A Free Model Endpoint Proposed a Build Cleanup. My C++ Executor Required a Dry Run Before Touching State.
A model endpoint can return well-formed JSON, a whitelisted tool name, and a command that is still wrong for the current state of a repository. The safer design starts from a two-phase executor: the model proposes, but a small C++ gate only mutates state after a dry run and invariant checks pass. Background This case study walks through a small maintenance agent for a C++ repository. The agent…
The article explains a design for a C++ executor that validates model-proposed actions before applying them to a repository's state. The model endpoint is used to translate natural language requests into specific tool calls, which are then checked by a C++ gate. The gate ensures that only allowed tools are used and that any destructive actions, like build_clean, are tested safely.
The implementation steps include parsing the model's proposal, checking against a whitelist of allowed tools, creating non-destructive dry runs for each tool, and verifying the dry run's results before executing the actual tool. The primary goal is to maintain control over repository maintenance actions while leveraging the capabilities of a language model.
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