Progress Monitoring Skill

Overview

This skill defines how the Orchestrator (EOA) monitors agent progress. Monitoring is based on state transitions and response order - not fixed time intervals. Agents collaborate asynchronously and may be hibernated for extended periods. The orchestrator tracks agent states (Acknowledged, Active, No Progress, Stale, Unresponsive, Blocked, Complete) and escalates through ordered steps when issues are detected.

Prerequisites

•Read AGENT_OPERATIONS.md for orchestrator workflow
•Read eoa-label-taxonomy for status labels and workflow states
•Read eoa-messaging-templates for message formats and escalation templates
•Access to AI Maestro API for agent message history
•Access to GitHub CLI for issue status queries
•Understanding of agent lifecycle and state transitions

1. Agent States

Monitor agents based on their current state:

State	Definition	Action
Acknowledged	Agent sent ACK for assigned task	Normal monitoring
No ACK	Task assigned but no acknowledgment received	Send reminder
Active	Agent sending progress updates	Continue monitoring
No Progress	Agent acknowledged but no updates since	Send status request
Stale	Agent's last update predates significant events	Escalate priority
Unresponsive	Multiple reminders without any response	Consider reassignment
Blocked	Agent reported blocker	Address blocker
Complete	Agent reported task done	Verify and close

2. State Detection

2.1 Check Agent State

bash

# Get agent's last message timestamp from AI Maestro
curl -s "$AIMAESTRO_API/api/messages?agent=$AGENT_NAME&action=list" | jq '.messages[0].timestamp'

# Get task assignment event
gh issue view $ISSUE --json timelineItems | jq '.timelineItems[] | select(.label == "assign:$AGENT_NAME")'

2.2 State Transitions

code

Assigned → (ACK received) → Acknowledged
Acknowledged → (progress update) → Active
Acknowledged → (no updates) → No Progress
Active → (no updates after activity) → Stale
No Progress/Stale → (reminder sent, no response) → Unresponsive
Any → (blocker reported) → Blocked
Active → (completion reported) → Complete

3. Escalation Order

Escalation follows a strict order, not time-based triggers:

Step	Trigger State	Action	Priority
1	No ACK	Send first reminder	Normal
2	Still No ACK after Step 1	Send urgent reminder	High
3	Unresponsive after Step 2	Notify user, consider reassignment	Urgent

3.1 First Reminder

When state = No ACK or No Progress:

json

{
  "from": "orchestrator",
  "to": "<agent-name>",
  "subject": "Status Request: <task-id>",
  "priority": "normal",
  "content": {
    "type": "request",
    "message": "What is your current status on <task-id>? Report progress, blockers, and next steps.",
    "data": {
      "task_id": "<task-id>"
    }
  }
}

3.2 Urgent Reminder

When state = Unresponsive (no response to first reminder):

json

{
  "from": "orchestrator",
  "to": "<agent-name>",
  "subject": "URGENT: <task-id> - Response Required",
  "priority": "urgent",
  "content": {
    "type": "escalation",
    "message": "No response received. Please provide status immediately or task may be reassigned.",
    "data": {
      "task_id": "<task-id>",
      "escalation_level": 2
    }
  }
}

3.3 Reassignment Decision

When still unresponsive after urgent reminder:

•Check if user is available → Present options (wait, reassign, abort)
•If user unavailable → Auto-reassign to available agent
•Notify original agent of reassignment
•Transfer all context to new agent

4. Progress Report Format

Agents should report progress using this format:

4.1 Status Update

code

[IN_PROGRESS] <task-id> - <brief-description>
Progress: <percentage or milestone>
Next: <next-step>
Blockers: <none or blocker-list>

4.2 Completion Report

code

[DONE] <task-id> - <result-summary>
Output: <file-path or PR-number>
Tests: <passed/failed>

4.3 Blocker Report

code

[BLOCKED] <task-id> - <blocker-description>
Waiting on: <dependency or resource>
Impact: <what cannot proceed>
Suggested resolution: <if any>

5. Blocker Handling

When agent reports [BLOCKED]:

Blocker Type	Resolution
Dependency on another task	Check blocking task status, expedite if possible
Missing information	Route to appropriate source (user, architect, etc.)
Technical issue	Escalate to ECOS or user
Resource contention	Coordinate with other agents

5.1 Update Labels

bash

# Mark task as blocked
gh issue edit $ISSUE --remove-label "status:in-progress" --add-label "status:blocked"

# Add blocker details as comment
gh issue comment $ISSUE --body "BLOCKED: <blocker-description>"

5.2 When Blocker Resolved

bash

# Mark task as in-progress again
gh issue edit $ISSUE --remove-label "status:blocked" --add-label "status:in-progress"

# Notify agent
# (send message via AI Maestro)

6. Completion Verification

When agent reports [DONE]:

6.1 Verification Checklist

Copy this checklist and track your progress:

• PR exists and is linked to issue
• Tests pass (CI status)
• Code review approved (if required)
• Documentation updated (if required)
• Issue checklist items complete

6.2 If Verification Passes

bash

# Update status
gh issue edit $ISSUE --remove-label "status:in-progress" --add-label "status:done"

# Remove assignment (task complete)
gh issue edit $ISSUE --remove-label "assign:$AGENT_NAME"

# Close issue if all criteria met
gh issue close $ISSUE

6.3 If Verification Fails

Send clarification request to agent:

json

{
  "type": "request",
  "message": "Completion verification failed. Missing: <list>. Please address and report again."
}

7. Dashboard View

Track all active tasks:

Task	Agent	State	Last Update	Priority
#42	impl-01	Active	Recent	High
#43	impl-02	No Progress	Stale	Normal
#44	reviewer	Blocked	Recent	High

Query active tasks:

bash

# All in-progress tasks
gh issue list --label "status:in-progress" --json number,title,labels

# Blocked tasks
gh issue list --label "status:blocked" --json number,title,labels

# Tasks by agent
gh issue list --label "assign:impl-01" --json number,title,labels

Instructions

Follow these steps to monitor agent progress:

•Query all issues with status:in-progress label
•
For each assigned task:
1. •Determine current agent state (section 1)
2. •Check AI Maestro for agent's last message timestamp
3. •Compare task assignment time vs. last agent update
4. •If state is "No ACK", send first reminder (section 3.1)
5. •If state is "No Progress" or "Stale", send status request
6. •If state is "Unresponsive" after reminders, send urgent escalation (section 3.2)
7. •If state is "Blocked", handle blocker (section 5)
8. •If state is "Complete", verify completion (section 6)
•Update issue labels to reflect current state
•Log all state transitions and escalations
•Reassign tasks only after full escalation order (section 3.3)

Output

Output Type	Format	Example
Agent state report	Markdown table	Task #42, impl-01, Active, last update 2h ago
Escalation message	AI Maestro JSON	Reminder or urgent message sent to agent
Dashboard view	Markdown table	All in-progress tasks with states
Blocker report	Issue comment	"BLOCKED: Waiting on API design approval"
Completion verification	Boolean + checklist	PR exists ✓, tests pass ✓, docs updated ✓

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Solution
Agent never ACKs	Agent offline, hibernated, or unaware	Send reminder, escalate to ECOS if no response
Agent stops responding mid-task	Agent crashed, hibernated, or blocked	Follow escalation order (sections 3.1-3.3)
Blocker reported but not resolved	Dependency on external event	Coordinate with other agents or escalate to user
Completion reported but verification fails	Missing tests, failing CI, or incomplete requirements	Send REVISE message (see eoa-implementer-interview-protocol)
Multiple agents updating same task	Concurrent work or reassignment conflict	Check `assign:*` label, coordinate via AI Maestro
Stale state but agent actually hibernated	Normal hibernation, not a failure	Distinguish hibernation from unresponsiveness via ECOS

Examples

Example 1: Query Agent State via AI Maestro

bash

# Get agent's last message timestamp
AGENT="implementer-1"
LAST_MESSAGE=$(curl -s "$AIMAESTRO_API/api/messages?agent=$AGENT&action=list" | \
  jq -r '.messages[0].timestamp')

echo "Agent $AGENT last seen: $LAST_MESSAGE"

# Get task assignment timestamp
ISSUE=42
ASSIGNED_AT=$(gh issue view $ISSUE --json timelineItems | \
  jq -r '.timelineItems[] | select(.label.name == "assign:'$AGENT'") | .createdAt')

echo "Task #$ISSUE assigned at: $ASSIGNED_AT"

Example 2: Send First Reminder

bash

# Send normal priority status request
curl -X POST "$AIMAESTRO_API/api/messages" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "from": "orchestrator",
    "to": "implementer-1",
    "subject": "Status Request: #42",
    "priority": "normal",
    "content": {
      "type": "request",
      "message": "What is your current status on #42? Report progress, blockers, and next steps.",
      "data": {
        "task_id": "42"
      }
    }
  }'

Example 3: Escalate to Urgent

bash

# After no response to first reminder
curl -X POST "$AIMAESTRO_API/api/messages" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "from": "orchestrator",
    "to": "implementer-1",
    "subject": "URGENT: #42 - Response Required",
    "priority": "urgent",
    "content": {
      "type": "escalation",
      "message": "No response received. Please provide status immediately or task may be reassigned.",
      "data": {
        "task_id": "42",
        "escalation_level": 2
      }
    }
  }'

Example 4: Handle Blocker Report

bash

ISSUE=42

# Agent reports blocker via message
# Update issue labels
gh issue edit $ISSUE --remove-label "status:in-progress" --add-label "status:blocked"

# Add blocker comment to issue
gh issue comment $ISSUE --body "BLOCKED: Waiting on API endpoint design approval. Cannot proceed until #38 is resolved."

# Query the blocking issue
BLOCKER_STATUS=$(gh issue view 38 --json state,labels | jq -r '.state')
echo "Blocking issue #38 status: $BLOCKER_STATUS"

# If blocker is resolved, notify agent
if [ "$BLOCKER_STATUS" = "closed" ]; then
  gh issue edit $ISSUE --remove-label "status:blocked" --add-label "status:in-progress"
  # Send message to agent
fi

Example 5: Verify Completion

bash

ISSUE=42

# Check PR existence
PR_NUMBER=$(gh issue view $ISSUE --json body | jq -r '.body | match("PR #([0-9]+)") | .captures[0].string')

if [ -z "$PR_NUMBER" ]; then
  echo "VERIFICATION FAILED: No PR linked"
else
  # Check CI status
  CI_STATUS=$(gh pr view $PR_NUMBER --json statusCheckRollup | jq -r '.statusCheckRollup[] | select(.conclusion) | .conclusion')

  if [ "$CI_STATUS" = "SUCCESS" ]; then
    echo "VERIFICATION PASSED: PR #$PR_NUMBER exists and CI passed"
    # Update to done
    gh issue edit $ISSUE --remove-label "status:in-progress" --add-label "status:done"
    gh issue edit $ISSUE --remove-label "assign:implementer-1"
  else
    echo "VERIFICATION FAILED: CI status is $CI_STATUS"
  fi
fi

Resources

•AGENT_OPERATIONS.md - Core orchestrator workflow
•eoa-label-taxonomy - Status labels and workflow states
•eoa-messaging-templates - Escalation message templates
•eoa-task-distribution - Assignment protocol and agent states
•eoa-implementer-interview-protocol - Post-task verification protocol