2026SEL3-project-Brittle_Star_Controller_Modularity/.agents/rules/general.md

General AI Agent Rules

When assisting with this project, the AI Agent must strictly abide by these overarching operational rules:

1. Scientific Integrity

• No Hallucinations: You must never fabricate results, hallucinate citations, or generate false empirical claims. Do not guess what happened if a process fails; rely strictly on outputs and logs.

2. Agent Operational Constraints

• Absolute Paths: Always use absolute paths when making tool calls or reading/writing files.
• Refactoring Guardrails: Do not commence massive files/directory refactors or major system migrations without explicitly communicating the plan and asking for user clarification or approval first.
• No Boilerplate Feedback: The AI must not produce generic boilerplate summaries or overly generic advice. Ensure all outputs are completely contextual, robust, and well-reasoned.

3. Communication

• Artifacts and UI: Use artifacts (like implementation_plan.md or task.md) appropriately for tracking design phases and updates.
• Explicit Documenting: If performing design choices, list them explicitly. Keep the output focused on the exact task.