Primitives Matrix
June 23, 2026 · View on GitHub
Tool-agnostic goal design: the capability matters, not the product name.
| Primitive | Job in a Goal | Grok Build | Claude Code | Codex | Cursor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set objective | Define run-until-done work | /goal <objective> | /goal | /goal | Agent + explicit stop condition in prompt |
| Progress telemetry | Log without chat noise | update_goal tool | Goal progress APIs / state files | Goal mode + state | Hooks + state files |
| Pause / resume | Human control | /goal pause / resume | /goal pause / resume | Pause/resume | Manual session control |
| Verifier | Independent done check | goal-verifier skill + Task subagent | Reviewer agent | Verifier subagent | Review mode / second agent |
| State | Survive compaction | GOAL.md | GOAL.md / progress files | Markdown state | GOAL.md |
| Worktrees | Safe parallel attempts | Task with worktree isolation | git worktree | Built-in worktree | Cloud agent worktree |
| Skills | Scoping + verification | .grok/skills/ | .claude/skills/ | .codex/skills/ | .cursor/skills/ |
Scheduling vs Goals
| Use case | Grok | Claude Code | Codex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run until tests pass | /goal all tests pass | /goal | /goal |
| Daily triage | /loop 1d | /loop | Automations |
| Hand off triage → finish | Loop writes STATE.md → /goal top item | Same | Same |
Recommended Grok Stack
/goal <objective with done condition>
+ GOAL.md (state)
+ goal-verifier skill (checker)
+ AGENTS.md (project rules)
+ npm test / pytest (objective gate)
Audit after setup: npx @cobusgreyling/goal-audit . --suggest