Keep one-off, experimental, or temporary scripts and files out of the source tree by writing them to a single, consistent session scratch location, then cleaning them up. Use when creating throwaway, experimental, or temporary scripts/files during a task.

Scratchpad Policy

When a task requires creating one-off, experimental, or temporary scripts and files, you MUST adhere to the following policy to prevent source tree pollution and keep the Git history clean:

1. Use your runtime’s session scratch location: Write temporary files, throwaway code, and test scripts to the session-scoped scratch or temp directory your runtime provides (many runtimes expose one per session). Use the native file Write or Edit tools to manage these files (do not use echo > or cat <<EOF via bash).

2. Stay consistent: Use the SAME scratch location for the whole session. Do not scatter temporary files across different directories, and never leave them inside the project’s source tree.

3. Fallback only if needed: If (and only if) your runtime provides no session scratch location, create a dedicated directory for temp files and ensure it is git-ignored. Before creating the first file, verify that directory is excluded in the project’s .gitignore; if it is not, append it. Prefer the runtime’s own scratch location whenever one exists.

4. Cleanup: When your test, debugging session, or experiment concludes, explicitly delete the temporary files you created.

Last updated Oct 08, 2026