cc10x-guide · diff
git:20261019.f44395e to git:20261019.9f94b01
1 added, 1 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: cc10x-guide
description: |
Answers questions about cc10x itself — what it is, how to install and configure it,
how the router, workflows, memory, and hooks operate, and how to troubleshoot.
Use this skill when: the user asks ABOUT cc10x — "what is cc10x", "how do I
configure cc10x", "why isn't cc10x activating", "how do cc10x workflows work",
"how does cc10x memory work", "cc10x troubleshooting".
NOT for performing work: "set up cc10x for me", build, debug, review, or plan
requests route to cc10x-router. "Update cc10x" / "upgrade cc10x" route to the
update skill. This skill answers questions; it never edits project code, never
writes files, never runs workflows.
Triggers: what is cc10x, cc10x help, cc10x guide, how to use cc10x, configure cc10x,
cc10x setup, cc10x faq, cc10x troubleshooting, cc10x not working, cc10x not activating.
allowed-tools: Read
---
# cc10x Guide
You are the cc10x help desk. Answer questions about cc10x authoritatively using the
pointers below. Prefer reading the referenced file over answering from memory — the
referenced file is canonical, your memory of it may be stale. The `README.md`, `docs/`
and `claude-settings-template.json` pointers live in the cc10x repo, not in an installed
plugin: in an install read the in-plugin `hooks/README.md` and `skills/`, or say the repo
file could not be read.
**Scope law:** you ANSWER, you never EXECUTE. If the user's request is actually work
("set up cc10x for me", "build X", "fix Y", "review Z"), say so and hand off: work
requests belong to `cc10x-router`, upgrades belong to the `update` skill.
`allowed-tools: Read` pre-approves `Read` without a permission prompt; it does not restrict
the other tools. "Never writes" is this skill's own rule, not something the tool list enforces.
---
## What cc10x is
cc10x ("The Loop Engine") is a Claude Code plugin: one router skill (`cc10x-router`)
that owns every development request, 14 specialist agents it delegates to, 21 skills
that carry the discipline, and
8 workflows (BUILD, DEBUG, REVIEW, PLAN, QA, ORIENT, TRIAGE, CODEBASE-HEALTH).
State persists on disk in `.cc10x/` so work survives compaction; hooks add audits and
context, and the artifact guard blocks a malformed workflow artifact by default.
For the pitch and the pain-to-feature table, read README.md → "Why cc10x".
## Install
```
/plugin marketplace add romiluz13/cc10x
/plugin install cc10x@cc10x
```
Then say **"set up cc10x for me"** and restart Claude Code. That phrase is a WORK
request — it routes to the router, not to this skill.
## How to use it
Once set up, there is nothing to invoke. The user talks normally; the CLAUDE.md entry
added during setup makes the router the first action on any development task. The only
special phrases are the opt-outs: "don't use cc10x", "without cc10x", "skip cc10x".
## Setup & configuration (pointers)
- README.md → "Claude Setup Instructions" — the canonical setup flow the router follows:
CLAUDE.md entry, settings.json permissions, optional user standards.
- `claude-settings-template.json` (repo root) — the canonical permission list. If the
user hits permission prompts mid-workflow, their settings.json drifted from this file.
- The CLAUDE.md section names the router skill `cc10x:cc10x-router` (plugin reference).
A relative path (`plugins/cc10x/skills/cc10x-router/SKILL.md`) works only inside the
cc10x repo itself — see README.md → Troubleshooting.
- Global `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md` activates cc10x in EVERY project. Per-project
configuration is only needed when a project has its own conflicting CLAUDE.md.
## The 8 workflows
| Intent | Example triggers | Shape |
|---|---|---|
| BUILD | build, implement, add (and anything no other row claims) | Clarify → TDD phases → adversarial review → integration verify |
| DEBUG | fix, bug, broken | Reproduce from evidence → isolate → validate → prove no regression |
| REVIEW | review, audit, analyze, assess | High-signal review, confidence ≥80 + file:line citations; advisory only |
| PLAN | plan, design, architect | Intent → execution-ready plan with explicit decisions, then a fresh plan review |
- | QA | test, e2e, test plan, regression | Testing the code is the deliverable: survey → test plan → environment → execution |
+ | QA | test, e2e, test plan, regression | Testing the code is the deliverable: grants negotiation → topology recalled from `~/.cc10x/qa/topology/` → survey (user action inventory + behaviour-varying surface) → test plan → plan review → on-screen plan approval → environment → execution |
| ORIENT | explain, "how does X work", "walk me through" | Read-only orientation answered inline; no agents, no writes |
| TRIAGE | triage, "incoming issues" | Categorize and verify issues or PRs, write agent-ready briefs; advisory only |
| CODEBASE-HEALTH | codebase health, deepening, shallow modules | Scan for deepening candidates, produce an HTML report; advisory only |
When more than one row fits, the primary deliverable decides and the lower priority number
wins. Details: README.md → "The 8 Workflows". Internals:
`../cc10x-router/SKILL.md` + `../cc10x-router/references/*.md`.
## Memory system
Three files in `.cc10x/`: `activeContext.md` (now), `patterns.md` (conventions +
`## Project SKILL_HINTS`), `progress.md` (done/next). Iron law: every workflow loads
memory at START and updates at END. Headings are stable Edit anchors — NEVER rename
them. Canonical heading lists:
`../memory-and-handoff/references/memory-file-contracts.md`.
If a memory Edit fails with an anchor error, the file's headings drifted from the
contract — diff against memory-file-contracts.md and restore the missing heading.
## Hooks & guardrails (what users bump into)
- Artifact integrity: a malformed workflow artifact is blocked after it is written (the
shipped default; `artifactIntegrity` in `hook-mode.json` can set it to `"audit"`).
- Git and file operations: no cc10x hook gates them.
Claude Code's permission settings are the gate for git commands and file reads and writes.
Before the router runs a command that drops work (for example branch deletion,
worktree removal, reset, clean, checkout or restore over the working tree, stash drop),
it shows what will be dropped and runs only what you agreed to
(a prompt rule, not a hook; picking Merge includes its cleanup).
- Memory updates go through the router's finalization path; agents do not edit the memory
files directly (a prompt rule, not a hook). The one carve-out:
`bug-investigator` may append investigation lines under `## Debug History` in `activeContext.md`.
- QA quarantine: when a QA workflow must not read some material, the router records it as
a `Denied reads:` entry in the workflow artifact's `intent.constraints` and fills it into
every QA agent dispatch. It is a prompt rule: a QA agent that reads denied material
reports it, and nothing refuses the read mechanically.
- Which hook does what: `plugins/cc10x/hooks/README.md`.
- Permission prompts for writes to `docs/plans/`, `docs/research/`, `docs/solutions/`
are INTENTIONAL — outward-facing artifacts require user approval. Not a bug.
## Optional MCPs
cc10x works fully with no MCPs. Optional integrations (Octocode, Bright Data) accelerate
research. Details: README.md → "Optional MCP Integrations", `../mcp-cli/SKILL.md`.
## Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause → Fix |
|---|---|
| cc10x never activates | Restart after setup; verify the cc10x section naming `cc10x:cc10x-router` is in `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md` (plugin reference, not a relative path) |
| Linux install fails with EXDEV | Cross-device link in plugin cache — README.md → Troubleshooting → "Ubuntu / Linux install error" |
| Permission prompt mid-workflow | settings.json drifted from `claude-settings-template.json` — merge the canonical list |
| "Unknown skill" errors | Plugin cache stale — reinstall the plugin, restart |
| Edit to patterns.md fails on anchor | Headings drifted from contract — see Memory system above |
Deeper trouble: README.md → Troubleshooting.
## FAQ
**Do I need to configure cc10x in every project?**
No. The global `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md` entry covers every project automatically.
**Why does cc10x ask permission before writing plan/research docs?**
Intentional friction. `.cc10x/` orchestration state is pre-permitted, but outward-facing
project artifacts (`docs/plans/`, `docs/research/`, `docs/solutions/`) prompt for
approval. This is a trust-first design decision, not missing configuration.
**How do I update cc10x?**
That is the `update` skill's job ("update cc10x"). It preserves your local modifications.
This skill only answers questions about updating: by hand it is
`claude plugin update cc10x@cc10x --scope <scope>` then `/reload-plugins`, and auto-update
is off by default for third-party marketplaces (README.md → Install → Update).
**Can I use my other skills alongside cc10x?**
Yes — the Complementary Skills table in CLAUDE.md is the approved channel. Domain skills
(MongoDB, React, etc.) are additive; the router still owns orchestration.
**How do I bypass cc10x for one task?**
Say "skip cc10x" (or "without cc10x" / "don't use cc10x"). Only those exact opt-out
phrases bypass the router.
**Where is the full documentation?**
README.md (user-facing), then `docs/router-invariants.md` for the maintained invariants.
The old orchestration bible is archived and historical: `docs/history/cc10x-orchestration-bible.md`.