RedHat Command Execution

Execute terminal commands safely with preflight checks and risk gating.

SKILL: command-execution

Purpose

Execute terminal commands safely with deterministic preflight checks, risk classification, and auditable outputs.

When to Use

• Running tests, builds, linters, or migrations.
• Inspecting the repo (search, list files, check versions).
• Any command execution that could affect the environment.

Inputs

• command (required, string): exact command to run.
• purpose (required, string): why this command is needed.
• expected_effects (optional, string[]): what should happen (files created, tests run).
• risk_level (optional, enum: low|medium|high): if known.

Steps

1. Classify command risk:
   • read-only (safe)
   • write (moderate)
   • destructive/network/system (high)
2. Block/require confirmation for high-risk patterns:
   • recursive deletes (rm -rf, Remove-Item -Recurse -Force)
   • format/disk ops
   • piping remote scripts (curl ... | sh)
3. If supported, prefer dry-run flags first (e.g., --dry-run, -n, --check).
4. Execute the command and capture:
   • exit code
   • stdout/stderr
   • elapsed time (if available)
5. Interpret results against expected_effects.
6. If command failed:
   • stop
   • summarize error
   • propose next diagnostic steps

Validation

• Exit code is checked (not ignored).
• Output is summarized with the relevant error lines.
• Side effects match expectation (no surprise modifications).

Output

command: "<command>"
purpose: "<purpose>"
result: "success|blocked|failed"
exit_code: <int|null>
highlights: ["<key output lines>"]
next_steps: ["..."]

Safety Rules

• Never run destructive commands without explicit user confirmation.
• Never run unknown installers or remote scripts without review.
• Prefer minimal, scoped commands (avoid global state changes).

Example

Run tests:

• command: pnpm test
• purpose: “Validate behavior after refactor”
• Output: exit code + failing test names + next diagnostic step.