run

/ouroboros:run

Execute a Seed specification through the Ouroboros workflow engine.

Usage

/ouroboros:run [seed_file_or_content]

Trigger keywords: "ouroboros run", "execute seed"

How It Works

1. Input: Provide seed YAML content directly or a path to a .yaml file
2. Validation: Seed is parsed and validated (goal, constraints, acceptance criteria, ontology)
3. Execution: The orchestrator runs the workflow with PAL routing
4. Progress: Real-time progress updates via session tracking
5. Result: Execution summary with pass/fail status

Instructions

When the user invokes this skill:

Load MCP Tools (Required first)

The Ouroboros MCP tools are often registered as deferred tools that must be explicitly loaded before use. You MUST perform this step before proceeding.

1. Use the ToolSearch tool to find and load the execution MCP tools:

   ToolSearch query: "+ouroboros execute"
   

2. The tools will typically be named with prefix mcp__plugin_ouroboros_ouroboros__ (e.g., ouroboros_execute_seed, ouroboros_session_status). After ToolSearch returns, the tools become callable.
3. If ToolSearch finds the tools → proceed with the steps below. If not → skip to Fallback section.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT skip this step. Do NOT assume MCP tools are unavailable just because they don't appear in your immediate tool list. They are almost always available as deferred tools that need to be loaded first.

Execution Steps

1. Detect git workflow (before any code changes):

   • Read the project's CLAUDE.md for git workflow preferences
   • If PR-based workflow detected and currently on main/master:
     • Create a feature branch: ooo/run/<session_id>
     • All code changes go to this branch
   • If no preference: use current branch (backward compatible)

2. Check if the user provided seed content or a file path:

   • If a file path: Read the file with the Read tool
   • If inline YAML: Use directly
   • If neither: Check conversation history for a recently generated seed

3. Start background execution with ouroboros_start_execute_seed:

   Tool: ouroboros_start_execute_seed
   Arguments:
     seed_content: <the seed YAML>
     model_tier: "medium"  (or as specified by user)
     max_iterations: 10    (or as specified by user)
   

   This returns immediately with a job_id, session_id, and execution_id.

4. If resuming an existing session, include session_id:

   Tool: ouroboros_start_execute_seed
   Arguments:
     seed_content: <the seed YAML>
     session_id: <existing session ID>
   

5. Recommended monitoring stance: relay compact progress in the main session.

   After IDs are returned, print only this short handoff:

   Execution started in background.
   Job ID: <job_id>
   Session ID: <session_id>
   Execution ID: <execution_id>
   
   I will wait in low-token relay mode and report only meaningful state changes.
   For full details later: `ouroboros_ac_tree_hud(session_id=<session_id>)`
   

   Rationale: the main chat session must wait for MCP calls. Frequent full-tree polling burns context without improving execution. The user usually wants "what is it doing now?" rather than the whole tree, so use compact job read-model snapshots and narrate them like a brief live relay.

6. Low-token relay loop with ouroboros_job_wait (recommended default).

   Use ouroboros_job_wait, not repeated ouroboros_ac_tree_hud, for routine monitoring. Keep the latest cursor and previous progress counters from the tool meta payload.

   This loop is intentionally harness/model friendly:

   • Treat response.meta as the source of truth.
   • Do not parse response.text for counts, status, or cursor.
   • Use response.text only as a human-readable current-message hint.
   • Keep all local monitor state in simple scalar variables.
   • Emit at most one short relay message per changed response.
   • Always continue to final ouroboros_job_result after a terminal status.

   cursor = <cursor from start/status response, or 0>
   prev_status = "running"
   prev_phase = null
   prev_ac_completed = 0
   prev_sub_ac_completed = 0
   prev_message = null
   
   loop:
     Tool: ouroboros_job_wait
     Arguments:
       job_id: <job_id from step 3>
       cursor: <cursor>
       timeout_seconds: 180
       view: "summary"
   
     cursor = response.meta.cursor
   
     if response.meta.changed is false:
       # Do not narrate unless the user explicitly asked for heartbeat updates.
       continue
   
     status = response.meta.status
     phase = response.meta.current_phase
     ac_completed = response.meta.ac_completed
     ac_total = response.meta.ac_total
     sub_ac_completed = response.meta.sub_ac_completed
     sub_ac_total = response.meta.sub_ac_total
     # The metadata field names remain legacy-compatible; relay them to users as Task/Subtask progress.
     message_hint = first non-empty non-metadata line from response.text, or null
   
     # Build one short relay update from structured fields.
     if status in ["completed", "failed", "cancelled", "interrupted"]:
       print terminal_relay(status, phase, ac_completed, ac_total, sub_ac_completed, sub_ac_total)
       break
   
     if ac_completed > prev_ac_completed:
       print task_progress_relay(phase, ac_completed, ac_total, sub_ac_completed, sub_ac_total, message_hint)
     elif sub_ac_completed > prev_sub_ac_completed:
       print subtask_progress_relay(phase, ac_completed, ac_total, sub_ac_completed, sub_ac_total, message_hint)
     elif phase != prev_phase or status != prev_status:
       print phase_or_status_relay(status, phase, ac_completed, ac_total, sub_ac_completed, sub_ac_total)
     elif message_hint != prev_message:
       print current_work_relay(phase, ac_completed, ac_total, sub_ac_completed, sub_ac_total, message_hint)
   
     prev_status = status
     prev_phase = phase
     prev_ac_completed = ac_completed or prev_ac_completed
     prev_sub_ac_completed = sub_ac_completed or prev_sub_ac_completed
     prev_message = message_hint or prev_message
   

   Notes:

   • timeout_seconds: 180 means the MCP call can block for up to 3 minutes. This keeps the main session available often enough for a live relay while still avoiding noisy polling.
   • Use view: "compact" for very long jobs or when the user only wants a heartbeat. The raw tool may still return legacy text such as job_x | running | AC 3/17; relay that to users as Task progress.
   • Use view: "summary" for normal monitoring. It includes the job message plus Task/Subtask counts derived from legacy ac_completed/sub_ac_completed metadata fields.
   • Use view: "full" only when the user asks for detailed job status.

   Relay style examples:

   • In progress: Deliver is at Task 1/3 and Subtask 12/16. Current work is the Subtask 3 regression test.
   • Level update: parallel level 1/1 has finished, and Task progress advanced to 3/3.
   • Completed: execution finished. Fetching the final job result now.

   Relay output contract for other harnesses/models:

   • One update should be 1-2 sentences or 1 compact line.
   • Include phase, Task completed/total and Subtask completed/total when present.
   • Include the current work hint only if it changes.
   • Never include the full task tree in routine relay output.
   • Never include raw JSON, raw meta dumps, or repeated unchanged cursor lines.
   • Terminal statuses must be explicit: completed, failed, cancelled, or interrupted.

   Do not paste the full raw tool output unless the user asks for raw status. Do not add speculative ETA unless the tool provides one.

7. Use ouroboros_ac_tree_hud only for manual drill-down or anomaly checks.

   Do not call full tree HUD in the normal polling loop.

   Use these targeted calls:

   # Explicit short HUD, useful for a one-off check
   Tool: ouroboros_ac_tree_hud
   Arguments:
     session_id: <session_id>
     cursor: <cursor>
     view: "summary"
   
   # Lowest-token one-line HUD
   Tool: ouroboros_ac_tree_hud
   Arguments:
     session_id: <session_id>
     cursor: <cursor>
     view: "compact"
   
   # Full tree only when user asks "show details", progress looks stuck,
   # or debugging requires seeing the task/subtask structure.
   Tool: ouroboros_ac_tree_hud
   Arguments:
     session_id: <session_id>
     cursor: <cursor>
     view: "tree"
     max_nodes: 30
   

   Treat unchanged cursor=<cursor> from explicit compact/summary views as a no-op. Do not explain it to the user unless they explicitly asked for heartbeat messages.

8. Fetch final result with ouroboros_job_result:

   Tool: ouroboros_job_result
   Arguments:
     job_id: <job_id>
   

9. Present the execution results to the user:

   • Show success/failure status
   • Show session ID (for later status checks)
   • Show execution summary

10. Post-execution QA (automatic): ouroboros_start_execute_seed automatically runs QA after successful execution. The QA verdict is included in the final job result text. To skip: pass skip_qa: true to the tool.

Present QA verdict with next step:

• PASS: Next: ooo evaluate <session_id> for formal 3-stage verification
• REVISE: Show differences/suggestions, then Next: Fix the issues above, then ooo run to retry -- or ooo unstuck if blocked
• FAIL/ESCALATE: Next: Review failures above, then ooo run to retry -- or ooo unstuck if blocked

Fallback (No MCP Server)

If the MCP server is not available, inform the user:

Ouroboros MCP server is not configured.
To enable full execution mode, run: /ouroboros:setup

Without MCP, you can still:
- Use /ouroboros:interview for requirement clarification
- Use /ouroboros:seed to generate specifications
- Manually implement the seed specification

Example

User: /ouroboros:run seed.yaml

[Reads seed.yaml, validates, starts background execution]

Background execution started.
Job ID: job_a1b2c3d4e5f6
Session ID: orch_x1y2z3
Execution ID: exec_m1n2o3

[Relay]
In progress: Deliver is at Task 1/3 and Subtask 12/16.
Current work is finishing the workflow routing Subtask.

[Relay]
Level update: parallel level 1/1 has finished, and Task progress advanced to 3/3.
Execution is complete. Fetching the final job result now.

[Fetching final result...]

Result:
  Seed Execution SUCCESS
  ========================
  Session ID: orch_x1y2z3
  Goal: Build a CLI task manager
  Duration: 45.2s
  Messages Processed: 12

  Next: `ooo evaluate orch_x1y2z3` for formal 3-stage verification