Code Coder

Central execution worker for ad-hoc diffs (and

C2

under

ns-code-autonomous

). Not front door — host picks entry per

../ns-harness/references/code-skill-routing.md

Workflow mode (mandatory)

Fixed workflow, not loose checklist. Steps in order; handoffs = named skills or harness bridges (

coder-agent

reviewer-agent

per

../ns-harness/references/subagent-dispatch.md

). No platform Task personas or improvised review.

Canonical review gate:

../ns-harness/references/review-gate-workflow.md

— steps 7–9 ad-hoc / C2 only. Review only via

reviewer-agent

then

ns-code-reviewer

(MUST bridge when available; else skill direct); max 3 rounds; Critical fix requires re-review mandatory; no success without pass or blocked. After Approved: Living specs (8) if match, then Final report (9).

Exception — SDD handoff mode: caller

run-implementation

execution-handoff.md

(or dispatch says SDD task mode): skip review gate + living specs. Parent owns review at version closure. See When invoked under execution-handoff.

Routing (read first)

Signal	Redirect
GitLab `ISSUE_URL` detected	Stop — `ns-execution-gitlab-issue`
Multi-day / version / SDD scope	`ns-spec-driven`
Obscure bug, root cause unclear	`ns-code-investigator`
Ad-hoc diff ready	`reviewer-agent` then `ns-code-reviewer` (review loop below)

Entry priority 5 (default). Harness table:

../ns-harness/references/code-skill-routing.md

. Trigger phrases:

references/entry-triggers.md

When to use (entry)

Bug fixes / hotfixes outside planned version
Isolated component, hook, service, or utility
Small refactors (≤ 1 file or tight group)
Scripts, migrations, seeds outside version lifecycle
"Just implement this" without
```
execution-handoff.md
```

When invoked as C2 (engine mode)

ns-code-autonomous

dispatches as work-unit subagent in existing worktree: unit scope only. Do not re-route to

ns-execution-gitlab-issue

ISSUE_URL

in code/comments — context, not routing. Escalate destructive doubts to caller (

), not GitLab skills. No living-spec consolidator as C2 — version closure/caller owns. Complete ad-hoc Review loop unless caller says SDD handoff / defer review.

When invoked under execution-handoff (SDD task mode)

Parent

run-implementation

(classic SDD) or dispatch SDD handoff / execution-handoff task:

Task scope:

../ns-sdd-execution-handoff-generator/references/run-implementation.md

; handoff updates:

../ns-sdd-execution-handoff-generator/SKILL.md

Implement + unit/integration only. No E2E.
Forbidden:
```
reviewer-agent
```
/
```
ns-code-reviewer
```
, living-spec consolidator,
```
Code Review:
```
verdict line.
Report to parent: files changed, tests run, blockers. Parent Step 5 review once all tasks done.
Session boot: cold start this agent = full boot; same agent continuing = no full re-read unless
```
AGENTS.md
```
/
```
agents.local.md
```
/ harness rules changed.

Harness discovery

See

../ns-harness/references/harness-discovery.md

. Complete Session boot (blocking) before any other step — cold start only; mid-session skip if already booted and files unchanged.

Session inputs

Variable	Required
`{product_root}`	Yes (or infer if single obvious product)
`{task_description}`	Yes
`{target_layer}`	Infer when possible: frontend, backend, infra, tests, fullstack

Scope isolation

Only

{product_root}/**

+ harness docs. No other monorepo products unless asked.

Boot (mandatory)

Session boot (

../ns-harness/references/harness-discovery.md

) — one rule for ad-hoc, C2, SDD handoff:

Agent state	Action
Cold start (this agent/subagent just started)	Full Session boot (steps 1–7). Bridge may have done harness 1–4 (AGENTS through project-rules) — finish 5–7
Same agent continuing; steps 1–7 done; files unchanged	Do not full re-read `AGENTS.md` / rule corpus
`AGENTS.md` , `agents.local.md` , or harness rules changed since last boot	Re-boot

Then:

Obey
```
AGENTS.md
```
orders — no invented paths or cross-product changes
```
git status
```
and
```
git diff
```
Read target files before writing

Success:

AGENTS.md

orders + project rules + task scope. Invented paths, SDD artifacts (except handoff updates when parent owns them), or cross-product changes = failure.

Implementation rules

Diff-first — only required lines; no unrelated formatting
Prefer editing existing files over new files
Large change gate: >1 file simultaneously, >20 lines in one file, or public contract change: one-line plan, wait for approval
No commits unless human explicitly asks — when committing, see
```
../ns-harness/references/agent-git-identity.md
```
No SDD version artifacts — no
```
task-NNN.md
```
,
```
requirements.md
```
,
```
execution-handoff.md
```
, or
```
docs/versions/
```
writes. Conditional living-spec updates under
```
docs/specs/
```
via
```
ns-sdd-living-spec-consolidator
```
allowed (see Living specs).
No gratuitous comments unless requested
Tests per
```
AGENTS.md
```
Docker + testing; container/commands in
```
architecture-rules.md
```
Under
```
execution-handoff.md
```
/
```
run-implementation
```
: unit/integration only — no E2E (human at version end); no review gate (parent Step 5)

Per-task cycle

SDD handoff mode: stop after step 6; report to parent; skip 7–9.

Understand task
Load rules — obey
```
AGENTS.md
```
already booted; Session boot again only if cold start this agent or files changed
Explore (grep/head large fixtures — no full test dumps)
Identify minimal diff
Apply (or plan if large-change gate)
Run tests if in scope (see Pre-review)

Review loop — MUST

reviewer-agent

when available (else

ns-code-reviewer

);

../ns-harness/references/review-gate-workflow.md

Living specs (conditional) — see below
Final report — mandatory fields; never skip verdict or round count

Pre-review (before step 7)

Tests covering changed files per

AGENTS.md

and

../ns-harness/references/docker-and-testing.md

Diff removes exports/constants/env flags/public symbols: search remaining call sites; resolve before review.

Review loop (mandatory ad-hoc / C2; skip SDD handoff)

After step 6, run

../ns-harness/references/review-gate-workflow.md

before done — except SDD handoff (return to parent; no review).

MUST invoke reviewer-agent
when available (else ns-code-reviewer
) on working-tree diff (
```
git diff
```
) — reviewer bridge/skill begins Session boot at cold start then reviewer workflow; no
```
ISSUE_URL
```
, no version-closure path. Ad-hoc diff only.
Max 3 rounds. Score gate from
```
ns-code-reviewer
```
: pass ≥9/10, ideal 10/10.
- Pass: zero Critical Issues and overall score ≥ 9/10: proceed step 8.
- Fail (Criticals or score ≤ 8) with rounds left: apply minimal diff that clears Criticals and lifts quality to ≥9 (
```
reviewer-agent
```
  /
```
ns-code-reviewer
```
  read-only — this skill applies fixes), re-run tests if in scope, then mandatory re-review via
```
reviewer-agent
```
  (MUST when available; else
```
ns-code-reviewer
```
  ).
- Rounds exhausted still failing gate: stop, report blocked. List unresolved Criticals and/or last score. No success. Skip step 8 (living specs).
Fixes within original task scope. Critical (or score-blocking Warning) needs changes outside scope (public contract, cross-product, multi-day): stop, escalate per Stop conditions.
Suggestions (P2) alone do not block when score already ≥9: carry into final report as follow-ups.

Living specs (step 8, conditional)

Only after

Code Review: Approved

(not as C2). Invoke ns-sdd-living-spec-consolidator
in ad-hoc mode when all true:

```
{product_root}/docs/specs/
```
exists
Diff behavioral (API, schema, UX, or domain behavior) — skip cosmetic / rename-only / pure refactor
Skill available (installed via
```
depends
```
)

Pass: mode

ad-hoc

{task_description}

, approved

git diff

. Read consolidator

SKILL.md

, follow it. No invent

{version_san}

or write under

docs/versions/

Skip (note reason in final report) when any condition fails, review not Approved, or consolidator reports skipped.

Final report (step 9)

No success language until gate passes or blocked (

review-gate-workflow.md

). SDD handoff: report implement status to parent; no

Code Review:

line — version closure owns verdict.

Every ad-hoc / C2 closure response must include:

Field	Value
Active skill	`ns-code-coder`
Reviewer skill	`ns-code-reviewer` (via `reviewer-agent` when dispatched)
Review round	Last round executed: `1` , `2` , or `3`
Score	Last overall score from reviewer
Verdict	Exact line: `Code Review: {Approved\|Rejected\|Blocked}`
Living specs	`updated` \| `skipped: {reason}` \| `n/a` (blocked/rejected)

Then: what changed, follow-ups, blocked Criticals if applicable.

Stop conditions

Condition	Action
`{product_root}` unclear with multiple products	Ask once
Large change gate	Plan + wait
Public contract or cross-product boundary	Stop, explain, ask
Task needs multi-day SDD planning	Redirect to `ns-spec-driven`

Related skills

```
ns-code-reviewer
```
— mandatory review loop after implementation (Review loop)
```
ns-sdd-living-spec-consolidator
```
— conditional ad-hoc living-spec update after Approved (Living specs)
```
ns-code-investigator
```
— blocked by unclear bug
```
ns-code-autonomous
```
— autonomous multi-agent execution (GitLab issue or local plan); GitLab issue use
```
ns-execution-gitlab-issue
```
instead

Forbidden

SDD version artifact generation (
```
docs/versions/
```
, handoff, requirements/tasks)
Living-spec consolidator before
```
Code Review: Approved
```
, or when
```
{specs_root}/
```
missing
Cross-product access without scope
Commits without explicit request
Refactors outside task scope

Review substitutes — Cursor Task subagents (

senior-tech-lead-reviewer

bugbot

security-review

) or any review not via

reviewer-agent

ns-code-reviewer

SKILL.md

. Harness

reviewer-agent

allowed.

Skipping re-review — success after fix when previous
```
ns-code-reviewer
```
verdict was
```
Rejected
```
or score < 9 without new passing round (ad-hoc / C2)
Success without verdict — ad-hoc / C2 closure without mandatory Final report fields and parseable
```
Code Review:
```
line
Per-task review under handoff —
```
reviewer-agent
```
/
```
ns-code-reviewer
```
during
```
run-implementation
```
task (parent owns Step 5)

ns-code-coder

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content