<!-- Authored per the the-loop:writing skill. -->

Tasks: the /the-loop:init onboarding a person can finish

The last spec artifact. Derived from design.md and testing-plan.md. Gate-less (issue-281): it advances on shape.

Execution DAG

Task list

• [x] 1. Write the onboarding-metadata test module, red first
  • New cli/tests/test_onboarding_schema.py with A1–A7 from design §Testing strategy, each carrying a Gherkin Scenario: docstring per testing.gherkinDocstrings.
  • It must fail on the current tree (no x-onboarding in the CLI schema) — that failure is the red.
  • Depends on: none
  • Requirements: R1.2, R1.3, R2.1, R2.4, R2.5, R3.1, R3.2
  • Test: T1 — pytest cli/tests/test_onboarding_schema.py (red)
• [x] 2. Add x-onboarding.groups + askLevels to .the-loop/cli-config.schema.json
  • Seven groups per design §C1, same shape as the harness schema's block; version exempt; posture carries keys: [].
  • Turns A1–A3 green.
  • Depends on: 1
  • Requirements: R1.1–R1.5, R7.1
  • Test: T1 — pytest cli/tests/test_onboarding_schema.py -k "groups or ask_levels" (green)
• [x] 3. Add x-onboarding.profiles — the three-rung ladder
  • recommended: watch-and-ask; ladder an array of {id, title, summary, stillHuman, values} per design §C2. Values only under webhooks, polling, routing, service, selfDiagnosis, channels.
  • Turns A4–A7 green, including the safety assertion.
  • Depends on: 2
  • Requirements: R2.1, R2.4, R2.5, R2.6, R3.1, R3.2
  • Test: T1/T8 — pytest cli/tests/test_onboarding_schema.py -k profile (green)
• [x] 4. Teach the keyword guard that x-onboarding is metadata
  • Add "x-onboarding" to configschema.SUPPORTED under its documentation-only comment, and to _DATA_KEYWORDS in cli/tests/test_configschema.py beside examples/default/enum, each with the one-line reason.
  • Depends on: 3
  • Requirements: NFR — no new keyword the validator ignores
  • Test: T10 — pytest cli/tests/test_configschema.py (green)
• [x] 5. Copy the authored schema over the packaged one
  • cp .the-loop/cli-config.schema.json cli/the_loop/schemas/cli-config.schema.json.
  • Depends on: 4
  • Requirements: NFR — packaged parity
  • Test: T10 — pytest cli/tests/test_config_schema_parity.py (green)
• [x] 6. Extend skills/the-loop/reference/onboarding.md
  • Four new sections (two configs one procedure; the autonomy ladder; the deployment shape; the credential preflight) and R7's presentation contract folded into §How to present a group. No group explanation or key meaning restated here.
  • Depends on: 5
  • Requirements: R1.1, R2.2, R2.3, R2.7, R4.1–R4.5, R6.1–R6.6, R7.1–R7.6
  • Test: T11 — the dry-run walkthrough reaches each new section
• [x] 7. Restructure commands/init.md to the eleven steps
  • Per design §C6: new posture step, the CLI-config walkthrough replacing the lone tracking question, the Slack step, the preflight-and-verify step, the profile in the report. --dry-run / --defaults contracts extended over all of them.
  • Depends on: 6
  • Requirements: R1.6, R1.7, R1.8, R3.4, R4, R5, R6
  • Test: T11 — the dry-run walkthrough; T8 — the static credential-value grep
• [x] 8. Add docs/guide/onboarding.md, wire the sidebar, refresh the quickstart
  • The user-facing view: what init asks, the ladder as a table, the credential checklist. Sidebar entry between Installation and Quickstart; quickstart §1 rewritten to say what init now does.
  • Depends on: 7
  • Requirements: R7.5 (link rather than restate)
  • Test: T12 — pytest cli/tests/test_docs_parity.py (unaffected leaves), make lint
• [x] 9. Update docs/capabilities/distribution.md
  • Current behaviour lines for the two-schema walkthrough, the ladder, the preflight; a history row for issue-415.
  • Depends on: 8
  • Requirements: the loop's rule — capability docs change in the same PR
  • Test: make lint
• [x] 10. Verify and record
  • make check, then the T11 dry-run walkthrough with every credential variable unset; fill testing-plan.md §Verification results and write the evidence files.
  • Depends on: 9
  • Requirements: all
  • Test: All — make check + T11

Out of scope for this DAG

No task touches the process graph, the risk tiers, docs/guide/slack.md, or any CLI command's behaviour. If a task appears to require one, stop and raise it on the ticket — that is a different work item.