gateguard
Fact-forcing gate that blocks Edit/Write/Bash (including MultiEdit) and demands concrete investigation (importers, data schemas, user instruction) before allowing the action. Measurably improves output quality by +2.25 points vs ungated agents.
npx skills add mturac/everything-openai-codex --skill gateguard --agent codex
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for claude-code, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# GateGuard — Fact-Forcing Pre-Action Gate A PreToolUse hook that forces Codex to investigate before editing. Instead of self-evaluation ("are you sure?"), it demands concrete facts. The act of investigation creates awareness that self-evaluation never did. ## When to Activate - Working on any codebase where file edits affect multiple modules - Projects with data files that have specific schemas or date formats - Teams where AI-generated code must match existing patterns - Any workflow where Codex tends to guess instead of investigating ## Core Concept LLM self-evaluation doesn't work. Ask "did you violate any policies?" and the answer is always "no." This is verified experimentally. But asking "list every file that imports this module" forces the LLM to run Grep and Read. The investigation itself creates context that changes the output. **Three-stage gate:** ``` 1. DENY — block the first Edit/Write/Bash attempt 2. FORCE — tell the model exactly which facts to gather 3. ALLOW — permit retry after facts are presented ``` No competitor does all three. Most stop at deny. ## Evidence Two independent A/B tests, identical agents, same task: | Task | Gated | Ungated | Gap | | --- | --- |
- When to Activate
- Core Concept
- Evidence
- Gate Types
- Edit / MultiEdit Gate (first edit per file)
- Write Gate (first new file creation)
- Destructive Bash Gate (every destructive command)
- Routine Bash Gate (once per session)
- Quick Start
- Option A: Use the ecc hook (zero install)
- Option B: Full package with config
- Anti-Patterns
- Best Practices
- Related Skills
pip install gateguard-ai gateguard init
What does the gateguard skill do?
Fact-forcing gate that blocks Edit/Write/Bash (including MultiEdit) and demands concrete investigation (importers, data schemas, user instruction) before allowing the action. Measurably improves output quality by +2.25 points vs ungated agents.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add mturac/everything-openai-codex --skill gateguard --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From mturac/everything-openai-codex, a repository with 84 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.