Focus

The focus is what you want AM to work on, in plain English. It's the single most important input to a run's quality.

Write a good focus

Bounded. One small, shippable outcome — "fix failing tests in the auth module", not "modernise the codebase".
Verifiable. Pair it with a verify command that passes only when the work is correct.
Concrete. Name the area, file, or behaviour where you can.

A vague focus ("improve the code") tends to make agents over‑explore and commit nothing. If you're unsure how to phrase it, start from a playbook — they ship procedural, battle‑tested focuses.

Good vs vague

Vague	Better
improve quality	add a unit test for the untested `parseConfig()` function
update deps	bump one outdated minor/patch dependency safely
fix the docs	expand the sparse README "Configuration" section

Procedural focuses

The best focuses read like a short numbered recipe — orient briefly, do one thing, commit. Playbooks use this style, e.g.:

Add ONE new plugin that doesn't exist yet.
1) Skim PLUGIN_STANDARDS.md and one existing plugin (briefly).
2) Pick a small, useful plugin not already present.
3) Implement it to the standard. 4) Add a minimal test. 5) Commit.
Keep it small; don't over‑explore; commit by ~your 8th tool call.

Focus vs objective

Focus = what to do this run.
Objective = a persistent multi‑run goal that AM keeps working until an acceptance check passes.

Priority chain (when an objective ledger exists)

When an objective is decomposed into a progress ledger, the priority chain is:

Ledger sub-task → overrides focus with the task title + verify command
Repo focus → used when no ledger task is pending
Empty focus → agent works without a specific directive