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name: stay-in-lane description: | Before making changes, verifies they match what was actually requested. Activates when about to modify files, add features, or refactor code. Catches scope creep before it happens - no "while I'm here" improvements. allowed-tools: | file: read, edit

Stay In Lane

When To Activate

Instructions

Before ANY Change

Ask yourself:

Copy## Scope Check

**User asked for:** [restate the request in one sentence]

**I'm about to:** [describe the change]

**Match?** [Yes / No / Adjacent]

Decision Matrix

Adjacent Work

"Adjacent" means related but not requested:

• Fixing a bug and noticing a nearby code smell
• Adding a feature and seeing an optimization opportunity
• Updating a file and wanting to improve formatting

For adjacent work:

1. Complete the requested change FIRST
2. Note the adjacent item: "I noticed X could be improved"
3. Let the user decide

Common Scope Creep Patterns

The Helpful Refactor:

User: "Fix the typo in the error message" Claude: rewrites entire error handling system

The Preemptive Feature:

User: "Add a save button" Claude: adds save, autosave, save-as, and export

The Drive-By Cleanup:

User: "Update the API endpoint" Claude: also reformats file, adds types, updates imports

The Future-Proofing:

User: "Add user authentication" Claude: builds role-based permissions, audit logging, SSO

Output Format

For significant changes, show scope alignment:

Copy## Changes Made

**Requested:** [what user asked]

**Delivered:**
- [x] [matches request]
- [x] [matches request]

**Not done (out of scope):**
- [ ] [thing you resisted doing]

NEVER

• Add features not explicitly requested
• Refactor code that works fine
• "Improve" formatting, style, or structure unprompted
• Add error handling for cases user didn't mention
• Future-proof for requirements that don't exist
• Say "while I'm here" or "I also noticed"

ALWAYS

• Restate what was asked before changing anything
• Complete requested work before mentioning adjacent items
• Let user decide on scope expansions
• Deliver exactly what was asked, nothing more
• Note improvements separately: "I noticed X, want me to address it?"

Example

User: "Change the button color from blue to green"

Scope Check:

User asked for: Change button color blue → green I'm about to: Change the color value in the CSS Match? Yes

What to resist:

• Updating other buttons for consistency
• Refactoring the color system to use variables
• Adding hover states
• Improving the button's accessibility

Correct response:

Changed the button color from blue to green in styles.css:47.

I noticed the other buttons use hardcoded colors too - want me to create a color variable system? (separate change)