The charter

Reference for the charter file of a repo. For the reason that a charter exists, see The orchestrator model.

File

Fact	Value
Path	`docs/agents/cadre-charter.md`
Form	Markdown with YAML front matter
Written by	`/cadre:setup`, in a pull request
Written by an orchestrator	Never

The front matter starts on line 1 with --- and ends at the next ---. A byte order mark is accepted.

Front matter

Front matter holds only what a script or a hook reads.

Field	Values	Default	Read by
`charter_schema`	A positive integer. It rises only when an old charter cannot work.	None. Required.	`charter-check`
`written_by`	`cadre <version>`, the version that wrote the file.	None. Required.	`charter-check`
`guards`	`off` turns the guards off. Any other value leaves them on.	Absent: guards on. An unreadable charter also counts as guards on.	`guard`
`allow`	A list of guards that the repo allows, from `push` and `merge`.	Absent: none.	`guard`
`skill_pack`	`mattpocock-skills`, `superpowers`, or `none`.	Absent: `none`.	`skill-map`
`capabilities`	Overrides of the skill map, as items `<capability>=<skill or none>`.	Absent: no override.	`skill-map`
`tracker`	`ado` for Azure DevOps. `local` for the local tracker.	Absent: GitHub.	`resume-read-ado` reads `ado`. The skills read `local` and the absence.
`ado_org`	The ADO organization.	Absent for GitHub.	`resume-read-ado`
`ado_project`	The ADO project.	Absent for GitHub.	`resume-read-ado`

The reading scripts skip any other front matter field.

Rules of the parser

A blank line, a comment line, an indented line, and a - list line are skipped.
Any other line must be key: value. Else the script gives unknown.
A key that a script reads and that appears twice gives unknown.
A value can be in single or double quotes. The quotes are removed.
A list can be an inline [a, b], a comma list, or - item lines.
capabilities takes the inline list [a=b, c=d] or - a=b lines, never a mix. A capability appears once. A capability that does not exist gives unknown.
charter-check keeps its own copy of the parser. charter-front-matter.mjs serves the other scripts. The two follow the same rules.

Body

The body is for agents. It says only what an agent cannot derive from the repo. Each section is optional in the file, and the skills read them as prose.

Section	Content
`# Charter`	The title.
`## Tracker`	GitHub: host, owner, repo. ADO: org, project, area path, item type. Local: the area path and item type do not apply.
`## Owners`	A table with the columns Path, Owner, Note. Then the rule for when code moves to another repo.
`## Merge and deploy`	Who merges and by what method and when. Who deploys, with which command, and what it backs up first.
`## Extra cards`	A table with the columns Name, Job, When to use. It is prose, not front matter, because the orchestrator reads it.
`## Documentation`	The rule for the documentation that follows a change.
`## Only the human`	The actions that only the human does.
`## Secrets`	The names of the stores. Never the values.
`## Traps`	Each trap and its fix.
`## Live clones`	Each path and the tool that runs from it.

Where the facts are read

Fact	Source
Charter on the guard side	The commit `origin/<default branch>`, never the working tree. See Guards.
Charter on the skill-map side and the resume side	The working tree of the repo root that the script gets, or the current folder.

Worktrees

Helpers work in worktrees at <repo>/.claude/worktrees/<branch>. The .gitignore of the repo must ignore .claude/worktrees/. /cadre:setup adds the line.