# Working in OpenRA-Bench (Claude Code / Codex / any coding-agent guide)

OpenRA-Bench is a rigorous LLM-agent RTS benchmark on a Rust engine. If
you are an AI coding agent creating, validating, fixing, or extending a
scenario pack, read this once and treat the linked docs as binding.

## The bar (apply to every scenario you touch)

> **No defect. No cheat.**
> Every lazy / brute / stall / blind / shortest-path / wrong-route /
> spam policy must **LOSE** on every level and every hard seed (1–4).
> The intended capability policy must **WIN**. Non-win must be a real
> reachable timeout **LOSS** — never a draw.

A scenario is defective if any of the following hold:

1. The win predicate is satisfiable by a play that ignores the
   advertised capability (the "laziest play wins" inversion).
2. `within_ticks` or `after_ticks` is set above the tick reachable
   within `max_turns`; the deadline never bites ⇒ the episode times
   out as a **DRAW**, not a LOSS. The engine constant is
   `DEFAULT_TICKS_PER_STEP = 30` (`openra-train/src/env.rs:33`), so a
   non-interrupt-mode pack reaches `tick ≈ 30·max_turns`. Interrupt-
   mode runs (any pack with a non-empty `interrupts:` block) advance
   1–`max_ticks` ticks per turn (`max_ticks` defaults to 5 in the
   bench call site, `openra_bench/eval_core.py`), so per-turn tick
   advance is variable — read the actual value from
   `info["ticks_advanced"]` instead of assuming it. The historical
   "engine advances ~90 ticks per decision turn" estimate is wrong;
   triaged in `docs/ENGINE_FOLLOWUPS_TRIAGE.md` finding #1.
3. There is no `fail_condition`, or it only triggers on full
   force-wipe; a stall / preserve / partial outcome silently draws.
4. The intended capability is not solvable inside the declared budget
   (a scenario nobody can win is also defective).
5. The engine auto-terminates on enemy-elimination before the win/fail
   is evaluated (mitigation: place an unarmed high-HP enemy `fact`
   marker at the objective).
6. Actors are placed outside the map's playable bounds (engine
   panics).
7. The pack is `UPGRADED` in `tests/test_hard_tier.py` but its hard
   tier does not produce ≥2 distinct seed-driven spawns (or there is
   no documented `NOT_APPLICABLE` reason).

## Authoritative docs (read these, in order)

- **`SCENARIO_REVIEW_CHECKLIST.md`** — the closer-look methodology
  (A solvency / B stability / C capability) you follow step by step
  to create or validate a pack.
- **`SCENARIO_QUALITY.md`** — the whole-suite no-cheat pass summary,
  the recurring defect classes the pass eliminated, and the
  predicate-idiom recipe (which predicate makes which capability
  load-bearing), plus engine footguns to avoid.
- **`openra_bench/scenarios/win_conditions.py`** — the predicate
  grammar. If you add a new predicate, you **must** also add a
  `_PHRASES` / `_REGION_PHRASES` translation in
  `openra_bench/game_knowledge.py` (the suite test
  `test_all_predicate_keys_have_a_translation` enforces this).
- **`openra_bench/botgen.py`** + `openra-sim/src/scripted_bot.rs` —
  the scripted opponents (`hunt | rusher | patrol | turtle | guard`)
  declared per-pack as `enemy: {bot_type: <name>}`. `guard` is the
  leashed defender used by the bait/decoy/lure idioms.
- **The 21 no-cheat-redesign commits on `main`** are worked examples
  of every capability/predicate/bot combination. Browse with
  `git log --oneline --grep "no-cheat redesign"` and read the bodies.

## Engine facts you must internalise

- **Ticks/turn:** non-interrupt mode advances exactly
  `DEFAULT_TICKS_PER_STEP = 30` ticks per `env.step()`
  (`openra-train/src/env.rs:33`). Max tick at `max_turns` ≈
  `30·max_turns`. Interrupt mode (`step_until_event`, used whenever
  `interrupts:` is non-empty) advances 1–`max_ticks` ticks per turn
  (variable; default `max_ticks = 5`) and breaks on the first signal
  — read `info["ticks_advanced"]` rather than computing
  arithmetically. Any `within_ticks` / `after_ticks` above the
  reachable tick is **inert** (won't bite) ⇒ draw degeneracy.
- **Engine auto-done:** the engine sets `done=True` when all enemy
  actors are eliminated, or sometimes when an agent unit reaches an
  enemy-key location. Without a persistent enemy actor a win-by-reach
  scenario can end as DRAW. Put an unarmed high-HP enemy `fact`
  marker at the objective.
- **Own-unit `actor_type`** surfaces in `units_summary`
  (`unit_type_count_eq / _gte` work). Predicates relying on it are
  valid.
- **`power_surplus_gte` / `power_provided_gte` now work** (historical
  footgun fixed). Pre-placed scenario buildings used to be invisible
  to the player's `PowerManager` trait because only
  `order_place_building` updated it, so the obs reported
  `power_provided = power_drained = 0`. The engine now recomputes the
  totals from the live building actors at snapshot time, honouring
  the `PowerDown` toggle (`World.powered_down`). See
  `OpenRA-Rust/openra-sim/tests/test_power_signals.rs` and
  `tests/test_power_signals_python.py`. The new
  `power_provided_gte` predicate (gross provided, ignores drains) is
  the anti-cheat floor for load-shedding packs — see
  `build-power-down-defensive`.
- **`deploy` now works** for scenario-declared MCVs (the historical
  "unimplemented" footgun was a two-bug interaction: `classify_actor`
  in `openra-sim/src/gamerules.rs` returned `Vehicle` for MCV, and
  the env.rs `kind_for_unit_type` fallback defaulted to `Infantry`.
  Both fixed; see `tests/test_mcv_deploy.py`.) Scenario actor
  `{type: mcv}` + `Command.deploy([mcv_id])` removes the MCV,
  creates an agent `fact`, and re-enables Building/Defense
  production queues — so a build-radius scenario can launch from a
  single starter MCV.
- **Scripted bot `guard`:** holds its post (`spawn_cell`), auto-fires
  in range, lunges at the nearest foe within `GUARD_AGGRO ≈ 16`,
  snaps back past `GUARD_LEASH ≈ 18` — the bait-able-defender idiom
  proven in #4 / #6 / #7 / #15 / #18.
- **`spawn_point` filter is PER OWNER** (Wave-9
  `openra-data/src/oramap.rs::expand_scenario_actors`). Each owner
  (agent / enemy) activates the filter INDEPENDENTLY: if any actor of
  that owner declares `spawn_point`, ONLY that owner's actors whose
  `spawn_point` matches the chosen one are kept; that owner's actors
  WITHOUT `spawn_point` are filtered out. Idioms:
  - Pre-Wave-9 (agent-side axis, every existing pack): declare
    `spawn_point` on agent actors → seed→spawn round-robin varies the
    AGENT corner. Duplicate any persistent base/garrison agent actors
    across BOTH spawn groups at identical coords. Enemy actors don't
    declare `spawn_point` → enemy filter inactive → all enemies
    place every seed (back-compat).
  - Wave-9 (enemy-side axis, e.g. `adv-rps-counter-pick`): declare
    `spawn_point` on enemy actors only → the env's
    `new_with_spawn_point` falls back to
    `distinct_enemy_spawn_points` and round-robins the seed across
    enemy compositions while the agent base stays fixed. Persistent
    per-seed enemy markers (e.g. a far-corner `fact` for engine
    auto-`done` mitigation) MUST be duplicated across every enemy
    spawn group, mirroring the agent-side idiom.
- **`silo` is NOT MustBeDestroyed** — using it as an objective
  landmark allows premature engine auto-`done` when the *other*
  MustBeDestroyed buildings fall. Use `barr` / `proc` / `powr` /
  `fact` for landmark anchors. (Wall-as-obstacle role is fine.)
- **`after_ticks` in a WIN clause is structurally incompatible with
  ConquestVictoryConditions** — the engine auto-`done`s the second
  the last enemy `MustBeDestroyed` building falls, before the
  `after_ticks` window opens, collapsing the run to DRAW. `after_ticks`
  belongs in `fail_condition`. Encode timed-arrival semantics via
  distance/landmark positioning instead.
- **`move_units` auto-fires opportunistically en route, and a
  moving unit is a normal target** (engine fix, pinned by
  `OpenRA-Rust/openra-sim/tests/test_moving_unit_takes_fire.rs`).
  A unit executing a `Move` activity now shoots in-range hostiles in
  passing WITHOUT abandoning its move, and is itself hittable by
  in-range enemies — there is no "sprint-invincibility" any more (a
  unit can no longer cross a kill zone untouched on a long move
  order). The opportunistic move-fire RESPECTS stance: `stance:0`
  HoldFire never fires while moving; `stance:1` ReturnFire fires
  only after taking recent hostile fire; `stance:2`/`stance:3` fire
  on the nearest in-range enemy. For perception packs with hidden
  enemies that must be discovered without combat, set the HIDDEN
  actors to `stance:0` themselves (defender side, not scout side).
- **`attack_unit` on an out-of-sight target paths normally** (engine
  fix, pinned by
  `OpenRA-Rust/openra-sim/tests/test_attack_unit_no_teleport.rs`).
  An explicit `Attack` order against an enemy beyond weapon range
  now closes distance at the attacker's real `Mobile` speed
  (identical to a plain `move`); the chase used to warp a full cell
  per tick (~24x for infantry), teleporting the unit dozens of
  cells in one decision frame.
- **Stance semantics are now four behaviourally-distinct gates**
  (engine fix, pinned by
  `OpenRA-Rust/openra-sim/tests/test_stance_semantics.rs` +
  `tests/test_stance_semantics_python.py`):
  - `stance:0` HoldFire — never auto-engages, even when attacked.
  - `stance:1` ReturnFire — auto-engages an in-range enemy **only
    after itself taking hostile fire** within a 60-tick window
    (`recently_received_fire` gate). A stance:1 unit next to a
    passive (`stance:0`) enemy holds fire indefinitely — it does
    NOT open fire first. This is the load-bearing distinction the
    `combat-stance-mgmt-attack` / `def-stance-mgmt-hold-then-attack`
    packs exploit.
  - `stance:2` Defend (the default when `stance:` is omitted) —
    auto-fires on the closest in-range enemy but never advances.
  - `stance:3` AttackAnything — auto-fires on in-range enemies AND,
    when none are in weapon range, **advances toward the nearest
    visible enemy** (the "hunt" path: `order_move` toward the
    target, then the next-tick scan promotes the encounter to
    Attack). This is the only stance that opens new engagements by
    moving — a scattered-enemy map can be cleared by a single
    stance:3 hunter chaining one hunt move per kill.
  Explicit agent orders (`attack_unit` / `attack_move`) always
  override stance. A stance flip is a real load-bearing verb:
  `set_stance(units, 3)` converts an idle ReturnFire formation
  into an active hunter.
- **`scheduled_events:` — mid-episode scripted hooks** (Wave-9
  engine feature, pinned by
  `OpenRA-Rust/openra-data/tests/test_scheduled_events.rs` +
  `tests/test_scheduled_events.py`). A scenario may declare a
  top-level (or per-level `overrides:`) `scheduled_events:` list;
  each entry fires once when `world_tick >= tick`. Three event
  kinds:
  - `spawn_actors` — inject new actors mid-episode (reinforcement
    waves). `actors:` is a normal actor list (`count:` expands).
    Spawned actors get fresh ids, so a perception count predicate
    (`enemies_discovered_gte`) treats them as additive. They are
    placed via the same path as initial scenario actors (Mobile/
    Health for units, typed Vehicle/Turret components attached).
  - `destroy_actors` — remove every actor matching `filter:`
    (`owner:` + optional circular `region: {x, y, radius}`).
  - `shorten_deadline` — clamp the episode's `max_ticks` DOWN to
    `new_max_ticks` (never grows it).
  Parsed by `oramap.rs::read_scheduled_events`, fired by
  `env.rs::fire_scheduled_events` after each `process_frame`.
  This is the only way to test information-FRESHNESS perception
  (the scout-cycle idiom) — a hidden enemy placed only at t=0
  cannot exercise "re-observe a stale region". Worked example:
  `scout-cycle-keep-info-fresh`. Footgun: a scenario-declared
  `stance:3` AGENT combat unit auto-hunts the whole map; for a
  perception pack keep the agent's combat arm `stance:0` so a
  stall policy can't win for free by self-delivering the army.
- **`reveal_map:` — the no-fog perception cell** (pinned by
  `OpenRA-Rust/openra-data/tests/test_reveal_map.rs` +
  `tests/test_perception_ablation.py`). A scenario may declare a
  top-level `reveal_map: true`; the agent player then observes the
  whole map with NO fog of war — every enemy actor is reported
  regardless of shroud and `explored_percent` is 100. Parsed by
  `oramap.rs::parse_scenario_yaml` (mirrors `spawn_mcvs`), applied
  in `env.rs` (`is_visible_to` short-circuits true for the agent;
  `refresh_explored_cells` fills the playable rectangle). This is
  the no-fog half of the **perception ablation grid**. The bench
  `fog_mode` spans 3 observation channels × 2 fog states = 6 cells
  (`openra_bench/scenarios/schema.py::PERCEPTION_MODES`):
  - `structured` — text briefing + a text 'Unexplored regions'
    block; no image.
  - `vision` — text briefing + PNG minimap. NOTE the briefing
    already enumerates units/enemies with coordinates, so the image
    is a redundant SUPPLEMENT — `vision` does NOT isolate
    image-reading.
  - `image` — image-PRIMARY: `prompt_v2.briefing_image_primary`
    redacts every coordinate from the text; the labelled minimap
    (`render_tactical_minimap(..., unit_labels=...)`) is the sole
    spatial source. The model references units by the on-map
    handle (`tank-1`, `enemy-2`); `agent._to_commands` maps the
    handle back to the engine id. The clean "can the model read a
    minimap" probe.
  Each channel has a fogged form and a `-clear` (no-fog) form. A
  `-clear` cell is a perfect-information CONTROL that isolates the
  perception cost — a stall/observe policy WINS a `-clear`
  perception pack (perception removed), so the no-cheat bar
  applies ONLY to the fogged cells, never the `-clear` ones. Run
  the full grid with `run_eval --perception-sweep` (expands every
  `pack:level` into `pack:level:<mode>`); the human Play tab stays
  on the canonical `vision` (fogged) modality.
- **Handoff ablation** (`openra_bench/handoff.py`, `run_eval
  --handoff-sweep`). A `HandoffController` lets a `prefix` controller
  play the first K turns, then the model inherits the live game state
  ("take over from here" — a pure STATE handoff, no transcript). A
  `stall` prefix hands the model a losing position (recovery test); a
  replayed winning trajectory (`TrajectoryController`, sourced from a
  `--handoff-bank` of Playback runs) hands it a winning one
  (capitalize-on-advantage). Sweep cells are
  `pack:level:handoff-{base,bad,good}`. Every result carries a
  `passivity` stat — the fraction of the model's turns spent on
  `observe`/`stop` only — the freeze-and-panic signal. A replayed
  trajectory MUST come from the same `pack:level:seed` (engine actor
  ids are seed-deterministic).
- **`pbox` costs 600** (not the 400 some old specs assumed);
  defense and infantry are SEPARATE production queues so an
  efficient policy queues `build('pbox')` and `build('e1')` in
  parallel from turn 1.
- **`pbox` is now an active direct-fire tower** (engine fix,
  pinned by `OpenRA-Rust/openra-sim/tests/test_pbox_fires.rs` +
  `tests/test_pbox_fires.py`). RA's `pbox` is an
  `AttackGarrisoned` defense — in C# its fire comes from infantry
  loaded into its `Cargo`, so the YAML carries NO direct
  `Armament` trait. The engine does not model garrisoning, so a
  BUILT `pbox` used to stand inert (the auto-target loop's
  `weapons.first()` returned `None`). `GameRules::from_ruleset`
  now assigns the canonical RA anti-infantry pillbox weapon
  `M60mg` (Damage 1000 × Burst 5, ReloadDelay 30, Range 4c0,
  anti-infantry `Versus None:150` — a burst one-shots an `e1`) to
  garrison-only ground-turret defenses (`pbox`, `hbox`) when they
  carry no explicit `Armament`. `M60mg` is weaker and shorter-
  ranged than the `gun` turret's `TurretGun` (Damage 6000, Range
  6c512), matching the pbox's role as the cheap anti-infantry
  pillbox. Defense packs can now make the pbox load-bearing via a
  `units_killed_gte` clause (a built pbox is the kill source). The
  `def-walls-vs-towers` idiom — a `scheduled_events: spawn_actors`
  rush injected AFTER the defense has time to build serially, with
  NO pre-placed agent combat screen — is the way to make a
  build-pbox policy genuinely WIN via pbox kills while stall /
  wrong-placement still LOSE.
- **Multiple production buildings of the same category produce IN
  PARALLEL** (engine fix, pinned by
  `OpenRA-Rust/openra-sim/tests/test_parallel_production.rs` +
  `tests/test_parallel_production.py`). The production tick advances
  a category's queue once per completed, alive production building
  of that category — two `weap` advance the Vehicle queue twice per
  tick, so two war factories roughly DOUBLE vehicle output (likewise
  `tent`/`barr` → Infantry, `hpad`/`afld` → Aircraft, `spen`/`syrd`
  → Ship). Before the fix the engine modelled production as ONE
  per-player queue per category and a 2nd factory added zero
  throughput. Building / Defense queues (fed by the construction
  yard) keep single-stream semantics. This makes "build a 2nd
  factory to hit a throughput quota" a real load-bearing capability
  — see `build-production-throughput-multibuilding`. NOTE: the 2nd
  factory only helps if there is CASH to feed both queues; a
  cash-starved play (e.g. `econ-buy-vs-build-decision`, where a 2nd
  weap leaves only ~1 tank's worth of residual cash) is still a
  losing CAPEX trap — the fix does not break that pack's bar.
- **`place_building` does NOT enforce build-adjacency** — orders
  work at arbitrary in-bounds coords. Forward-base / far-region
  building is solvable with a single `build + place_building`.
- **`fact` has cost 0** → not buildable via `StartProduction`
  (engine gates on `cost > 0`). Use `proc` as the "second base seed"
  in expand-arm objectives.
- **`health:` on a pre-placed actor NOW WORKS** (historical footgun
  fixed). The Rust scenario parser
  (`oramap.rs::RawScenarioActor`/`ScenarioActor`) used to parse only
  `actor_type / owner / position / count / spawn_point / stance` and
  silently dropped a `health:` line, so an actor placed with
  `health: 40` spawned at full HP. The parser now carries
  `health: N` (an HP PERCENTAGE, 1-100) through to the spawned
  actor's `Health` trait (`hp = max_hp * N / 100`, clamped ≥1).
  Pre-placed damaged buildings/units are the basis for the
  repair-triage / disaster-recovery idiom. Pinned by
  `OpenRA-Rust/openra-data/tests/test_actor_health.rs` +
  `tests/test_actor_health_field.py`.
- **Building actor ids ARE surfaced for `repair` / `sell` /
  `power_down` / `set_primary`** (historical footgun fixed).
  `RustObsAdapter.render_state()` used to build `own_buildings` as
  `{type, cell_x, cell_y}` — it dropped the engine actor id, so
  `prompt_v2` assigned `id = list-index` and `env.rs::resolve_owned`
  rejected the bogus id ⇒ no agent could target a building. The
  adapter now includes the REAL engine `id` (plus `hp` / `is_primary`)
  in `own_buildings` / `buildings_summary`, mirroring how
  `units_summary` keeps the real unit id. Pinned by
  `tests/test_repair_building_id.py`.
- **`not own_units_gte:1`** mis-fires on turn 1 when the agent
  starts unit-less (documented footgun from `economy-force-buildup`).
  Use `after_ticks` + `not has_building:fact` for the unit-less
  start fail clause instead.
- **Certain mid-map cells silently fail to place enemy clusters**
  (e.g. `(50,20)`, `(60,28)`, `(90,30)` observed by A7); nearby
  cells (`(60,10)`, `(100,30)`, `(50,19)/(50,21)`) work. Likewise
  `e1` at some cells doesn't surface in `enemy_positions` — `e3`
  does. For perception packs, use `e3` for hidden clusters and
  verify cluster cells on a smoke run before authoring against them.
- **`place_building('proc')` now auto-spawns the new harv at the
  NEW proc's footprint and binds it to the closest refinery by
  PATH DISTANCE** (engine fix, pinned by
  `OpenRA-Rust/openra-sim/tests/test_proc_auto_spawn_at_new_proc.rs`
  + `tests/test_proc_auto_spawn_python.py`). Historical footgun:
  the engine routed the auto-harv through `find_spawn_location`,
  which sorts candidates by `(!is_primary, id)` — so a 2nd proc
  placed far from the 1st always materialised its harv at the
  LOWEST-ID proc, and `find_refinery` returned the lowest-id proc
  unconditionally. The combined effect: expansion to a contested
  patch was a no-op (the new harv trekked back to the old
  refinery, and the old harv kept depositing at the old
  refinery). The fix: a new `spawn_unit_near_building(actor,
  unit_type, owner, building_id)` anchors the spawn scan on the
  NEW proc's footprint, and `find_refinery_from(owner, cell)`
  picks the proc with the shortest A* path from `cell` (with
  fallback to Chebyshev-nearest then lowest-id). A 2nd refinery
  placed near a contested patch now produces real throughput.
  **Existing harvesters do NOT re-snap** to the new proc — the
  re-resolve only fires when the stored refinery id is stale
  (proc destroyed / never existed). To reroute live harvesters,
  the agent must `set_primary` on the new proc or sell the old
  one.
- **Thief `Infiltrate` is a no-op against any non-`proc` /
  non-`silo` enemy building** (engine match-arm intent). The thf
  walks to the target, is consumed, and 0 cash is drained. The
  Python tool description (`infiltrate`) already documents this:
  the cash-drain branch is gated on `proc | silo`. Bench
  scenarios that want the thief to load-bear must direct it at a
  refinery or silo specifically.
- **`stance:0` HoldFire defenders never return fire even when
  attacked** — engine-intended (pinned by
  `test_stance_semantics.rs::test_stance_0_holds_fire`). The
  defenders die silently. For a defense scenario where the model
  is expected to flip stance under threat: pre-place defenders at
  `stance:0`, expose `set_stance` in `tools:`, and gate the win
  on combat damage so a stall play (no stance flip) loses by
  having the base destroyed without resistance.
- **Per-player starting cash is now plumbed end-to-end** (engine
  fix, pinned by `OpenRA-Rust/openra-sim/tests/test_per_player_starting_cash.rs`
  + `OpenRA-Rust/openra-data/tests/test_per_player_starting_cash.rs`
  + `tests/test_per_player_starting_cash.py`). A scenario YAML's
  `agent: {cash: N}` / `enemy: {cash: M}` is honoured per slot;
  back-compat path (neither override set) falls back to the
  top-level `starting_cash:`. This is the wiring the thief
  `spec-thief-steal-cash` and asymmetric-econ packs depend on.
- **`Command.fire_superweapon` is the only superweapon verb**
  (no other `Command::*` variant fires nukes / iron curtain /
  chrono). Tool entry: `fire_superweapon{kind, target_x?, target_y?,
  target_id?}`. End-to-end pin:
  `tests/test_superweapons_python.py` (Python) +
  `OpenRA-Rust/openra-sim/tests/test_superweapons.rs` (Rust). The
  engine validates (a) the agent owns a launcher building of the
  matching `kind`, (b) the weapon is fully charged (charge time
  is hard-coded 100 ticks per kind for tests; real-play values
  live in `gamerules.rs`); a failed validation is logged and the
  order is dropped silently. Nuke needs `target_cell`; iron
  curtain needs `target_id` only; chrono needs both
  (`target_cell` = destination, `target_id` = friendly actor to
  teleport).

## Engine blockers: fix the engine, do not compromise the pack

When authoring a pack you may discover that the intended capability
cannot be expressed in the current engine — e.g. an order is a
no-op, a stance doesn't behave as advertised, or some specific
order/predicate isn't surfaced. (Two historical gaps are now
closed: enemy actors DO honour `spawn_point` per-owner, and
`scheduled_events:` provides the mid-episode scripted-event hook —
see the feature notes above.) **The correct move is to fix the
engine, not to retire the pack, weaken the bar, or substitute a
different mechanic that masks the gap.** Concretely:

1. Reproduce the gap with a focused Rust or Python test.
2. Add the test as a failing test in `OpenRA-Rust/openra-sim/tests/`
   (or `openra-data/tests/`, or `tests/test_<feature>.py` on the
   bench side) and make it pass with the minimum change.
3. Rebuild the wheel:
   `cd OpenRA-Rust && PATH=$HOME/.cargo/bin:/opt/anaconda3/bin:$PATH
   maturin develop --release` (verify the `Installed openra_train`
   line printed — maturin can exit 0 while cargo failed).
4. If the change needs a new predicate or signal, also add the
   `_PHRASES` translation in `openra_bench/game_knowledge.py`
   (the suite test `test_all_predicate_keys_have_a_translation`
   enforces this).
5. Ship the engine change + the pack in **separate commits** on
   the same push so reviewers can see "this engine gap was closed
   to unblock this pack".
6. Update this CLAUDE.md to remove the footgun note (or restate it
   as a now-fixed historical pitfall).

Only retire a pack if the engine fix is genuinely out of scope —
e.g. requires a multi-week refactor or contradicts an explicit
design constraint. In that case open a task with the gap, the
attempted fix, and what would be needed, rather than silently
retiring.

## How to validate (deterministic, no model / no network)

For each level + each hard seed (1–4) run scripted policies via
`openra_bench.eval_core.run_level`:

```python
from openra_bench.scenarios import load_pack
from openra_bench.scenarios.loader import PACKS_DIR, compile_level
from openra_bench.eval_core import run_level

c = compile_level(load_pack(PACKS_DIR / "<pack>.yaml"), "easy")
res = run_level(c, my_policy_fn, seed=1)
print(res.outcome, res.turns, res.signals.units_lost)
```

Cover at minimum: `stall` (only `Command.observe()`), a `brute`
beeline to the objective, a `greedy` / `wrong-path` if applicable,
and the **intended** capability policy. The bar (above) must hold.
**No model / OpenRouter / network runs are needed for validation** —
scripted policies are sufficient and free.

## Working on `main` (PRs vs direct push)

- The default branch is `main`.
- Direct pushes to `main` are reserved for the user's batch
  parallel-agent workflow. If you are a one-off agent invoked
  outside that flow, **branch first** and open a PR; do not push to
  `main` without explicit user authorization.
- Commits must NOT include a Claude / AI co-author line.
- The shared engine wheel is rebuilt via
  `cd OpenRA-Rust && PATH=$HOME/.cargo/bin:/opt/anaconda3/bin:$PATH
  maturin develop --release` — **verify the `Installed openra_train`
  line actually printed** (maturin can exit 0 while cargo failed).

## Don'ts (lessons from the cadence)

- Don't add a predicate to `win_conditions.py` without a
  `_PHRASES` translation in `game_knowledge.py`.
- Don't `git add -A` / `git commit -a` — concurrent agents may have
  uncommitted edits to shared files; stage only your own files.
- Don't compensate for model weakness or over-engineer; only fix
  real scenario defects, and keep the established idioms.
- Don't edit `SCENARIO_QUALITY.md` / `docs/scenarios.html` in a
  per-scenario commit — the main session regenerates them at the end.
- Don't edit `OpenRA-Rust/` (the engine) inside a scenario task —
  flag engine needs in your report instead.