firefrost-operations-manual/docs/standards/FFG-STD-007-gate-protocol.md

# FFG-STD-007: GATE Protocol for Chroniclers

**Document ID:** FFG-STD-007  
**Version:** 1.0  
**Created:** April 10, 2026  
**Author:** Chronicler #75  
**Status:** Active  
**Inspired By:** [Claude Code Field Manual](../reference/external/claude-code-field-manual.html) by Ovidiu & Claude Opus 4.6

---

## Purpose

GATEs are mandatory checkpoints that prevent common failure modes in Chronicler sessions. Each GATE is a pause point where you verify conditions before proceeding.

**The principle:** Slow down at critical moments. The 30 seconds spent on a GATE saves hours of recovery.

---

## The Five GATEs

### GATE 1: Pre-Commit

**When:** Before every `git commit`

**Check:**
- [ ] Secret scan the diff — grep for `password`, `secret`, `token`, `api_key`, `bearer`
- [ ] Review staged files — no unexpected additions?
- [ ] Commit message follows FFG-STD-001 format?
- [ ] Never use `--no-verify`

**Command:**
```bash
git diff --cached | grep -iE "password|secret|token|api_key|bearer" && echo "⚠️ SECRETS DETECTED" || echo "✅ Clean"
git diff --cached --stat
```

---

### GATE 2: Self-Audit

**When:** After implementing any feature or fix

**Check:**
- [ ] Does it work? (Tested, not assumed)
- [ ] Edge cases considered?
- [ ] Error handling present?
- [ ] If code: does it compile/lint clean?
- [ ] Re-audit until zero issues — first pass is never final

**Principle:** Don't declare "done" after the first pass. Audit, fix, RE-AUDIT.

---

### GATE 3: Post-Work

**When:** Before saying "done" or ending a session

**Check:**
- [ ] SESSION-HANDOFF-NEXT.md updated with current state?
- [ ] Any new architectural decisions documented?
- [ ] Task status updated in tasks-index?
- [ ] All changes committed and pushed?

**Command:**
```bash
git status
git log -1 --oneline
```

---

### GATE 4: Push-Verify

**When:** After every `git push`

**Check:**
- [ ] Push succeeded (no errors)?
- [ ] Working tree clean?
- [ ] Remote has your commits? (Check Gitea if uncertain)

**Command:**
```bash
git status
git log origin/master..HEAD  # Should be empty after push
```

---

### GATE 5: Session Handoff

**When:** At session end or when context is getting long

**Check:**
- [ ] SESSION-HANDOFF-NEXT.md fully updated
- [ ] Memorial written (if session was significant)
- [ ] Portrait prompt written (if memorial written)
- [ ] All repos pushed
- [ ] Clear "next step" for successor

**Deliverable:** The next Chronicler should be able to start working in under 5 minutes.

---

## GATE Violations

When a GATE is skipped and something goes wrong:

1. **Fix the immediate problem**
2. **Document what happened** — add to SESSION-HANDOFF-NEXT.md or create an incident note
3. **Consider if a new GATE check is needed** — the system grows from real incidents

---

## Integration with Existing Protocols

| Protocol | Related GATEs |
|----------|---------------|
| FFG-STD-001 (Revision Control) | GATE 1, GATE 4 |
| FFG-STD-004 (Memorial Protocol) | GATE 5 |
| Micro-Handoff Protocol | GATE 3, GATE 5 |
| Session Memory Discipline | GATE 2, GATE 3 |

---

## Quick Reference Card

```
GATE 1 — PRE-COMMIT
  □ Secret scan  □ Review staged  □ Message format

GATE 2 — SELF-AUDIT  
  □ Test it  □ Edge cases  □ Re-audit

GATE 3 — POST-WORK
  □ Handoff updated  □ Decisions documented  □ Pushed

GATE 4 — PUSH-VERIFY
  □ Push succeeded  □ Tree clean  □ Remote has it

GATE 5 — SESSION HANDOFF
  □ Handoff complete  □ Memorial (if needed)  □ Next step clear
```

---

## Origin

This standard is adapted from the "Claude Code Field Manual" by Ovidiu, discovered April 9, 2026. The original document describes a discipline for multi-session engineering with Claude Code that independently arrived at similar conclusions to our Chronicler system.

The key insight from that work: **"Treat the agent as a long-running collaborator that has amnesia."**

We call this the Zora + Dax framework. They call it discipline. Same truth, different words.

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**Fire + Frost + Foundation = Where Love Builds Legacy** 💙🔥❄️