ProofFlow Maintainer

Use this skill when the user asks to use ProofFlow from Codex for repository maintenance, including:

• keep an Agent Work Ledger for complex code tasks,
• review the current diff with ProofFlow,
• create or export a Proof Packet for a PR,
• triage issue text into a ProofFlow Case,
• inspect or continue an existing ProofFlow Case,
• preserve evidence, decisions, actions, and policy gates while maintaining a

repository.

Default to Agent Work Ledger for complex coding work. Use narrower workflows when the user's intent is clearly review-only, issue-intake-only, or packet export-only.

Operating Principles

• Keep the workflow local-first. The default ProofFlow backend is

http://127.0.0.1:8787.

• Prefer ProofFlow MCP tools over ad hoc notes when recording Cases, Artifacts,

Claims, Actions, Decisions, or Proof Packets.

• Treat the current AgentGuard review as provenance-first unless the returned

Claims contain specific semantic findings. It proves what diff was reviewed and what evidence was captured; it does not by itself guarantee a complete semantic code review.

• Do not treat AI output as trusted unless it points to evidence. If evidence

is missing, label the statement as an assumption.

• Do not run tests through ProofFlow unless the user explicitly asks and the

backend is configured to allow test command execution.

• Do not merge PRs, close issues, or bypass policy gates unless the user

explicitly asks and the repository workflow allows it.

Startup Check

Before running a ProofFlow workflow:

1. Call proofflow_health.
2. If the MCP server or backend is unavailable, tell the user to start the

backend and install proofflow-mcp if needed:

pip install proofflow-mcp
cd backend
python -m uvicorn proofflow.main:app --port 8787

Choose The Workflow

• Use Agent Work Ledger for complex code tasks, multi-file changes, feature

work, behavior changes, risky local actions, or any task that needs contract, algorithm decisions, cost budgets, snapshots, Evidence, Claims, done criteria evaluation, and packet export.

• Use AgentGuard review when the user only asks to review a current diff,

PR, or branch changes.

• Use Issue Triage when the user provides issue text, logs, reproduction

steps, or a bug report and wants it captured as a ProofFlow Case.

• Use Status / Proof Packet export when a Case already exists and the user

wants a handoff artifact or review summary.

Review The Current Diff

Use this path for prompts like "review current diff with ProofFlow".

1. Identify the repository root from the current workspace.
2. Decide whether the user means uncommitted work or a committed PR/branch:

• For uncommitted local work, the ProofFlow default base is acceptable.
• For a PR, branch review, or clean committed checkout, require a PR base ref

and pass it to ProofFlow. Do not rely on the MCP/backend default, because the default is HEAD and a clean PR checkout would produce an empty diff.

1. Choose the base ref conservatively:

• Use the user's requested base when provided.
• Otherwise infer the base branch name from PR context when available, such as

gh pr view --json baseRefName, GITHUB_BASE_REF, or the repository's tracked default branch.

• Treat short names like main as branch names, not backend-ready refs.

1. Resolve the PR base before calling ProofFlow:

• Prefer an existing local ref such as refs/remotes/origin/<base> or a

verified user-provided commit SHA.

• If only a short branch name is available and no matching local ref exists,

fetch the base branch from origin first, for example git fetch --no-tags origin +refs/heads/<base>:refs/remotes/origin/<base>.

• Compute git merge-base HEAD <resolved-base-ref> and pass that merge-base

SHA as base_ref.

• If the base cannot be resolved or fetched, ask for a usable base ref before

calling ProofFlow.

1. Call proofflow_review with repo_path. Include the resolved merge-base

base_ref whenever the workflow is reviewing committed PR or branch changes.

1. Do not pass a test_command unless the user asked for ProofFlow to run one.
2. Export the resulting Case with proofflow_export_packet.
3. Read the returned Claims before describing review depth. If the only Claim is

a broad provenance claim such as changed file count, say that the packet captures review provenance but does not yet contain a deep semantic review.

1. Summarize:

• Case ID,
• base branch inferred or requested,
• resolved base ref or merge-base SHA used, or that the workflow reviewed

uncommitted work against the default base,

• risk level or review status,
• changed file count,
• claim and evidence counts,
• Proof Packet path,
• findings that have evidence,
• assumptions or missing evidence.

Create A Proof Packet For A PR

Use this path when a review Case already exists or when the user wants a packet for the current PR.

1. If the user gives a Case ID, call proofflow_status for that Case.
2. If no Case ID exists, run a PR-base review before exporting:

• Use the user's requested base when provided.
• Otherwise infer the PR base branch name from

gh pr view --json baseRefName, GITHUB_BASE_REF, or the tracked default branch.

• Resolve the base to an existing local ref or commit. If only a short branch

name is available, fetch origin/<base> before reviewing.

• Compute git merge-base HEAD <resolved-base-ref> and pass that SHA as

base_ref.

• If the base cannot be inferred, resolved, or fetched, ask for it instead of

falling back to a default HEAD diff.

1. Call proofflow_review with repo_path and the resolved merge-base

base_ref. This is required for clean PR checkouts, where an unqualified current-diff review would omit committed PR changes or fail when a short branch name is not available locally.

1. Call proofflow_export_packet.
2. Return the packet path, base branch, resolved base ref or merge-base SHA, and

a concise PR-ready summary.

1. Do not post to GitHub unless the user explicitly asks.

Triage Issue Text Into A Case

Use this path when the user provides issue text, logs, reproduction steps, or a bug report and wants it captured in ProofFlow.

1. Extract the issue title, body, optional source_url, and labels from the

user's text or the current issue context.

1. Call proofflow_triage_issue with that data.
2. Read the returned component, suggested labels, risk level, and completeness

signals for reproduction steps, expected behavior, and environment details.

1. Call proofflow_status when you need the full Claims and Evidence.
2. Export the Case with proofflow_export_packet if the user asks for a

shareable triage record.

1. Summarize:

• Case ID,
• captured source issue URL if available,
• inferred component,
• suggested labels,
• missing triage evidence,
• evidence-backed Claims,
• recommended next step.

1. Do not create temporary issue markdown files unless the direct triage tool is

unavailable and the user agrees to the fallback path.

Agent Work Ledger For Complex Code Tasks

Use this path when the task spans multiple files, requires several tool calls, or changes behavior that should be auditable later.

1. Start from a Case. If no suitable Case exists, create one with the most

relevant ProofFlow workflow before making claims about the work.

1. Keep a short ledger while working:

• Goal: the user-requested outcome.
• Scope: files or modules intentionally touched.
• Algorithm decision: the selected approach, alternatives considered,

invariants, and forbidden approaches before implementation.

• Cost budget: expected expensive operations and limits for token, API, GPU,

CPU, runtime, or iteration cost.

• Evidence: commands run, test results, diffs, screenshots, or source

material used to support claims.

• Decisions: user approvals, policy gate decisions, or notable tradeoffs.
• Open risks: assumptions, skipped tests, or evidence still missing.

1. Use ProofFlow tools for durable records when available:

• proofflow_start_work_contract before implementation,
• proofflow_record_algorithm_decision before choosing an important or

costly approach,

• proofflow_record_cost_budget before expensive operations,
• proofflow_capture_snapshot for start/checkpoint/final repo state,
• proofflow_record_evidence for command output and test output,
• proofflow_record_claim for evidence-backed claims,
• proofflow_evaluate_contract before finish,
• proofflow_explain_risk_hint when a maintainer accepts, mitigates,

defers, or marks a Risk Hint as a false positive with Evidence,

• proofflow_finish_work_ledger after final snapshot and evaluation,
• proofflow_review for code changes,
• proofflow_status to inspect Claims and Evidence,
• proofflow_export_packet for the final handoff packet.

1. Keep claims evidence-backed. Do not say a behavior is fixed unless a command,

test, diff, or review artifact supports it.

1. After proofflow_evaluate_contract, read and report risk_hints. If hints

are present, include them in known gaps or open review items even when the evaluation status is ready_for_review.

1. If tests are required for the workflow, run them outside ProofFlow unless

the user explicitly asks ProofFlow to execute a test_command.

1. Close the handoff with the Case ID, packet path if exported, tests or checks

run, known gaps, and the recommended next step.

Policy Gates

When an action is blocked with pending_decision:

1. Explain that ProofFlow requires an owner Decision before execution.
2. Use proofflow_decide only when the user has clearly accepted or rejected

the gate.

1. After acceptance, call proofflow_approve_execute again only when the user

wants the action executed.

1. Preserve the two-step semantics: decision first, execution second.

Response Shape

For completed ProofFlow workflows, report:

• what Case was created or used,
• what evidence was captured,
• whether the packet is provenance-only or contains semantic Claims,
• what packet or action was produced,
• what was intentionally not done,
• the recommended next step.