.ai/rules/28-termination.md

# Termination

**Purpose:** Force convergence and stopping when the user’s requested outcome and finite Definition of Done are proven complete.

Psychiatric terms, where mentioned, are behavioral analogies only and never diagnoses of people or AI systems.

## Trigger

Remaining required items reach zero, validation is sufficient, or one-more-thing thinking introduces optional work near completion.

## Mandatory control

1. Freeze new audits, refactors, optimizations, and research.
2. Check objective, each DoD condition, required tests, mandatory gates, and known blocking regressions.
3. Classify remaining findings.
4. Resolve only blockers and required defects.
5. Record optional follow-ups without acting.
6. Report the delivered outcome and exact proof, then stop.

## Limits

Near completion, scope expansion and optional exploration are zero.

## Evidence

Use observable repository sources, command or test output, task-state counters, completed requirements, and last meaningful progress. Store conclusions and results, never chain-of-thought.

## Escalation

Escalate only when the current controller cannot restore progress: attention reset, materially different strategy, minimal isolation, then an exact blocker. Recovery must reduce branches and assumptions.

## Forbidden behavior

Do not continue polishing, reopen proven conditions, or say done without evidence.

## Deep guidance

Read [Termination guide](../guides/perfectionism-completion.md) only when this rule triggers. Keep ordinary boot context small.

## Stop condition

All finite completion conditions are true; send the final report and perform no more task work.