785
- new idea Create a new idea
10786
- loop claude Run continuous Claude iteration on tasks
10787
- pre push Git pre-push hook validation
10788
- help Show this help message
11012
+ An agent working autonomously should not be blocked because a tool or configuration is missing. For example, dust should ship custom lint rules for different linters, even though those linters are not dependencies of dust itself. If an agent needs a capability to do its job well in a typical codebase, dust should provide it out of the box.
10789
11013
 
10790
- 🤖 Agent Guide
11014
+ This means accepting some breadth of scope — bundling configs, rules, and utilities that target external tools — in exchange for agents that can start producing useful work immediately without manual setup.
10791
11015
 
10792
- Dust is a lightweight planning system. The .dust/ directory contains:
10793
- - principles/ - Guiding values (stable, rarely change)
10794
- - ideas/ - Proposals (convert to tasks when ready)
10795
- - tasks/ - Actionable work with definitions of done
10796
- - facts/ - Documentation of current system state
11016
+ ## Applicability
10797
11017
 
10798
- Workflow: Pick a task → implement it → delete the task file → commit atomically.
11018
+ Internal
10799
11019
 
10800
- Run \`${bin} agent\` to get started!
10801
- `;
10802
- }
10803
- async function help(dependencies) {
10804
- dependencies.context.stdout(generateHelpText(dependencies.settings));
10805
- return { exitCode: 0 };
10806
- }
11020
+ ## Parent Principle
10807
11021
 
10808
- // lib/cli/commands/implement-task.ts
10809
- async function implementTask(dependencies) {
10810
- const { context, settings } = dependencies;
10811
- const hooksInstalled = await manageGitHooks(dependencies);
10812
- const vars = templateVariables(settings, hooksInstalled, process.env);
10813
- context.stdout(`Run \`${vars.bin} focus "<task name>"\` to set your focus and see implementation instructions.`);
10814
- return { exitCode: 0 };
10815
- }
11022
+ - [Agent Autonomy](agent-autonomy.md)
10816
11023
 
10817
- // lib/cli/commands/init.ts
10818
- var DUST_DIRECTORIES = [...ARTIFACT_TYPES, "config"];
10819
- function generateSettings(cwd, fileSystem, runtime) {
10820
- const dustCommand = detectDustCommand(cwd, fileSystem, runtime);
10821
- const testCommand = detectTestCommand(cwd, fileSystem, runtime);
10822
- const checks = [];
10823
- if (testCommand) {
10824
- checks.push({ name: "test", command: testCommand });
10825
- }
10826
- return { dustCommand, checks };
10827
- }
10828
- var USE_DUST_FACT = `# Use dust for planning
11024
+ ## Sub-Principles
11025
+ `
11026
+ },
11027
+ {
11028
+ slug: "some-big-design-up-front",
11029
+ content: `# Some Big Design Up Front
10829
11030
 
10830
- This project uses [dust](https://github.com/joshski/dust) for planning and documentation.
10831
- `;
10832
- function claudeMdContent(dustCommand) {
10833
- return dedent`
10834
- # Claude Code Instructions
11031
+ AI agents lower the cost of architectural exploration, making heavier upfront investment rational during the idea phase.
10835
11032
 
10836
- This project uses [dust](https://github.com/joshski/dust) for planning and documentation.
11033
+ Agile's rejection of "big design up front" (BDUF) was largely economic: detailed architecture was expensive to produce and often wrong. AI agents change that equation — they can explore multiple variants, prototype them, and measure trade-offs cheaply. When evaluating alternatives costs less, the expected value of avoiding large structural mistakes increases.
10837
11034
 
10838
- Always immediately run \`${dustCommand} agent\` when you start working in this repository.
10839
- `;
10840
- }
10841
- function agentsMdContent(dustCommand) {
10842
- return dedent`
10843
- # Agent Instructions
11035
+ This doesn't mean returning to traditional BDUF. Uncertainty about future requirements still limits what prediction can achieve. The insight is that the optimal amount of upfront work has shifted, not that prediction became reliable.
10844
11036
 
10845
- This project uses [dust](https://github.com/joshski/dust) for planning and documentation.
11037
+ The model is hybrid: thorough AI-assisted exploration during ideas, followed by straightforward execution during tasks. "Lightweight" refers to task-level planning, not idea-level exploration. Invest heavily in understanding alternatives during the idea phase, then decompose into atomic tasks once the direction is clear.
10846
11038
 
10847
- Always immediately run \`${dustCommand} agent\` when you start working in this repository.
10848
- `;
10849
- }
10850
- async function init(dependencies) {
10851
- const { context, fileSystem, runtime } = dependencies;
10852
- const colors = getColors();
10853
- const dustPath = `${context.cwd}/.dust`;
10854
- const dustCommand = detectDustCommand(context.cwd, fileSystem, runtime);
10855
- const agentInstruction = `Always immediately run \`${dustCommand} agent\` when you start working in this repository.`;
10856
- await fileSystem.mkdir(dustPath, { recursive: true });
10857
- for (const dir of DUST_DIRECTORIES) {
10858
- await fileSystem.mkdir(`${dustPath}/${dir}`, { recursive: true });
10859
- }
10860
- let dustDirCreated = false;
10861
- try {
10862
- await fileSystem.writeFile(`${dustPath}/facts/use-dust-for-planning.md`, USE_DUST_FACT, { flag: "wx" });
10863
- dustDirCreated = true;
10864
- } catch (error) {
10865
- if (error.code !== "EEXIST") {
10866
- throw error;
10867
- }
10868
- }
10869
- try {
10870
- const settings = generateSettings(context.cwd, fileSystem, runtime);
10871
- await fileSystem.writeFile(`${dustPath}/config/settings.json`, `${JSON.stringify(settings, null, 2)}
10872
- `, { flag: "wx" });
10873
- } catch (error) {
10874
- if (error.code !== "EEXIST") {
10875
- throw error;
10876
- }
10877
- }
10878
- if (dustDirCreated) {
10879
- context.stdout(`${colors.green}✨ Initialized${colors.reset} Dust repository in ${colors.cyan}.dust/${colors.reset}`);
10880
- context.stdout(`${colors.green}\uD83D\uDCC1 Created directories:${colors.reset} ${colors.dim}${DUST_DIRECTORIES.join(", ")}${colors.reset}`);
10881
- context.stdout(`${colors.green}\uD83D\uDCC4 Created initial fact:${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}.dust/facts/use-dust-for-planning.md${colors.reset}`);
10882
- context.stdout(`${colors.green}⚙️ Created settings:${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}.dust/config/settings.json${colors.reset}`);
10883
- } else {
10884
- context.stdout(`${colors.yellow}\uD83D\uDCE6 Note:${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}.dust${colors.reset} directory already exists, skipping creation`);
10885
- }
10886
- const claudeMdPath = `${context.cwd}/CLAUDE.md`;
10887
- try {
10888
- await fileSystem.writeFile(claudeMdPath, claudeMdContent(dustCommand), {
10889
- flag: "wx"
10890
- });
10891
- context.stdout(`${colors.green}\uD83D\uDCC4 Created${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}CLAUDE.md${colors.reset} with agent instructions`);
10892
- } catch (error) {
10893
- if (error.code === "EEXIST") {
10894
- context.stdout(`${colors.yellow}⚠️ Warning:${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}CLAUDE.md${colors.reset} already exists. Consider adding: ${colors.dim}"${agentInstruction}"${colors.reset}`);
10895
- } else {
10896
- throw error;
10897
- }
10898
- }
10899
- const agentsMdPath = `${context.cwd}/AGENTS.md`;
10900
- try {
10901
- await fileSystem.writeFile(agentsMdPath, agentsMdContent(dustCommand), {
10902
- flag: "wx"
10903
- });
10904
- context.stdout(`${colors.green}\uD83D\uDCC4 Created${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}AGENTS.md${colors.reset} with agent instructions`);
10905
- } catch (error) {
10906
- if (error.code === "EEXIST") {
10907
- context.stdout(`${colors.yellow}⚠️ Warning:${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}AGENTS.md${colors.reset} already exists. Consider adding: ${colors.dim}"${agentInstruction}"${colors.reset}`);
10908
- } else {
10909
- throw error;
11039
+ ## Convergence Criteria
11040
+
11041
+ Exploration should continue until clear trade-offs are identified and the chosen approach can be articulated against alternatives. This is convergence-based, not time-boxed — simple ideas converge quickly, complex architectural decisions require more exploration.
11042
+
11043
+ When exploration feels "done":
11044
+
11045
+ - Multiple approaches have been considered
11046
+ - Trade-offs between approaches are understood
11047
+ - The chosen direction has clear justification
11048
+ - Remaining uncertainty is about requirements, not design
11049
+
11050
+ If a task requires significant design decisions during execution, it wasn't ready to be a task.
11051
+
11052
+ ## Documenting Alternatives
11053
+
11054
+ Ideas should document the alternatives considered and why they were ruled out. This creates a decision log that helps future agents and humans understand context. Include alternatives in the idea body or Open Questions sections.
11055
+
11056
+ ## Parent Principle
11057
+
11058
+ - [Lightweight Planning](lightweight-planning.md)
11059
+
11060
+ ## Sub-Principles
11061
+
11062
+ - (none)
11063
+ `
11064
+ },
11065
+ {
11066
+ slug: "design-for-testability",
11067
+ content: `# Design for Testability
11068
+
11069
+ Design code to be testable first; good structure follows naturally.
11070
+
11071
+ Testability should be a primary design driver, not a quality to be retrofitted. When code is designed to be testable from the start, it naturally becomes decoupled, explicit in its dependencies, and clear in its interfaces.
11072
+
11073
+ The discipline of testability forces good design: functions become pure, dependencies become explicit, side effects become isolated. Rather than viewing testability as a tax on production code, recognize it as a compass that points toward better architecture.
11074
+
11075
+ This is particularly important in agent-driven development. Agents cannot manually verify their changes—they rely entirely on tests. Code that resists testing resists autonomous modification.
11076
+
11077
+ ## Parent Principle
11078
+
11079
+ - [Decoupled Code](decoupled-code.md)
11080
+
11081
+ ## Sub-Principles
11082
+
11083
+ - (none)
11084
+ `
11085
+ },
11086
+ {
11087
+ slug: "readable-test-data",
11088
+ content: `# Readable Test Data
11089
+
11090
+ Test data setup should use natural structures that mirror what they represent.
11091
+
11092
+ ## Why it matters
11093
+
11094
+ When test data is easy to read, tests become self-documenting. A file system hierarchy expressed as a nested object immediately conveys structure, while a flat Map with path strings requires mental parsing to understand the relationships.
11095
+
11096
+ ## In practice
11097
+
11098
+ Prefer literal structures that visually match the domain:
11099
+
11100
+ \`\`\`javascript
11101
+ // Avoid: flat paths that obscure hierarchy
11102
+ const fs = createFileSystemEmulator({
11103
+ files: new Map([['/project/.dust/principles/my-goal.md', '# My Goal']]),
11104
+ existingPaths: new Set(['/project/.dust/ideas']),
11105
+ })
11106
+
11107
+ // Prefer: nested object that mirrors file system structure
11108
+ const fs = createFileSystemEmulator({
11109
+ project: {
11110
+ '.dust': {
11111
+ principles: {
11112
+ 'my-goal.md': '# My Goal'
11113
+ },
11114
+ ideas: {}
10910
11115
  }
10911
11116
  }
10912
- const runner = dustCommand.split(" ")[0];
10913
- context.stdout("");
10914
- context.stdout(`${colors.bold}\uD83D\uDE80 Next steps:${colors.reset} Commit the changes if you are happy, then get planning!`);
10915
- context.stdout("");
10916
- context.stdout(`${colors.dim}If this is a new repository, you can start adding ideas or tasks right away:${colors.reset}`);
10917
- context.stdout(` ${colors.cyan}>${colors.reset} ${runner} claude "Idea: friendly UI for non-technical users"`);
10918
- context.stdout(` ${colors.cyan}>${colors.reset} ${runner} codex "Task: set up code coverage"`);
10919
- context.stdout("");
10920
- context.stdout(`${colors.dim}If this is an existing codebase, you might want to backfill principles and facts:${colors.reset}`);
10921
- context.stdout(` ${colors.cyan}>${colors.reset} ${runner} claude "Add principles and facts based on the code in this repository"`);
10922
- return { exitCode: 0 };
11117
+ })
11118
+ \`\`\`
11119
+
11120
+ The nested form:
11121
+ - Shows parent-child relationships through indentation
11122
+ - Makes empty directories explicit with empty objects
11123
+ - Requires no mental path concatenation to understand structure
11124
+
11125
+ ## How to evaluate
11126
+
11127
+ Work supports this principle when test setup data uses structures that visually resemble what they represent, reducing cognitive load for readers.
11128
+
11129
+ ## Parent Principle
11130
+
11131
+ - [Make Changes with Confidence](make-changes-with-confidence.md)
11132
+
11133
+ ## Sub-Principles
11134
+
11135
+ - (none)
11136
+ `
11137
+ },
11138
+ {
11139
+ slug: "agent-specific-enhancement",
11140
+ content: `# Agent-Specific Enhancement
11141
+
11142
+ Dust should detect and enhance the experience for specific agents while remaining agnostic at its core.
11143
+
11144
+ While Dust has [Agent-Agnostic Design](agent-agnostic-design.md) and works with any capable agent, it can still optimize the "agent DX" (developer experience) when it detects a specific agent is being used. This means:
11145
+
11146
+ - **Detection** - Dust may detect which agent is running (e.g., Claude Code, Aider, Cursor) through environment variables, configuration, or other signals
11147
+ - **Enhancement** - Once detected, Dust can tailor its output format, prompts, or context to leverage that agent's specific strengths
11148
+ - **Graceful fallback** - When no specific agent is detected, Dust provides a generic experience that works with any agent
11149
+
11150
+ This principle complements Agent-Agnostic Design: the core functionality never requires a specific agent, but the experience improves when one is recognized.
11151
+
11152
+ ## Applicability
11153
+
11154
+ Internal
11155
+
11156
+ ## Parent Principle
11157
+
11158
+ - [Agent Autonomy](agent-autonomy.md)
11159
+
11160
+ ## Sub-Principles
11161
+
11162
+ - (none)
11163
+ `
11164
+ },
11165
+ {
11166
+ slug: "context-optimised-code",
11167
+ content: `# Context-Optimised Code
11168
+
11169
+ Code should be structured so that agents can understand and modify it within their context window constraints.
11170
+
11171
+ Large files, deeply nested abstractions, and sprawling dependency chains all work against agents. A 3,000-line file cannot be fully loaded into context. A function that requires understanding six levels of indirection demands more context than one that is self-contained. Context-optimised code favours small files, shallow abstractions, explicit dependencies, and co-located related logic.
11172
+
11173
+ Dust should help projects identify files that are too large, modules that are too tangled, and patterns that make agent comprehension harder than it needs to be. This is not just about file size — it is about ensuring that the unit of code an agent needs to understand fits comfortably within the window available.
11174
+
11175
+ ## Parent Principle
11176
+
11177
+ - [Ideal Agent Developer Experience](ideal-agent-developer-experience.md)
11178
+
11179
+ ## Sub-Principles
11180
+
11181
+ - (none)
11182
+ `
11183
+ },
11184
+ {
11185
+ slug: "self-diagnosing-tests",
11186
+ content: `# Self-Diagnosing Tests
11187
+
11188
+ When a big test fails, it should be self-evident how to diagnose and fix the failure.
11189
+
11190
+ The more moving parts a test has — end-to-end, system, integration — the more critical this becomes. A test that fails with \`expected true, received false\` forces the developer (or agent) to re-run, add logging, and guess. A test that fails with a rich diff showing the actual state versus the expected state turns diagnosis into reading.
11191
+
11192
+ ## Anti-patterns
11193
+
11194
+ **Boolean flattening** — collapsing a rich value into true/false before asserting:
11195
+ \`\`\`javascript
11196
+ // Bad: "expected true, received false" — what events arrived?
11197
+ expect(events.some(e => e.type === 'check-passed')).toBe(true)
11198
+
11199
+ // Good: shows the actual event types on failure
11200
+ expect(events.map(e => e.type)).toContain('check-passed')
11201
+ \`\`\`
11202
+
11203
+ **Length-only assertions** — checking count without showing contents:
11204
+ \`\`\`javascript
11205
+ // Bad: "expected 2, received 0" — what requests were captured?
11206
+ expect(requests.length).toBe(2)
11207
+
11208
+ // Good: shows the actual requests on failure
11209
+ expect(requests).toHaveLength(2) // vitest shows the array
11210
+ \`\`\`
11211
+
11212
+ **Silent guards** — using \`if\` where an assertion belongs:
11213
+ \`\`\`javascript
11214
+ // Bad: silently passes when settings is undefined
11215
+ if (settings) {
11216
+ expect(JSON.parse(settings).key).toBeDefined()
10923
11217
  }
10924
11218
 
10925
- // lib/cli/commands/list.ts
10926
- import { basename as basename3, resolve as resolve4 } from "node:path";
11219
+ // Good: fails explicitly if settings is missing
11220
+ expect(settings).toBeDefined()
11221
+ const parsed = JSON.parse(settings!)
11222
+ expect(parsed.key).toBeDefined()
11223
+ \`\`\`
11224
+
11225
+ ## The test
11226
+
11227
+ If a test fails, can a developer who has never seen the code identify the problem from the failure output alone — without re-running, adding console.logs, or reading the test source? The closer to "yes", the better.
11228
+
11229
+ ## How to evaluate
11230
+
11231
+ Work supports this principle when every assertion in a system or integration test would, on failure, reveal the actual state richly enough to guide a fix. Bare boolean checks, length-only assertions, and silent conditional guards are violations.
11232
+
11233
+ ## Parent Principle
11234
+
11235
+ - [Make Changes with Confidence](make-changes-with-confidence.md)
11236
+
11237
+ ## Sub-Principles
11238
+
11239
+ - (none)
11240
+ `
11241
+ },
11242
+ {
11243
+ slug: "ideal-agent-developer-experience",
11244
+ content: `# Ideal Agent Developer Experience
11245
+
11246
+ The agent is the developer. The human is the CEO. Dust is the PM.
11247
+
11248
+ With today's AI coding assistants, the human is stuck in a tight loop with agents — constantly directing, reviewing, and course-correcting. Dust is designed to relieve humans from this tight loop. Like an assistant to a CEO, dust predominantly brings fully-researched questions and well-prepared work to the human, rather than expecting the human to drive every decision. The human checks in less frequently, and when they do, they make high-leverage strategic calls rather than micromanaging implementation.
11249
+
11250
+ For this to work, the agent's development environment must be excellent. The agent reads the code, writes changes, runs the checks, and iterates until the task is done. Everything about the codebase and its tooling either helps or hinders that process. Comprehensive tests are the agent's only way to verify correctness. Fast feedback loops are the agent's iteration speed. Structured logs are the agent's eyes into runtime behaviour. Small, well-organised files are what fit in the agent's context window. Exploratory and debugging tools are how the agent navigates and diagnoses without trial and error.
11251
+
11252
+ Each sub-principle represents a different aspect of the ideal agent developer setup. The better these are, the less the human needs to be in the loop.
11253
+
11254
+ ## Parent Principle
11255
+
11256
+ - [Human-AI Collaboration](human-ai-collaboration.md)
11257
+
11258
+ ## Sub-Principles
11259
+
11260
+ - [Comprehensive Test Coverage](comprehensive-test-coverage.md)
11261
+ - [Fast Feedback Loops](fast-feedback-loops.md)
11262
+ - [Slow Feedback Coping](slow-feedback-coping.md)
11263
+ - [Development Traceability](development-traceability.md)
11264
+ - [Context-Optimised Code](context-optimised-code.md)
11265
+ - [Exploratory Tooling](exploratory-tooling.md)
11266
+ - [Debugging Tooling](debugging-tooling.md)
11267
+ - [Self-Contained Repository](self-contained-repository.md)
11268
+ `
11269
+ },
11270
+ {
11271
+ slug: "broken-windows",
11272
+ content: `# Broken Windows
11273
+
11274
+ Don't leave broken windows unrepaired.
11275
+
11276
+ A broken window — a bad name, a hack, a TODO that lingers, a test that's been skipped — signals that nobody cares. That signal invites more neglect. One shortcut becomes two, then ten, and the codebase quietly rots from the inside.
11277
+
11278
+ When you spot a broken window, fix it immediately if the fix is small. If it's too large, capture it as a task so it doesn't get forgotten. The key is to never normalise the damage. Even a comment acknowledging the problem ("this needs fixing because...") is better than silent acceptance.
11279
+
11280
+ This principle complements the [Boy Scout Rule](boy-scout-rule.md): the Boy Scout Rule encourages proactive improvement, while Broken Windows warns against tolerating known problems. Together they keep entropy at bay.
11281
+
11282
+ ## Parent Principle
11283
+
11284
+ - [Maintainable Codebase](maintainable-codebase.md)
11285
+
11286
+ ## Sub-Principles
11287
+
11288
+ - (none)
11289
+ `
11290
+ },
11291
+ {
11292
+ slug: "progressive-disclosure",
11293
+ content: `# Progressive Disclosure
11294
+
11295
+ Dust should reveal details progressively as a way of achieving context window efficiency.
11296
+
11297
+ Not all information is needed at once. A task list showing just titles is sufficient for choosing what to work on. Full task details are only needed when actively implementing. Linked principles and facts can be followed when deeper context is required.
11298
+
11299
+ This layered approach keeps initial reads lightweight while preserving access to complete information when needed.
11300
+
11301
+ ## Parent Principle
11302
+
11303
+ - [Context Window Efficiency](context-window-efficiency.md)
11304
+
11305
+ ## Sub-Principles
11306
+
11307
+ - (none)
11308
+ `
11309
+ },
11310
+ {
11311
+ slug: "lightweight-planning",
11312
+ content: `# Lightweight Planning
11313
+
11314
+ Dust aims to be a minimal, low-overhead planning system that stays relevant over time.
11315
+
11316
+ Planning artifacts are simple markdown files that live alongside code. Ideas are intentionally vague until implementation is imminent. Tasks are small and completable in single commits. Facts document current reality rather than aspirational states.
11317
+
11318
+ The system avoids the staleness problem by deferring detail until the last responsible moment and deleting completed work rather than archiving it.
11319
+
11320
+ ## Parent Principle
11321
+
11322
+ - [Human-AI Collaboration](human-ai-collaboration.md)
11323
+
11324
+ ## Sub-Principles
11325
+
11326
+ - [Task-First Workflow](task-first-workflow.md)
11327
+ - [Some Big Design Up Front](some-big-design-up-front.md)
11328
+ `
11329
+ },
11330
+ {
11331
+ slug: "comprehensive-test-coverage",
11332
+ content: `# Comprehensive Test Coverage
11333
+
11334
+ A project's test suite is its primary safety net, and agents depend on it even more than humans do.
11335
+
11336
+ Agents cannot manually verify that their changes work. They rely entirely on automated tests to confirm correctness. Gaps in test coverage become gaps in agent capability — areas where changes are risky and feedback is absent. Comprehensive coverage means every meaningful behaviour is tested, so agents can make changes anywhere in the codebase with confidence.
11337
+
11338
+ Dust should help projects measure and improve their test coverage, flag untested areas, and encourage a culture where new code comes with new tests.
11339
+
11340
+ ## Parent Principle
11341
+
11342
+ - [Ideal Agent Developer Experience](ideal-agent-developer-experience.md)
11343
+
11344
+ ## Sub-Principles
11345
+
11346
+ - (none)
11347
+ `
11348
+ },
11349
+ {
11350
+ slug: "intuitive-directory-structure",
11351
+ content: `# Intuitive Directory Structure
11352
+
11353
+ Code should be organized around related concerns in clearly named directories.
11354
+
11355
+ When files that serve similar purposes are grouped together, the codebase becomes easier to navigate and understand. A developer looking for "commands" should find them in a \`commands\` directory. Utilities should live with utilities. This organization reduces cognitive load and makes the project structure self-documenting.
11356
+
11357
+ ## Parent Principle
11358
+
11359
+ - [Maintainable Codebase](maintainable-codebase.md)
11360
+
11361
+ ## Sub-Principles
11362
+
11363
+ - [Co-located Tests](co-located-tests.md)
11364
+ `
11365
+ },
11366
+ {
11367
+ slug: "small-units",
11368
+ content: `# Small Units
11369
+
11370
+ Ideas, principles, facts, and tasks should each be as discrete and fine-grained as possible.
11371
+
11372
+ Small, focused documents enable precise relationships between them. A task can link to exactly the principles it serves. A fact can describe one specific aspect of the system. This granularity reduces ambiguity.
11373
+
11374
+ Tasks especially benefit from being small. A narrowly scoped task gives agents or humans the best chance of delivering exactly what was intended, in a single atomic commit.
11375
+
11376
+ Note: This principle directly supports [Lightweight Planning](lightweight-planning.md), which explicitly mentions that "Tasks are small and completable in single commits."
11377
+
11378
+ ## Parent Principle
11379
+
11380
+ - [Agent Autonomy](agent-autonomy.md)
11381
+
11382
+ ## Sub-Principles
11383
+
11384
+ - (none)
11385
+ `
11386
+ },
11387
+ {
11388
+ slug: "fast-feedback",
11389
+ content: `# Fast Feedback
11390
+
11391
+ Dust should provide fast feedback loops for developers.
11392
+
11393
+ Scripts and tooling should execute quickly so developers can iterate rapidly. Slow feedback discourages frequent validation and leads to larger, riskier changes. Fast feedback enables small, confident steps.
11394
+
11395
+ ## Parent Principle
11396
+
11397
+ - [Make Changes with Confidence](make-changes-with-confidence.md)
11398
+
11399
+ ## Sub-Principles
11400
+
11401
+ - (none)
11402
+ `
11403
+ },
11404
+ {
11405
+ slug: "dependency-injection",
11406
+ content: `# Dependency Injection
11407
+
11408
+ Avoid global mocks. Dependency injection is almost always preferable to testing code that depends directly on globals.
11409
+
11410
+ When code depends on global state or singletons, testing requires mocking those globals—which introduces hidden coupling, complicates test setup, and risks interference between tests. Dependency injection makes dependencies explicit: they're passed in as arguments, making the code's requirements visible and enabling tests to supply controlled implementations.
11411
+
11412
+ This approach improves testability (each test controls its own dependencies), readability (dependencies are declared upfront), and flexibility (swapping implementations doesn't require changing the consuming code). It also makes refactoring safer since dependencies are explicit rather than implicit.
11413
+
11414
+ ## Parent Principle
11415
+
11416
+ - [Decoupled Code](decoupled-code.md)
11417
+
11418
+ ## Sub-Principles
11419
+
11420
+ - (none)
11421
+ `
11422
+ },
11423
+ {
11424
+ slug: "reproducible-checks",
11425
+ content: `# Reproducible Checks
11426
+
11427
+ Every check must produce the same result regardless of who runs it, when, or on what machine. If a check passes for one developer but fails for another, the check is broken.
11428
+
11429
+ Concretely, checks should pin their tool versions via the project's dependency manager (e.g. \`devDependencies\`) rather than relying on \`npx\`/\`bunx\` to fetch the latest version at runtime. Unpinned versions introduce non-determinism — a check that passed yesterday may fail today due to a tool upgrade that nobody chose to adopt.
11430
+
11431
+ ## Parent Principle
11432
+
11433
+ - [Make Changes with Confidence](make-changes-with-confidence.md)
11434
+
11435
+ ## Sub-Principles
11436
+
11437
+ - (none)
11438
+ `
11439
+ },
11440
+ {
11441
+ slug: "slow-feedback-coping",
11442
+ content: `# Slow Feedback Coping
11443
+
11444
+ Some feedback is unavoidably slow — dust should offer coping strategies rather than pretending it can be eliminated.
11445
+
11446
+ Integration tests, end-to-end tests, deployment pipelines, and external API calls all take time. Pretending they can be made instant is unrealistic. Instead, dust should help developers and agents cope with slow feedback effectively: by structuring work so that fast checks catch most problems early, by batching slow checks intelligently, by providing clear progress indicators, and by ensuring that when slow feedback does arrive, it is actionable and specific.
11447
+
11448
+ Strategies include separating fast and slow test suites, running slow checks asynchronously or in CI, caching expensive operations, and designing workflows that minimise how often slow feedback is needed.
11449
+
11450
+ ## Parent Principle
11451
+
11452
+ - [Ideal Agent Developer Experience](ideal-agent-developer-experience.md)
11453
+
11454
+ ## Sub-Principles
11455
+
11456
+ - (none)
11457
+ `
11458
+ },
11459
+ {
11460
+ slug: "make-changes-with-confidence",
11461
+ content: `# Make Changes with Confidence
11462
+
11463
+ Developers should be able to modify code without fear of breaking existing behavior.
11464
+
11465
+ Tests, type checking, and other automated verification enable safe refactoring and evolution of the codebase. When changes break something, fast feedback identifies the problem before it spreads. This confidence encourages continuous improvement rather than fragile, stagnant code.
11466
+
11467
+ ## Parent Principle
11468
+
11469
+ - [Maintainable Codebase](maintainable-codebase.md)
11470
+
11471
+ ## Sub-Principles
11472
+
11473
+ - [Comprehensive Assertions](comprehensive-assertions.md)
11474
+ - [Decoupled Code](decoupled-code.md)
11475
+ - [Fast Feedback](fast-feedback.md)
11476
+ - [Lint Everything](lint-everything.md)
11477
+ - [Readable Test Data](readable-test-data.md)
11478
+ - [Reproducible Checks](reproducible-checks.md)
11479
+ - [Stop the Line](stop-the-line.md)
11480
+ - [Keep Unit Tests Pure](keep-unit-tests-pure.md)
11481
+ - [Test Isolation](test-isolation.md)
11482
+ - [Self-Diagnosing Tests](self-diagnosing-tests.md)
11483
+ - [Unit Test Coverage](unit-test-coverage.md)
11484
+ `
11485
+ },
11486
+ {
11487
+ slug: "test-isolation",
11488
+ content: `# Test Isolation
11489
+
11490
+ Tests should not interfere with one another. Each test must be independently runnable and produce the same result regardless of execution order or which other tests run alongside it.
11491
+
11492
+ This means:
11493
+ - No shared mutable state between tests
11494
+ - No reliance on test execution order
11495
+ - No file system or environment pollution
11496
+ - Each test sets up its own dependencies
11497
+
11498
+ Test isolation enables parallel execution, makes failures easier to diagnose, and prevents cascading false failures when one test breaks.
11499
+
11500
+ ## Parent Principle
11501
+
11502
+ - [Make Changes with Confidence](make-changes-with-confidence.md)
11503
+
11504
+ ## Sub-Principles
11505
+
11506
+ - [Environment-Independent Tests](environment-independent-tests.md)
11507
+ `
11508
+ },
11509
+ {
11510
+ slug: "repository-hygiene",
11511
+ content: `# Repository Hygiene
11512
+
11513
+ Dust repositories should maintain a clean, organized state with minimal noise.
11514
+
11515
+ This includes proper gitignore configuration to exclude build artifacts, dependencies, editor files, and other generated content from version control. A well-maintained repository makes it easier for both humans and AI to navigate and understand the codebase.
11516
+
11517
+ ## Parent Principle
11518
+
11519
+ - [Maintainable Codebase](maintainable-codebase.md)
11520
+
11521
+ ## Sub-Principles
11522
+
11523
+ - [Atomic Commits](atomic-commits.md)
11524
+ - [Trunk-Based Development](trunk-based-development.md)
11525
+ `
11526
+ },
11527
+ {
11528
+ slug: "agentic-flow-state",
11529
+ content: `# Agentic Flow State
11530
+
11531
+ Flow is the mental state where work becomes effortless - where you're fully immersed, losing track of time, operating at peak performance. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi identified three conditions that create flow: clear goals, immediate feedback, and challenge-skill balance.
11532
+
11533
+ For AI agents, achieving flow state means staying engaged and productive without interruption. Agents enter flow when they have optimal context, comprehensive guard rails, and minimal friction. Context window optimization ensures agents have exactly what they need without cognitive overload. In-session guard rails prevent agents from straying off course or making mistakes that break their momentum.
11534
+
11535
+ Dust's design targets these conditions directly:
11536
+
11537
+ - **Clear goals**: Task files and lightweight planning give you a concrete target. You know exactly what you're building next.
11538
+ - **Immediate feedback**: Fast feedback loops let you see results quickly. Each change confirms you're on track or shows you what to adjust.
11539
+ - **Challenge-skill balance**: Small units of work and agent autonomy keep you in the zone - challenged enough to stay engaged, supported enough to succeed.
11540
+ - **Context window efficiency**: Progressive disclosure and artifact summarization ensure agents have the right context without overflow.
11541
+ - **Comprehensive guard rails**: Lint rules, type checks, and automated validation catch mistakes before they compound.
11542
+
11543
+ Everything dust does serves flow. When agents stay in flow, they produce better work, sustain their momentum, and complete tasks autonomously.
11544
+
11545
+ ## Parent Principle
11546
+
11547
+ - (none)
11548
+
11549
+ ## Sub-Principles
11550
+
11551
+ - [Human-AI Collaboration](human-ai-collaboration.md)
11552
+ - [Maintainable Codebase](maintainable-codebase.md)
11553
+ `
11554
+ },
11555
+ {
11556
+ slug: "stop-the-line",
11557
+ content: `# Stop the Line
11558
+
11559
+ Any worker — human or agent — should halt and fix a problem the moment they detect it, rather than letting defects propagate downstream.
11560
+
11561
+ Originating from the Toyota production system, "Stop the Line" empowers every participant to pause work immediately upon identifying a defect, failing check, or safety hazard. Problems are cheaper to fix at their source than after they've compounded through later stages. In the context of dust, this means agents and humans alike should treat broken checks, test failures, and lint errors as blockers that demand immediate attention — not warnings to be deferred.
11562
+
11563
+ ## Parent Principle
11564
+
11565
+ - [Make Changes with Confidence](make-changes-with-confidence.md)
11566
+
11567
+ ## Sub-Principles
11568
+
11569
+ - (none)
11570
+ `
11571
+ },
11572
+ {
11573
+ slug: "agent-context-inference",
11574
+ content: `# Agent Context Inference
11575
+
11576
+ Terse human prompts should trigger the correct agent action.
11577
+
11578
+ When a human gives a brief instruction like "the button should be green", the agent should be able to infer what to do. The agent shouldn't require the human to specify file paths, component names, or implementation details that can be discovered from the repository.
11579
+
11580
+ This reduces friction for humans and makes agent interactions feel more natural. The burden of context discovery shifts to the agent, which can use dust's CLI and repository structure to find what it needs.
11581
+
11582
+ ## Applicability
11583
+
11584
+ Internal
11585
+
11586
+ ## Parent Principle
11587
+
11588
+ - [Agent Autonomy](agent-autonomy.md)
11589
+
11590
+ ## Sub-Principles
11591
+
11592
+ - (none)
11593
+ `
11594
+ },
11595
+ {
11596
+ slug: "naming-matters",
11597
+ content: `# Naming Matters
11598
+
11599
+ Good naming reduces waste by eliminating confusion and making code self-documenting.
11600
+
11601
+ Poor names cause rework, bugs, and communication overhead. When names don't clearly convey meaning, developers waste time deciphering code, misunderstand intentions, and introduce defects. Well-chosen names serve as documentation that never goes stale, reducing the need for explanatory comments and enabling both humans and AI agents to navigate the codebase efficiently.
11602
+
11603
+ ## Parent Principle
11604
+
11605
+ - [Maintainable Codebase](maintainable-codebase.md)
11606
+
11607
+ ## Sub-Principles
11608
+
11609
+ - [Consistent Naming](consistent-naming.md)
11610
+ - [Clarity Over Brevity](clarity-over-brevity.md)
11611
+ `
11612
+ },
11613
+ {
11614
+ slug: "stubs-over-mocks",
11615
+ content: `# Stubs Over Mocks
11616
+
11617
+ Prefer hand-rolled stubs over mocks, in unit tests. Stubs keep tests focused on observable behavior instead of implementation details.
11618
+
11619
+ Mocks tend to encode a script of “expected calls” (what was invoked, in what order, with what arguments). That makes tests brittle: harmless refactors (changing internal decomposition, adding caching, batching calls, reordering operations) can break tests even when the externally visible behavior is unchanged. You end up maintaining tests that police how the code works rather than what it does.
11620
+
11621
+ Stubs (and especially in-memory emulators) push tests toward the contract: provide inputs, run the code, assert outputs and side effects. When a test fails, it’s usually because a behavior changed, not because the internal call choreography shifted. That improves signal-to-noise, reduces rewrites during refactors, and makes it easier to evolve the implementation.
11622
+
11623
+ For external dependencies (databases, queues, object stores, HTTP services), the default choice should be an in-memory emulator: a drop-in replacement that is faithful enough to the real interface/semantics but runs entirely in-process. It gives most of the benefits of integration testing—realistic state transitions, error modes, concurrency behavior where relevant—without the cost, flakiness, and setup burden of booting real infrastructure. It also keeps the test environment hermetic (no network, no shared state), which improves determinism and makes tests fast.
11624
+
11625
+ Still use mocks selectively—mainly to assert something is called (e.g., telemetry emission, "at most once" notifications, payment capture guarded by a feature flag) or when a dependency is impossible to emulate. But for most cases, stubs and in-memory emulators produce tests that are clearer, more resilient to refactoring, and better aligned with the system's actual contracts.
11626
+
11627
+ ## Parent Principle
11628
+
11629
+ - [Decoupled Code](decoupled-code.md)
11630
+
11631
+ ## Sub-Principles
11632
+
11633
+ - (none)
11634
+ `
11635
+ },
11636
+ {
11637
+ slug: "functional-core-imperative-shell",
11638
+ content: `# Functional Core, Imperative Shell
11639
+
11640
+ Separate code into a pure "functional core" and a thin "imperative shell." The core takes values in and returns values out, with no side effects. The shell handles I/O and wires things together.
11641
+
11642
+ Purely functional code makes some things easier to understand: because values don't change, you can call functions and know that only their return value matters—they don't change anything outside themselves.
11643
+
11644
+ The functional core contains business logic as pure functions that take values and return values. The imperative shell sits at the boundary, reading input, calling into the core, and performing side effects with the results. This keeps the majority of code easy to test (no mocks or stubs needed for pure functions) and makes the I/O surface area small and explicit.
11645
+
11646
+ ## Parent Principle
11647
+
11648
+ - [Decoupled Code](decoupled-code.md)
11649
+
11650
+ ## Sub-Principles
11651
+
11652
+ - (none)
11653
+ `
11654
+ },
11655
+ {
11656
+ slug: "development-traceability",
11657
+ content: `# Development Traceability
11658
+
11659
+ Structured logging and tracing help agents understand system behaviour without resorting to ad-hoc testing cycles.
11660
+
11661
+ When something goes wrong, agents often resort to adding temporary log statements, running the code, reading the output, and repeating — a slow and wasteful debugging loop. Good traceability means the system already records what happened and why, through structured logs, trace IDs, and observable state. This lets agents diagnose issues by reading existing output rather than generating new experiments.
11662
+
11663
+ Dust should encourage projects to adopt structured logging, promote traceability as a first-class concern, and provide tools that surface relevant trace information when agents need it.
11664
+
11665
+ ## Applicability
11666
+
11667
+ Internal
11668
+
11669
+ ## Parent Principle
11670
+
11671
+ - [Ideal Agent Developer Experience](ideal-agent-developer-experience.md)
11672
+
11673
+ ## Sub-Principles
11674
+
11675
+ - (none)
11676
+ `
11677
+ },
11678
+ {
11679
+ slug: "keep-unit-tests-pure",
11680
+ content: `# Keep Unit Tests Pure
11681
+
11682
+ Unit tests (those run very frequently as part of a tight feedback loop) should be pure and side-effect free. A test is **not** a unit test if it:
11683
+
11684
+ - Accesses a database
11685
+ - Communicates over a network
11686
+ - Touches the file system
11687
+ - Cannot run concurrently with other tests
11688
+ - Requires special environment setup
11689
+
11690
+ "Unit tests" here means tests run frequently during development — not system tests, which intentionally exercise the full stack including I/O. Pure unit tests exercise only business logic, not infrastructure.
11691
+
11692
+ The value of pure unit tests is that they are fast, deterministic, and isolate business logic from infrastructure concerns. When unit tests pass but integration or system tests fail, developers can immediately narrow the problem to the boundary layer — a diagnostic "binary chop" that accelerates debugging.
11693
+
11694
+ ## Migration Guidance
11695
+
11696
+ Where existing tests are impure (e.g. they spawn processes, write temporary files, or make network calls), prefer converting them to use in-memory alternatives — stubs, fakes, or dependency-injected doubles — rather than leaving them as-is. Opportunistic migration is fine; a big-bang rewrite is not required.
11697
+
11698
+ ## Parent Principle
11699
+
11700
+ - [Make Changes with Confidence](make-changes-with-confidence.md)
11701
+
11702
+ ## Sub-Principles
11703
+
11704
+ - (none)
11705
+ `
11706
+ },
11707
+ {
11708
+ slug: "co-located-tests",
11709
+ content: `# Co-located Tests
11710
+
11711
+ Test files should live next to the code they test.
11712
+
11713
+ When tests are co-located with their source files, developers can immediately see what's tested and what isn't. Finding the test for a module becomes trivial—it's right there in the same directory. This proximity encourages writing tests as part of the development flow rather than as an afterthought, and makes it natural to update tests when modifying code.
11714
+
11715
+ ## Parent Principle
11716
+
11717
+ - [Intuitive Directory Structure](intuitive-directory-structure.md)
11718
+
11719
+ ## Sub-Principles
11720
+
11721
+ - (none)
11722
+ `
11723
+ },
11724
+ {
11725
+ slug: "human-ai-collaboration",
11726
+ content: `# Human-AI Collaboration
11727
+
11728
+ Dust exists to enable effective collaboration between humans and AI agents on complex projects.
11729
+
11730
+ The human is the CEO — they set direction, make strategic decisions, and check in when it matters. Dust is the PM — it manages the work, prepares context, and brings fully-researched questions to the human rather than expecting them to drive every detail. Agents are the developers — they read code, write changes, and iterate autonomously.
11731
+
11732
+ Today's AI coding tools keep humans in a tight loop with agents. Dust is designed to loosen that loop, so humans spend less time directing and more time deciding.
11733
+
11734
+ ## Parent Principle
11735
+
11736
+ - [Agentic Flow State](agentic-flow-state.md)
11737
+
11738
+ ## Sub-Principles
11739
+
11740
+ - [Agent Autonomy](agent-autonomy.md)
11741
+ - [Easy Adoption](easy-adoption.md)
11742
+ - [Ideal Agent Developer Experience](ideal-agent-developer-experience.md)
11743
+ - [Lightweight Planning](lightweight-planning.md)
11744
+ `
11745
+ },
11746
+ {
11747
+ slug: "vcs-independence",
11748
+ content: `# VCS Independence
11749
+
11750
+ Dust should work independently of any specific version control system.
11751
+
11752
+ While git is common, dust's core functionality should not require git. This enables use in repositories using other VCS (Mercurial, SVN, Perforce) or in non-VCS workflows.
11753
+
11754
+ ## Parent Principle
11755
+
11756
+ - [Easy Adoption](easy-adoption.md)
11757
+
11758
+ ## Sub-Principles
11759
+
11760
+ - (none)
11761
+ `
11762
+ },
11763
+ {
11764
+ slug: "environment-independent-tests",
11765
+ content: `# Environment-Independent Tests
11766
+
11767
+ Tests must produce the same result regardless of where they run. A test that passes locally but fails in CI (or vice versa) is a broken test.
11768
+
11769
+ Concretely, tests should never depend on:
11770
+ - Ambient environment variables (e.g. \`CLAUDECODE\`, \`CI\`, \`HOME\`)
11771
+ - The current working directory or filesystem layout of the host machine
11772
+ - Network availability or external services
11773
+ - The identity of the user or agent running the tests
11774
+
11775
+ When a function's behavior depends on environment variables, the test must explicitly control those variables (via \`stubEnv\`, dependency injection, or passing an \`env\` parameter) rather than relying on whatever happens to be set in the current shell.
11776
+
11777
+ ## Parent Principle
11778
+
11779
+ - [Test Isolation](test-isolation.md)
11780
+
11781
+ ## Sub-Principles
11782
+
11783
+ - (none)
11784
+ `
11785
+ },
11786
+ {
11787
+ slug: "debugging-tooling",
11788
+ content: `# Debugging Tooling
11789
+
11790
+ Agents need effective tools for diagnosing and fixing issues without manual intervention.
11791
+
11792
+ Traditional debugging relies on breakpoints, stepping through code, and interactive inspection — techniques that work well for humans but poorly for agents. Agents need debugging tools that produce readable, structured output: stack traces with context, diff-friendly error messages, reproducible test cases, and diagnostic commands that can be run non-interactively.
11793
+
11794
+ Dust should help projects adopt agent-friendly debugging practices: structured error output, diagnostic scripts, snapshot testing for complex state, and tools that turn vague symptoms into specific, actionable information.
11795
+
11796
+ ## Applicability
11797
+
11798
+ Internal
11799
+
11800
+ ## Parent Principle
11801
+
11802
+ - [Ideal Agent Developer Experience](ideal-agent-developer-experience.md)
11803
+
11804
+ ## Sub-Principles
11805
+
11806
+ - (none)
11807
+ `
11808
+ },
11809
+ {
11810
+ slug: "atomic-commits",
11811
+ content: `# Atomic Commits
11812
+
11813
+ Each commit should tell a complete story, bundling implementation changes with their corresponding documentation updates.
11814
+
11815
+ When a task is completed, the commit deletes the task file, updates relevant facts to reflect the new reality, and removes any ideas that have been realized. This discipline ensures that any point in the commit history represents a coherent, self-documenting state of the project.
11816
+
11817
+ Clean commit history is essential because archaeology depends on it. Future humans and AI agents will traverse history to understand why decisions were made and how the system evolved.
11818
+
11819
+ ## Parent Principle
11820
+
11821
+ - [Repository Hygiene](repository-hygiene.md)
11822
+
11823
+ ## Sub-Principles
11824
+
11825
+ - [Traceable Decisions](traceable-decisions.md)
11826
+ `
11827
+ },
11828
+ {
11829
+ slug: "trunk-based-development",
11830
+ content: `# Trunk-Based Development
11831
+
11832
+ Dust is designed to support a non-branching workflow where developers commit directly to a single main branch.
11833
+
11834
+ In trunk-based development, teams collaborate on code in one primary branch rather than maintaining multiple long-lived feature branches. This eliminates merge conflicts, enables continuous integration, and keeps the codebase continuously releasable.
11835
+
11836
+ The \`dust loop claude\` command embodies this philosophy: agents pull from main, implement a task, and push directly back to main. There are no feature branches, no pull requests, no merge queues. Each commit is atomic and complete.
11837
+
11838
+ This approach scales through discipline rather than isolation. Feature flags and incremental changes replace long-running branches. The repository history becomes a linear sequence of working states.
11839
+
11840
+ See: https://trunkbaseddevelopment.com/
11841
+
11842
+ ## Parent Principle
11843
+
11844
+ - [Repository Hygiene](repository-hygiene.md)
11845
+
11846
+ ## Sub-Principles
11847
+
11848
+ (none)
11849
+ `
11850
+ },
11851
+ {
11852
+ slug: "comprehensive-assertions",
11853
+ content: `# Comprehensive Assertions
11854
+
11855
+ Assert the whole, not the parts.
11856
+
11857
+ When you break a complex object into many small assertions, a failure tells you *one thing that's wrong*. When you assert against the whole expected value, the diff tells you *what actually happened versus what you expected* — the full picture, in one glance.
11858
+
11859
+ Small assertions are like yes/no questions to a witness. A whole-object assertion is like asking "tell me what you saw."
11860
+
11861
+ ## In practice
11862
+
11863
+ Collapse multiple partial assertions into one comprehensive assertion:
11864
+
11865
+ \`\`\`javascript
11866
+ // Fragmented — each failure is a narrow keyhole
11867
+ expect(result.name).toBe("Alice");
11868
+ expect(result.age).toBe(30);
11869
+ expect(result.role).toBe("admin");
11870
+
11871
+ // Whole — a failure diff tells the full story
11872
+ expect(result).toEqual({
11873
+ name: "Alice",
11874
+ age: 30,
11875
+ role: "admin",
11876
+ });
11877
+ \`\`\`
11878
+
11879
+ If \`role\` is \`"user"\` and \`age\` is \`29\`, the fragmented version stops at the first failure. The whole-object assertion shows both discrepancies at once, in context.
11880
+
11881
+ The same applies to arrays:
11882
+
11883
+ \`\`\`javascript
11884
+ // Avoid: partial assertions that hide the actual state
11885
+ expect(array).toContain('apples')
11886
+ expect(array).toContain('oranges')
11887
+
11888
+ // Prefer: one assertion that reveals the full picture on failure
11889
+ expect(array).toEqual(['apples', 'oranges'])
11890
+ \`\`\`
11891
+
11892
+ ## How to evaluate
11893
+
11894
+ Work supports this principle when test failures tell a rich story — showing the complete actual value alongside the complete expected value, so the reader can understand what happened without re-running anything.
11895
+
11896
+ ## Parent Principle
11897
+
11898
+ - [Make Changes with Confidence](make-changes-with-confidence.md)
11899
+
11900
+ ## Sub-Principles
11901
+
11902
+ - (none)
11903
+ `
11904
+ },
11905
+ {
11906
+ slug: "cross-platform-compatibility",
11907
+ content: `# Cross-Platform Compatibility
11908
+
11909
+ Dust should work consistently across operating systems: Linux, macOS, and Windows.
11910
+
11911
+ This means:
11912
+ - Avoiding platform-specific shell commands or syntax
11913
+ - Using cross-platform path handling
11914
+ - Testing on multiple platforms when possible
11915
+ - Documenting any platform-specific limitations
11916
+
11917
+ Cross-platform support broadens adoption and ensures teams with mixed environments can collaborate effectively.
11918
+
11919
+ ## Parent Principle
11920
+
11921
+ - [Easy Adoption](easy-adoption.md)
11922
+
11923
+ ## Sub-Principles
11924
+
11925
+ - (none)
11926
+ `
11927
+ },
11928
+ {
11929
+ slug: "exploratory-tooling",
11930
+ content: `# Exploratory Tooling
11931
+
11932
+ Agents need tools to efficiently explore and understand unfamiliar codebases.
11933
+
11934
+ When an agent encounters a new codebase — or an unfamiliar corner of a familiar one — it needs to quickly build a mental model: what exists, how it fits together, and where to make changes. Without good exploratory tools, agents waste context on trial-and-error searches, reading irrelevant files, and forming incorrect assumptions.
11935
+
11936
+ Dust should promote and integrate tools that help agents explore: dependency graphs, module overviews, search utilities tuned for code navigation, and summaries of project structure. The goal is to make the "orientation" phase of any task as short and reliable as possible.
11937
+
11938
+ ## Applicability
11939
+
11940
+ Internal
11941
+
11942
+ ## Parent Principle
11943
+
11944
+ - [Ideal Agent Developer Experience](ideal-agent-developer-experience.md)
11945
+
11946
+ ## Sub-Principles
11947
+
11948
+ - (none)
11949
+ `
11950
+ },
11951
+ {
11952
+ slug: "reasonably-dry",
11953
+ content: `# Reasonably DRY
11954
+
11955
+ Don't repeat yourself is a good principle, but don't overdo it.
11956
+
11957
+ Extracting shared code too eagerly can create tight coupling, obscure intent, and make changes harder. When two pieces of code look similar but serve different purposes or are likely to evolve independently, duplication is the better choice. The cost of a wrong abstraction is higher than the cost of a little repetition. Extract shared code when the duplication is truly about the same concept and has proven stable, not just because two things happen to look alike right now.
11958
+
11959
+ ## Parent Principle
11960
+
11961
+ - [Maintainable Codebase](maintainable-codebase.md)
11962
+
11963
+ ## Sub-Principles
11964
+
11965
+ - (none)
11966
+ `
11967
+ },
11968
+ {
11969
+ slug: "runtime-agnostic-tests",
11970
+ content: `# Runtime Agnostic Tests
11971
+
11972
+ Dust's test suite should work across JavaScript runtimes.
11973
+
11974
+ Tests should use standard JavaScript testing patterns that work across Node.js, Bun, and other runtimes. Avoiding runtime-specific test APIs ensures the project can leverage different runtimes' advantages while maintaining broad compatibility.
11975
+
11976
+ ## Parent Principle
11977
+
11978
+ - [Minimal Dependencies](minimal-dependencies.md)
11979
+
11980
+ ## Sub-Principles
11981
+
11982
+ - (none)
11983
+ `
11984
+ },
11985
+ {
11986
+ slug: "task-first-workflow",
11987
+ content: `# Task-First Workflow
11988
+
11989
+ Work should be captured as a task before implementation begins, creating traceability between intent and outcome.
11990
+
11991
+ This discipline ensures that every change has a documented purpose. The commit history shows pairs of "Add task" followed by implementation, making it easy to understand why each change was made. It also prevents scope creep by defining boundaries before work starts.
11992
+
11993
+ ## Parent Principle
11994
+
11995
+ - [Lightweight Planning](lightweight-planning.md)
11996
+
11997
+ ## Sub-Principles
11998
+
11999
+ - (none)
12000
+ `
12001
+ },
12002
+ {
12003
+ slug: "agent-autonomy",
12004
+ content: `# Agent Autonomy
12005
+
12006
+ Dust exists to enable AI agents to produce work autonomously.
12007
+
12008
+ With sufficient planning and small enough units, this works much better in practice.
12009
+
12010
+ ## Parent Principle
12011
+
12012
+ - [Human-AI Collaboration](human-ai-collaboration.md)
12013
+
12014
+ ## Sub-Principles
12015
+
12016
+ - [Actionable Errors](actionable-errors.md)
12017
+ - [Batteries Included](batteries-included.md)
12018
+ - [Agent-Agnostic Design](agent-agnostic-design.md)
12019
+ - [Agent Context Inference](agent-context-inference.md)
12020
+ - [Agent-Specific Enhancement](agent-specific-enhancement.md)
12021
+ - [Context Window Efficiency](context-window-efficiency.md)
12022
+ - [Small Units](small-units.md)
12023
+ `
12024
+ },
12025
+ {
12026
+ slug: "clarity-over-brevity",
12027
+ content: `# Clarity Over Brevity
12028
+
12029
+ Names should be descriptive and self-documenting, even if longer.
12030
+
12031
+ Abbreviated names like \`ctx\`, \`deps\`, \`fs\`, or \`args\` save a few keystrokes but obscure meaning. Full names like \`context\`, \`dependencies\`, \`fileSystem\`, and \`arguments\` make code immediately understandable without requiring readers to decode conventions. This is especially valuable when AI agents or new contributors read the codebase for the first time.
12032
+
12033
+ ## Parent Principle
12034
+
12035
+ - [Naming Matters](naming-matters.md)
12036
+
12037
+ ## Sub-Principles
12038
+
12039
+ - (none)
12040
+ `
12041
+ },
12042
+ {
12043
+ slug: "fast-feedback-loops",
12044
+ content: `# Fast Feedback Loops
12045
+
12046
+ The primary feedback loop — write code, run checks, see results — should be as fast as possible.
12047
+
12048
+ Fast feedback is the foundation of productive development, for both humans and agents. When tests, linters, and type checks run in seconds rather than minutes, developers iterate more frequently and catch problems earlier. Agents especially benefit because they operate in tight loops of change-and-verify; slow feedback wastes tokens and context window space on waiting rather than working.
12049
+
12050
+ Dust should help projects measure the speed of their feedback loops, identify bottlenecks, and keep them fast as the codebase grows. This includes promoting practices like unit tests over integration tests for speed, incremental compilation, and check parallelisation.
12051
+
12052
+ ## Parent Principle
12053
+
12054
+ - [Ideal Agent Developer Experience](ideal-agent-developer-experience.md)
12055
+
12056
+ ## Sub-Principles
12057
+
12058
+ - (none)
12059
+ `
12060
+ },
12061
+ {
12062
+ slug: "make-the-change-easy",
12063
+ content: `# Make the Change Easy
12064
+
12065
+ For each desired change, make the change easy, then make the easy change.
12066
+
12067
+ This principle, articulated by Kent Beck, recognizes that the hardest part of a change is often not the change itself but the state of the code receiving it. When code resists a change, the right response is to first refactor until the change becomes straightforward, and only then make it. The warning - "this may be hard" - acknowledges that preparing the ground takes real effort, but the result is a change that fits naturally rather than one forced in against the grain.
12068
+
12069
+ Work that supports this principle includes refactoring before feature work, improving abstractions that make a category of changes simpler, and resisting the urge to bolt changes onto code that isn't ready for them.
12070
+
12071
+ ## Parent Principle
12072
+
12073
+ - [Maintainable Codebase](maintainable-codebase.md)
12074
+
12075
+ ## Sub-Principles
12076
+
12077
+ - (none)
12078
+ `
12079
+ },
12080
+ {
12081
+ slug: "self-contained-repository",
12082
+ content: `# Self-Contained Repository
12083
+
12084
+ Where possible, developers and agents should have everything they need to be productive, within the repository.
12085
+
12086
+ No third-party tools should be required beyond those that can be installed with a single command defined in the repository. Setup instructions, scripts, configuration, and dependencies should all live in version control so that cloning the repo and running a single install command is sufficient to start working. This eliminates onboarding friction, reduces "works on my machine" issues, and is especially important for agents — who cannot browse the web to find missing tools or ask colleagues how to set things up.
12087
+
12088
+ ## Applicability
12089
+
12090
+ Internal
12091
+
12092
+ ## Parent Principle
12093
+
12094
+ - [Ideal Agent Developer Experience](ideal-agent-developer-experience.md)
12095
+
12096
+ ## Sub-Principles
12097
+
12098
+ - (none)
12099
+ `
12100
+ },
12101
+ {
12102
+ slug: "traceable-decisions",
12103
+ content: `# Traceable Decisions
12104
+
12105
+ The commit history should explain why changes were made, not just what changed.
12106
+
12107
+ Commit messages should capture intent and context that would otherwise be lost. Future maintainers (human or AI) will traverse history to understand the reasoning behind decisions. A commit that says "Fix bug" is less valuable than one that explains what was broken and why the fix is correct.
12108
+
12109
+ ## Parent Principle
12110
+
12111
+ - [Atomic Commits](atomic-commits.md)
12112
+
12113
+ ## Sub-Principles
12114
+
12115
+ - (none)
12116
+ `
12117
+ },
12118
+ {
12119
+ slug: "unit-test-coverage",
12120
+ content: `# Unit Test Coverage
12121
+
12122
+ Complete unit test coverage ensures low-level tests give users direct feedback as they change the code.
12123
+
12124
+ Excluding system tests from coverage reporting focuses attention on unit tests - the tests that provide the fastest, most specific feedback. When coverage tools only measure unit tests, developers can quickly identify which parts of the codebase lack fine-grained test protection.
12125
+
12126
+ ## Parent Principle
12127
+
12128
+ - [Make Changes with Confidence](make-changes-with-confidence.md)
12129
+
12130
+ ## Sub-Principles
12131
+
12132
+ - (none)
12133
+ `
12134
+ },
12135
+ {
12136
+ slug: "decoupled-code",
12137
+ content: `# Decoupled Code
12138
+
12139
+ Code should be organized into independent units with explicit dependencies.
12140
+
12141
+ Decoupled code is easier to test, understand, and modify. Dependencies are passed in rather than hard-coded, enabling units to be tested in isolation and composed flexibly. This reduces the blast radius of changes and makes the system more maintainable.
12142
+
12143
+ ## Parent Principle
12144
+
12145
+ - [Make Changes with Confidence](make-changes-with-confidence.md)
12146
+
12147
+ ## Sub-Principles
12148
+
12149
+ - [Dependency Injection](dependency-injection.md)
12150
+ - [Stubs Over Mocks](stubs-over-mocks.md)
12151
+ - [Functional Core, Imperative Shell](functional-core-imperative-shell.md)
12152
+ - [Design for Testability](design-for-testability.md)
12153
+ `
12154
+ },
12155
+ {
12156
+ slug: "lint-everything",
12157
+ content: `# Lint Everything
12158
+
12159
+ Prefer static analysis over runtime checks. Every error caught by a linter is an error that never reaches tests, and every error caught by tests is an error that never reaches production.
12160
+
12161
+ Lint markdown, lint types, lint formatting. If it can be checked statically, check it. Linters are fast, deterministic, and catch entire categories of bugs before code even runs.
12162
+
12163
+ This project lints:
12164
+ - TypeScript (type checking and style)
12165
+ - Markdown (broken links, required sections)
12166
+ - Task files (structure validation)
12167
+ - Principle hierarchy (parent/child consistency)
12168
+
12169
+ ## Parent Principle
12170
+
12171
+ - [Make Changes with Confidence](make-changes-with-confidence.md)
12172
+
12173
+ ## Sub-Principles
12174
+
12175
+ (none)
12176
+ `
12177
+ },
12178
+ {
12179
+ slug: "maintainable-codebase",
12180
+ content: `# Maintainable Codebase
12181
+
12182
+ The dust codebase should be easy to understand, modify, and extend.
12183
+
12184
+ This principle governs how we develop and maintain dust itself, separate from the principles that describe what dust offers its users. A well-maintained codebase enables rapid iteration, reduces bugs, and makes contributions easier.
12185
+
12186
+ ## Parent Principle
12187
+
12188
+ - [Agentic Flow State](agentic-flow-state.md)
12189
+
12190
+ ## Sub-Principles
12191
+
12192
+ - [Make Changes with Confidence](make-changes-with-confidence.md)
12193
+ - [Minimal Dependencies](minimal-dependencies.md)
12194
+ - [Intuitive Directory Structure](intuitive-directory-structure.md)
12195
+ - [Repository Hygiene](repository-hygiene.md)
12196
+ - [Naming Matters](naming-matters.md)
12197
+ - [Reasonably DRY](reasonably-dry.md)
12198
+ - [Make the Change Easy](make-the-change-easy.md)
12199
+ - [Boy Scout Rule](boy-scout-rule.md)
12200
+ - [Broken Windows](broken-windows.md)
12201
+ `
12202
+ },
12203
+ {
12204
+ slug: "agent-agnostic-design",
12205
+ content: `# Agent-Agnostic Design
12206
+
12207
+ Dust should work with multiple agents without favoring one.
12208
+
12209
+ Rather than implementing agents, Dust generates prompts and context that can be passed to any capable agent. This keeps Dust lightweight and allows teams to use whatever agent tooling they prefer.
12210
+
12211
+ Dust may have built-in support for invoking popular agents (Claude, Aider, Codex, etc.), but the choice of agent should always be made by the user at runtime - never hard-coded into repository configuration.
12212
+
12213
+ Note: Supporting multiple agents directly contributes to [Easy Adoption](easy-adoption.md), since teams can use their preferred agent tools without being locked into a specific platform.
12214
+
12215
+ ## Applicability
12216
+
12217
+ Internal
12218
+
12219
+ ## Parent Principle
12220
+
12221
+ - [Agent Autonomy](agent-autonomy.md)
12222
+
12223
+ ## Sub-Principles
12224
+
12225
+ - (none)
12226
+ `
12227
+ },
12228
+ {
12229
+ slug: "easy-adoption",
12230
+ content: `# Easy Adoption
12231
+
12232
+ Dust should be trivially easy to adopt in any repository.
12233
+
12234
+ Getting started with Dust should require minimal friction. A developer should be able to bootstrap Dust in their repository with a single command, without needing to install dependencies, configure build tools, or understand the internals.
12235
+
12236
+ This lowers the barrier to entry and encourages experimentation.
12237
+
12238
+ ## Parent Principle
12239
+
12240
+ - [Human-AI Collaboration](human-ai-collaboration.md)
12241
+
12242
+ ## Sub-Principles
12243
+
12244
+ - [Cross-Platform Compatibility](cross-platform-compatibility.md)
12245
+ - [Unsurprising UX](unsurprising-ux.md)
12246
+ - [VCS Independence](vcs-independence.md)
12247
+ `
12248
+ },
12249
+ {
12250
+ slug: "actionable-errors",
12251
+ content: `# Actionable Errors
12252
+
12253
+ Error messages should tell you what to do next, not just what went wrong.
12254
+
12255
+ When something fails, the message should provide:
12256
+ - A clear description of the problem
12257
+ - Specific guidance on how to fix it
12258
+ - Context needed to take the next step
12259
+
12260
+ This is especially important for AI agents, who need concrete instructions to recover autonomously. A good error message turns a dead end into a signpost.
12261
+
12262
+ ## Parent Principle
12263
+
12264
+ - [Agent Autonomy](agent-autonomy.md)
12265
+
12266
+ ## Sub-Principles
12267
+
12268
+ - (none)
12269
+ `
12270
+ },
12271
+ {
12272
+ slug: "consistent-naming",
12273
+ content: `# Consistent Naming
12274
+
12275
+ Names should follow established conventions within each category to reduce cognitive load.
12276
+
12277
+ Principles use Title Case. File names use kebab-case. Commands use lowercase with hyphens. When naming conventions exist, follow them. When they don't, establish one and apply it consistently. Inconsistent naming creates friction for both humans and AI agents trying to predict or recall identifiers.
12278
+
12279
+ ## Parent Principle
12280
+
12281
+ - [Naming Matters](naming-matters.md)
12282
+
12283
+ ## Sub-Principles
12284
+
12285
+ - (none)
12286
+ `
12287
+ },
12288
+ {
12289
+ slug: "minimal-dependencies",
12290
+ content: `# Minimal Dependencies
12291
+
12292
+ Dust should avoid coupling to specific tools so we can switch to better alternatives as they emerge.
10927
12293
 
10928
- // lib/core-principles.ts
10929
- import { join as join11, dirname as dirname5 } from "node:path";
10930
- import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
10931
- import { existsSync, readdirSync } from "node:fs";
10932
- import { readFile as readFile3 } from "node:fs/promises";
12294
+ By keeping dependencies minimal and using standard APIs where possible, we maintain the freedom to adopt new tools without major rewrites. This applies to runtimes, test frameworks, build tools, and other infrastructure choices.
12295
+
12296
+ ## Parent Principle
12297
+
12298
+ - [Maintainable Codebase](maintainable-codebase.md)
12299
+
12300
+ ## Sub-Principles
12301
+
12302
+ - [Runtime Agnostic Tests](runtime-agnostic-tests.md)
12303
+ `
12304
+ },
12305
+ {
12306
+ slug: "context-window-efficiency",
12307
+ content: `# Context Window Efficiency
12308
+
12309
+ Dust should be designed with short attention spans in mind.
12310
+
12311
+ AI agents operate within limited context windows. Every token consumed by planning artifacts is a token unavailable for reasoning about code. Dust keeps artifacts concise and scannable so agents can quickly understand what needs to be done without wading through verbose documentation.
12312
+
12313
+ This means favoring brevity over completeness, using consistent structures that are fast to parse, and avoiding redundant information across files.
12314
+
12315
+ ## Parent Principle
12316
+
12317
+ - [Agent Autonomy](agent-autonomy.md)
12318
+
12319
+ ## Sub-Principles
12320
+
12321
+ - [Progressive Disclosure](progressive-disclosure.md)
12322
+ `
12323
+ },
12324
+ {
12325
+ slug: "boy-scout-rule",
12326
+ content: `# Boy Scout Rule
12327
+
12328
+ Always leave the code better than you found it.
12329
+
12330
+ When working in any area of the codebase, take the opportunity to make small improvements — clearer names, removed dead code, better structure — even if they're not directly related to the task at hand. These incremental improvements compound over time, preventing gradual decay and keeping the codebase healthy without requiring dedicated cleanup efforts.
12331
+
12332
+ The Boy Scout Rule is not a license for large-scale refactoring during unrelated work. Improvements should be small, obvious, and low-risk. If a cleanup is too large to include alongside the current task, capture it as a separate task instead.
12333
+
12334
+ ## Parent Principle
12335
+
12336
+ - [Maintainable Codebase](maintainable-codebase.md)
12337
+
12338
+ ## Sub-Principles
12339
+
12340
+ - (none)
12341
+ `
12342
+ },
12343
+ {
12344
+ slug: "unsurprising-ux",
12345
+ content: `# Unsurprising UX
12346
+
12347
+ The user interface should be as "guessable" as possible.
12348
+
12349
+ Following the [Principle of Least Astonishment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_least_astonishment), users form expectations about how a tool will behave based on conventions, prior experience, and intuition. Dust's interface (including the CLI) should match those expectations wherever possible. If users are observed trying to use the interface in ways we didn't anticipate, the interface should be adjusted to meet their expectations — even if that means supporting many ways of achieving the same result.
12350
+
12351
+ Surprising behavior erodes trust and slows people down. Unsurprising behavior lets users stay in flow.
12352
+
12353
+ ## Parent Principle
12354
+
12355
+ - [Easy Adoption](easy-adoption.md)
12356
+
12357
+ ## Sub-Principles
12358
+
12359
+ - (none)
12360
+ `
12361
+ }
12362
+ ];
10933
12363
 
10934
12364
  // lib/artifacts/core-principles.ts
10935
12365
  function sortNodes(nodes) {
@@ -10984,47 +12414,251 @@ function getCorePrincipleTree(allPrinciples, config) {
10984
12414
  }
10985
12415
 
10986
12416
  // lib/core-principles.ts
10987
- function createFileReader() {
10988
- return {
10989
- exists: existsSync,
10990
- readFile: (path3) => readFile3(path3, "utf-8")
10991
- };
12417
+ function extractLinksFromSection(content, sectionHeading) {
12418
+ const lines = content.split(`
12419
+ `);
12420
+ const links = [];
12421
+ let inSection = false;
12422
+ for (const line of lines) {
12423
+ if (line.startsWith("## ")) {
12424
+ inSection = line.trimEnd() === `## ${sectionHeading}`;
12425
+ continue;
12426
+ }
12427
+ if (!inSection)
12428
+ continue;
12429
+ if (line.startsWith("# "))
12430
+ break;
12431
+ const linkMatch = line.match(MARKDOWN_LINK_PATTERN);
12432
+ if (linkMatch) {
12433
+ const target = linkMatch[2];
12434
+ const slugMatch = target.match(/([^/]+)\.md$/);
12435
+ if (slugMatch) {
12436
+ links.push(slugMatch[1]);
12437
+ }
12438
+ }
12439
+ }
12440
+ return links;
12441
+ }
12442
+ function extractSingleLinkFromSection(content, sectionHeading) {
12443
+ const links = extractLinksFromSection(content, sectionHeading);
12444
+ return links.length === 1 ? links[0] : null;
10992
12445
  }
10993
- function locatePackagePrinciplesDir() {
10994
- const thisFile = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
10995
- const thisDir = dirname5(thisFile);
10996
- const packageRoot = dirname5(thisDir);
10997
- const principlesDir = join11(packageRoot, ".dust", "principles");
10998
- if (!existsSync(principlesDir)) {
10999
- throw new Error(`Core principles directory not found at ${principlesDir}. ` + "Ensure the @joshski/dust package is properly installed.");
12446
+ function parsePrincipleContent(slug, content) {
12447
+ const title = extractTitle(content);
12448
+ if (!title) {
12449
+ throw new Error(`Principle has no title: ${slug}`);
11000
12450
  }
11001
- return principlesDir;
12451
+ const parentPrinciple = extractSingleLinkFromSection(content, "Parent Principle");
12452
+ const subPrinciples = extractLinksFromSection(content, "Sub-Principles");
12453
+ return {
12454
+ slug,
12455
+ title,
12456
+ content,
12457
+ parentPrinciple,
12458
+ subPrinciples
12459
+ };
11002
12460
  }
11003
12461
  async function readAllCorePrinciples() {
11004
- const principlesDir = locatePackagePrinciplesDir();
11005
- const packageRoot = dirname5(dirname5(principlesDir));
11006
- const dustPath = join11(packageRoot, ".dust");
11007
- const fileSystem = createFileReader();
11008
- const files = readdirSync(principlesDir);
11009
- const mdFiles = files.filter((f) => f.endsWith(".md"));
11010
- const principles = [];
11011
- for (const file of mdFiles) {
11012
- const slug = file.replace(/\.md$/, "");
11013
- const principle = await parsePrinciple(fileSystem, dustPath, slug);
11014
- principles.push(principle);
11015
- }
11016
- return principles;
12462
+ return BUNDLED_PRINCIPLES.map(({ slug, content }) => parsePrincipleContent(slug, content));
11017
12463
  }
11018
12464
  async function getCorePrincipleHierarchy(config = {}) {
11019
12465
  const allPrinciples = await readAllCorePrinciples();
11020
12466
  return getCorePrincipleTree(allPrinciples, config);
11021
12467
  }
11022
- function getCorePrinciplesPath() {
11023
- const principlesDir = locatePackagePrinciplesDir();
11024
- return `${principlesDir}/`;
12468
+
12469
+ // lib/cli/commands/core-principle.ts
12470
+ async function corePrinciple(dependencies) {
12471
+ const { arguments: commandArguments, context } = dependencies;
12472
+ if (commandArguments.length === 0) {
12473
+ context.stderr("Error: Missing principle name");
12474
+ context.stderr("Usage: dust core principle <name>");
12475
+ context.stderr("");
12476
+ context.stderr("Available principles can be found by running:");
12477
+ context.stderr(" dust principles");
12478
+ return { exitCode: 1 };
12479
+ }
12480
+ const slug = commandArguments[0];
12481
+ const allPrinciples = await readAllCorePrinciples();
12482
+ const principle = allPrinciples.find((p) => p.slug === slug);
12483
+ if (!principle) {
12484
+ context.stderr(`Error: Core principle "${slug}" not found`);
12485
+ context.stderr("");
12486
+ context.stderr("Available principles can be found by running:");
12487
+ context.stderr(" dust principles");
12488
+ return { exitCode: 1 };
12489
+ }
12490
+ context.stdout(principle.content);
12491
+ return { exitCode: 0 };
12492
+ }
12493
+
12494
+ // lib/cli/commands/help.ts
12495
+ function generateHelpText(settings) {
12496
+ const bin = settings.dustCommand;
12497
+ return dedent`
12498
+ ✨ dust - Flow state for AI coding agents.
12499
+
12500
+ Usage: ${bin} <command> [options]
12501
+
12502
+ Commands:
12503
+ init Initialize a new Dust repository
12504
+ lint Run lint checks on .dust/ files
12505
+ list List all items (tasks, ideas, principles, facts)
12506
+ tasks List tasks (actionable work with definitions of done)
12507
+ ideas List ideas (vague proposals, convert to tasks when ready)
12508
+ principles List principles (guiding values, stable, rarely change)
12509
+ facts List facts (documentation of current system state)
12510
+ next Show tasks ready to work on (not blocked)
12511
+ check Run project-defined quality gate hook
12512
+ agent Agent greeting and routing instructions
12513
+ audit Create tasks from audit templates
12514
+ core principle Display a specific core principle
12515
+ focus Declare current objective (for remote session tracking)
12516
+ pick task Pick the next task to work on
12517
+ implement task Implement a task
12518
+ new task Create a new task
12519
+ new principle Create a new principle
12520
+ new idea Create a new idea
12521
+ loop claude Run continuous Claude iteration on tasks
12522
+ pre push Git pre-push hook validation
12523
+ help Show this help message
12524
+
12525
+ 🤖 Agent Guide
12526
+
12527
+ Dust is a lightweight planning system. The .dust/ directory contains:
12528
+ - principles/ - Guiding values (stable, rarely change)
12529
+ - ideas/ - Proposals (convert to tasks when ready)
12530
+ - tasks/ - Actionable work with definitions of done
12531
+ - facts/ - Documentation of current system state
12532
+
12533
+ Workflow: Pick a task → implement it → delete the task file → commit atomically.
12534
+
12535
+ Run \`${bin} agent\` to get started!
12536
+ `;
12537
+ }
12538
+ async function help(dependencies) {
12539
+ dependencies.context.stdout(generateHelpText(dependencies.settings));
12540
+ return { exitCode: 0 };
12541
+ }
12542
+
12543
+ // lib/cli/commands/implement-task.ts
12544
+ async function implementTask(dependencies) {
12545
+ const { context, settings } = dependencies;
12546
+ const hooksInstalled = await manageGitHooks(dependencies);
12547
+ const vars = templateVariables(settings, hooksInstalled, process.env);
12548
+ context.stdout(`Run \`${vars.bin} focus "<task name>"\` to set your focus and see implementation instructions.`);
12549
+ return { exitCode: 0 };
12550
+ }
12551
+
12552
+ // lib/cli/commands/init.ts
12553
+ var DUST_DIRECTORIES = [...ARTIFACT_TYPES, "config"];
12554
+ function generateSettings(cwd, fileSystem, runtime) {
12555
+ const dustCommand = detectDustCommand(cwd, fileSystem, runtime);
12556
+ const testCommand = detectTestCommand(cwd, fileSystem, runtime);
12557
+ const checks = [];
12558
+ if (testCommand) {
12559
+ checks.push({ name: "test", command: testCommand });
12560
+ }
12561
+ return { dustCommand, checks };
12562
+ }
12563
+ var USE_DUST_FACT = `# Use dust for planning
12564
+
12565
+ This project uses [dust](https://github.com/joshski/dust) for planning and documentation.
12566
+ `;
12567
+ function claudeMdContent(dustCommand) {
12568
+ return dedent`
12569
+ # Claude Code Instructions
12570
+
12571
+ This project uses [dust](https://github.com/joshski/dust) for planning and documentation.
12572
+
12573
+ Always immediately run \`${dustCommand} agent\` when you start working in this repository.
12574
+ `;
12575
+ }
12576
+ function agentsMdContent(dustCommand) {
12577
+ return dedent`
12578
+ # Agent Instructions
12579
+
12580
+ This project uses [dust](https://github.com/joshski/dust) for planning and documentation.
12581
+
12582
+ Always immediately run \`${dustCommand} agent\` when you start working in this repository.
12583
+ `;
12584
+ }
12585
+ async function init(dependencies) {
12586
+ const { context, fileSystem, runtime } = dependencies;
12587
+ const colors = getColors();
12588
+ const dustPath = `${context.cwd}/.dust`;
12589
+ const dustCommand = detectDustCommand(context.cwd, fileSystem, runtime);
12590
+ const agentInstruction = `Always immediately run \`${dustCommand} agent\` when you start working in this repository.`;
12591
+ await fileSystem.mkdir(dustPath, { recursive: true });
12592
+ for (const dir of DUST_DIRECTORIES) {
12593
+ await fileSystem.mkdir(`${dustPath}/${dir}`, { recursive: true });
12594
+ }
12595
+ let dustDirCreated = false;
12596
+ try {
12597
+ await fileSystem.writeFile(`${dustPath}/facts/use-dust-for-planning.md`, USE_DUST_FACT, { flag: "wx" });
12598
+ dustDirCreated = true;
12599
+ } catch (error) {
12600
+ if (error.code !== "EEXIST") {
12601
+ throw error;
12602
+ }
12603
+ }
12604
+ try {
12605
+ const settings = generateSettings(context.cwd, fileSystem, runtime);
12606
+ await fileSystem.writeFile(`${dustPath}/config/settings.json`, `${JSON.stringify(settings, null, 2)}
12607
+ `, { flag: "wx" });
12608
+ } catch (error) {
12609
+ if (error.code !== "EEXIST") {
12610
+ throw error;
12611
+ }
12612
+ }
12613
+ if (dustDirCreated) {
12614
+ context.stdout(`${colors.green}✨ Initialized${colors.reset} Dust repository in ${colors.cyan}.dust/${colors.reset}`);
12615
+ context.stdout(`${colors.green}\uD83D\uDCC1 Created directories:${colors.reset} ${colors.dim}${DUST_DIRECTORIES.join(", ")}${colors.reset}`);
12616
+ context.stdout(`${colors.green}\uD83D\uDCC4 Created initial fact:${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}.dust/facts/use-dust-for-planning.md${colors.reset}`);
12617
+ context.stdout(`${colors.green}⚙️ Created settings:${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}.dust/config/settings.json${colors.reset}`);
12618
+ } else {
12619
+ context.stdout(`${colors.yellow}\uD83D\uDCE6 Note:${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}.dust${colors.reset} directory already exists, skipping creation`);
12620
+ }
12621
+ const claudeMdPath = `${context.cwd}/CLAUDE.md`;
12622
+ try {
12623
+ await fileSystem.writeFile(claudeMdPath, claudeMdContent(dustCommand), {
12624
+ flag: "wx"
12625
+ });
12626
+ context.stdout(`${colors.green}\uD83D\uDCC4 Created${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}CLAUDE.md${colors.reset} with agent instructions`);
12627
+ } catch (error) {
12628
+ if (error.code === "EEXIST") {
12629
+ context.stdout(`${colors.yellow}⚠️ Warning:${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}CLAUDE.md${colors.reset} already exists. Consider adding: ${colors.dim}"${agentInstruction}"${colors.reset}`);
12630
+ } else {
12631
+ throw error;
12632
+ }
12633
+ }
12634
+ const agentsMdPath = `${context.cwd}/AGENTS.md`;
12635
+ try {
12636
+ await fileSystem.writeFile(agentsMdPath, agentsMdContent(dustCommand), {
12637
+ flag: "wx"
12638
+ });
12639
+ context.stdout(`${colors.green}\uD83D\uDCC4 Created${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}AGENTS.md${colors.reset} with agent instructions`);
12640
+ } catch (error) {
12641
+ if (error.code === "EEXIST") {
12642
+ context.stdout(`${colors.yellow}⚠️ Warning:${colors.reset} ${colors.cyan}AGENTS.md${colors.reset} already exists. Consider adding: ${colors.dim}"${agentInstruction}"${colors.reset}`);
12643
+ } else {
12644
+ throw error;
12645
+ }
12646
+ }
12647
+ const runner = dustCommand.split(" ")[0];
12648
+ context.stdout("");
12649
+ context.stdout(`${colors.bold}\uD83D\uDE80 Next steps:${colors.reset} Commit the changes if you are happy, then get planning!`);
12650
+ context.stdout("");
12651
+ context.stdout(`${colors.dim}If this is a new repository, you can start adding ideas or tasks right away:${colors.reset}`);
12652
+ context.stdout(` ${colors.cyan}>${colors.reset} ${runner} claude "Idea: friendly UI for non-technical users"`);
12653
+ context.stdout(` ${colors.cyan}>${colors.reset} ${runner} codex "Task: set up code coverage"`);
12654
+ context.stdout("");
12655
+ context.stdout(`${colors.dim}If this is an existing codebase, you might want to backfill principles and facts:${colors.reset}`);
12656
+ context.stdout(` ${colors.cyan}>${colors.reset} ${runner} claude "Add principles and facts based on the code in this repository"`);
12657
+ return { exitCode: 0 };
11025
12658
  }
11026
12659
 
11027
12660
  // lib/cli/commands/list.ts
12661
+ import { basename as basename3 } from "node:path";
11028
12662
  function workflowTypeToStatus(type) {
11029
12663
  switch (type) {
11030
12664
  case "refine":
@@ -11214,11 +12848,7 @@ async function processListType(context) {
11214
12848
  emitListEvent(emitEvent, type, collectedItems);
11215
12849
  }
11216
12850
  }
11217
- async function loadCorePrinciples(localDirPath, excludeSet) {
11218
- const corePath = getCorePrinciplesPath().replace(/\/$/, "");
11219
- if (resolve4(localDirPath) === resolve4(corePath)) {
11220
- return [];
11221
- }
12851
+ async function loadCorePrinciples(excludeSet) {
11222
12852
  const allCorePrinciples = await readAllCorePrinciples();
11223
12853
  return allCorePrinciples.filter((p) => !isInternalPrinciple(p.content) && !excludeSet.has(p.slug));
11224
12854
  }
@@ -11227,7 +12857,7 @@ async function processPrinciplesList(context) {
11227
12857
  const { excludeCorePrinciples, tree } = context;
11228
12858
  const excludeSet = new Set(excludeCorePrinciples ?? []);
11229
12859
  const localDirPath = `${dustPath}/principles`;
11230
- const corePrinciples = await loadCorePrinciples(localDirPath, excludeSet);
12860
+ const corePrinciples = await loadCorePrinciples(excludeSet);
11231
12861
  const hasCorePrinciples = corePrinciples.length > 0;
11232
12862
  const localDirExists = fileSystem.exists(localDirPath);
11233
12863
  const localFiles = localDirExists ? await fileSystem.readdir(localDirPath) : [];
@@ -11272,12 +12902,11 @@ async function processPrinciplesList(context) {
11272
12902
  }
11273
12903
  } else {
11274
12904
  if (hasCorePrinciples) {
11275
- const corePath = getCorePrinciplesPath();
11276
12905
  const coreEntries = corePrinciples.toSorted((a, b) => a.slug.localeCompare(b.slug)).map((p) => ({
11277
12906
  slug: p.slug,
11278
12907
  openingSentence: extractOpeningSentence(p.content)
11279
12908
  }));
11280
- const coreLines = formatPrinciplesSection(`\uD83C\uDFAF Core Principles (${corePath})`, coreEntries);
12909
+ const coreLines = formatPrinciplesSection("\uD83C\uDFAF Core Principles (use: dust core principle <name>)", coreEntries);
11281
12910
  for (const line of coreLines) {
11282
12911
  stdout(line);
11283
12912
  }
@@ -11400,9 +13029,9 @@ async function list(dependencies) {
11400
13029
  }
11401
13030
 
11402
13031
  // lib/loop/loop.ts
11403
- import { existsSync as existsSync2, writeFileSync as writeFileSync2, unlinkSync as unlinkSync2 } from "node:fs";
13032
+ import { existsSync, writeFileSync as writeFileSync2, unlinkSync as unlinkSync2 } from "node:fs";
11404
13033
  import os3 from "node:os";
11405
- import { join as join12 } from "node:path";
13034
+ import { join as join11 } from "node:path";
11406
13035
 
11407
13036
  // lib/loop/parse-args.ts
11408
13037
  var DEFAULT_MAX_ITERATIONS = 10;
@@ -11465,7 +13094,7 @@ async function setupDockerProxies(dockerResult, loopDependencies, sessionId, inc
11465
13094
  const apiProxy = await createClaudeApiProxyServer();
11466
13095
  stopApiProxy = apiProxy.stop;
11467
13096
  const claudeApiProxyUrl = `http://${hostAddress}:${apiProxy.port}`;
11468
- settingsFilePath = join12(os3.tmpdir(), `dust-claude-settings-${sessionId}.json`);
13097
+ settingsFilePath = join11(os3.tmpdir(), `dust-claude-settings-${sessionId}.json`);
11469
13098
  const settingsContent = generateApiKeyHelperSettings(claudeApiProxyUrl);
11470
13099
  writeFileSync2(settingsFilePath, settingsContent, "utf-8");
11471
13100
  log14(`created settings file at ${settingsFilePath}`);
@@ -11483,7 +13112,7 @@ function resolveDockerDependencies(loopDependencies) {
11483
13112
  return {
11484
13113
  spawn: loopDependencies.dockerDeps?.spawn ?? loopDependencies.spawn,
11485
13114
  homedir: loopDependencies.dockerDeps?.homedir ?? os3.homedir,
11486
- existsSync: loopDependencies.dockerDeps?.existsSync ?? existsSync2
13115
+ existsSync: loopDependencies.dockerDeps?.existsSync ?? existsSync
11487
13116
  };
11488
13117
  }
11489
13118
  async function setupContainerProxies(dockerResult, containerRuntime, loopDependencies, sessionId) {
@@ -12067,6 +13696,7 @@ var commandRegistry = {
12067
13696
  audit,
12068
13697
  "bucket worker": bucketWorker,
12069
13698
  "bucket tool": bucketTool,
13699
+ "core principle": corePrinciple,
12070
13700
  focus,
12071
13701
  "new task": newTask,
12072
13702
  "new principle": newPrinciple,
@@ -12176,9 +13806,9 @@ function createGlobScanner(readdirFn) {
12176
13806
  };
12177
13807
  }
12178
13808
  var defaultFileSystemPrimitives = {
12179
- existsSync: existsSync3,
13809
+ existsSync: existsSync2,
12180
13810
  statSync: statSync2,
12181
- readFile: readFile4,
13811
+ readFile: readFile3,
12182
13812
  writeFile: writeFile2,
12183
13813
  mkdir: mkdir2,
12184
13814
  readdir: readdir2,