> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://smithers.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# backpressure-plan

> Turn acceptance criteria into a gate matrix so a workflow cannot just try-its-best and move on.

`backpressure-plan` is an archived example, not installed by `init`. Copy it from `examples/init-pack/` with its dependency closure, or ask `create-workflow` to build an equivalent, then run it with the command below.

`backpressure-plan` turns a goal and its acceptance criteria into a **gate matrix**:
each criterion maps to a verification method (schema, unit/integration test,
eval, review, approval, or trace) and an enforcement policy. Use it before building
or running an automation, so every "done" claim needs proof by evidence and the
workflow can't silently skip parts it couldn't finish.

```bash theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
bunx smithers-orchestrator workflow run backpressure-plan \
  --prompt "The /login endpoint returns valid JSON, rejects bad credentials with 401, and stays under 200ms p95"
```

## Stages

1. **extract-criteria**: split the prompt into a flat list of atomic, verifiable acceptance criteria; a goal with none fails the run loudly instead of producing an empty gate matrix.
2. **plan-gates**: map each criterion to a `verificationMethod`, `gateType` (blocking / warning / informational), owner, failure action, evidence required, and whether human approval is needed. Every blocking criterion must map to a real verification method.
3. **verify**: deterministic (no agent) parity check of the matrix against the extracted criteria (one gate per criterion, same order, verbatim text), returning `{ match, criteriaCount, gateCount, missing, unverifiedBlocking, summary }`.

## Inputs

| Input    | Type   | Default                                                             |
| -------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `prompt` | string | `"Describe the goal and its acceptance criteria in plain English."` |