checklist-discipline - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: checklist-discipline description: Maintain rigorous checklist discipline with incremental updates category: Thinking Analysis

Skill: checklist-discipline

What I do

I enforce the rigorous use of checklists to prevent cognitive overload and avoidable errors. I distinguish between different checklist types and ensure they are used as living documents during complex operations.

When to use me

During repetitive but high-stakes operations (e.g. deployments, migrations)
When executing complex multi-step tasks that span multiple sessions
When creating standardised procedures for a team
To verify the "Definition of Done" for a task

Core principles

DO-CONFIRM vs READ-DO — Choose the right style. READ-DO for unfamiliar tasks; DO-CONFIRM for expert routines to verify completeness.
Incremental updates — Tick off items immediately upon completion, never at the end.
Granularity balance — Ensure steps are actionable but not trivial. Focus on the "killer steps" where errors often occur.
Living documents — Update the checklist if a new edge case or error is discovered during execution.

Patterns & examples

Surgical Checklist Pattern: Focus on high-risk transition points:

Pre-flight: Verify environment variables, backup status, and access permissions.
Execution: Atomic steps with specific verification commands.
Post-flight: Validate logs, health checks, and stakeholder notification.

Checklist Design:

Actionable: "Run npm test" instead of "Check tests".
Verifiable: "Ensure build/ folder exists" instead of "Check build".
Concise: Keep checklists to 5-9 items per logical section.

Anti-patterns to avoid

❌ Batch ticking — Marking items as done after the work is finished (defeats the purpose).
❌ Checklist bloat — Including trivial steps that lead to "checklist fatigue" and skipping.
❌ Stale checklists — Following a list that doesn't reflect the current state of the codebase.

KB Reference

~/vaults/baphled/3. Resources/Knowledge Base/AI Development System/Skills/Thinking-Analysis/Checklist Discipline.md

Related skills

task-completer — Ensuring all requirements are met
task-tracker — Managing task lists and progress
pre-action — Deliberate planning before checklist execution
documentation-writing — Creating clear, usable procedures