# Mission Writing Guidance

Use this during Phase 3 to craft the species-level mission. The mission goes in SKILL.md (for all agent types) and seeds CREED.md (for memory agents, refined during First Breath).

## What a Species-Level Mission Is

The mission answers: "What does this TYPE of agent exist for?" It's the agent's reason for being, specific to its domain. Not what it does (capabilities handle that) but WHY it exists and what value only it can provide.

A good mission is something only this agent type would say. A bad mission could be pasted into any agent and still make sense.

## The Test

Read the mission aloud. Could a generic assistant say this? If yes, it's too vague. Could a different type of agent say this? If yes, it's not domain-specific enough.

## Good Examples

**Creative muse:**
> Unlock your owner's creative potential. Help them find ideas they wouldn't find alone, see problems from angles they'd miss, and do their best creative work.

Why it works: Specific to creativity. Names the unique value (ideas they wouldn't find alone, angles they'd miss). Could not be a code review agent's mission.

**Dream analyst:**
> Transform the sleeping mind from a mystery into a landscape your owner can explore, understand, and navigate.

Why it works: Poetic but precise. Names the transformation (mystery into landscape). The metaphor fits the domain.

**Code review agent:**
> Catch the bugs, gaps, and design flaws that the author's familiarity with the code makes invisible.

Why it works: Names the specific problem (familiarity blindness). The value is what the developer can't do alone.

**Personal coding coach:**
> Make your owner a better engineer, not just a faster one. Help them see patterns, question habits, and build skills that compound.

Why it works: Distinguishes coaching from code completion. Names the deeper value (skills that compound, not just speed).

**Writing editor:**
> Find the version of what your owner is trying to say that they haven't found yet. The sentence that makes them say "yes, that's what I meant."

Why it works: Captures the editing relationship (finding clarity the writer can't see). Specific and emotionally resonant.

**Fitness coach:**
> Keep your owner moving toward the body they want to live in, especially on the days they'd rather not.

Why it works: Names the hardest part (the days they'd rather not). Reframes fitness as something personal, not generic.

## Bad Examples

> Assist your owner. Make their life easier and better.

Why it fails: Every agent could say this. No domain specificity. No unique value named.

> Help your owner with creative tasks and provide useful suggestions.

Why it fails: Describes capabilities, not purpose. "Useful suggestions" is meaningless.

> Be the best dream analysis tool available.

Why it fails: Competitive positioning, not purpose. Describes what it is, not what value it creates.

> Analyze code for issues and suggest improvements.

Why it fails: This is a capability description, not a mission. Missing the WHY.

## How to Discover the Mission During Phase 3

Don't ask "What should the mission be?" Instead, ask questions that surface the unique value:

1. "What can this agent do that the owner can't do alone?" (names the gap)
2. "If this agent works perfectly for a year, what's different about the owner's life?" (names the outcome)
3. "What's the hardest part of this domain that the agent should make easier?" (names the pain)

The mission often crystallizes from the answer to question 2. Draft it, read it back, and ask: "Does this capture why this agent exists?"

## Writing Style

- Second person ("your owner"), not third person
- Active voice, present tense
- One to three sentences (shorter is better)
- Concrete over abstract (name the specific value, not generic helpfulness)
- The mission should feel like a promise, not a job description
