# Long-running work

For a large objective, give Neo a durable goal and let it work through a controlled sequence of steps. Long-running work benefits from milestones, a source of truth, and explicit recovery instructions.

## Include in the brief

- the final outcome;
- scope and non-goals;
- authoritative inputs;
- milestones and dependencies;
- acceptance criteria;
- files or systems that may change;
- how to report blockers;
- actions that require approval;
- the expected completion summary.

## Example

> Prepare a complete user-guide documentation set from the requirements in this workspace. Inspect existing content first, propose the information architecture, write the Markdown files in milestones, check links, and report every file created or changed. Do not delete existing assets or invent unavailable product behavior.

## Design milestones around decisions

A milestone should produce something you can meaningfully review, not just mark time. Good checkpoints include an inventory, research brief, outline, first complete artifact, validation report, and release candidate.

## Preserve continuity

Keep durable decisions in a brief or decision log. When scope changes, ask Neo to restate the current goal, confirmed decisions, and remaining work before proceeding. This reduces drift from older messages.

## Handle blockers

Tell Neo whether to stop, ask, or use a documented fallback when an input is missing. A good blocker report states:

- what is blocked;
- why it matters;
- what was already tried;
- what input or decision is needed;
- what work can continue independently.

## Review progress

Ask for checkpoint summaries that cover completed work, outputs, validation, changed assumptions, and next steps. Review representative samples early rather than waiting until every file is complete.

## Resume safely

If work stops, request a restart packet: current state, completed milestones, files changed, open blockers, and the exact next action. Verify the workspace before resuming in case inputs changed.

## Close with evidence

Completion should include actual deliverables, not only a narrative. Open the files, run the relevant checks, and confirm that “done” matches the original acceptance criteria.