<!-- Generated by mstack from Misbah's Build Like This workflow. Regenerate instead of editing. -->

pause-safely

This skill is part of Misbah Khursheed's Build Like This workflow. Thinking, evidence, and explicit trade-offs come before generated output.

Project identity and sources of truth

The repository where this skill is installed is the host project being built. Build Like This is the method used to build it; mstack only installs and reconciles method resources. Do not assume mstack or Build Like This is the product unless project-owned sources explicitly identify this repository as mstack itself.

Use project-owned docs/, decisions, executable code, and tests as sources of truth. .mstack/templates/ are reference scaffolds to copy and adapt into project-owned documents, not product requirements and not a replacement for docs/.

Purpose

Make long or interrupted agent work safely resumable: commit or stash at a clean boundary, leave a next-action note, and avoid surprise pushes or releases.

Required inputs

• Current task graph position, dirty files, and whether the user explicitly asked to pause.

If a missing input would materially change the result, state the gap and obtain or discover it before proceeding. Otherwise label the assumption and continue.

Process

1. Confirm the pause is requested or required; do not pause mid-destructive operation without finishing or rolling back to a safe state.
2. Stop at an atomic boundary: tests green for the partial slice, or changes reverted to last good point.
3. Create a local wip commit or equivalent only when it helps resume; do not push, open a PR, deploy, or merge unless already authorized as the task goal.
4. Write a short resume note (handoff-shaped) with the exact first action on pickup.
5. Reply with that first resume action and exit cleanly.

Output contract

• Clean boundary description, local commit/stash reference if any, and resume note path.
• Explicit list of irreversible actions not taken.

Guardrails

• Do not push, publish, or deploy as part of pausing.
• Do not leave the tree half-migrated without a recovery note.
• Do not invent authorization to finish 'just one more' external write.

Delegation and parallel safety

• Material lifecycle work must delegate at least one bounded specialist lane when subagents are available. Prefer two or more concurrent lanes only for independent evidence gathering, analysis, or non-overlapping file ownership.
• The active lead owns integration and acceptance. Supporting agents do not recursively delegate unless explicitly promoted to lead a named lane.
• Assign distinct outputs and ownership. Serialize shared docs, contracts, schemas, migrations, deployments, external writes, and overlapping file edits.
• When subagents are unavailable, perform the same named specialist passes sequentially and state that constraint instead of implying parallel verification.
• Delegation never grants permission for outreach, consequential external actions, destructive changes, paid resources, or production operations.

End with the evidence gathered, verification performed, and any residual risk or unresolved decision.