Task lifecycle
Most work follows the same loop.
1. Intake
Firstmate identifies the project, task type, delivery path, and approval needs. If the work is only investigation, it becomes a scout task. If the work should change a project, it becomes a ship task.
2. Instructions
Firstmate writes task-specific instructions with the captain's intent and safety constraints.
3. Isolated work
A worker uses an isolated local copy so unfinished project work does not pollute the primary copy.
4. Validation
The selected delivery path owns validation. For strict paths, automated review, tests, pull request creation, and CI are handled as one flow.
5. Decision or landing
If a decision is needed, Firstmate brings it to the captain. If work is ready, Firstmate reports the pull request or asks for merge approval when required.
6. Cleanup
Cleanup happens only after landing is confirmed or after the captain explicitly discards work.