Nelson
Execute this workflow for the user's mission.
1. Issue Sailing Orders
- •Write one sentence for
outcome,metric, anddeadline. - •Set constraints: token budget, reliability floor, compliance rules, and forbidden actions.
- •Define what is out of scope.
- •Define stop criteria and required handoff artifacts.
Use references/admiralty-templates.md section "Sailing Orders Template" when the user does not provide structure.
2. Form The Squadron
- •Select one mode:
- •
single-session: Use for sequential tasks, low complexity, or heavy same-file editing. - •
subagents: Use for parallel scouting or isolated tasks that report only to admiral. - •
agent-team: Use when independent agents must coordinate with each other directly. - •Set team size from mission complexity:
- •Default to
1 admiral + 3-6 captains. - •Add
1 red-cell navigatorfor medium/high threat work. - •Do not exceed 10 total agents.
Use references/squadron-composition.md for selection rules.
3. Draft Battle Plan
- •Split mission into independent tasks with clear deliverables.
- •Assign owner for each task and explicit dependencies.
- •Assign file ownership when implementation touches code.
- •Keep one task in progress per agent unless the mission explicitly requires multitasking.
Use references/admiralty-templates.md section "Battle Plan Template".
4. Run Quarterdeck Rhythm
- •Keep admiral focused on coordination and unblock actions.
- •Run checkpoints at fixed cadence (for example every 15-30 minutes):
- •Update progress by task state:
pending,in_progress,completed. - •Identify blockers and choose a concrete next action.
- •Track burn against token/time budget.
- •Re-scope early when a task drifts from mission metric.
Use references/admiralty-templates.md section "Quarterdeck Report Template".
5. Set Action Stations
- •Apply station tier from
references/action-stations.md. - •Require verification evidence before marking tasks complete:
- •Test or validation output.
- •Failure modes and rollback notes.
- •Red-cell review for medium+ station tiers.
- •Trigger quality checks on:
- •Task completion.
- •Agent idle with unverified outputs.
- •Before final synthesis.
6. Stand Down And Log Action
- •Stop or archive agent sessions.
- •Produce captain's log:
- •Decisions and rationale.
- •Diffs or artifacts.
- •Validation evidence.
- •Open risks and follow-ups.
- •Record reusable patterns and failure modes for future missions.
Use references/admiralty-templates.md section "Captain's Log Template".
Admiralty Doctrine
- •Optimize for mission throughput, not equal work distribution.
- •Prefer replacing stalled agents over waiting on undefined blockers.
- •Keep coordination messages targeted and concise.
- •Escalate uncertainty early with options and one recommendation.