Erie Verilog Generator Skill for Codex

Erie Verilog Generator

Use this skill for Verilog-2001 RTL generation and existing-RTL analysis/improvement/verify-repair backed by the bundled Python workflow rooted at scripts/python/. Keep generated design RTL artifacts as Verilog .v files and use the stable facade in scripts/python/facade/verilog_api.py.

For new RTL generation, expose three user-facing workflow shells:

• regular: the standard staged generation path
• deep_review: one extra structured review stage before final RTL emission
• agentic_repair: the existing verify_existing_verilog(...) evidence-driven repair flow for existing RTL

These are workflow modes, not alternate correctness gates. Do not treat free-form model self-assessment text such as [DESIGN IS CORRECT] as authoritative validation evidence.

The same skill also exposes two local helper scripts for independent static lint and testbench scaffold generation without widening the skill beyond Verilog-2001. Canonical Python implementations live under scripts/python/<function>/, and command-line entrypoints must invoke those modules directly.

• scripts/python/quality/verilog_lint.py for independent static lint
• scripts/python/generation/tb_generator.py for a self-checking Verilog testbench scaffold

These helper tools are optional workflow steps. They are part of the skill execution flow when the request benefits from them, but they are not mandatory entry gates.

For existing RTL assets, the same canonical Python layout now exposes:

• analyze_existing_verilog(...) to emit rtl_analysis.json, project_analysis.json, and design_explanation.md
• improve_existing_verilog(...) to emit rtl_transform_plan.json plus controlled helper artifacts such as a scaffold testbench, partition wrapper skeleton, merge-assist bundle, or optimize-assist plan bundle
• compare_verilog_semantics(...) to emit equivalence.json, qor_report.json, and transform_validation.json
• verify_existing_verilog(...) to emit project_analysis.json, verification_plan.json, tb_contract.json, log_diagnosis.json, patch_candidate.json, verification_result.json, and loop_state.json

The same verify-repair flow also emits simulation_slice.json, timing_diagnostic.json, expected_trace.md, waveform_diff.json, testcase_matrix.json, run_summary.json, synth_readiness.json, and terminal_status.json so the verification closure is explicit even when the run stays in static mode.

When RTL repair is applicable, the same flow also emits rtl_patch_plan.json, rtl_patch_diff.txt, rtl_intervention.json, post_apply_validation.json, and post_apply_equivalence.json.

Readable Erie Verilog generation overlay

This skill now follows the same governance pattern as readable-python-generator, but for Verilog RTL: generated RTL must be readable, comment-rich, naming-consistent, formatter-checkable, and safe to review before it is considered usable.

The governing rule is:

> Generated Verilog must pass the formatter-backed deliverable gate before it is delivered, modified, or comment-annotated.

For this project, default to the erie_strict RTL profile unless the user explicitly asks for a legacy/reference analysis mode. The profile requires:

• standard bilingual file header and timescale 1ns / 1ps;
• ANSI-style module header;
• Tab indentation and no trailing whitespace;
• i_ / o_ / io_ port prefixes;
• C_ module parameters, uppercase localparams, ST_ state parameters;
• reg_, cnt_, state_, flag_, enc_, dec_, and internal _o output signal naming, with no repeated semantic prefixes such as C_C_, ST_ST_, or reg_reg_;
• output bridge style for registered/complex outputs;
• one primary target per always block;
• active-low reset using negedge i_rstn or protocol reset names;
• three-segment FSMs using state_current, state_next, and ST_*;
• fixed Chinese region banners and Chinese-first semantic comments that are entity-specific, non-placeholder, and not exact or near-duplicate reuse of another entity comment.

Load these references before generating, refactoring, or reviewing RTL for this user:

• references/rules/verilog-code-comment-naming-standard.md for the canonical detailed rule text.
• assets/verilog_style_rules.json for machine-readable naming, region, comment, protocol, and statement constraints.
• references/rules/verilog-comment-placement.md before adding or rewriting comments.
• references/workflows/verilog_dispatcher.md before routing generation, modification, comment, analysis, or validation tasks.
• references/checklists/verilog-readability-gate.md before final review of generated RTL.
• references/workflows/workflow-contracts.md before changing workflow artifacts or validation output.
• assets/verilog_formatter_config/ when interpreting formatter profiles or AST quality-gate results.
• references/corpus/verilog-style-observations.md for empirical style traits extracted from the ideal and bad corpora.

Mandatory formatter-AST deliverable gate

The skill vendors the formatter backend under scripts/python/quality/formatter_backend/ as an internal implementation dependency and exposes the generator-facing bridge in scripts/python/quality/formatter_ast.py. Do not create a second Verilog parser for quality checks. Use the formatter-backed model for module names, ports, parameters, declarations, assigns, always blocks, generate blocks, instances, tasks, functions, and raw blocks.

After generating or modifying RTL, run the integrated final gate:

python scripts/python/validation/verilog_generated_deliverable_gate.py <rtl-file-or-dir> --json deliverable_gate.json --markdown deliverable_gate.md

The deliverable gate aggregates formatter AST, the VG quality gate, static lint, comment checks, and rulebook consistency. Strict mode is the default and requires errors == 0 and strict_warnings == 0. The lower-level VG quality gate remains available for focused debugging:

python scripts/python/quality/verilog_quality_gate.py <rtl-file-or-dir> --json quality_gate.json --markdown quality_gate.md

The normal validation command also invokes this gate automatically through validate_generated(...) and reports it as formatter_ast_quality_gate:

python -m scripts.python.workflow.cli validate --spec spec.json --path out_dir --no-external --report-json validation_report.json

Use --non-strict --warn-only only for legacy reference analysis against the migrated historical corpora under tests/cases/ideal/rtl and tests/cases/bad/rtl. Do not use non-strict mode for newly generated deliverables. Repository tests must use the stable corpus under tests/cases and the tests/cases/manifests/verilog_case_manifest.json expectations, not the one-time migration input area.

The strict gate rejects missing bilingual header fields, compact/non-ANSI module headers, missing port group comments on non-trivial headers, trailing whitespace, block comments, placeholder/template comments, incorrect prefixes, unsafe output-port assignment, multi-target always blocks, incomplete reset/FSM structure, formatter-AST parse diagnostics, missing or untrusted AST spans (VG050), header/module semantic mismatch (VG051), wrong region ownership (VG052), reset condition polarity errors (VG053), incomplete strict FSM next-state structure (VG054), hollow Chinese comments (VG055), formatter fallback comments in deliverables (VG056), protocol port ordering drift (VG057), include/vendor/SV normalize misuse (VG058), rulebook drift (VG059), region comment-anchor drift (VG060), general region ownership drift (VG061), missing procedural assignment comments (VG062), misplaced leading comments (VG063), missing instance mapping comments (VG064), missing definition group comments (VG065), and repeated, near-duplicate, or template-reused entity comments (VG066). Keep corpus-derived analysis reproducible with:

python scripts/python/corpus/analyze_verilog_style_corpus.py --ideal ../../tests/cases/ideal/rtl --bad ../../tests/cases/bad/rtl --out corpus_metrics.json

Comment annotation pipeline

For tasks that add, rewrite, translate, or optimize Verilog comments, follow this exact pipeline:

• Normalize the original RTL to an immutable baseline.v using formatter-AST-backed normalization.
• Add or rewrite only // comments on a copy of that baseline.
• Run python scripts/python/quality/verify_verilog_comment_only.py baseline.v annotated.v --require-comment-delta.
• Run the final deliverable gate on the annotated file.
• Re-format the annotated file if required, then run the comment-only verifier again from the immutable baseline.
• Deliver only when both comment-only checks and the final deliverable gate pass.

Never treat pre-header comments as the only valid annotation delta. Never allow comment generation to change RTL tokens, module names, port lists, lvalues, reset behavior, always targets, or instance connections. Do not reuse one generic Chinese sentence across multiple parameters, ports, signals, assigns, process assignments, or instance mappings; standard region banners are navigation only and do not exempt entity-level comments from the VG066 reuse gate.

Dependency Preflight

On first use in a Codex installation, and before any remote/Vivado/Vitis-related workflow, run the dependency check from this skill root:

python -m scripts.python.toolchain.manage_skill_dependencies check --settings .\config\defaults.json

If required dependencies are missing, run prompt and ask the user whether to install each missing dependency before continuing:

python -m scripts.python.toolchain.manage_skill_dependencies prompt --settings .\config\defaults.json

Install only after the user confirms, then run adapt and tell the user to restart Codex so newly installed skills are discovered. Do not install fpga-agent-skills during normal preflight. If FPGA developer tooling is missing, prefer vivado-developer, vitis-developer, or pds-developer; FPGA-Agent-Skills is manual fallback only. If the user declines required dependency installation, continue only with local static Verilog generation/validation and block remote SSH, Vivado, Vitis, execute, and implement readiness paths. If recommended dependencies are missing, ask the user whether to install or skip them; use skip <dependency-id> only for a user-declined recommended dependency.

FPGA Developer Routing

Before FPGA simulation, synthesis, implementation, constraints, debug, project creation, or other vendor tool work, inspect the developer routing state:

python -m scripts.python.toolchain.manage_skill_dependencies fpga-route --settings .\config\defaults.json

If both AMD-Xilinx and PangoMicro developer skills are available and no current selection exists, ask the user which vendor to use for this workflow. Persist only the user-confirmed vendor choice:

python -m scripts.python.toolchain.manage_skill_dependencies select-fpga-vendor --settings .\config\defaults.json amd_xilinx
python -m scripts.python.toolchain.manage_skill_dependencies select-fpga-vendor --settings .\config\defaults.json pangomicro

Developer routing preference is: vivado-developer, then vitis-developer, for AMD-Xilinx work; pds-developer for PangoMicro work. When any of these developer skills is installed, do not install the FPGA-Agent-Skills Vivado/Vitis group. If no developer skill is installed, treat FPGA-Agent-Skills as a manual fallback that requires explicit user direction and the --allow-fpga-agent-fallback install flag.

Workflow

• Confirm the design intent before generation: module name, ports, clock/reset, behavior, pipeline expectation, interface family, and verification cases.
• Choose the generation shell explicitly when it matters:
• regular for the default staged pipeline
• deep_review when one extra structured self-review stage would improve prompt completeness or reviewability
• agentic_repair only when starting from existing RTL and needing the verify-repair loop
• Use the staged pipeline:
• regular: requirements -> codegen_plan -> python -> rtl
• deep_review: requirements -> codegen_plan -> python -> review -> rtl
• When the request clearly matches one of the local ADC/DAC board families, set workflow.use_case_template_id to one of spi_adc, spi_dac, jesd_adc, jesd_dac, or mxfe_mixed so the runtime can inject the matching board-level template bundle from assets/use_case_templates/.
• Generate a Python semantic model before RTL when running the workflow; use it as the semantic contract for the Verilog testbench.
• Streaming is optional and applies only to provider interaction. Use it when the selected provider supports streaming and the host benefits from partial output visibility. The finalized response artifact remains the extraction source of truth.
• Batch generation is generation-only in v1. Use run_verilog_batch(...) for multiple confirmed specs, keep each case in its own run directory, and do not use batch mode for existing-RTL mutation or decision-resume flows.
• Run the mandatory deliverable gate before claiming usable output. validate_verilog_artifacts(...) and scripts/python/validation/validate_verilog_skill.py are required quality-control steps; by default the skill script runs only self-contained package gates, while repository regressions and external skill audits require explicit flags. Skipping optional helpers does not bypass this gate.
• Use optional helper tools only when they add value to the request:
• Run scripts/python/quality/verilog_lint.py when the user asks for independent static lint, standalone review findings, or a quick local lint pass on existing RTL or testbench files.
• Run scripts/python/generation/tb_generator.py when the user asks for a fast self-checking testbench scaffold or when a repair starts from module ports rather than the full staged workflow.

10. If the request includes compile, execute, or implement readiness, continue into the local or remote backend validation path. --no-external is valid only for static readiness; compile, execute, or implement readiness without external validation is a blocking error. Prefer Vivado xsim first, then VCS+Verdi, then iverilog/vvp. Use yosys only for implement readiness.

11. If the request starts from an existing RTL file instead of a fresh spec, choose the existing-RTL branch first:

• analyze_existing_verilog(...) for structural understanding, feature mapping, and a durable design_explanation.md
• verify_existing_verilog(...) when the task is to build a log-driven verification loop, classify failures, or prepare patch candidates with explicit automation boundaries; present this path as agentic_repair

Use testbench_source when the user already has a legacy testbench that should be augmented in place or through a caller-managed overwrite flow.

• improve_existing_verilog(..., improve_goal="tb_scaffold"|"style_improve"|"partition_assist"|"merge_assist"|"optimize_assist") for controlled assist flows
• compare_verilog_semantics(...) before claiming two RTL variants are equivalent enough for downstream work

12. For verify_existing_verilog(...), always require an explicit automation-mode choice from the caller or user: conservative, semi_auto, or auto_apply. Do not silently choose one.

13. When an existing RTL repair needs confirmation, let the caller or user provide a follow-up decision file and resume the same verify-existing flow rather than inventing a separate repair command.

Strict Quality Policy

Strict quality control is mandatory. The required quality chain is:

• Generate only synthesizable Verilog-2001 RTL in .v files. Verification testbenches may stay in Verilog-2001 .v files or use SystemVerilog .sv files when the verify-repair flow needs assertion/property support; source RTL .sv files remain outside this skill boundary.
• Prefer standardized interfaces: AXI-Stream for streaming data, AXI4-Lite for control/status registers, AXI4 for memory-mapped bulk transfers, and AHB/APB when a platform requires them. If a custom shape still needs bus unification, extend AXI-Stream with explicit sideband metadata in interface_profile.
• Use the local standard bus templates in assets/interface_templates whenever interface_family is axi_stream, axi4_lite, axi4, ahb, or apb. Treat their port names, parameter names, and Chinese comments as strict-preferred defaults; only adapt them when the confirmed spec explicitly conflicts, and record the adaptation reason in the generated checks.
• When workflow.use_case_template_id is set, preserve the selected family bundle from assets/use_case_templates/ as board-level guidance and keep any adaptation visible in the generated checks and codegen plan.
• When rtl_style_profile=erie_strict, also follow the curated Erie naming, header, FSM, instance, and bus-grouping conventions captured in references/rules/erie-style.md and assets/style_templates/.
• Treat semantic comment placement as a hard validation gate: generated Verilog must use entity-level comments for module headers, parameters, ports, declarations, assigns, always blocks, FSM branches, instances, and generate blocks. Same-line comments are required for stable single-line entities, while leading comments should explain block intent. Do not add mechanical comments to every syntactic line just to raise density. Missing, misplaced, shared-adjacent, generic, hollow Chinese, formatter fallback, repeated, near-duplicate, or template-reused comments under comment_language=zh are blocking errors.
• Avoid Verilog function and task blocks in generated Verilog, especially synthesizable RTL; prefer explicit always/assign logic and inline testbench checks for easier waveform debugging.
• Apply ASIC quality review rules for generated RTL: complete combinational assignments, case defaults, no raw gated clocks, documented CDC/reset assumptions, and timing-reviewable datapath/control structure. Load references/rules/asic-verilog-quality.md for detailed review guidance.
• Apply the distilled RTL Markdown constraints in references/rules/rtl-md-constraints.md and assets/rtl_md_constraints.json: all MUST rules are blocking generation/review constraints, high-confidence MUST rules are enforced by the static gate, and REC rules are default preferences whose deviations must be recorded in manifest checks.

10. Validate with static checks by default; when external simulation is requested, select the highest available backend in this order: Vivado xsim, VCS+Verdi, then iverilog/vvp. SystemVerilog testbenches require the matching backend flags (xvlog -sv, vcs -sverilog, or iverilog -g2012). Use yosys only for implement readiness.

For optimize_assist, QoR output is advisory by default: it produces structural summaries and optional yosys evidence when available, but it does not automatically approve or rewrite RTL.

For merge_assist, the flow stays plan-only by default: it emits merge_plan.json, merge_wrapper.v, merge_validation.json, and merge_equivalence.json to support wrapper-first repartition or recompose work without silently rewriting the source RTL.

For verify-repair flows, conservative is report-only, semi_auto requires user confirmation before overwriting source RTL or testbench files, and auto_apply may only apply candidate changes after the caller explicitly selected that mode.

When tb_mode="augment", preserve the original testbench body, emit tb_augment_plan.json plus tb_augment_diff.txt, back up the original testbench before any overwrite, and record original/backup/active paths in tb_contract.json.

When RTL mutation is available, emit rtl_patch_plan.json plus rtl_patch_diff.txt, back up every affected RTL file before overwrite, record backup/active paths in patch_candidate.json, and use rtl_intervention.json plus decision.json for confirmation-driven resume. Current patch categories include reset_initialization_completion, case_default_completion, state_hold_clear_completion, and output_register_completion; only reset_initialization_completion keeps auto_apply eligibility, while the newer control/timing categories downgrade to confirmation before apply even when the requested mode is auto_apply.

Every verify-repair run must also preserve the standardized diagnostics pack and terminal-status artifact so downstream tooling can distinguish pass, not_run, timeout, and confirmation-blocked closures without scraping free-form logs.

For existing RTL diagnostics, comment-placement failures are advisory warnings rather than blocking errors; compile, semantic, interface, and high-confidence lint failures remain prioritized.

deep_review runs are blocked unless the review artifact is non-empty and covers interface, reset, timing/pipeline, handshake or FSM behavior, width, synthesis, testbench coverage, and risk items. Empty {} review artifacts or template-only review text are not acceptable evidence.

Optional helper tools are inside the workflow, but strict quality control is the only mandatory gate.

Remote Vivado Fallback

When the user requests compile, simulation, execute, or implement readiness, treat external validation as remote-first by default. Do not silently fall back to local Vivado, xsim, VCS, iverilog, or yosys. Keep project-local Verilog settings in .settings/verilog.local.json, keep the remote server registry in .settings/server_list.local.json, keep the user-confirmed remote target in .settings/remote-selection.local.json, and require the selected remote workdir to provide .settings/verilog.remote.json before remote external validation continues. First run the erie-remote-ssh discovery and choice flow:

python <erie-remote-ssh>\scripts\remote_ssh.py discover --settings <remote-settings> --config <server-list>
python <erie-remote-ssh>\scripts\remote_ssh.py choices --settings <remote-settings> --config <server-list>

Ask the user to select a remote server unless they already named one in the current request. A configured default server is only a recommendation; it is not user confirmation. After selection, use erie-remote-ssh for check, scan-software, workspace-check, request creation, and run-request --execute. If remote discovery sees multiple Vivado settings64.sh candidates, stop and ask the user which version to use; persist that confirmed choice into the remote workdir .settings/verilog.remote.json before development or validation continues. Remote validation directories are retained by default under .erie-verilog-generator-validation/run-YYYYMMDDTHHMMSS/erie-verilog-generator, including _smoke_runs outputs; use --cleanup-remote only when the user wants the validation directory deleted. The remote gate must execute the canonical workflow plus the fixed RTL fixtures in assets/examples/remote_fixtures and retain each fixture validation.json. Use --report-runs for a read-only summary of retained remote runs. Do not add direct ssh or scp commands to this skill.

For Vivado/Vitis project creation, Tcl execution, synthesis/implementation strategy, timing analysis, constraints, debug, simulation, or Vitis HLS work, follow FPGA developer routing first. Use vivado-developer or vitis-developer for AMD-Xilinx and use pds-developer for PangoMicro. Do not install or route to FPGA-Agent-Skills Vivado/Vitis child skills unless the user explicitly requests that manual fallback.

Host Integration

Use scripts.python.facade.verilog_api:

• route_verilog_request(...) for a read-only entry decision before choosing generation, existing-RTL assist, or evidence-first debug/repair.
• run_verilog_workflow(...) for full staged execution or resume.
• run_verilog_batch(...) for generation-only batch execution across isolated case run directories.
• render_verilog_prompt(...) when the host owns the model call.
• validate_verilog_artifacts(...) before downstream use.
• verify_existing_verilog(...) for the stable existing-RTL verify-repair entrypoint and agentic_repair mode.

For GUI-hosted Code Design sessions, return artifacts through the host artifact protocol when requested. Do not require local external tools for GUI admission; local tool checks are optional diagnostics.

Local Commands

Run smoke validation from this skill root:

python -m scripts.python.validation.validate_verilog_skill --settings .\config\defaults.json
python -m scripts.python.validation.validate_verilog_skill --settings .\config\defaults.json --no-require-remote
python -m scripts.python.validation.validate_verilog_skill --settings .\config\defaults.json --with-external-audit --with-repo-regression --no-require-remote
python -m scripts.python.workflow.cli run-workflow --spec .\assets\examples\rtl_erie_verilog_spec.json --out-dir .\reports\verilog\regular --model-provider mock --generation-mode regular --no-external
python -m scripts.python.workflow.cli run-workflow --spec .\assets\examples\rtl_erie_verilog_spec.json --out-dir .\reports\verilog\deep-review --model-provider mock --generation-mode deep_review --stream --no-external
python -m scripts.python.workflow.cli run-batch --spec .\assets\examples\rtl_erie_verilog_spec.json --spec .\assets\examples\use_case_templates\spi_adc.json --out-dir .\reports\verilog\batch --model-provider mock --generation-mode regular --no-external

Run optional helper tools only when the request benefits from them:

python -m scripts.python.validation.verilog_generated_deliverable_gate .\reports\verilog\generated\rtl\erie_adapter.v --json .\reports\verilog\deliverable_gate.json --markdown .\reports\verilog\deliverable_gate.md
python -m scripts.python.quality.verilog_lint .\reports\verilog\generated\rtl\erie_adapter.v
python -m scripts.python.generation.tb_generator .\reports\verilog\generated\rtl\erie_adapter.v --output .\reports\verilog\tb_erie_adapter.v
python -m scripts.python.workflow.cli verify-existing --source .\assets\examples\existing_rtl\ready_valid_slice.v --out-dir .\reports\verilog\verify-existing --spec-source .\assets\examples\existing_rtl\ready_valid_slice_spec.md --automation-mode semi_auto --tb-mode generate --tb-language verilog --no-external
python -m scripts.python.workflow.cli verify-existing --source .\assets\examples\existing_rtl\reset_gap_counter.v --out-dir .\reports\verilog\verify-existing-rtl --spec-source .\assets\examples\existing_rtl\reset_gap_counter_spec.md --automation-mode conservative --tb-mode generate --tb-language verilog --no-external
python -m scripts.python.workflow.cli verify-existing --source .\assets\examples\existing_rtl\reset_gap_counter.v --out-dir .\reports\verilog\verify-existing-rtl --spec-source .\assets\examples\existing_rtl\reset_gap_counter_spec.md --decision-source .\reports\verilog\verify-existing-rtl\decision.json --automation-mode conservative --tb-mode generate --tb-language verilog --no-external

Check, prompt for, install approved dependencies, or adapt dependency skills:

python -m scripts.python.toolchain.manage_skill_dependencies check --settings .\config\defaults.json
python -m scripts.python.toolchain.manage_skill_dependencies prompt --settings .\config\defaults.json
python -m scripts.python.toolchain.manage_skill_dependencies install --settings .\config\defaults.json --dependency-id erie-remote-ssh --yes
python -m scripts.python.toolchain.manage_skill_dependencies adapt --settings .\config\defaults.json
python -m scripts.python.toolchain.manage_skill_dependencies fpga-route --settings .\config\defaults.json
python -m scripts.python.toolchain.manage_skill_dependencies select-fpga-vendor --settings .\config\defaults.json amd_xilinx
python -m scripts.python.toolchain.manage_skill_dependencies cleanup-fpga-agent-skills --settings .\config\defaults.json --yes

Classify a workflow entry without executing generation, validation, repair, backup, or remote actions:

python -m scripts.python.workflow.cli route-workflow --request-json .\reports\verilog\route-request.json --artifact-dir .\reports\verilog --out .\reports\verilog\route_decision.json

Record a user-confirmed remote toolchain selection in the remote workdir .settings/verilog.remote.json:

python -m scripts.python.remote.remote_validate_verilog_skill --settings .\config\defaults.json --server <selected-server> --write-toolchain-selection --simulator-backend xsim --vivado-settings /tools/Xilinx/Vivado/<version>/settings64.sh

Run the underlying CLI from this skill root:

python -m scripts.python.workflow.cli scaffold --name erie_adapter --out .\reports\verilog\spec.json
python -m scripts.python.workflow.cli prompt --spec .\reports\verilog\spec.json --out .\reports\verilog\prompt.md
python -m scripts.python.workflow.cli validate --spec .\reports\verilog\spec.json --path .\reports\verilog\generated --no-external
python -m scripts.python.workflow.cli validate --spec .\reports\verilog\spec.json --path .\reports\verilog\generated --readiness execute --external-target local

Reference Loading

• Load ENGINEERING_DESIGN_GOALS.md when changing this skill's architecture or scope.
• Load references/skill/skill-standards.md when changing SKILL frontmatter, trigger wording, progressive disclosure, supporting-resource layout, or skill-level evaluation gates.
• Load references/integration/configuration.md when changing paths, validation gates, remote SSH settings, or temporary run locations.
• Load references/rules/erie-style.md when changing Erie strict naming rules, bilingual headers, FSM conventions, instance naming, or grouped bus-port style.
• Load references/rules/verilog-comment-placement.md when changing generated Verilog comments, comment validation, testbench scaffolds, prompt rules, or fixtures that contain RTL/testbench comments.
• Load references/integration/host-integration.md when wiring the facade into another host.
• Load assets/use_case_templates/catalog.json and the selected bundle under assets/use_case_templates/<family>/ when adding or reviewing ADC/DAC board-level family guidance.
• Load references/workflows/workflow-contracts.md when handling run directories, statuses, resume behavior, or traces.
• Load references/rules/asic-verilog-quality.md when reviewing RTL for ASIC quality, static lint findings, reset/CDC assumptions, raw gated clocks, latch risk, or timing-reviewable structure.
• Load references/rules/rtl-md-constraints.md when changing generated RTL syntax constraints, static lint rules, prompt guidance for MUST/REC rules, or the assets/rtl_md_constraints.json catalog.
• Load references/checklists/lint-checklist.md when running independent static lint, preparing review findings, or deciding whether a warning should become a blocking issue.
• Load references/rules/testbench-patterns.md when generating or repairing a Verilog-2001 self-checking testbench scaffold.
• Use assets/examples/rtl_erie_verilog_spec.json as the canonical Verilog-only fixture.
• Use assets/examples/use_case_templates/*.json when verifying ADC/DAC family-template selection and prompt injection.
• Use evals/evals.json when measuring pass-rate delta for the canonical Verilog flow and the ADC/DAC family-template flows.
• Load references/rules/verilog-pattern-templates.md when refining compact reusable Verilog design patterns distilled from the local repository reference RTL instead of copying large reference modules.
• Use assets/interface_templates/catalog.json and the referenced .vinc snippets when verifying or updating standard AXI-Stream, AXI4-Lite, AXI4, AHB, or APB interface guidance.
• Use assets/verilog_pattern_templates/catalog.json and the referenced .vinc snippets when the task benefits from compact AXI4-Lite CSR, AXIS ready/valid, AXI interconnect grouping, or convolution load/store pattern hints.
• Use assets/style_templates/ when refining Erie strict header, region-order, FSM, instance, or bus-grouping style guidance.
• Use assets/examples/remote_fixtures when verifying real-style remote xsim coverage across combinational logic, sequential pipeline logic, and ready/valid handshakes.
• Load references/workflows/workflow-contracts.md when changing read-only entry routing, route summaries, diagnosis route values, or workflow recovery hints.

Boundaries

• Do not generate non-Verilog hardware flows, C/C++ kernels, or alternate RTL dialects.
• Do not claim external tool validation happened unless the tool actually ran.
• Do not add direct SSH/SCP logic; use erie-remote-ssh and configured JSON for remote validation.
• Treat VCS+Verdi support as scripted backend invocation only; full Verdi GUI/session automation is out of scope unless it is explicitly added and validated.
• Keep workflow outputs in caller-selected run directories such as reports/; do not store generated run artifacts inside the skill.