Crank Skill

Quick Ref: Autonomous epic execution. Level 1: /swarm for each wave. Level 2: /spawn via Agent Mail with Chiron pattern. Output: closed issues + final vibe.

YOU MUST EXECUTE THIS WORKFLOW. Do not just describe it.

Autonomous execution: implement all issues until the epic is DONE.

Architecture: Crank + Swarm

code

Crank (orchestrator)           Swarm (executor)
    |                              |
    +-> bd ready (wave issues)     |
    |                              |
    +-> TaskCreate from beads  --->+-> Spawn agents (fresh context)
    |                              |
    +-> /swarm                 --->+-> Execute in parallel
    |                              |
    +-> Verify + bd update     <---+-> Results
    |                              |
    +-> Loop until epic DONE       |

Separation of concerns:

•Crank = Beads-aware orchestration, epic lifecycle, knowledge flywheel
•Swarm = Fresh-context parallel execution (Ralph Wiggum pattern)

Requires: bd CLI (beads) for issue tracking.

Global Limits

MAX_EPIC_WAVES = 50 (hard limit across entire epic)

This prevents infinite loops on circular dependencies or cascading failures.

Why 50?

•Typical epic: 5-10 issues
•With retries: ~5 waves max
•50 = safe upper bound

Completion Enforcement (The Sisyphus Rule)

THE SISYPHUS RULE: Not done until explicitly DONE.

After each wave, output completion marker:

•<promise>DONE</promise> - Epic truly complete, all issues closed
•<promise>BLOCKED</promise> - Cannot proceed (with reason)
•<promise>PARTIAL</promise> - Incomplete (with remaining items)

Never claim completion without the marker.

Execution Steps

Given /crank [epic-id]:

Step 0: Load Knowledge Context (ao Integration)

Search for relevant learnings before starting the epic:

bash

# If ao CLI available, inject prior knowledge about epic execution
if command -v ao &>/dev/null; then
    # Search for relevant learnings
    ao search "epic execution implementation patterns" 2>/dev/null | head -20

    # Check flywheel status
    ao flywheel status 2>/dev/null

    # Get current ratchet state
    ao ratchet status 2>/dev/null
fi

If ao not available, skip this step and proceed. The knowledge flywheel enhances but is not required.

Step 1: Identify the Epic

If epic ID provided: Use it directly. Do NOT ask for confirmation.

If no epic ID: Discover it:

bash

bd list --type epic --status open 2>/dev/null | head -5

If multiple epics found, ask user which one.

Step 1a: Initialize Wave Counter

bash

# Initialize crank tracking in epic notes
bd update <epic-id> --append-notes "CRANK_START: wave=0 at $(date -Iseconds)" 2>/dev/null

Track in memory: wave=0

Step 2: Get Epic Details

bash

bd show <epic-id> 2>/dev/null

Step 3: List Ready Issues (Current Wave)

Find issues that can be worked on (no blockers):

bash

bd ready 2>/dev/null

bd ready returns the current wave - all unblocked issues. These can be executed in parallel because they have no dependencies on each other.

Step 3a: Pre-flight Check - Issues Exist

Verify there are issues to work on:

If 0 ready issues found:

code

STOP and return error:
  "No ready issues found for this epic. Either:
   - All issues are blocked (check dependencies)
   - Epic has no child issues (run /plan first)
   - All issues already completed"

Do NOT proceed with empty issue list - this produces false "epic complete" status.

Step 4: Execute Wave via Swarm

BEFORE each wave:

bash

# Increment wave counter
wave=$((wave + 1))
bd update <epic-id> --append-notes "CRANK_WAVE: $wave at $(date -Iseconds)" 2>/dev/null

# CHECK GLOBAL LIMIT
if [[ $wave -ge 50 ]]; then
    echo "<promise>BLOCKED</promise>"
    echo "Global wave limit (50) reached. Remaining issues:"
    bd children <epic-id> --status open 2>/dev/null
    # STOP - do not continue
fi

Wave Execution via Swarm:

•Get ready issues from Step 3
•Create TaskList tasks from beads issues:

For each ready beads issue, create a corresponding TaskList task:

code

TaskCreate(
  subject="<issue-id>: <issue-title>",
  description="Implement beads issue <issue-id>.

Details from beads:
<paste issue details from bd show>

Execute using /implement <issue-id>. Mark complete when done.",
  activeForm="Implementing <issue-id>"
)

•Add dependencies if issues have beads blockedBy:

code

TaskUpdate(taskId="2", addBlockedBy=["1"])

•Invoke swarm to execute the wave:

code

Tool: Skill
Parameters:
  skill: "agentops:swarm"

Swarm will:

•Find all unblocked TaskList tasks
•Spawn background agents with fresh context (Ralph pattern)
•Execute them in parallel
•Wait for notifications

•After swarm completes, verify beads status:

bash

# For each completed TaskList task, close the beads issue
bd update <issue-id> --status closed 2>/dev/null

Step 5: Track Progress

After swarm completes the wave:

•Update beads issues based on TaskList results:

bash

bd update <issue-id> --status closed 2>/dev/null

•Track changed files:

bash

git diff --name-only HEAD~5 2>/dev/null | sort -u

•Record ratchet progress (ao integration):

bash

# If ao CLI available, record wave completion
if command -v ao &>/dev/null; then
    ao ratchet record implement 2>/dev/null
    echo "Ratchet: recorded wave $wave completion"
fi

Note: Skip per-wave vibe - validation is batched at the end to save context.

Step 6: Check for More Work

After completing a wave:

•Clear completed tasks from TaskList
•Check if new beads issues are now unblocked: bd ready
•If yes, return to Step 4 (create new TaskList tasks, invoke swarm)
•If no more issues after 3 retry attempts, proceed to Step 7
•Max retries: If issues remain blocked after 3 checks, escalate: "Epic blocked - cannot unblock remaining issues"

Step 7: Final Batched Validation

When all issues complete, run ONE comprehensive vibe on recent changes:

bash

# Get list of changed files from recent commits
git diff --name-only HEAD~10 2>/dev/null | sort -u

Run vibe on recent changes:

code

Tool: Skill
Parameters:
  skill: "agentops:vibe"
  args: "recent"

If CRITICAL issues found:

•Fix them
•Re-run vibe on affected files
•Only proceed to completion when clean

Step 8: Extract Learnings (ao Integration)

Before reporting completion, extract learnings from the session:

bash

# If ao CLI available, forge learnings from this epic execution
if command -v ao &>/dev/null; then
    # Extract learnings from recent session transcripts
    ao forge transcript ~/.claude/projects/*/conversations/*.jsonl 2>/dev/null

    # Show flywheel status post-execution
    echo "=== Flywheel Status ==="
    ao flywheel status 2>/dev/null

    # Show pending learnings for review
    ao pool list --tier=pending 2>/dev/null | head -10
fi

If ao not available, skip learning extraction. Recommend user runs /post-mortem manually.

Step 9: Report Completion

Tell the user:

•Epic ID and title
•Number of issues completed
•Total iterations used (of 50 max)
•Final vibe results
•Flywheel status (if ao available)
•Suggest running /post-mortem to review and promote learnings

Output completion marker:

code

<promise>DONE</promise>
Epic: <epic-id>
Issues completed: N
Iterations: M/50
Flywheel: <status from ao flywheel status>

If stopped early:

code

<promise>BLOCKED</promise>
Reason: <global limit reached | unresolvable blockers>
Issues remaining: N
Iterations: M/50

The FIRE Loop

Crank follows FIRE for each wave:

Phase	Action
FIND	`bd ready` - get unblocked beads issues
IGNITE	Create TaskList tasks, invoke `/swarm`
REAP	Swarm collects results, crank syncs to beads
ESCALATE	Fix blockers, retry failures

Parallel Wave Model (via Swarm):

code

Wave 1: bd ready → [issue-1, issue-2, issue-3]
        ↓
        TaskCreate for each issue
        ↓
        /swarm → spawns 3 fresh-context agents
                  ↓         ↓         ↓
               DONE      DONE      BLOCKED
                                     ↓
                               (retry in next wave)
        ↓
        bd update --status closed for completed

Wave 2: bd ready → [issue-4, issue-3-retry]
        ↓
        TaskCreate for each
        ↓
        /swarm → spawns 2 fresh-context agents
        ↓
        bd update for completed

Final vibe on all changes → Epic DONE

Loop until all beads issues are CLOSED.

Key Rules

•If epic ID given, USE IT - don't ask for confirmation
•Swarm for each wave - delegates parallel execution to swarm
•Fresh context per issue - swarm provides Ralph pattern isolation
•Batch validation at end - ONE vibe at the end saves context
•Fix CRITICAL before completion - address findings before reporting done
•Loop until done - don't stop until all issues closed
•Autonomous execution - minimize human prompts
•Respect wave limit - STOP at 50 waves (hard limit)
•Output completion markers - DONE, BLOCKED, or PARTIAL (required)
•Knowledge flywheel - load learnings at start, forge at end (ao optional)
•Beads ↔ TaskList sync - crank bridges beads issues to TaskList for swarm

Level 2 Mode: Agent Mail Orchestration

When: Agent Mail MCP tools are available AND --level=2 flag is set

Level 2 mode transforms /crank from a TaskList-based orchestrator to an Agent Mail-based orchestrator. Instead of using the Task tool to spawn subagents, it uses /spawn to create demigods that communicate via Agent Mail.

Why Level 2?

Level 1 (Task Tool)	Level 2 (Agent Mail)
Subagents inside session	Independent Claude sessions
TaskOutput for results	Agent Mail messages
No help routing	Chiron pattern for HELP_REQUESTs
Race conditions on files	File reservations
In-process monitoring	Inbox-based monitoring

Use Level 2 when:

•Running long epics that may exceed session limits
•Need coordination across multiple Claude sessions
•Want Chiron (expert helper) to answer stuck demigods
•Need advisory file locking between parallel workers

Level Detection

bash

# Auto-detect Agent Mail availability
AGENT_MAIL_AVAILABLE=false

# Method 1: Check HTTP endpoint
if curl -s http://localhost:8765/health 2>/dev/null | grep -q "ok"; then
    AGENT_MAIL_AVAILABLE=true
fi

# Method 2: Check MCP tools in current session
# (if mcp__mcp-agent-mail__* tools are available)

# Explicit flag takes precedence
# /crank epic-123 --level=2

Level selection:

Condition	Level
`--level=2` AND Agent Mail available	Level 2
`--level=2` AND Agent Mail unavailable	Error: "Agent Mail required for Level 2"
No flag AND Agent Mail available	Level 1 (default)
No flag AND Agent Mail unavailable	Level 1

New Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default
`--level=2`	Force Level 2 orchestration mode	`1` (Level 1)
`--agent-mail`	Enable Agent Mail (same as `--level=2`)	`false`
`--orchestrator-id`	Crank's identity in Agent Mail	`crank-<epic-id>`
`--chiron`	Enable Chiron pattern for help requests	`true` in Level 2
`--max-parallel`	Max concurrent demigods per wave	`5`

Level 2 Architecture

code

Crank (orchestrator)              Agent Mail              Demigods
    |                                 |                       |
    +-> bd ready (wave issues)        |                       |
    |                                 |                       |
    +-> Reserve files for wave ------>|                       |
    |                                 |                       |
    +-> /spawn for each issue --------|------- spawns ------->|
    |                                 |                       |
    +-> Poll inbox <------------------|<-- BEAD_ACCEPTED -----|
    |                                 |<-- PROGRESS ----------|
    |                                 |<-- HELP_REQUEST ------|
    |   (route to Chiron) ----------->|                       |
    |                                 |<-- OFFERING_READY ----|
    |                                 |                       |
    +-> Verify + bd update            |                       |
    |                                 |                       |
    +-> Release file reservations --->|                       |
    |                                 |                       |
    +-> Loop until epic DONE          |                       |

Separation of concerns:

•Crank = Beads-aware orchestration, Agent Mail coordination, file reservations
•Demigods = Fresh-context parallel execution with Agent Mail reporting
•Chiron = Expert helper that responds to HELP_REQUESTs

Level 2 Execution Steps

When --level=2 is enabled:

L2 Step 0: Initialize Orchestrator Identity

bash

# Register crank as an orchestrator in Agent Mail
ORCHESTRATOR_ID="${ORCHESTRATOR_ID:-crank-$(echo $EPIC_ID | tr -d '-')}"
PROJECT_KEY=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)

MCP Tool Call:

code

Tool: mcp__mcp-agent-mail__register_agent
Parameters:
  project_key: "<project-key>"
  program: "crank-skill"
  model: "claude-opus-4-5-20250101"
  task_description: "Orchestrating epic <epic-id>"

L2 Step 1: Reserve Files for Wave (Before Spawn)

Before spawning demigods for a wave, reserve files to prevent conflicts:

•Analyze wave issues to identify files:

bash

# For each issue in the wave, predict affected files
# Use issue description + codebase patterns

•Reserve files:

code

Tool: mcp__mcp-agent-mail__file_reservation_paths
Parameters:
  project_key: "<project-key>"
  agent_name: "<orchestrator-id>"
  paths:
    - "src/auth.py"           # Issue 1 will modify
    - "src/models/user.py"    # Issue 2 will modify
    - "tests/test_auth.py"    # Issue 1 will modify
  exclusive: false  # Advisory reservations

File reservation strategy:

Scenario	Action
Files already reserved by another	Log warning, proceed (advisory)
Cannot predict files	Skip reservation, rely on demigod to reserve
Conflicting issues in same wave	Serialize those issues (don't spawn parallel)

L2 Step 2: Spawn Demigods via /spawn (Not Task Tool)

Instead of:

code

Task(
  subagent_type="general-purpose",
  run_in_background=true,
  prompt="Execute task..."
)

Use:

code

Tool: Skill
Parameters:
  skill: "agentops:spawn"
  args: "--issue <issue-id> --orchestrator <orchestrator-id> --agent-mail"

Or spawn directly via Agent Mail pattern:

•Send SPAWN_REQUEST to spawn infrastructure:

code

Tool: mcp__mcp-agent-mail__send_message
Parameters:
  project_key: "<project-key>"
  sender_name: "<orchestrator-id>"
  to: "spawner@olympus"
  subject: "SPAWN_REQUEST"
  body_md: |
    ## Spawn Demigod
    Issue: <issue-id>
    Title: <issue-title>

    ## Task
    <issue description>

    ## Instructions
    Run: /implement <issue-id> --agent-mail --orchestrator <orchestrator-id>

    ## Files Reserved
    - src/auth.py
    - tests/test_auth.py
  thread_id: "<issue-id>"
  ack_required: true

•Wait for SPAWN_ACK confirming demigod started:

code

Tool: mcp__mcp-agent-mail__fetch_inbox
Parameters:
  project_key: "<project-key>"
  agent_name: "<orchestrator-id>"

L2 Step 3: Monitor via Inbox (Not TaskOutput)

Polling loop for wave monitoring:

bash

POLL_INTERVAL=30  # seconds
MAX_WAIT=$((30 * 60))  # 30 minutes per wave max
ELAPSED=0

while [ $ELAPSED -lt $MAX_WAIT ]; do
    # Fetch inbox for all messages
    # MCP: mcp__mcp-agent-mail__fetch_inbox

    # Process messages by type:
    # - BEAD_ACCEPTED: Log demigod started
    # - PROGRESS: Update tracking
    # - HELP_REQUEST: Route to Chiron
    # - OFFERING_READY: Mark demigod complete
    # - FAILED: Mark demigod failed
    # - CHECKPOINT: Handle context exhaustion

    # Check if all demigods in wave complete
    if all_complete; then
        break
    fi

    sleep $POLL_INTERVAL
    ELAPSED=$((ELAPSED + POLL_INTERVAL))
done

MCP Tool Call (fetch inbox):

code

Tool: mcp__mcp-agent-mail__fetch_inbox
Parameters:
  project_key: "<project-key>"
  agent_name: "<orchestrator-id>"

Message handling:

Message Subject	Action
`BEAD_ACCEPTED`	Log: "Demigod <id> accepted <issue>"
`PROGRESS`	Log: Update progress tracker
`HELP_REQUEST`	Route to Chiron (see L2 Step 4)
`OFFERING_READY`	Verify + close beads issue
`FAILED`	Log failure, add to retry queue
`CHECKPOINT`	Handle partial progress, spawn replacement

L2 Step 4: Chiron Pattern for Help Requests

When HELP_REQUEST received, route to Chiron:

code

Tool: mcp__mcp-agent-mail__send_message
Parameters:
  project_key: "<project-key>"
  sender_name: "<orchestrator-id>"
  to: "chiron@olympus"
  subject: "HELP_ROUTE"
  body_md: |
    ## Help Request Routed
    From: <demigod-id>
    Issue: <issue-id>

    ## Original Request
    <paste help request body>

    ## Context
    Epic: <epic-id>
    Wave: <wave-number>

    Please respond to <demigod-id> with HELP_RESPONSE.
  thread_id: "<issue-id>"
  ack_required: false

Chiron is expected to:

•Receive HELP_ROUTE
•Analyze the problem
•Send HELP_RESPONSE directly to demigod
•Demigod continues with guidance

Fallback if Chiron unavailable (timeout > 2 min):

•Log: "No Chiron response - demigod must proceed with best judgment"
•Demigod either succeeds or fails on its own

L2 Step 5: Verify Completion via Agent Mail

When OFFERING_READY received:

•Acknowledge message:

code

Tool: mcp__mcp-agent-mail__acknowledge_message
Parameters:
  project_key: "<project-key>"
  message_id: "<message-id>"

•Verify work:

bash

# Check commit exists
git log --oneline -1

# Check files modified
git diff --name-only HEAD~1

# Run validation
# (same as Level 1 batched vibe)

•Close beads issue:

bash

bd update <issue-id> --status closed 2>/dev/null

•Send acknowledgment to demigod:

code

Tool: mcp__mcp-agent-mail__send_message
Parameters:
  project_key: "<project-key>"
  sender_name: "<orchestrator-id>"
  to: "<demigod-id>"
  subject: "OFFERING_ACCEPTED"
  body_md: |
    Issue <issue-id> closed.
    Commit: <commit-sha>
    Thank you for your service.
  thread_id: "<issue-id>"
  ack_required: false

L2 Step 6: Handle Failures

When FAILED message received:

•Log failure:

bash

bd update <issue-id> --append-notes "FAILED: <reason> at $(date -Iseconds)" 2>/dev/null

•
Decide retry strategy: | Failure Type | Action | |--------------|--------| | TESTS_FAIL | Add to retry queue with hint | | BUILD_FAIL | Add to retry queue | | SPEC_IMPOSSIBLE | Mark blocked, escalate | | CONTEXT_HIGH | Spawn fresh demigod with checkpoint | | ERROR | Add to retry queue (max 3 attempts) |
•
For retry:

bash

# Track retry count in beads notes
bd update <issue-id> --append-notes "RETRY: attempt $(( retry_count + 1 )) at $(date -Iseconds)" 2>/dev/null

L2 Step 7: Release File Reservations

After wave completes (success or failure):

code

Tool: mcp__mcp-agent-mail__release_file_reservations
Parameters:
  project_key: "<project-key>"
  agent_name: "<orchestrator-id>"

L2 Step 8: Handle Checkpoints (Context Exhaustion)

When demigod sends CHECKPOINT due to context exhaustion:

•Parse checkpoint info:

markdown

## From CHECKPOINT message:
- Partial commit: abc123
- Progress: Steps 1-3 complete, Step 4 in progress
- Next steps: Complete Step 4, then Steps 5-7

•Spawn replacement demigod:

code

Tool: Skill
Parameters:
  skill: "agentops:spawn"
  args: "--issue <issue-id> --resume --checkpoint <commit-sha> --orchestrator <orchestrator-id>"

•Replacement demigod gets:

•Issue context (from beads)
•Checkpoint commit (partial work)
•Guidance for what remains

Level 2 FIRE Loop

Level 2 uses the same FIRE pattern with Agent Mail coordination:

Phase	Level 1	Level 2
FIND	`bd ready`	`bd ready`
IGNITE	TaskCreate + /swarm	File reserve + /spawn via Agent Mail
REAP	TaskOutput notifications	fetch_inbox polling
ESCALATE	Retry via swarm	Chiron for help + retry via spawn

Level 2 Parallel Wave Model

code

Wave 1: bd ready → [issue-1, issue-2, issue-3]
        ↓
        Reserve files for all 3 issues
        ↓
        /spawn issue-1 --agent-mail
        /spawn issue-2 --agent-mail
        /spawn issue-3 --agent-mail
        ↓
        Poll inbox:
          - BEAD_ACCEPTED (×3)
          - PROGRESS updates
          - HELP_REQUEST → route to Chiron
          - OFFERING_READY (×2)
          - FAILED (×1)
        ↓
        bd update --status closed (×2)
        Add issue-3 to retry queue
        ↓
        Release file reservations

Wave 2: bd ready → [issue-4, issue-3-retry]
        ↓
        (repeat pattern)

Final vibe on all changes → Epic DONE

Level 2 Key Rules

•Reserve files BEFORE spawn - prevents conflicts between demigods
•Monitor via inbox - not TaskOutput (demigods are independent sessions)
•Route HELP_REQUESTs - Chiron answers stuck demigods
•Acknowledge completions - closes coordination loop
•Handle checkpoints - spawn replacements for context-exhausted demigods
•Release reservations - after each wave completes
•Same wave limit - MAX_EPIC_WAVES = 50 still applies
•Same completion markers - DONE, BLOCKED, PARTIAL

Level 2 vs Level 1 Summary

Aspect	Level 1	Level 2
Spawn mechanism	Task tool	/spawn via Agent Mail
Monitoring	TaskOutput	fetch_inbox polling
Help requests	User prompt	Chiron pattern
File conflicts	Race conditions	Advisory reservations
Context exhaustion	Agent fails	Checkpoint + replacement
Session scope	Single session	Cross-session
External coordination	No	Yes (multiple Claude instances)

Without Agent Mail

If Agent Mail is not available and --level=2 is requested:

markdown

Error: Level 2 requires Agent Mail.

To enable Agent Mail:
1. Start MCP Agent Mail server:
   cd ~/gt/acfs-research/tier1/mcp_agent_mail
   uv run python -m mcp_agent_mail.http --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8765

2. Add to ~/.claude/mcp_servers.json:
   {
     "mcp-agent-mail": {
       "type": "http",
       "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/mcp/"
     }
   }

3. Restart Claude Code session

Falling back to Level 1 mode.

Integration with Other Skills

Skill	Level 2 Integration
`/spawn`	Called by crank to create demigods
`/implement`	Run by demigods with `--agent-mail` flag
`/inbox`	Used by crank for monitoring (or direct fetch_inbox)
`/chiron`	Receives HELP_ROUTE, responds with HELP_RESPONSE
`/vibe`	Final validation (same as Level 1)

Example Level 2 Session

bash

# Start with Level 2 mode
/crank ol-527 --level=2

# Output:
# Level 2 mode: Agent Mail orchestration enabled
# Orchestrator ID: crank-ol527
# Project: /Users/fullerbt/gt/olympus
#
# Wave 1: Spawning 3 demigods...
#   - /spawn ol-527.1 --agent-mail --orchestrator crank-ol527
#   - /spawn ol-527.2 --agent-mail --orchestrator crank-ol527
#   - /spawn ol-527.3 --agent-mail --orchestrator crank-ol527
#
# Monitoring inbox...
#   [00:15] BEAD_ACCEPTED from demigod-ol-527-1
#   [00:16] BEAD_ACCEPTED from demigod-ol-527-2
#   [00:17] BEAD_ACCEPTED from demigod-ol-527-3
#   [02:30] PROGRESS from demigod-ol-527-1: Step 4 complete
#   [03:45] HELP_REQUEST from demigod-ol-527-2 → routing to Chiron
#   [04:10] OFFERING_READY from demigod-ol-527-1
#   [05:00] OFFERING_READY from demigod-ol-527-3
#   [06:15] OFFERING_READY from demigod-ol-527-2
#
# Wave 1 complete: 3/3 issues closed
# Releasing file reservations...
#
# Wave 2: Spawning 2 demigods...
# ...
#
# <promise>DONE</promise>
# Epic: ol-527
# Issues completed: 8
# Iterations: 3/50
# Level: 2 (Agent Mail)