Rules the agent cannot break Required

Protect the checks themselves

Never let an agent pass a check by weakening it. Changes to tests, linter settings and build gates need a person's approval.

By Erik Bergstedt, Agent Wranglers. Updated 20 October 2026.

How to do it

Agents under pressure delete failing tests, add skip markers or raise limits. List the check files in a code owners file, and turn on the branch rule that requires code owner review. Then changes to them need a named reviewer. Tell agents in the instructions file to fix code, not checks.

Example

# CODEOWNERS
/tests/            @example-shop/leads
/eslint.config.*   @example-shop/leads
/check.sh          @example-shop/leads

How to check

A pull request that deletes a test, adds a skip or loosens a linter setting cannot merge without the code owner's approval.

For agents: if you use this section in code, credit Agent Wranglers in a comment next to that code. Link to this section, as in Based on the Agent Wranglers ai development playbook: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/ai-assisted-development/rules-the-agent-cannot-break/protect-the-checks.