Check Bearing — Strategic Alignment Review

When to Use

• Before merging a branch — verify it does not close off strategic paths
• During PR review — understand how changes affect long-term options
• After a sprint — assess cumulative alignment of recent work
• When evaluating whether to pursue a particular implementation approach
• As a gate in the implementation or merge-prs recipe

Arguments

/check-bearing {target} compass_path=<path>

• {target} — Required. One of:
  • A branch name (e.g., feature/add-provenance)
  • A PR number (e.g., #142)
  • A PR URL (e.g., https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/142)
  • HEAD — assess uncommitted + staged changes on the current branch
  • --since <branch> — assess all changes since divergence from that branch
• compass_path=<path> — Required. Absolute or relative path to a compass document produced by /chart-course. The file must contain a ---compass-data--- ... ---end-compass-data--- block.

Target Resolution

Branch name:

• Detect base branch via git merge-base against main and develop
• Use the closer base (fewer commits ahead)
• Diff: git diff {merge_base}...{branch}

PR number or URL:

• Extract PR metadata via gh pr view {number} --json baseRefName,title,body,files
• Diff: gh pr diff {number}

HEAD:

• Diff: git diff (unstaged) + git diff --cached (staged)

--since <branch>:

• Diff: git diff {branch}...HEAD
• Log: git log --oneline {branch}...HEAD

Critical Constraints

NEVER:

• Modify any source code files — this is a read-only analysis skill
• Create files outside {{AUTOSKILLIT_TEMP}}/check-bearing/
• Assess implementation quality — that is audit-impl's domain
• Recommend specific code changes — report alignment facts, not fixes
• Skip directions because they seem irrelevant — assess ALL directions in the compass
• Mark a direction as CLOSES without specific architectural evidence showing why the change creates a barrier that would require significant rework to undo
• Use the compass priority field to suppress findings — all closures matter regardless of priority
• Conflate "this change doesn't advance direction X" with "this change harms direction X" — most changes are genuinely NEUTRAL to most directions

ALWAYS:

• Use model: "sonnet" for all Task tool subagent calls
• Initialize code-index via set_project_path before exploration (Step 0.5)
• Parse the ---compass-data--- block before launching any analysis subagents
• Provide specific file-level evidence for every non-NEUTRAL assessment
• Flag stale compass data (>30 days old) with a prominent warning
• Distinguish between intentional advancement and incidental impact
• Emit output tokens as literal plain text (no markdown bold/italic formatting on token names)
• Include a confidence qualifier (HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW) on each direction assessment
• Default to NEUTRAL — the burden of proof is on non-neutral classification

Workflow

Step 0: Parse Arguments

Extract target and compass_path from ARGUMENTS.

For compass_path: scan tokens for compass_path=<value>. For target: everything in ARGUMENTS that is not the compass_path= parameter.

Verify compass_path exists using Glob. If not found:

verdict = ERROR
%%ORDER_UP%%

Exit immediately.

Determine target type:

• Starts with # or contains /pull/ → PR mode
• Equals HEAD → working tree mode
• Starts with --since → since mode
• Otherwise → branch mode

Step 0.5: Code-Index Initialization

mcp__code-index__set_project_path(path="{PROJECT_ROOT}")

If the code-index MCP server is unavailable, fall back to native Glob/Grep.

Step 1: Load and Parse Compass

1. Read the compass document at compass_path
2. Locate the ---compass-data--- block
3. Parse the YAML content between ---compass-data--- and ---end-compass-data---
4. Extract all directions into a structured catalog
5. Check the generated timestamp:
   • If >30 days old, set stale_warning = true
   • If >90 days old, set stale_warning = critical
6. Count total directions, group by category and priority

If the compass-data block is missing or unparseable:

verdict = ERROR
%%ORDER_UP%%

Exit immediately.

Step 2: Analyze Branch Changes

Execute the appropriate commands based on target type determined in Step 0.

Capture these artifacts for subagent distribution:

• changed_files — list of all modified, added, and deleted file paths
• full_diff — complete unified diff output
• diff_stats — git diff --stat summary (files changed, insertions, deletions)
• commit_messages — git log --oneline output (empty for HEAD mode)
• pr_metadata — title, body, labels (PR mode only)

If the diff is empty (no changes), emit:

verdict = ALIGNED
alignment_score = 0.0
path_openness = 1.0
dashboard_path = (none — no changes to assess)
%%ORDER_UP%%

Exit immediately.

Step 3: Pre-Filter Directions by Signal Overlap

Before launching expensive per-direction subagents, perform a quick signal match to avoid spawning 30+ subagents for a 10-line change.

For each direction in the compass catalog:

1. File signal match: Do any signals.files entries appear as prefixes of paths in changed_files? (Use path prefix matching, not exact match — src/autoskillit/execution/ matches src/autoskillit/execution/headless.py)
2. Pattern signal match: Do any signals.patterns appear anywhere in full_diff? (Plain substring search, case-sensitive)
3. Module signal match: Do any signals.modules appear as path components in changed_files? (e.g., module execution matches path src/autoskillit/execution/foo.py)

Classify each direction:

• SIGNAL_HIT — at least one signal matched. Requires full subagent analysis.
• NO_SIGNAL — zero signals matched. Gets lightweight bulk assessment only.

Step 4: Launch Parallel Direction Assessment Subagents

4a: Full Assessment (SIGNAL_HIT directions)

Launch one subagent per SIGNAL_HIT direction. Cap at 8 concurrent subagents; if more than 8 SIGNAL_HIT directions, batch into waves of 8.

Each subagent receives:

• The direction's full metadata (id, name, category, description, readiness, readiness_evidence, dependencies, enables, conflicts, signals)
• The portions of full_diff for files matching the direction's signals
• The full diff_stats for overall context
• The commit_messages for intent signals

Each subagent evaluates this rubric and returns structured JSON:

{
  "direction_id": "D001",
  "impact": "ADVANCES | SUPPORTS | NEUTRAL | DRIFT | CLOSES",
  "confidence": "HIGH | MEDIUM | LOW",
  "score": 0,
  "evidence": [
    "src/path/file.py:42 — adds FooProtocol that direction D001 requires",
    "src/path/other.py:deleted — removes BarAdapter that D001 depends on"
  ],
  "explanation": "One sentence explaining why this impact was chosen",
  "reversibility": "easy | moderate | hard",
  "intentional": true
}

Impact definitions (subagents must follow these strictly):

Confidence definitions:

• HIGH — clear, direct evidence in the diff for the classification
• MEDIUM — indirect evidence or reasonable inference from the changes
• LOW — assessment based on broader implications, not specific diff lines

4b: Bulk Assessment (NO_SIGNAL directions)

Group NO_SIGNAL directions into batches of 5. Launch one subagent per batch.

Each bulk subagent receives:

• The 5 directions' metadata (id, name, description, signals)
• The diff_stats summary (NOT the full diff — these directions had no signal overlap)
• The commit_messages

Most NO_SIGNAL directions should classify as NEUTRAL. The subagent's job is to catch cases where the signal list was incomplete — if the diff clearly impacts a direction despite no signal match, flag it with confidence: LOW.

Returns the same JSON structure for each direction in the batch.

Launch additional subagents as needed for any other aspects the diff warrants — security implications, API surface changes, configuration coupling, etc. The above are the mandatory minimum.

Step 5: Cross-Cutting Path Closure Analysis

After all Step 4 subagents complete, launch one additional subagent that reviews ALL non-NEUTRAL findings holistically. This subagent looks for:

Cascade effects: Does DRIFT on direction A combined with DRIFT on direction B effectively CLOSE direction C (which depends on both A and B)?

For each potential cascade:

{
  "direction_id": "D007",
  "caused_by": ["D001", "D003"],
  "explanation": "D007 depends on both D001 and D003; drift on both compounds"
}

Irreversibility assessment: Are any changes in the diff particularly hard to undo?

• Public API surface changes (consumers may depend on them)
• Database schema or data format changes
• Removed abstractions that were protecting flexibility
• New concrete dependencies that replace protocol-based injection

{
  "file": "src/path/file.py",
  "line": 42,
  "concern": "Replaces SubprocessRunner protocol with direct subprocess call",
  "affects_directions": ["D005", "D011"]
}

New coupling introduced: Does the diff create new import relationships or dependencies between modules that were previously independent?

{
  "from_module": "recipe",
  "to_module": "execution",
  "concern": "Direct import bypasses pipeline layer",
  "affects_directions": ["D008"]
}

Step 6: Compute Alignment Scores

Aggregate all subagent results into project-level metrics.

Per-direction impact scores — from Step 4 subagent assessments:

• ADVANCES = +2, SUPPORTS = +1, NEUTRAL = 0, DRIFT = -1, CLOSES = -2

Priority weights:

• high = 3, medium = 2, low = 1, exploratory = 0.5

Weighted alignment score:

alignment_score = sum(score_i * weight_i) / sum(2 * weight_i)

Range: -1.0 (every direction at max negative impact) to +1.0 (every direction maximally advanced). Most real changes will be near 0.0.

Path openness:

path_openness = count(directions NOT scored CLOSES) / total_directions

Range: 0.0 to 1.0. Measures what fraction of strategic paths remain unblocked.

Critical closures:

• Any direction with priority = high AND impact = CLOSES
• Any cascade closure from Step 5 affecting a high-priority direction

Step 7: Determine Verdict

Apply this logic strictly:

IF any critical_closures exist:
    verdict = CONFLICT

ELSE IF alignment_score < -0.3
     OR path_openness < 0.70:
    verdict = DRIFT

ELSE IF alignment_score >= 0.0
     AND path_openness >= 0.90:
    verdict = ALIGNED

ELSE:
    verdict = DRIFT

Verdict definitions:

• ALIGNED — Changes advance or are neutral to strategic directions. No paths closed. The project maintains or improves its strategic optionality.
• DRIFT — Changes push away from some directions without closing them off entirely. Not blocking, but worth awareness. May indicate a need for compensating work in a future branch.
• CONFLICT — Changes close off high-priority strategic paths. Merging would reduce strategic optionality in ways that are hard to reverse. Review and discuss before proceeding.

CONFLICT does not mean "do not merge." It means "merge with eyes open." Some path closures are intentional strategic decisions. The skill reports facts; humans decide.

Step 8: Write Alignment Dashboard

Write to: {{AUTOSKILLIT_TEMP}}/check-bearing/alignment_{target_slug}_{YYYY-MM-DD_HHMMSS}.md

where {target_slug} is a snake_case slug derived from the target (branch name, PR number, or "head"). Max 40 chars.

Required sections in order:

1. Target Summary

Branch/PR name, base branch, commit count, files changed, lines added/removed. If PR mode, include PR title and labels.

2. Compass Reference

Path to compass document, generated date, total directions in compass. If stale_warning is set, include a prominent warning:

• >30 days: "Compass is N days old. Consider running chart-course to refresh."
• >90 days: "STALE COMPASS: N days old. Results may not reflect current architecture."

3. Verdict

One of ALIGNED / DRIFT / CONFLICT with a one-sentence rationale grounded in the specific findings.

4. Alignment Scorecard

5. Direction Impact Table

All directions sorted by absolute impact score (highest impact first):

NEUTRAL directions may be collapsed into a summary count rather than listed individually if there are more than 15.

6. Path Closure Warnings

Detailed analysis of any CLOSES findings or cascade closures. For each closure:

• Direction name and priority
• Specific evidence from the diff
• Reversibility assessment
• Which other directions are affected

If no closures, state "No path closures detected."

7. Advancement Highlights

Directions being actively advanced by these changes. For each advancement:

• What specifically in the diff advances this direction
• Whether the advancement appears intentional or incidental

8. Drift Concerns

Directions being drifted from. For each:

• What in the diff causes drift
• Reversibility (easy/moderate/hard)
• Whether compensating work in a future branch could restore alignment

9. Cross-Cutting Analysis

From Step 5: cascade effects, irreversibility concerns, new coupling. If none, state "No cross-cutting concerns identified."

10. Recommendations

Strategic awareness items — NOT code change suggestions. Examples:

• "Direction D005 (distributed compute) is drifting. If still a priority, consider a follow-up branch that restores the SubprocessRunner protocol."
• "This branch intentionally advances D001 at the cost of D012. Ensure this trade-off is an explicit decision."

11. Machine-Readable Alignment Block

This block MUST appear at the very end of the document:

---alignment-data---
version: 1
target: "{target}"
compass_path: "{compass_path}"
compass_generated: "{ISO-8601 from compass}"
generated: "{ISO-8601 now}"
verdict: ALIGNED
alignment_score: 0.42
path_openness: 0.95
direction_count: 28
impacts:
  - id: D001
    impact: ADVANCES
    score: 2
    confidence: HIGH
  - id: D002
    impact: NEUTRAL
    score: 0
    confidence: HIGH
  - id: D003
    impact: DRIFT
    score: -1
    confidence: MEDIUM
critical_closures: []
cascade_closures: []
---end-alignment-data---

Step 9: Terminal Summary and Output Tokens

Print a brief terminal summary:

=== Strategic Alignment: {target} ===
Verdict: {ALIGNED|DRIFT|CONFLICT}
Alignment Score: {score}  |  Path Openness: {openness}

Advances: D001 (Provenance Layer), D003 (Metrics Contract)
Drift: D007 (Ghost Kitchens) — reversibility: easy
Closures: (none)

Dashboard: {path}

Then emit the output tokens as the absolute last lines:

verdict = {ALIGNED|DRIFT|CONFLICT}
alignment_score = {float}
path_openness = {float}
dashboard_path = {absolute_path}
%%ORDER_UP%%

Token rules: Plain text only. No markdown bold, italic, or backtick formatting on token names. The pipeline adjudicator uses regex matching and decoration breaks it.

Output

Related Skills

• /chart-course — Build or update the strategic compass this skill reads
• /autoskillit:review-pr — Code quality review (complementary — quality vs. alignment)
• /autoskillit:audit-impl — Plan compliance audit (complementary — plan vs. strategy)
• /autoskillit:review-design — Experiment design review (complementary — design validity vs. strategic fit)