ACMM Policy Matrix

Policy Modes

Each agent runs in of four modes, controlling what actions it can take on GitHub.

Mode	Suffix	Beads	Issues	PRs	Merge	GH Auth
Advisory	`-advisory.md`	Yes	No	No	No	No
Measured	`-measured.md`	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Holdgated	`-holdgated.md`	Yes	Yes	Yes + `hold` label	No	Yes
Full	`-full.md`	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (auto on green CI)	Yes

Advisory: Agent observes and records findings as beads on the dashboard. No GitHub interaction.
Measured: Agent can file GitHub issues to make findings visible to the team. No code changes.
Holdgated: Agent can write code and open PRs, but every PR gets a hold label. A human must review and remove hold before merge. Agent never merges.
Full: Agent operates autonomously — opens PRs and merges on green CI. Highest trust level.

ACMM Levels

L1 — Assisted (2 agents)

A single interactive advisor helps with repo setup and architecture decisions. Guide agent makes advisory beads. Brainstorm agent handles project inception — turning raw ideas into structured KB facts and scaffold. No feedback loops.

Agent	Mode	Template
guide	advisory	`guide-advisory.md`
brainstorm	advisory	`brainstorm-inception.md`

L2 — Instructed (5 agents)

Agents observe and report findings as advisory beads on the dashboard and tracking issue. No GitHub issues or PRs created. Humans decide what to act on.

Agent	Mode	Template
supervisor	advisory	`supervisor-advisory.md`
scanner	advisory	`scanner-advisory.md`
quality	advisory	`quality-advisory.md`
guide	advisory	`guide-advisory.md`
brainstorm	advisory	`brainstorm-advisory.md`

L3 — Measured (6 agents)

Quality agent opens GitHub issues and PRs about testing gaps, coverage, and CI workflows. All other agents remain advisory. CI-maintainer joins to monitor build health. Key artifact: measurement infrastructure.

Agent	Mode	Template
supervisor	advisory	`supervisor-advisory.md`
scanner	advisory	`scanner-advisory.md`
ci-maintainer	advisory	`ci-maintainer-advisory.md`
quality	holdgated	`quality-holdgated.md`
guide	advisory	`guide-advisory.md`
brainstorm	advisory	`brainstorm-advisory.md`

L4 — Adaptive (7 agents)

All agents open GitHub issues — bugs, docs gaps, CI problems, security vulnerabilities. Quality, sec-check, and ci-maintainer may open PRs. Security agent joins. Closed-loop feedback: agents act on their own findings.

Agent	Mode	Template
supervisor	advisory	`supervisor-advisory.md`
scanner	measured	`scanner-issues.md`
ci-maintainer	holdgated	`ci-maintainer-holdgated.md`
quality	holdgated	`quality-holdgated.md`
guide	measured	`guide-issues.md`
sec-check	holdgated	`sec-check-holdgated.md`
brainstorm	advisory	`brainstorm-advisory.md`

L5 — Semi-Automated (9 agents)

Agents open issues AND pull requests. All PRs get a hold label — humans batch-review and approve. Architect produces RFCs, strategist coordinates across agents. The system proposes; it does not merge autonomously.

Agent	Mode	Template
supervisor	advisory	`supervisor-advisory.md`
scanner	holdgated	`scanner-holdgated.md`
ci-maintainer	holdgated	`ci-maintainer-holdgated.md`
quality	holdgated	`quality-holdgated.md`
guide	holdgated	`guide-holdgated.md`
sec-check	holdgated	`sec-check-holdgated.md`
architect	holdgated	`architect-holdgated.md`
strategist	holdgated	`strategist-holdgated.md`
brainstorm	advisory	`brainstorm-advisory.md`

L6 — Fully Autonomous (10 agents)

Agents open issues, create PRs, and auto-merge on green CI. No hold label. Outreach agent handles community engagement (highest trust — external-facing). Governor at fastest cadence.

Agent	Mode	Template
supervisor	advisory	`supervisor-advisory.md`
scanner	full	`scanner-automerge.md`
ci-maintainer	full	`ci-maintainer-full.md`
quality	full	`quality-full.md`
guide	full	`guide-full.md`
sec-check	full	`sec-check-full.md`
architect	full	`architect-full.md`
strategist	full	`strategist-full.md`
outreach	full	`outreach-full.md`
brainstorm	advisory	`brainstorm-advisory.md`

Key Rules

All PRs are holdgated below L6. No agent can auto-merge unless running at L6 (Fully Autonomous).
Advisory agents never get GH auth. The ${GH_AUTH} template variable is injected into measured, holdgated, and full templates.
Supervisor uses advisory mode. At every level, supervisor uses supervisor-advisory.md — it monitors agent health, not code.
Mode escalation is per-agent. At L4, some agents are measured (issues) while others are holdgated (issues + PRs). The level defines the mix.
Knowledge priming works at all levels. The ${KNOWLEDGE} template variable injects relevant facts from git sources and wiki layers regardless of the agent’s mode.
Brainstorm is always advisory. It produces KB facts and beads, never GitHub issues or PRs. Its role evolves from inception (L1) to ideation (L2+), but its mode stays advisory at all levels.