Rule Or Skill Question Explained
This worked Harness Engineering practice question tests Maps and Instructions. Try the answer first, then review why A is the best choice.
Short answer
The correct answer is A. In a skill, so the full steps load only for a release.
A skill is a file of saved steps for a job you repeat. At session start, Claude Code and Codex load only a short description of each skill. The full steps load when the skill is used: when you call it by name (/release in Claude Code, $release in Codex), or when the agent sees that the task matches the description. Rules that apply to every task stay in AGENTS.md. A procedure for one kind of task moves out, which keeps the map short and leaves context for the work. The correct answer is A. In a skill, so the full steps load only for a release
The Question
Your AGENTS.md holds a six-step release procedure. You release about once a week, but every session loads those six steps. Where do they belong?
Why A is correct
A skill is a file of saved steps for a job you repeat. At session start, Claude Code and Codex load only a short description of each skill. The full steps load when the skill is used: when you call it by name (/release in Claude Code, $release in Codex), or when the agent sees that the task matches the description. Rules that apply to every task stay in AGENTS.md. A procedure for one kind of task moves out, which keeps the map short and leaves context for the work. The correct answer is A. In a skill, so the full steps load only for a release
Why the other options are wrong
Bold changes how the steps look, not when they load. All six steps still use context in every session, including the sessions that never release.
handoff.md records the current state of the project for the next session: done, not checked, and next. It changes every day, so standing procedures do not belong there.
Pasting six steps each week is the repetition a skill removes. If you mistype a step once, the release goes wrong that week.
Key idea: Maps and Instructions
Every question here is a situation you meet with Claude Code or Codex: the agent gets something wrong, and you choose what to change. The best answer is usually a file, a check, or a hook that stops the mistake from repeating, not a louder prompt. If you miss a question, read the explanation and note which part of the harness it uses: the AGENTS.md map, a skill, a check, a visitor check, a hook, or a handoff note.
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