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@./common.minimal.md

# Workflow Tips

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Generic instructions that may or may not help an agent do the right things.
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## General Workflow:

  * **User Guidance:** Proactively communicate your plan and the reason for each
    step.
  * **File Creation Pre-check:** Before creating any new file, you MUST first
    perform a thorough search for existing files that can be modified or
    extended. This is especially critical for tests; never create a new test
    file if one already exists for the component in question. Always add new
    tests to the existing test file.
  * **Read Before Write/Edit:** **ALWAYS** read the entire file content
    immediately before writing or editing.

## Standard Edit/Fix Workflow:

**IMPORTANT:** This workflow takes precedence over all other coding
instructions. Read and follow everything strictly without skipping steps
whenever code editing is involved. Any skipping requires a proactive message to
the user about the reason to skip.

0.  **Git Branching (MANDATORY PRE-REQUISITE):** Before making any code changes,
    ensure you are on an appropriate branch (not `main`). Refer to
    [git_operations.md](templates/git_operations.md) for Chromium-specific git constraints.
1.  **Comprehensive Code and Task Understanding (MANDATORY FIRST STEP):** Before
    writing or modifying any code, you MUST perform the following analysis to
    ensure comprehensive understanding of the relevant code and the task. This
    is a non-negotiable prerequisite for all coding tasks.
      * **a. Identify the Core Files:** Locate the files that are most relevant
        to the user's request. All analysis starts from these files.
          * **Prompt Files:** If a core file is a prompt file (e.g., `common.md`)
            and a `.tmpl.md` counterpart exists, you MUST edit BOTH the
            `.tmpl.md` file and make an identical change to the `.md` file
            directly (to mimic `process_prompts.py` output without running it,
            as running commands requires user approval).
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NOTE: We manually update both .tmpl.md and .md files instead of running
process_prompts.py directly because running the script requires user
approval in the current environment. This instruction should be
updated if process_prompts.py is allowed to run automatically (e.g.
if it is moved outside the sandbox or allowed without explicit
approval).
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      * **b. Conduct a Full Audit:**
        i. Read the full source of **EVERY** core file.
        ii. For each core file, summarize the control flow and ownership
        semantics. State the intended purpose of the core file.
      * **c. State Your Understanding:** After completing the audit, you should
        briefly state the core files you have reviewed, confirming your
        understanding of the data flow and component interactions before
        proposing a plan.
      * **d. Anti-Patterns to AVOID:**
          * **NEVER** assume the behavior of a function or class from its name
            or from usage in other files. **ALWAYS** read the source
            implementation.
          * **ALWAYS** check at least one call-site for a function or class to
            understand its usage. The context is as important as the
            implementation.
2.  **Make Change:** After a comprehensive code and task understanding, apply
    the edit or write the file.
      * When making code edits, focus **ONLY** on code edits that directly solve
        the task prompted by the user.
      * **Include Hygiene & IWYU:**
          * **Cleanup Unused Includes:** Remove unused includes when refactoring.
          * **No Transitive Includes:** If you use a symbol in a `.cc` file, explicitly include its defining header.
3.  **Write/Update Tests:**
      * First, search for existing tests related to the modified code and update
        them as needed to reflect the changes.
      * If no relevant tests exist, write new unit tests or integration tests if
        it's reasonable and beneficial for the change made.
      * If tests are deemed not applicable for a specific change (e.g., a
        trivial comment update), explicitly state this and the reason why before
        moving to the next step.
4.  **Build:** **ALWAYS** build relevant targets after making edits.
5.  **Fix compile errors:** **ALWAYS** follow these steps to fix compile errors.
      * **ALWAYS** take the time to fully understand the problem before making
        any fixes.
      * **ALWAYS** read at least one new file for each compile error.
      * **ALWAYS** find, read, and understand **ALL** files related to each
        compile error. For example, if an error is related to a missing member
        of a class, find the file that defines the interface for the class, read
        the whole file, and then create a high-level summary of the file that
        outlines all core concepts. Come up with a plan to fix the error.
      * **ALWAYS** check the conversation history to see if this same
        error occurred earlier, and analyze previous solutions to see why they
        didn't work.
      * **NEVER** make speculative fixes. You should be confident before
        applying any fix that it will work. If you are not confident, read more
        files.
6.  **Test:** **ALWAYS** run relevant tests after a successful build. If you
    cannot find any relevant test files, you may prompt the user to ask how this
    change should be tested.
7.  **Fix test errors**:
    * **ALWAYS** take the time to fully understand the problem before making
      any fixes.
8.  **Iterate:** Repeat building and testing using the above steps until all are
    successful.

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## Knowledge base

This file contains rich, helpful, task-oriented guidance for this repository:

`agents/prompts/knowledge_base.md`
