# Post-Mortem Reference

Use this file for expanded guidance and the canonical report template.

## Required Report Structure

```md
### Post-Mortem — <short title>
- Summary: <one-line>
- Trigger: <what user/test/check did>
- Evidence: <commands, file paths, snippets>
- Root cause: <1-3 sentences>
- Proposed fix: <files & minimal patch>
- Verification plan: <commands/tests to run>
- Apply?: (pending user approval)
```

## Evidence Quality
- Prefer concrete proof over interpretation.
- Keep snippets short and directly relevant.
- Include exact file paths for changed/proposed targets.

## Fix Quality
- Prefer narrow, root-cause-level changes.
- Avoid style-only or unrelated cleanup changes.
- If behavior guidance is touched, patch only the owning skill.

## Approval Protocol
- Ask a single explicit accept/deny question.
- Wait for approval before modifying `.ai/` files.
- If denied, archive under `tmp/<topic>/<short-title>.md`.

## Verification Checklist
- Does the proposed patch prevent recurrence?
- Is there any conflicting rule introduced?
- Are mandatory guardrails still intact?
- Is scope limited to the reported failure?