Core Concept
Phase Discipline
Every feature progresses through enforced phases. No shortcuts.
SPEC
RFC must be normative locked
IMPL
Code must match spec locked
TEST
Tests must pass gates locked
STABLE
Bug fixes only locked
No shortcuts. No going back.
Capabilities
What govctl Does
RFC Management
Create, track, and enforce Request for Comments documents as the source of truth for all features.
ADR Tracking
Architectural Decision Records with explicit consequences and traceability.
Work Items
Tasks linked back to governance artifacts, with explicit execution dependencies for planned batches.
Phase Gates
Enforce spec → impl → test → stable progression. No shortcuts.
Search & Diagnostics
Find governed artifacts with local indexed search, then use coded diagnostics to catch drift.
Loops & TUI Cockpit
Coordinate local execution rounds in loops and inspect project state through a read-only terminal cockpit.
Reference
CLI Commands
Validation
check
govctl check
✓ All 12 RFCs valid
✓ All 8 ADRs valid
✓ All 5 work items valid
Discovery
search
govctl search cache
govctl search RFC-0002 -o json
govctl search migration --type rfc --type adr --tag cli -n 5
Creating Artifacts
new
govctl rfc new "Feature Title"
govctl adr new "Decision Title"
govctl work new "Task Title"
Execution Loops
loop
govctl loop list open
govctl loop start WI-2026-06-07-001 WI-2026-06-07-002
govctl loop run
govctl loop show
TUI Cockpit
tui
govctl tui
✓ overview · artifacts · search
✓ loops · DAG · diagnostics
Lifecycle
lifecycle
govctl rfc finalize RFC-0001 normative
govctl rfc advance RFC-0001 impl
govctl rfc advance RFC-0001 test
govctl rfc advance RFC-0001 stable
Fit
Who This Is For
Good Fit
- Teams frustrated by AI "code now, think later" patterns
- Existing projects that need to adopt governance without starting over
- Organizations needing audit trails for AI-generated code
- Developers who believe discipline enables velocity
Not For
- "Move fast and break things" workflows
- Projects without review processes