The lifecycle skills run hands-off; triage-backlog does not

Context and Problem Statement

create-issue, implement-issue and merge-pr run unattended inside an auto-dev fleet, where a skill that stops to ask a question stalls a worker nobody is watching. triage-backlog is the same shape of skill with a different irreversible act: deciding a piece of work will not be done. (Context lifted from the “Autonomy contract” section each of those SKILL.md files carries.)

Considered Options

• One autonomy rule for every lifecycle skill — all hands-off.
• One rule the other way — every skill confirms before acting.
• Hands-off by default, with triage-backlog explicitly exempted.

Decision Outcome

Each lifecycle skill carries an explicit Autonomy contract section: create-issue, implement-issue and merge-pr pick the reasonable default, state the assumption and keep going, stopping only for a genuine blocker — because their irreversible act is gated by something objective (CI says yes) — while triage-backlog proposes everything and executes only what the owner confirms, because closing an issue is a judgement about intent and intent belongs to the owner.

Consequences

A fleet cannot drain its own backlog by declining it, which is the failure the exemption exists to prevent. The cost is that triage-backlog cannot be run unattended, so auto-dev never dispatches it.