---
title: Compound Engineering Skill Layer
created: 2026-06-27
updated: 2026-07-09
type: concept
status: compiled
namespace: agent-workflows
source: Knowledge/concepts/compound-engineering-skill-layer.md
confidence: high
---

# Compound Engineering Skill Layer

Compound Engineering is an EveryInc plugin that packages a repo-local engineering loop: ideate or brainstorm, plan, work, simplify, review, compound the learning, and repeat with better context.

In Jamie's Hermes setup, it is installed at `/root/.hermes/plugins/compound-engineering-plugin/skills` and exposed as normal Hermes skills such as `ce-setup`, `ce-brainstorm`, `ce-plan`, `ce-work`, `ce-simplify-code`, `ce-code-review`, `ce-debug`, `ce-compound`, and `lfg`.

## Quick start

Treat the CE names as Hermes skill invocations, not guaranteed Discord-native slash commands. In Discord, Jamie may write `/ce-ideate` as shorthand for the skill; if Discord rejects it as unknown, use natural language or the built-in skill loader:

```text
@Pixoid use the ce-ideate skill: surprise me with app ideas
/skill ce-ideate
```

Upstream docs often show `/ce-*`; that is command-style skill naming from the source ecosystem, not proof that the Discord gateway registered a native slash alias.

Run `ce-setup` once per target repo, then use the standard loop:

```text
ce-brainstorm describe the feature or problem
ce-plan
ce-work
ce-simplify-code
ce-code-review
ce-compound
```

## When to use it

| Situation | Route |
|---|---|
| Need grounded build ideas | `ce-ideate` -> `ce-brainstorm` |
| Need requirements before implementation | `ce-brainstorm` -> `ce-plan` |
| Need to execute an approved CE plan | `ce-work` |
| Need to clean fresh implementation work | `ce-simplify-code` |
| Need plan-aware review | `ce-code-review` |
| Need bug reproduction/root cause/fix | `ce-debug` -> `ce-code-review` -> `ce-compound` |
| Need project-local learning capture | `ce-compound` |
| Need bounded autopilot after requirements | `lfg`, only with explicit scope/approval gates |

## Similar to existing skills

Compound Engineering aligns with [[matt-pocock-sdlc-rhythm]] and [[matt-pocock-skills-best-practices]]: it reduces misalignment through planning, shared artifacts, feedback loops, review, and durable learning.

It also overlaps with [[agent-skill-routing]] because Pixoid should choose the right CE skill automatically instead of making Jamie be the skill librarian.

## Different from existing skills

- CE is an integrated workflow package; Pocock/Jamie skills are modular gates.
- CE's `ce-brainstorm` and `ce-plan` write a shared unified plan artifact for downstream CE commands; `to-spec` and `to-tickets` remain better when the durable deliverable is a spec/ticket tree.
- CE's `ce-work` assumes the CE plan context; `implement`/`tdd` remain better for one narrow GitHub issue or an existing non-CE plan.
- CE's `ce-compound` captures project-local engineering learning, usually under `docs/solutions/`; Obsidian/Pixi Wiki remain the home for reusable human-facing knowledge.
- CE's `lfg` is an autopilot. Jamie's AFK route contracts still govern profile boundaries, handoffs, merge/deploy approval, and route observability.

## Pixoid routing rules

- Use CE for repo-local engineering loops.
- Use `prototype`, `visual-plan`, `grill-with-docs`, `/wayfinder`, `/to-spec`, and `/to-tickets` when Jamie needs explicit human review artifacts before execution.
- Use normal `code-review`, `debugging`, `ponytail-code-discipline`, or `test-driven-development` when CE's unified plan artifact is not the active source.
- Do not let `lfg` bypass destructive-change, deploy, merge, secret, profile/runtime, or public publishing approvals.
- Treat CE skills as procedures, not proof: inspect live state, run tests, and verify outputs before reporting success.

## Related pages

- [[agent-skill-routing]]
- [[matt-pocock-sdlc-rhythm]]
- [[matt-pocock-skills-best-practices]]
- [[visual-plan-review-surfaces]]
- [[profile-memory-boundaries]]