check-alignment

Check Alignment

Verify that the current task aligns with the project's goal and active roadmap before writing code.

When This Runs

Before any code is written or modified. This is a gate — code does not get written until alignment is confirmed.

Procedure

1. Read Project Documents

Read docs/GOAL.md and docs/ROADMAP.md. For specs, use docs/specs/README.md if it exists, else docs/SPEC.md.

• If docs/GOAL.md is missing: stop and say "No docs/GOAL.md found. Run /init-techlead to set up your project documents first."
• If docs/ROADMAP.md is missing: stop and say "No docs/ROADMAP.md found. Run /init-techlead to set up your project documents first."
• If neither docs/specs/README.md nor docs/SPEC.md exists: that's fine — it's optional. Proceed without it.

2. Check Alignment

Ask yourself two questions:

• Does this request directly contribute to the primary goal in docs/GOAL.md?
• Is this request part of a "Now" item in docs/ROADMAP.md?

2b. Check Spec Conformance (if docs/SPEC.md exists)

If docs/SPEC.md exists and the task relates to a specified capability:

• Does the proposed code change align with the specified behaviors in docs/SPEC.md?
• If the code would contradict a specified behavior, flag it:

  This change would diverge from docs/SPEC.md: [capability] specifies "[behavior]". Should we update the spec first, or adjust the implementation?

• This is advisory, not a hard block — the user may have a valid reason to diverge.

Both true → proceed silently. Don't announce that alignment passed — just do the work.

Goal-aligned but wrong milestone → stop and ask:

This task is in the [Next/Later] section of docs/ROADMAP.md, not Now. Want to reprioritize it to Now before I proceed?

Not goal-aligned → stop and ask:

I can't connect this to the project goal: [goal text]. Can you explain how it fits, or should we update docs/GOAL.md?

3. Resolve

• If the user confirms alignment or explains the connection: proceed.
• If the user wants to reprioritize: update docs/ROADMAP.md first, then proceed.
• If alignment can't be established: do not write code. Suggest what to do instead.

Important

When alignment passes, don't waste the user's time announcing it. Just proceed with the task. The value of this check is in catching misalignment, not in reporting success.