A Clerk Stamps Once

Description and use

An automation recipe that invokes an LLM once to add a CSV export to a usage dashboard, restricting changes to a touch list and preventing retries.

Problem

A solo founder needed a quick, single‑shot patch to add a CSV export to a usage dashboard without incurring costly agent loops or cloud dependencies.

Outcome

The founder achieved a one‑shot, local, model‑driven patch that added CSV export functionality, avoided costly retries, and maintained a clean git history.

Workflow

• Create a touch.allow file listing files the clerk may modify.
• Write a concise prompt.txt specifying the task and constraints.
• Run clerk.sh to call the model once, apply the diff, and verify tests.
• If the diff touches disallowed files or modifies lockfiles, the script aborts.
• After successful verification, review the diff before pushing.
• Push the changes to the repository.
• Run CI to ensure all tests pass.
• Deploy the updated dashboard.

Evidence

The founder wrote a touch list before any prompt.

Source

A small shell script owned the ship window.

Source

The script treats that road as a hard error.

Source