**Status:** refreshed 2026-09-01 (supersedes the Aug 30 draft on PR #22). **Open actions:** kit-review-backlog.md
**Verdict:** Still **valuable** for teams that want hexagonal + DDD + TDD/XFN discipline and primarily run agents in Cursor (or another host that loads AGENTS.md + progressive skills). Still **not model-agnostic in the strong sense**: content is mostly portable markdown; discovery, MCP install, skill format, and the live EDD driver remain Cursor- and OpenAI-compatible-shaped. Claims are more honest than on Aug 30, but multi-IDE and skill-trigger eval wording can still oversell.
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What this kit is
Agent Lifecycle Kit is a **governance + procedure pack** for coding agents, plus a TypeScript CLI (kit) for bootstrap, MCP compose, security scan, and eval harnesses. Core ideas:
1. Thin always-on bootstrap (AGENTS.md) with on-demand skills/SOPs/philosophy. 2. Lifecycle roles (agent-*) and stack profiles (lang-* / framework-*). 3. Architecture invariants (hexagonal, DDD, vertical slices, clean code) with **applicability / opt-out** (CODING_PHILOSOPHY.md, docs/ADRs). 4. Eval-Driven Development for agent tool routing/schemas (kit eval). 5. MCP profile catalog and multi-IDE *pointer* files via kit export-rules.
Rough inventory (as of this refresh): ~45 skills, SOPs, dual eval layers (evals/suites + evals/edd), MCP profiles, install/init, nightly live-model workflow (when keyed).
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What still holds (strengths)
1. **Context budget as design:** thin AGENTS.md, on-demand loads, one MCP profile, kit measure-context / kit check. 2. **Lifecycle taxonomy:** phase → skill routing, handovers, tests-as-catalog, orchestrator + specialists. 3. **EDD shape:** YAML metrics + JSONL cases, scripted merge gate, optional live path, shadow/prod→JSONL story (docs/edd.md). 4. **Architecture floor:** explicit defaults with documented applicability/opt-out (landed after the Aug 30 draft). 5. **Supply-chain hygiene:** layout verify, lockfile, audit, secrets-out-of-repo MCP fragments. 6. **Portable content layer:** philosophy/SOPs/role prose travel; runtime discovery does not.
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What changed since the Aug 30 draft
| Finding (Aug 30) | Status now | |------------------|------------| | Architecture invariants feel non-optional | **Improved:** applicability and opt-out + seed ADRs (#36) | | Closed-loop / live EDD aspirational | **Improved:** deeper EDD suites, shadow path, nightly edd-live.yml (still skips without KIT_EVAL_API_KEY) | | Default CI is scripted keyword driver | **Still true:** intentional merge gate; docs now say so clearly | | Skill-trigger evals are theater | **Still true:** kit/src/edd/run_evals.ts does not invoke a model or assert required_patterns / required_output_sections | | Multi-IDE peer-depth oversold | **Still mostly true:** README still lists many hosts; MCP/skills remain Cursor-first | | Skill length budget slipping | **Still true:** agent-prune / agent-orchestrator / agent-debug / agent-copy over ~150 lines | | Thin stack profiles | **Still true:** several framework-* / lang-* skills ~38–48 lines | | Process weight | **Still true:** shortcuts exist; default narrative is multi-phase |
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Model-agnosticism (focused answer)
| Layer | Agnostic? | Notes | |-------|-----------|--------| | Philosophy / SOPs / role prose | **Mostly yes** | Markdown procedures; model-neutral instructions | | Host discovery & MCP | **No** | Cursor skill format + .cursor/mcp.json dominate | | Multi-IDE export | **Cosmetic** | Pointer files ≠ equal capability | | Skill routing evals (run_evals) | **N/A** | No model in the loop | | EDD live runner | **Weakly** | OpenAI-compatible /chat/completions; Anthropic key only via compatible gateway | | Default CI proof | **No** | Scripted driver; live is nightly + secret |
**Bottom line:** Model-agnostic at the **documentation** layer; **provider-shaped (OpenAI-compatible) + Cursor-centric** at the runtime layer.
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Value judgment (unchanged in substance)
**Worth adopting when:** Cursor (or manual skill mapping), shared hexagonal/TDD norms, MCP/tool agents that need a routing harness, thin always-on rules.
**Weak fit when:** Equal first-class Claude Code / Gemini / Copilot / Windsurf depth, out-of-the-box multi-model proof CI, architecture-flexible guidance, or a minimal prompt pack without lifecycle ceremony.
**Net:** High **concept and structure** value; medium–rising **execution** value (EDD and honesty improved); still not “any model / any host, same guarantees.”
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Highest-leverage remaining work
Tracked in kit-review-backlog.md. Top three:
1. Make skill evals real **or** rename them (stop “live trigger” language for non-model checks). 2. Narrow multi-IDE marketing to canonical AGENTS.md + thin stubs; Cursor owns discovery/MCP. 3. Enforce role skill line budget; cut or deepen thin stack profiles.
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*Review stance: product/architecture assessment of the kit as shipped on main, not a PR diff review. Evidence from AGENTS.md, README.md, docs/edd.md, kit/src/edd/run_evals.ts, MCP/install paths, skill line counts, and post–Aug 30 merges (#23–#43).*