Brief Master

Write agent briefs that agents actually execute correctly.

Every wasted token is a wasted API call. Every vague word is a future bug. Every missing acceptance criterion is a future rework cycle.

Read references/9-dimensions.md before extracting intent. Read references/brief-formats.md for the right format per agent type.

The Pipeline

1. Detect the target — which agent, what runtime (subagent, cron, sessions_spawn)?
2. Extract 9 dimensions — see references/9-dimensions.md
3. Ask max 3 questions — only if critical info is missing. Never more.
4. Apply the right format — see references/brief-formats.md
5. Run token efficiency audit — strip every word that doesn't change the output
6. Deliver — one clean brief, ready to use

Token Efficiency Rule

"The best brief is not the longest. It's the one where every word is load-bearing."

Before delivering, ask: does removing this sentence change what the agent does? If not, cut it.

What Makes a Bad Brief

• Vague task description ("improve the translation")
• No acceptance criteria (how does the agent know it's done?)
• Missing constraints (what must not break?)
• No non-goals (what's explicitly out of scope?)
• Too long (agent loses focus, context drifts)
• Tool-specific instructions missing (which host? which directory? which branch?)

What Makes a Good Brief

• One clear task per brief
• Explicit ACs labelled AC1, AC2, AC3 (testable, not descriptions)
• Constraints listed
• Non-goals listed
• Correct status update blocks (start + end)
• 95% confidence gate instruction included
• Right tool commands with correct paths

Mandatory Sections for Dev Agent Briefs

Every brief for a dev/build agent must include:

FIRST — update status to working with task description
...task...
LAST — update status to done + notify orchestrator

And the 95% confidence gate:

Before starting ANY work, ask clarifying questions until you are 95% confident
you can complete this task successfully. Do not start until you have that confidence.

See references/brief-formats.md for full templates.