--- name: Ouroboros Auto slug: ouroboros-auto category: AI Engineering description: Ouroboros Auto automatically converges from a goal to an A-grade Seed and executes it. Run it when you want a single task description to go through Socratic interviews, Seed generation, review/repair, and execution without manual intervention. github: "https://github.com/Q00/ouroboros/tree/main/skills/auto" language: Python stars: 5431 forks: 550 install: "npx degit https://github.com/Q00/ouroboros/tree/main/skills/auto ~/.claude/skills/auto" installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/auto source_path: skills/auto/SKILL.md collection_size: 25 category_size: 2451 collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/Q00/ouroboros" added: 2026-08-16T06:59:59.001Z last_synced: 2026-08-16T06:59:59.001Z canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/ouroboros-auto" --- # Ouroboros Auto Ouroboros Auto automatically converges from a goal to an A-grade Seed and executes it. Run it when you want a single task description to go through Socratic interviews, Seed generation, review/repair, and execution without manual intervention. **Install:** ```bash npx degit https://github.com/Q00/ouroboros/tree/main/skills/auto ~/.claude/skills/auto ``` ## README # /ouroboros:auto Run the full-quality auto pipeline from a single task description. ## Dispatch requirement This skill must be executed by invoking MCP tool `ouroboros_start_auto`. Do not manually inspect repositories, run shell commands, query GitHub, edit files, or otherwise emulate the auto pipeline as a substitute. Full auto runs routinely exceed interactive MCP tool-call timeouts, so the background starter is the supported default: it returns `job_id` and `auto_session_id` quickly. Retain both. When `response.meta.job_observer` is present, delegate its read-only wait/result contract to exactly one independent child session. The main session keeps only start and explicit on-demand status responsibility. If `ouroboros_start_auto` is unavailable, or if any required job polling/result MCP tool is unavailable, stop and report that the required MCP tool is unavailable. A manual fallback is not an `ooo auto` run. If a started auto job later returns `detached`, `blocked`, `failed`, or another auto-session status, report that auto-session status and the tool's blocker. `detached` is non-terminal tracked background work; surface the job/Ralph handles and keep observing them through the same owner. Do not label a `blocked` or `failed` outcome as MCP dispatch failure; dispatch failure means the MCP tool could not be invoked. If the active runtime routes `ooo auto` through a background starter such as `ouroboros_start_auto`, do not stop after returning the `job_id`. Keep ownership of the conversational UX: retain the returned `job_id`, `auto_session_id`, and cursor, then delegate monitoring when the host supports child sessions. Only the fallback path monitors with `ouroboros_job_wait` / `ouroboros_job_status` in the main session. The user should not have to poll the job manually. ## Usage ```text ooo auto "Build a local-first habit tracker CLI" ooo auto --resume auto_abc123 ooo auto "Build a local-first habit tracker CLI" --skip-run /ouroboros:auto "Build a local-first habit tracker CLI" ``` `ooo auto` does not accept a parent Seed ID/path or infer lineage from goal prose. Mentioning an existing Seed in the goal is ordinary context, not an authorized derivative operation. Use `ooo evolve` for typed parent evolution, or `ooo run` to execute an existing immutable Seed. Do not claim preserved lineage or AC edit scope from an `ooo auto` goal alone. ## CLI flag → MCP arg translation When the user types `ooo auto` with CLI-style flags inside chat, translate to MCP arguments before invoking `ouroboros_start_auto`: | CLI flag | MCP arg | Type | |----------|---------|------| | `--skip-run` | `skip_run=true` | boolean | | `--max-interview-rounds N` | `max_interview_rounds=N` | integer | | `--max-repair-rounds N` | `max_repair_rounds=N` | integer | | `--pipeline-timeout-seconds X` | `pipeline_timeout_seconds=X` | number | | `--efficiency-mode adaptive\|quality_first` | `efficiency_mode=` | string | | `--frugality-assurance off\|observe\|strict` | `frugality_assurance=` | string | | `--resume ` | `resume=` | string | `--max-generations` is **not** a flag for `ooo auto`; it belongs to `ooo ralph`. The chained Ralph started by the run job is bounded by `execution.auto_evolve_max_generations`. `--complete-product` is deprecated and ignored: the run job owns `run → evaluate → ralph`, so a single Auto invocation no longer drives Ralph itself. Follow the run job's chain with `ooo status` or the job tools. `--pipeline-timeout-seconds` is accepted only when starting a session. Passing it with `--resume` is rejected because the original deadline is preserved across process restarts. Before a fresh Auto start, if the user did not already choose an efficiency policy, first check the persistent default: when `execution.default_policy` in `~/.ouroboros/config.yaml` is `efficient` or `quality_first`, do not ask — omit both arguments and the server applies the configured default (the handoff still reports the resolved policy). Otherwise ask in outcome language: **Efficient execution** maps to `adaptive/observe`; **Quality-first execution** maps to `quality_first/off`. `strict` assurance is a separate explicit opt-in because it may spend extra work on proof. Never infer strict from the efficiency choice. On resume, do not ask or send either argument; Auto restores the persisted contract. ## Behavior 1. Starts an auto session. 2. Runs bounded Socratic interview rounds with source-tagged auto answers. 3. Generates a Seed. 4. Reviews and repairs until A-grade or blocked. 5. Starts execution only after A-grade. 6. Auto reaches `COMPLETE` as soon as the run has a durable handle. The run keeps going as a background job, and that job carries its own `run → evaluate → ralph` chain governed by `execution.auto_evaluate` / `execution.auto_evolve` (both default `true`, Ralph bounded by `execution.auto_evolve_max_generations`). Auto does not evaluate the run itself; the chained evaluate job does. ## Background monitoring UX When an auto start response includes `response.meta.job_id`: 1. Briefly acknowledge that auto started and keep the handles in local state: `job_id`, `auto_session_id` / `session_id`, and `cursor` from `response.meta` if present. Show `response.meta.dashboard_url` when available; otherwise mention `ouroboros tui open` once as the live view. Tell the user that an observer will post meaningful progress/attention/completion events here and that this conversation remains available for requirement refinement, read-only inspection/review, explicit control, or unrelated isolated work. Include the resolved `runtime_backend`, `llm_backend`, `efficiency_mode`, and `frugality_assurance` when present. Say that the exact active model and first parallel level will be announced from the first configuration/plan events rather than guessing them. 2. If `response.meta.job_observer` is present and the host supports independent child sessions, spawn exactly one read-only observer and pass the contract unchanged. Codex uses explicit native subagent delegation; Claude Code uses one Task/Agent child. The observer owns the cursor, waits until terminal, fetches the result, and follows downstream IDs named by `follow_result_job_keys`. It must not edit files, control execution, or spawn implementation workers. The main session must not poll the same job. On Codex, call `spawn_agent` exactly once with `task_name="run_observer"`; a `wait` call is not a spawn, and the handoff may claim an observer only after the spawn result returns a live child ID/path. Once acknowledged, keep the parent turn open with `wait_agent` calls of at most 60 seconds while the child remains active. A child `send_message` only queues a mailbox event; it cannot revive an ended parent turn. Relay meaningful updates and wait again until the observer sends its terminal summary. User input may interrupt the wait; handle it and resume waiting while observation remains active unless the user asks to stop live observation or replaces the active request. Then end only the relay loop, keep the durable job running, and offer next-turn or explicit- status catch-up. If the observer child fails, is cancelled, or exits before a terminal summary, use that same fallback instead of waiting indefinitely. This parent relay loop must not call job wait/result or take cursor ownership. If spawn fails, do not promise live proactive relays. The detached worker continues after the stdio turn; say that durable progress will be caught up on the next parent turn or an explicit status request. Keep the current turn open in the fallback polling loop only when the user asked for live watching. 3. If child-to-parent progress messages are supported, the observer relays only meaningful `phase_changed`, `progress_advanced`, `attention_required`, and `terminal` events in at most 1-2 lines. During interview, it may use `ouroboros_session_status(session_id=)` to surface a new pending question or newly answered rounds. Otherwise, keep the main session available and use on-demand status only when the user asks. Surface `attention_required` immediately when a blocker needs human judgment. Suppress unchanged heartbeats and raw tool output. Interpret execution relays explicitly: `run_configuration` reports current runtime/harness/model policy; `execution_plan` reports total ACs, total dependency/parallel levels, and first scheduled ACs; `discovery_summary` reports bounded targets and purpose; level/routing/harness/verified subtypes report only material changes. Never relay raw commands or reasoning. Before the main session writes to the active auto workspace, check for overlap with worker files or move the unrelated work to an isolated worktree. 4. When no independent child session exists and the user explicitly asks to keep watching in this turn, enter the fallback low-noise loop. Otherwise end the turn safely and resume from the durable cursor on the next interaction: - `ouroboros_job_wait(job_id=, cursor=, timeout_seconds=120, view="summary", stream="linked", wait_for="attention_or_ac_change")` - update `cursor = response.meta.cursor` after every wait/status response - treat `response.meta` as the source of truth; use response text only as a human-readable hint 5. Relay only meaningful changes: status changes, phase changes, new execution/session/lineage handles, progress counters, blocker/error text, or a terminal state. If `response.meta.changed is false`, continue silently unless the user asked for heartbeat updates. Synapse delivery events are meaningful: distinguish `queued`/`delivering` from `applied`/`completed`, and surface `rejected`/`delivery_uncertain` immediately. Render the relay in the user's current conversation language; preserve raw event codes only when exact diagnostics help. When the user adds implementation intent during an executing auto run, the main session first reloads Synapse schemas with `tool discovery query: "+ouroboros session signal"`, then calls `ouroboros_session_signal_targets` with the observed `execution_id`, selects the semantically matching AC from `ac_content` and current activity, then sends `ouroboros_session_signal` with that target's exact IDs. Never ask the user for internal IDs. Ask a short clarification only when multiple live ACs remain genuinely tied, and never route shared goal/AC/ constraint changes to one worker. Send additive implementation refinements with exact target guards, `contract_effect="additive"`, `source="user"`, `mode="redirect"`, and explicit `fallback_mode="after_turn"`. Use `mode="inform"` for a read-only AC question or assurance request, omit `fallback_mode` entirely in that mode, and relay the bounded reply from the completed event. 6. **During the interview phase, surface the live Q&A — not just the round counter.** Whenever the relayed phase is `interview` (e.g. progress reads `interview round N/50`), call `ouroboros_session_status(session_id=)` and relay to the user: (a) the current `meta.pending_question` (the question the interview is asking right now), and (b) the `meta.auto_answer_log` entries — each is `{round, source, question, answer}`, i.e. what the auto-answerer answered and why (`source`: `conservative_default` = safe-default policy, `inference` = model reasoning, `assumption` = auto-answerer fallback). Show this so the user sees what the interview is converging on, not a bare counter. Note: this Q&A lives in the auto-session state, so `session_status` surfaces it even though `ouroboros_query_events` returns nothing for the auto session, and it shows only the last 3 answers (each truncated). Keep it low-noise: relay the pending question and any newly answered rounds, not the same 3 entries every poll. 7. If the job status is non-terminal (`queued`, `running`, or another active status), keep waiting. Do not tell the user to call job tools themselves. 8. When the job reaches a terminal status, the polling owner calls `ouroboros_job_result(job_id)` and summarize the final auto-session outcome. If the final auto result is `detached`, keep tracking the surfaced downstream job/Ralph handles when available instead of presenting `detached` as completion. 9. If `response.meta.status == "delegated_to_plugin"` and `response.meta.job_id is None`, report that OpenCode plugin mode delegated the work to the child Task/session. Do not call job wait/result without a real job id; follow the host Task widget/session lifecycle. Use short progress relays; the goal is “I am still watching this for you,” not a wall of logs. ## Active Conductor decision policy English is the canonical instruction language; render facts naturally in the user's current conversation language. For `attention_required`, treat `recommended_host_actions` as authoritative: 1. VERIFY with at most one short-lived read-only host child. If unavailable, surface the evidence and stop before mutation. 2. DECIDE from the ordered menu only after engine ownership is `closed`. 3. LOG `selected` with `ouroboros_record_conductor_decision` before ACT. 4. ACT only a menu-listed registered tool. Auto may start at most one bounded deterministic, non-relaxing successor for that attention event and must pass the audited directive/decision/predecessor receipts exactly. 5. LOG exactly one terminal `completed`, `failed`, or `declined` result. Do not silently retry. Any specification-changing proposal is escalated to the user; Auto never relaxes the approved goal, ACs, constraints, or non-goals itself. ### Canonical stop_reason_code taxonomy | Layer | Code | Surface | Meaning | |---|---|---|---| | Interview | `interview_max_rounds_exhausted` | `last_error_code`, `result.stop_reason_code` | Auto interview ran `max_interview_rounds` without ledger+backend mutual closure, no section was safely defaultable, and no partial defaults applied — i.e. genuine deadlock with nothing the policy could close. | | Interview | `interview_unsafe_gaps_remain` | `last_error_code`, `result.stop_reason_code` | Auto interview ran `max_interview_rounds` with at least one section safely defaultable and at least one section remaining unsafe (e.g. CONFLICTING ledger entry, production/credential context). Partial defaults are rolled back so the persisted transcript and ledger stay aligned; resume can address the unsafe gap and re-run. | | Interview | `interview_phase_deadline` | `last_error_code`, `result.stop_reason_code` | Interview phase exceeded its per-phase timeout. | | Ralph | `iteration_timeout` | blocker text + (future) `result.stop_reason_code` | A single Ralph iteration exceeded its per-iteration timeout. | | Ralph | `wall_clock_exhausted` | blocker text + (future) `result.stop_reason_code` | The Ralph wall-clock budget was exhausted before convergence. | | Ralph | `oscillation_detected` | blocker text + (future) `result.stop_reason_code` | Ralph oscillated between two grade states without making progress. | | Ralph | `grade_regressing` | blocker text + (future) `result.stop_reason_code` | A subsequent Ralph generation produced a strictly worse grade than its predecessor. | | Ralph | `max_generations reached` | blocker text + (future) `result.stop_reason_code` | Ralph hit its configured generation cap before reaching A grade. | Blockers without a canonical code keep using the free-form ``last_error`` text. Ralph-layer codes are surfaced via blocker text today; their result-envelope promotion is tracked as a follow-up. ### Interview closure mode taxonomy When `result.status == "seed_ready"`, `result.interview_closure_mode` distinguishes how the interview was closed: | Value | Meaning | |---|---| | `None` | Mutual agreement — both the backend and the ledger declared the seed ready in the same round. The default healthy path. | | `"ledger_only"` | PR-B1 / #1148: `max_rounds` hit; the ledger was structurally complete but the backend refused to declare closure. The interview closes on ledger-only consensus. Defaulted sections (if any) are tagged in `result.defaulted_sections`. | | `"safe_default"` | PR-B2: `max_rounds` hit; the safe-default policy successfully filled every remaining required gap with auditable assumptions. Synthesis was pushed back into the persisted transcript so the seed generator sees the same assumptions the ledger records. Defaulted sections are tagged in `result.defaulted_sections`. | Genuine-deadlock and partial-unsafe outcomes do **not** set `interview_closure_mode`; they reach a `blocked` terminal with the matching `stop_reason_code` above instead. ### Assumption-source provenance (PR-C2 / #1157) `result.assumptions: tuple[str, ...]` (the existing list of assumption texts) is now accompanied by `result.assumption_sources: tuple[AssumptionRecord, ...]`, where each `AssumptionRecord` is a frozen dataclass with: | Field | Type | Meaning | |---|---|---| | `text` | `str` | The assumption text (same surface as the corresponding `assumptions` entry where present). | | `source` | `str` | One of `"assumption"` (auto-answerer fallback), `"inference"` (model reasoning), `"conservative_default"` (safe-default policy). These are the three assumption-class `LedgerSource` values that produce `assumption_only_sections`. | | `confidence` | `float` | Per-entry confidence as recorded by the ledger. | `assumption_sources` is a *broader* surface than `assumptions` — it includes inference- and conservative-default-class entries that `assumptions` (filtered to `LedgerSource.ASSUMPTION` only) does not surface. Callers wanting to know *which assumptions the system made on the user's behalf* should read `assumption_sources`; callers preserving the older string-only contract continue to read `assumptions`. The pipeline must not hang indefinitely: all loops are bounded and timeout failures return a resumable `auto_session_id`. Resume with `ooo auto --resume `. Use `--skip-run` to stop after the A-grade Seed. `--complete-product` is deprecated and ignored: the run job owns `run → evaluate → ralph`. The chained Ralph is bounded by `execution.auto_evolve_max_generations` (default 3) generations, each capped by Ralph's per-iteration timeout — it is finite, but there is no single total wall-clock cap, because the chain dispatch passes no `max_total_seconds`. The auto session's `--timeout` no longer bounds it. The CLI-only `--show-ledger` flag prints assumptions/non-goals; MCP skill responses already include the same ledger summary when available. ## RFC #1392 State Breadcrumb Footer Your final response MUST end with exactly one breadcrumb footer line: ``` ◆ → next: ``` Derive `` from live session state via `ouroboros_session_status` when that MCP projection is available; otherwise derive it from this skill's actual outcome. Never use a linear `Step N of M` footer because Ouroboros is an evolutionary loop. When the next action is genuinely a choice, list 2-3 honest options in the `next:` clause. The breadcrumb line must be the last line of the response.