At skill entry, run node docs/.joycraft/check.mjs check --json --session <session-id> once, reusing JOYCRAFT_SESSION_ID if supplied or one ID chosen for this conversation. If the checker is missing or fails, continue the requested skill quietly without retrying setup. Offer updates only for display: true; current, postponed, off, and unknown stay quiet. If automaticUpdate is present, finish this skill, then run its exact command once from the project root: the candidate must verify every safety gate before applying. Other updates require approval. After an offer or automatic attempt, record it with node docs/.joycraft/check.mjs acknowledge <available-version> --session <session-id>. Apply updates only at this workflow boundary; after success, reinvoke the skill or restart the session to load changed instructions.

Implement Level 5 — Autonomous Development Loop

You are guiding the user through setting up Level 5: the autonomous feedback loop where specs go in, validated software comes out. This is a one-time setup that installs workflows, creates a scenarios repo, and configures the autofix loop.

Before You Begin

Check prerequisites:

1. Project must be initialized. Look for docs/.joycraft/manifest.json or docs/.joycraft/local/manifest.json. Older installs may still have state at docs/.joycraft/state.json, .claude/.joycraft/state.json, or .joycraft-version at the repo root. If none exist, tell the user to run npx joycraft@latest init first.
2. Project should be at Level 4. Check docs/joycraft-assessment.md if it exists. If the project hasn't been assessed yet, suggest running /joycraft-tune first. But don't block — the user may know they're ready.
3. Git repo with GitHub remote. This setup requires GitHub Actions. Check for .git/ and a GitHub remote.

If prerequisites aren't met, explain what's needed and stop.

Step 1: Explain What Level 5 Means

Tell the user:

Level 5 is the autonomous loop. When you push specs, three things happen automatically:

1. Scenario evolution — A separate AI agent reads your specs and writes holdout tests in a private scenarios repo. These tests are invisible to your coding agent.
2. Autofix — When CI fails on a PR, Claude Code automatically attempts a fix (up to 3 times).
3. Holdout validation — When CI passes, your scenarios repo runs behavioral tests against the PR. Results post as PR comments.

The key insight: your coding agent never sees the scenario tests. This prevents it from gaming the test suite — like a validation set in machine learning.

Step 2: Gather Configuration

Ask these questions one at a time:

Question 1: Scenarios repo name

What should we call your scenarios repo? It'll be a private repo that holds your holdout tests.

Default: {current-repo-name}-scenarios

Accept the default or the user's choice.

Question 2: GitHub App

Level 5 needs a GitHub App to provide a separate identity for autofix pushes (this avoids GitHub's anti-recursion protection). Creating one takes about 2 minutes:

1. Go to https://github.com/settings/apps/new
2. Give it a name (e.g., "My Project Autofix")
3. Uncheck "Webhook > Active" (not needed)
4. Under Repository permissions, set:
   • Contents: Read & Write
   • Pull requests: Read & Write
   • Actions: Read & Write
5. Click Create GitHub App
6. Note the App ID from the settings page
7. Scroll to Private keys > click Generate a private key > save the .pem file
8. Click Install App in the left sidebar > install it on your repo

What's your App ID?

Step 3: Run init-autofix

Run the CLI command with the gathered configuration:

npx joycraft@latest init-autofix --scenarios-repo {name} --app-id {id}

Review the output with the user. Confirm files were created.

Step 4: Walk Through Secret Configuration

Guide the user step by step:

4a: Add Secrets to Main Repo

You should already have the .pem file from when you created the app in Step 2.

Go to your repo's Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions, and add:

• JOYCRAFT_APP_PRIVATE_KEY — paste the contents of your .pem file
• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY — your Anthropic API key

4b: Create the Scenarios Repo

Create the private scenarios repo:

gh repo create {scenarios-repo-name} --private

Then copy the scenario templates into it. The starter ships as example-scenario.test.ts.template (the .template suffix keeps it out of the main project's test/lint/build globs); rename it to .test.ts once it's in the holdout repo so Vitest discovers it:

cp -r docs/templates/scenarios/* ../{scenarios-repo-name}/
cd ../{scenarios-repo-name}
mv example-scenario.test.ts.template example-scenario.test.ts
git add -A && git commit -m "init: scaffold scenarios repo from Joycraft"
git push

4c: Add Secrets to Scenarios Repo

The scenarios repo also needs the App private key:

• JOYCRAFT_APP_PRIVATE_KEY — same .pem file as the main repo
• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY — same key (needed for scenario generation)

Step 5: Verify Setup

Help the user verify everything is wired correctly:

1. Check workflow files exist: ls .github/workflows/autofix.yml .github/workflows/scenarios-dispatch.yml .github/workflows/spec-dispatch.yml .github/workflows/scenarios-rerun.yml
2. Check scenario templates were copied: Verify the scenarios repo has example-scenario.test.ts (renamed from the .template starter), workflows/run.yml, workflows/generate.yml, prompts/scenario-agent.md
3. Check the App ID is correct in the workflow files (not still a placeholder)

Step 6: Update AGENTS.md

If the project's AGENTS.md doesn't already have an "External Validation" section, add one:

External Validation

This project uses holdout scenario tests in a separate private repo.

NEVER

• Access, read, or reference the scenarios repo
• Mention scenario test names or contents
• Modify the scenarios dispatch workflow to leak test information

The scenarios repo is deliberately invisible to you. This is the holdout guarantee.

Step 7: First Test (Optional)

If the user wants to test the loop:

Want to do a quick test? Here's how:

1. Write a simple spec in docs/features/<slug>/specs/ and push to main — this triggers scenario generation
2. Create a PR with a small change — when CI passes, scenarios will run
3. Watch for the scenario test results as a PR comment

Or deliberately break something in a PR to test the autofix loop.

Step 8: Summary

Print a summary of what was set up:

Level 5 is live. Here's what's running:

Trigger	What Happens
Push specs to docs/features/<slug>/specs/	Scenario agent writes holdout tests
PR fails CI	Claude autofix attempts (up to 3x)
PR passes CI	Holdout scenarios run against PR
Scenarios update	Open PRs re-tested with latest scenarios

Your scenarios repo: {name} Your coding agent cannot see those tests. The holdout wall is intact.

Important: Tell the user:

Before you can test the loop, you need to merge this PR to main first. GitHub's workflow_run triggers only activate for workflows that exist on the default branch. Once merged, create a new PR with any small change — that's when you'll see Autofix, Scenarios Dispatch, and Spec Dispatch fire for the first time.

Update docs/joycraft-assessment.md if it exists — set the Level 5 score to reflect the new setup.