dayan-agent-skills

Tool-before-agent

Principle

If a failure can be detected deterministically, make a tool detect it before asking an agent to remember it.

Apply it

1. Name the repeated failure in one sentence.
2. Write the smallest rule that would catch the failure.
3. Build a local verifier or checklist before widening the workflow.
4. Add one accepted fixture and one rejected or boundary fixture.
5. Let the agent call the verifier; do not make the agent replace it.

Failure pattern

The method has failed when the same issue is handled by repeated reminders, reviewer taste, or long prompt text even though a local check could have caught it earlier.

Public status

This is a compact public method card, not a claim that every workflow needs automation or that tools can judge all product quality. MIT licensed as part of Dayan Agent Skills.

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