{"slug": "show-hn-boffin-staff-engineer-layer-for-ai-coding-agents", "title": "Show HN: Boffin – Staff-engineer layer for AI coding agents", "summary": "Boffin (npm: boffinit) is a staff-engineer control layer for AI coding agents that feeds architectural constraints relevant to the file being edited and requires verification proportional to the change. In a DuckDB case study, a guided refactor landed at +17/-17 lines with 2,104 assertions passing across 8 test files. Boffin ships for Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode from one npm package and is powered by ParselFire Core.", "body_md": "**Boffin (npm: boffinit) is a staff-engineer control layer for AI coding\nagents: it feeds the agent the architectural constraints for the exact file it\nis editing and makes it verify the result -- DuckDB case study:\na guided refactor landed at +17 / -17 lines with 2,104 assertions passing.**\n\nYou ask for a 15-line fix; the agent comes back with a 500-line renovation. Boffin gives the agent the architectural constraints that apply to the file it is about to touch, then makes it verify the result.\n\nIt is not another `AGENTS.md`\n\nand not a prompt pack. Those formats usually ship\none static instructions block for the whole repository; Boffin routes only the\nconstraints relevant to the current edit. Powered by **ParselFire Core**.\n\n```\nnpx boffinit cursor\n```\n\n- Not a static repo-wide rules file (\n`AGENTS.md`\n\n-style one block for everything) - Not a prompt pack or system-prompt trick\n- Not a linter or CI gate -- it acts before and after the edit\n- Not a speed tool -- the frame is review-safety\n\n- Selects the constraints relevant to the edit in front of the agent\n- Requires verification proportional to the change\n- Ships for Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode from one npm package\n- Delivers signed portable packs powered by ParselFire Core\n\nStatic rules file (`AGENTS.md` ) |\nBoffin | |\n|---|---|---|\n| Delivery | Usually one static block for the whole repo | Constraints routed to the current edit |\n| Verification | None required by the format | Required, proportional to the change |\n| Evidence | Usually none | Recorded case studies with numbers |\n\nThe public case studies record these guided refactors on real open-source code:\n\n[DuckDB](/MicSm/boffin/blob/main/examples/before-after-cpp.md):`+17 / -17`\n\n; 2,104 assertions across 8 test files passed; distinct continuation and recovery paths were preserved.[FastAPI](/MicSm/boffin/blob/main/examples/before-after-python.md):`+16 / -33`\n\n; 49 tests passed; no public API change.the sync/async boundary was preserved; 4 tests passed.[LangChain](/MicSm/boffin/blob/main/examples/before-after-python.md):\n\nThese are reproducible case studies, not a controlled A/B benchmark.\n\nBoffin requires Node.js 18 or newer.\n\nRun from your project:\n\n```\nnpx boffinit cursor\n```\n\nRun these inside Claude Code:\n\n```\n/plugin marketplace add MicSm/boffin\n/plugin install boffin@boffin\n```\n\nRun these from a terminal:\n\n```\ncodex plugin marketplace add MicSm/boffin\ncodex plugin add boffin@boffin\n```\n\nCodex does not trust plugin hooks automatically. Run `/hooks`\n\nonce inside Codex\nto review and trust Boffin's hooks; until then the plugin's skills work but the\nautomatic per-session activation stays off.\n\nRun from your project:\n\n```\nnpx boffinit opencode\n```\n\nThen open the project in OpenCode. Always-on guidance lands via\n`opencode.json`\n\n-> `.boffin/AGENTS.md`\n\n. On demand: `/boffin`\n\n,\n`/boffin-review`\n\n, or the `boffin`\n\n/ `boffin-review`\n\nskills.\n\nInstall details, commands, and troubleshooting:\n** OpenCode delivery**.\n\nWant the machinery? Read ** how ParselFire Core works**.\n\nSimilar code is not always the same code. Boffin gives the agent a reason to stop before it merges a real special case, blurs a sync/async boundary, moves state away from its owner, or turns a focused task into a tour of the codebase.\n\n- For a focused change, it keeps the requested scope small and asks for the narrowest check that proves the edit.\n- For an open-ended refactor or review, it requires a read-only audit first, followed by one verified finding at a time.\n- When cleanup conflicts with an earlier correctness rule, correctness wins.\n\nThe point is not to make the agent timid. It is to make the expensive details explicit before they become an interesting afternoon.\n\n`AGENTS.md`\n\nis usually one static instructions file for the whole repository.\nBoffin routes only the architectural constraints relevant to the file the agent\nis about to edit, then requires a check proportional to the change.\n\nEvery rule ships in this repository as readable, versioned markdown under\n[ packs/](/MicSm/boffin/blob/main/packs), and the packs are GPG-signed. Nothing is hidden at install\ntime: open any pack and read every rule before trusting it. At edit time Boffin\nselects which of those rules apply to the file being touched. See\n\n**for the routing map.**\n\n[how ParselFire Core works](/MicSm/boffin/blob/main/docs/engine.md)You ask for a small fix; the agent comes back with a renovation. Boffin injects the load-bearing constraints for the current file before the edit and forces verification afterward.\n\nThey tune cleanup ambition, not correctness:\n\n`lite`\n\nkeeps cleanup pressure low and favors the smallest useful change.`full`\n\nis the balanced default.`max`\n\napplies the strongest cleanup pressure when the task justifies it.\n\nOn plugin hosts, select a profile with `/boffin lite`\n\n, `/boffin full`\n\n, or\n`/boffin max`\n\n. There is no `off`\n\nprofile.\n\nNo. Every profile keeps the same early correctness stages and rejection rules, including trust-boundary validation, data-loss prevention, security, and accessibility requirements.\n\nNo. Boffin does not isolate processes, filter shell commands, or restrict filesystem or network access. It guides architectural decisions in generated code. Use command sandboxes and security controls for their own job; Boffin has a different job.\n\n```\nnpx boffinit cursor uninstall\nnpx boffinit opencode uninstall\n```\n\nEach uninstaller removes that host's managed files only. Shared\n`.boffin/packs`\n\nand `.boffin/VERSION`\n\nstay if the other host is still\ninstalled. Unrelated project files are left alone.\n\nNo. It tells the agent which contracts deserve attention and requires external checks, but your repository's tests and review process remain authoritative.\n\nPortable adapters cover hosts that read `AGENTS.md`\n\n, `CLAUDE.md`\n\n, workspace\nrules, or repository instructions. See\n** host delivery and adapters** for\nthe technical map.\n\n- Repository:\n[https://github.com/MicSm/boffin](https://github.com/MicSm/boffin) - Engine documentation:\n[ParselFire Core](/MicSm/boffin/blob/main/docs/engine.md) - Evidence:\n[Python](/MicSm/boffin/blob/main/examples/before-after-python.md)and[C++](/MicSm/boffin/blob/main/examples/before-after-cpp.md) - Contributions:\n[CONTRIBUTING.md](/MicSm/boffin/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md)\n\nBoffin is available under the [MIT License](/MicSm/boffin/blob/main/LICENSE). See [credits](/MicSm/boffin/blob/main/CREDITS).\n\n```\nnpx boffinit cursor\n```\n\n", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-boffin-staff-engineer-layer-for-ai-coding-agents", "canonical_source": "https://github.com/MicSm/boffin", "published_at": "2026-07-26 17:28:03+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-26 17:52:46.023514+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["developer-tools", "ai-tools", "ai-agents", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["Boffin", "ParselFire Core", "Cursor", "Claude Code", "Codex", "OpenCode", "DuckDB", "FastAPI"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-boffin-staff-engineer-layer-for-ai-coding-agents", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-boffin-staff-engineer-layer-for-ai-coding-agents.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-boffin-staff-engineer-layer-for-ai-coding-agents.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-boffin-staff-engineer-layer-for-ai-coding-agents.jsonld"}}