CARBON — Engineering ConfidenceUser Guide
CHAPTER 28 / 60 Pro

/carbon-stress

Review source and server configuration read-only for stress risks, then propose or execute explicitly approved bounded stress and recovery experiments. Prefer isolated local tight-loop/component tests. Require two separate confirmations before any non-localhost stress; never run unbounded exhaustion or silently stress remote dependencies.

Tariq · PerformanceSecurity & resilience

When to use it

You need to understand behavior beyond normal operating conditions.

Before you start

Prefer isolated local component tests and hard limits. Non-localhost stress needs two separate confirmations. Recovery evidence matters as much as the first failure; unbounded exhaustion is out of scope.

Try this in your coding agent.

/carbon-stress Inspect checkout configuration for resource-exhaustion risks without running a stress test.

Replace sample paths with your project. Slash names are shorthand; your host may use a plugin prefix or a skill picker. Invocation help →

ILLUSTRATIVE WALKTHROUGH

Resource-exhaustion readiness

An expanded teaching example, not a recorded or live execution. The report stays visible while the replay explains how to read it.

  1. 01Read context
  2. 02Analyze
  3. 03Show evidence
  4. 04Report

Coding-agent conversation

Read context

I’m reviewing resource-exhaustion readiness. I’ll keep the scope and permissions explicit.

Analyze

Analyze: Inspect checkout configuration for resource-exhaustion risks without running a stress test.

Show evidence

Here is the evidence trail to inspect: Configuration trace: retry loop + absent queue bound + no circuit-breaker setting.

Report

Retries have no cap and can accumulate pending requests. Read-only review: no stress traffic or outage injection.

CARBON

Example report

Illustration
Failure → evidence → recovery
Failure → evidence → recovery — TestBucks teaching screen

TestBucks course screen with illustrative analysis. The screenshot supplies context; the demo does not establish a newly observed bug.

  1. Failed request
  2. Preserved state
  3. Safe retry

Illustrated outcome

Retries have no cap and can accumulate pending requests.

Evidence to inspect

Configuration trace: retry loop + absent queue bound + no circuit-breaker setting.

Still untested / not established

Read-only review: no stress traffic or outage injection.

Ready. Read the full example or play its steps.

What a useful result contains

A bounded claim

For resource-exhaustion readiness, state the target, revision, environment and actual work performed. Keep planned, executed, blocked and untested work separate.

An inspectable trail

Configuration trace: retry loop + absent queue bound + no circuit-breaker setting. In a real run, retain the source, trace, screenshot or fixture behind the conclusion.

The qualification

Read-only review: no stress traffic or outage injection.

The next decision

Decide whether the evidence calls for a focused check, a reviewed fix or more context. Do not convert a plausible example into a verified finding.

Adapt the example to your project

  1. Replace resource-exhaustion readiness with a real feature, path or decision in your project.
  2. State the expected rule and its source. Include safe fixtures, constraints and a budget where appropriate.
  3. Ask for exact evidence and remaining gaps. Approve consequential actions separately.
/jay Review the /carbon-stress result. Separate observed evidence, assumptions and untested scope, then recommend the next useful check.

Where to go next

/carbon-reliability →/carbon-load →

Content checked against the local command definition: skills/carbon-stress/SKILL.md. Examples adapted from the homepage’s TestBucks walkthroughs. Availability is edition- and host-dependent.