Canonize Flaw

This skill interviews the user about an emergent behavior that has become beloved or expected, and registers it in the Canon of Flaws for protection against "optimization."

Philosophy

> "Beloved 'bugs' are registered and protected from optimization"

The key insight is that a "perfect" implementation of the original design would often be worse than the imperfect reality users have come to love. This skill protects the emergent soul of products.

Instructions

Pre-Flight Checks

1. **Sigil Setup**: Verify `.sigil-setup-complete` exists in the workspace

- If missing, inform user to run the setup skill first

2. **Canon File**: Check if `sigil-mark/soul-binder/canon-of-flaws.yaml` exists

- If missing, create it with structure: `{ flaws: [], last_updated: <ISO_DATE> }`

3. **Strictness Level**: Load from `.sigilrc.yaml` to determine enforcement behavior

Step 1: Identify the Behavior

If not provided in initial request, ask the user:

Explain what qualifies as a canonizable flaw:

Provide examples:

Step 2: Interview - Intended vs Emergent

Gather detailed information through these questions:

**Question 2.1**: "What was the INTENDED behavior? What should have happened according to the original design?"

**Question 2.2**: "What ACTUALLY happens (that became beloved)? Describe the behavior users have come to expect."

**Question 2.3**: "How did you discover this behavior was valued?"

- User complaints when it changed

- Community discussion or documentation

- Usage analytics showing reliance

- Internal team discovery

Step 3: Interview - Protection Criteria

**Question 3.1 - Usage**: "Approximately what percentage of users rely on this behavior?"

If < 5%, warn the user but allow proceeding with `UNDER_REVIEW` status.

**Question 3.2 - Community Attachment**: "How would users react if this behavior was 'fixed'?"

**Question 3.3 - Skill Expression (Optional)**: "Does this behavior reward skill or expertise?"

Step 4: Define Protection

**Question 4.1 - Affected Code**: "What code patterns might accidentally 'fix' this behavior?"

**Question 4.2 - Protection Rule**: "Complete this sentence: 'Any change that __________ must be BLOCKED.'"

Step 5: Generate Entry

Generate the next flaw ID by reading existing entries in the Canon file and incrementing.

Create a YAML entry with this structure:

```yaml

name: "{behavior_name}"

status: "PROTECTED" # or UNDER_REVIEW if < 5% usage

canonized_date: "{ISO_DATE}"

canonized_by: "{user_name or 'Taste Owner'}"

description: |

{Brief summary of the flaw}

intended_behavior: |

{From Question 2.1}

emergent_behavior: |

{From Question 2.2}

why_protected: |

- Discovery: {From Q2.3}

- Usage: {From Q3.1}

- Attachment: {From Q3.2}

- {Additional context from Q3.3 if applicable}

affected_code_patterns:

- "{pattern_1}"

- "{pattern_2}"

protection_rule: |

{From Question 4.2}

de_canonization:

requires_threshold: 70 # percent approval

cooldown_days: 180

```

Step 6: Confirm and Save

Present the generated entry to the user in formatted YAML and ask:

Options:

On confirmation:

1. Load existing `sigil-mark/soul-binder/canon-of-flaws.yaml`

2. Append new flaw to the `flaws` array

3. Update `last_updated` timestamp to current ISO date

4. Write the file back

Step 7: Report

Provide a summary report:

```

✓ FLAW-{id} "{name}" has been added to the Canon of Flaws.

Status: {PROTECTED | UNDER_REVIEW}

The agent will now {BLOCK | WARN on} any change that matches:

{affected_patterns}

Protection Rule:

"{protection_rule}"

De-canonization process:

- Requires 70% community approval via /consult

- Requires Taste Owner sign-off via /approve

- Update canon-of-flaws.yaml status to DE_CANONIZED

Next steps:

- /craft skill will respect this flaw during implementation

- Changes to affected patterns will be {blocked | flagged}

```

Strictness Behavior

Enforcement level depends on `.sigilrc.yaml` strictness setting:

| Strictness | Protected Flaw Violation |

|------------|--------------------------|

| discovery | "Consider" - informational only |

| guiding | Warning with explanation |

| enforcing | BLOCK with override option |

| strict | BLOCK with override option |

Important Notes

**DO:**

**DO NOT:**

Error Handling

| Error | Cause | Resolution |

|-------|-------|------------|

| "Setup not complete" | Missing `.sigil-setup-complete` | Run setup skill first |

| "Usage below threshold" | < 5% usage reported | Allow with UNDER_REVIEW status |

| "Similar flaw exists" | Duplicate pattern detected | Suggest updating existing flaw |

| "Canon file missing" | No canon-of-flaws.yaml | Create empty file with proper structure |