Give the agent the right context before it writes code.
HoldUp starts with one task, finds the few existing decisions that actually matter, asks a human about real conflicts, and carries that approved packet through implementation and review.
1. Start with the task
Use a Linear or Jira issue, a GitHub issue, or a plain description. HoldUp is not trying to replace the place where your team plans work.
2. Find the constraints the ticket forgot
HoldUp looks for task-specific context in the places engineers already use: repository instructions, ADRs, API schemas, migration docs, related code, past pull requests, and connected work tools.
3. Turn that into a work packet
The packet states the goal, acceptance criteria, relevant constraints, things that should not change, source links, and unresolved questions. It should read like something a senior engineer would hand to another engineer before saying “go build this.”
4. Stop on meaningful ambiguity
If a task says to remove an API field but the compatibility policy requires a deprecation window, HoldUp should not guess. It shows the conflict and asks the team to resolve it before the coding agent chooses a direction on its own.
5. Send the resolved packet to the agent
The approved packet can be used by Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or another coding agent. The agent gets the task plus the constraints that matter, not an unfiltered dump of every document the company has ever written.
6. Check the PR against the same packet
When the agent opens a pull request, HoldUp compares the implementation with the approved work packet. A useful finding should say what changed, what constraint it appears to violate, and where that constraint came from.
7. Learn from the outcome
If the PR intentionally changes a rule, that new decision should become future context. Over time, the useful part of HoldUp is not a giant chat history; it is a cleaner record of what the team actually decided and where those decisions apply.
What HoldUp should not do
- Replace unit tests, static analysis, security scanning, or human review.
- Force a proprietary specification format on the team.
- Invent rules that no source supports.
- Block every unclear change by default.
- Dump an entire wiki into an agent prompt and call it context.
Start with one task, not a company-wide rollout.
Send us a ticket or PR where the coding agent misunderstood what the team wanted. We will build the work packet manually and show what the agent should have received.
Try it on one task