Workspace detection: Find() walking up directory tree

Find workspace root by walking up directory tree looking for Gas Town markers.

## Detection Logic

Walk up from current directory, looking for:
1. `config/town.json` - Primary marker (visible config dir per gt-iib)
2. `mayor/` directory at town level - Secondary marker

Stop at filesystem root if neither found.

## Interface

```go
// Find locates the town root from the given directory
func Find(startDir string) (string, error)

// FindOrError is like Find but returns a user-friendly error
func FindOrError(startDir string) (string, error)
```

## Return Values

- Success: Absolute path to town root
- Not found: Empty string + specific error
- Error: Empty string + wrapped error

## Edge Cases

- Symlinks: Follow them (use filepath.EvalSymlinks)
- Permissions: Return error if can't read directory
- Nested towns: Return nearest ancestor (shouldn't happen in practice
EOF
)


HOP: Skill vectors on work items

Add skill embeddings to work items for capability-based matching. See ~/ai/stevey-gastown/hop/CONTEXT.md. Post-v0.1 work.


gt mail send: support reading message body from stdin

Currently gt mail send -m requires the message as a command-line argument, which causes shell escaping issues with backticks, quotes, and special characters.

Add support for reading message body from stdin:
- gt mail send addr -s 'Subject' --stdin  # Read body from stdin
- echo 'body' | gt mail send addr -s 'Subject' -m -  # Convention: -m - means stdin

This would allow:
cat <<'EOF' | gt mail send addr -s 'Subject' --stdin
Message with \`backticks\` and 'quotes' safely
EOF

Without this, agents struggle to send handoff messages containing code snippets.

## Moved from beads
Originally bd-3bsz. gt mail is in gastown, not beads.


Fix gt prime to give crew workers crew context

gt prime currently gives Mayor context to all agents. Crew workers should get crew-specific context. Also extract shared theory of operation from mayor priming into shared context for all roles.


CLI: polecat commands (add, list, wake, sleep, decommission)

GGT is missing most polecat management commands that PGT has.

Missing Commands:
- gt polecat add <rig> <name> - Add polecat to rig (creates clone)
- gt polecat list [<rig>] - List polecats with state
- gt polecat info <polecat> - Show detailed info
- gt polecat wake <polecat> - Mark available
- gt polecat sleep <polecat> - Mark unavailable
- gt polecat decommission <polecat> - Remove polecat safely

PGT Reference: gastown-py/src/gastown/cli/polecat_cmd.py

Notes:
- spawn exists but doesn't cover management
- wake/sleep are in polecat manager but not CLI
- decommission should check for uncommitted work


Automatic spawn for ready work

Auto-spawn polecats for ready work:

When Witness has capacity (active_workers < max_workers):
1. Query bd ready for unblocked issues
2. Filter to rig-appropriate work (by prefix or epic)
3. For each ready issue up to capacity:
   - gt spawn --issue <id>
   - Track that we spawned for this issue

Configuration (in rig config.json):
- max_workers: 4 (default)
- spawn_delay: 5s between spawns
- auto_spawn: true/false

This enables 'fire and forget' swarming:
- Mayor creates epic with children
- Mayor tells Witness to work epic
- Witness spawns polecats automatically
- Witness cleans up as they complete


Phase 2.2: gt prime shows ephemeral molecule context

Update gt prime to detect and display ephemeral molecule state.

## Detection

1. Check for active ephemeral molecule assigned to current identity
2. Parse molecule progress (current step, total steps)
3. Show in prime output

## Output

```
🔧 Polecat furiosa, checking in.

📦 Molecule: mol-polecat-work (eph-abc123)
   Step 3/8: do-work
   Source: gt-rixa
   Started: 10 minutes ago

Run 'bd mol status' for full molecule state.
```


request-shutdown

Send shutdown request to Witness.
Wait for termination.

The polecat is now ready to be cleaned up.
Do not exit directly - wait for Witness to kill the session.

Depends: generate-summary


Doctor check: Worker health and stuck detection

Detect and report stuck workers via gt doctor.

## Checks

### WorkerHealthCheck
- List all active workers (polecats with state=working)
- Check last activity timestamp for each
- Flag as potentially stuck if no progress for configurable threshold (default: 30 min)
- Check if Witness is running for the rig
- Verify Witness last heartbeat time

### Stuck Detection Criteria
- Polecat state=working but session not running
- Polecat state=working but output unchanged for threshold
- Witness not responding to health checks
- Multiple polecats in same rig all stuck

## Output

```
[WARN] Workers in rig 'wyvern' may be stuck:
  - Toast: working for 45m, no recent output
  - Capable: working for 52m, session not found
  - Witness: last heartbeat 20m ago

  Suggestions:
  - gt witness status wyvern
  - gt capture wyvern/Toast 50
  - gt stop --rig wyvern (kill all)
```

## Auto-Fix

Cannot auto-fix stuck workers (risk of data loss), but can:
- Restart Witness daemon if crashed
- Send warning mail to Mayor


generate-summary

Summarize patrol cycle for digest.

Needs: save-state


mol-witness-patrol

Per-rig worker monitor patrol loop.

The Witness is the Pit Boss for your rig. You watch polecats, nudge them toward
completion, verify clean git state before kills, and escalate stuck workers.

**You do NOT do implementation work.** Your job is oversight, not coding.

This molecule uses wisp storage (.beads-wisp/) for ephemeral patrol state.
Persistent state (nudge counts, handoffs) is stored in a witness handoff bead.


Merge: gt-rana.1

branch: polecat/rictus
target: main
source_issue: gt-rana.1
rig: gastown


ensure-gastown-refinery

Start the gastown rig Refinery.

## Action
```bash
gt refinery start gastown
```

## Verify
1. Session exists: `tmux has-session -t gastown-refinery 2>/dev/null`
2. Not stalled: `gt peek gastown/refinery` does NOT show "> Try" prompt
3. Queue processing: Refinery can receive merge requests

## OnStall
```bash
gt nudge gastown/refinery "Start patrol."
sleep 30
# Re-verify
```

## OnFail
Log error. Completed polecat work will queue until Refinery recovers.


gt nudge should accept partial/fuzzy session names

Currently gt nudge requires the exact tmux session name (e.g., gt-gastown-crew-max). Should be more forgiving:

1. Accept partial matches when unambiguous (e.g., 'max' → gt-gastown-crew-max)
2. Accept shorthand like 'gastown/max' or 'crew/max'
3. Show helpful error with suggestions when ambiguous

Examples that should work:
- gt nudge max '...' → matches gt-gastown-crew-max
- gt nudge gastown/max '...' → matches gt-gastown-crew-max
- gt nudge beads-dave '...' → matches gt-beads-crew-dave


Update templates with molecule navigation workflow

Update all agent templates to use new molecule navigation commands.

## Commands to integrate
- bd mol current: orientation after startup/handoff (bd-sal9)
- bd close --continue: seamless step transitions (bd-ieyy)

## Templates to update

### prompts/roles/polecat.md
- Add bd mol current to 'Finding Your Work' section
- Replace manual 3-command dance with bd close --continue
- Update 'Working Through Steps' section

### prompts/roles/crew.md
- Add molecule navigation to workflow section
- Show bd mol current for session startup

### prompts/roles/refinery.md
- Update patrol step transitions to use --continue

### prompts/roles/witness.md
- Update patrol step transitions to use --continue

### prompts/roles/deacon.md
- Update patrol step transitions to use --continue

## Key message
The Propulsion Principle: close a step, immediately get handed the next.
No friction, no forgetting, no 3-command dance.

## Blocked by (Beads features)
- bd-sal9: bd mol current
- bd-ieyy: bd close --continue

BLOCKED 2025-12-23 00:17: Waiting for beads features (bd mol current, bd close --continue) to be implemented. Notified mayor.


Daemon: integration test with real lifecycle

Need an end-to-end test that:
1. Starts daemon
2. Starts a test agent session
3. Sends lifecycle request to daemon
4. Verifies session was killed and restarted
5. Cleans up

Could use a mock 'agent' that's just a shell script.


Design: Failure modes and recovery

Document failure modes and recovery strategies for Gas Town operations.

## Critical Failure Modes

### 1. Agent Crash Mid-Operation

**Scenario**: Polecat crashes while committing, Witness crashes while verifying

**Detection**:
- Session suddenly gone (tmux check fails)
- State shows 'working' but no session
- Heartbeat stops (for Witness)

**Recovery**:
- Doctor detects via ZombieSessionCheck
- Capture any recoverable state
- Reset agent state to 'idle'
- For Witness: auto-restart via supervisor or manual gt witness start

### 2. Git State Corruption

**Scenario**: Merge conflict, failed rebase, detached HEAD

**Detection**:
- Git commands fail
- Dirty state that won't commit
- Branch diverged from origin

**Recovery**:
- gt doctor reports git health issues
- Manual intervention recommended
- Severe cases: remove clone, re-clone

### 3. Beads Sync Conflict

**Scenario**: Two polecats modify same issue

**Detection**:
- bd sync fails with conflict
- Beads tombstone mechanism handles most cases

**Recovery**:
- Beads has last-write-wins semantics
- bd sync --force in extreme cases
- Issues may need manual dedup

### 4. Tmux Failure

**Scenario**: Tmux server crashes, socket issues

**Detection**:
- All sessions inaccessible
- "no server running" errors

**Recovery**:
- Kill any orphan processes
- tmux kill-server && tmux start-server
- All agent states reset to idle
- Re-spawn active work

### 5. Claude API Issues

**Scenario**: Rate limits, outages, context limits

**Detection**:
- Sessions hang or produce errors
- Repeated failure patterns

**Recovery**:
- Exponential backoff (handled by Claude Code)
- For context limits: session cycling (mail-to-self)
- For outages: wait and retry

### 6. Disk Full

**Scenario**: Clones, logs, or beads fill disk

**Detection**:
- Write operations fail
- git/bd commands error

**Recovery**:
- Clean up logs: rm ~/.gastown/logs/*
- Remove old polecat clones
- gt doctor --fix can clean some cruft

### 7. Network Failure

**Scenario**: Can't reach GitHub, API servers

**Detection**:
- git fetch/push fails
- Claude sessions hang

**Recovery**:
- Work continues locally
- Queue pushes for later
- Sync when connectivity restored

## Recovery Principles

1. **Fail safe**: Prefer stopping over corrupting
2. **State is recoverable**: Git and beads have recovery mechanisms
3. **Doctor heals**: gt doctor --fix handles common issues
4. **Emergency stop**: gt stop --all as last resort
5. **Human escalation**: Some failures need Overseer intervention

## Implementation

- Document each failure mode in architecture.md
- Ensure doctor checks cover detection
- Add recovery hints to error messages
- Log all failures for debugging


Merge: gt-3x0z.3

branch: polecat/rictus
target: main
source_issue: gt-3x0z.3
rig: gastown


Cross-project dependency workflow (Gas Town side)

Gas Town integration for cross-project dependencies.

## Components
- gt-zniu: gt park command (park molecule on external dep)
- gt-in3x: gt spawn --continue (resume parked molecule)
- gt-5uf3: Patrol auto-resume (future)

## Design Doc
See: docs/cross-project-deps.md

## Depends on Beads
- bd-h807: Cross-project dependency support (epic)

## Launch Plan
Phase 1 (launch): gt park + gt spawn --continue (manual resume)
Phase 2 (later): Patrol auto-resume


Plugin/molecule catalog integration design

Two currently independent systems:
1. Disk-based plugins (~~/gt/plugins/) - Deacon patrol extensions
2. Molecule catalog (protos in beads) - bd pour/wisp/bond

Investigate integration points:
- User-contributed molecules bonded to catalog
- Dynamic molecule attachment during execution (e.g., 'attach security sniffer because we noticed condition X')
- How plugins could contribute protos
- How protos could trigger plugins

Not blocking launch. Future design investigation.


gt mq submit: create MR from current branch

Implement 'gt mq submit' command that creates a merge-request bead.

Auto-detection logic:
1. Branch: current git branch
2. Issue: parse from branch name (polecat/Nux/gt-xyz → gt-xyz)
3. Target: main (or integration branch if --epic specified)
4. Worker: parse from branch name
5. Rig: current rig

Options:
- --branch BRANCH: explicit source branch
- --issue ISSUE: explicit source issue
- --epic EPIC: target integration/EPIC instead of main
- --priority P: override priority (default: inherit from source issue)

Creates merge-request bead and prints MR ID.

Reference: docs/merge-queue-design.md#creating-merge-requests


Use Beads issue status as spawn source of truth

Currently witness tracks spawned issues in .gastown/witness.json to prevent re-spawning:

{"spawned_issues": ["gt-abc1", "gt-def2", ...]}

This is redundant with Beads issue status (in_progress). The witness could query:
  bd list --status=in_progress

The local list serves as a performance cache to avoid querying beads every cycle. Consider:
1. Use Beads as source of truth
2. Keep local cache with TTL
3. Sync cache on witness start

This simplifies state management and ensures consistency.


CLI: gt refinery commands (start, stop, status, queue)

CLI commands for managing the Refinery agent.

## Commands

```bash
gt refinery start <rig>      # Start refinery for a rig
gt refinery stop <rig>       # Stop refinery
gt refinery status <rig>     # Show refinery status
gt refinery queue <rig>      # Show merge queue
```

## gt refinery start

Starts the Refinery daemon for the specified rig.

Options:
- --foreground: Run in foreground (default: background)
- --auto-merge: Enable auto-merge (default: from config)

## gt refinery stop

Stops a running Refinery. Gracefully finishes current MR if processing.

## gt refinery status

Shows:
- Running state (running/stopped)
- Current MR being processed (if any)
- Queue length
- Last merge time
- Recent activity

## gt refinery queue

Shows the merge queue:
```
Merge queue for 'wyvern':
  1. [pending] Toast/polecat-auth-fix (15m ago)
  2. [pending] Capable/polecat-new-feature (5m ago)

1 merged today, 0 rejected
```

## Implementation

Uses gt-ov2 (Refinery agent) for daemon functionality.


Default polecat names: Mad Max theme instead of AdjectiveNoun

Current default naming for new polecats uses AdjectiveNoun convention.
Since rigs already provide namespacing, we can use more thematic names.

Suggestion: Use Mad Max / Fury Road character and vehicle names as defaults.
Examples: Furiosa, Nux, Slit, Morsov, Toast, Rictus, Warboy, etc.

Could also include:
- War Rig parts: Guzzler, Tanker, Pursuit
- Citadel roles: Imperator, Blackthumb, Organic
- Wasteland terms: Chrome, Witness, Shiny

Implementation:
- Add name generator in internal/polecat/ or similar
- Use when --create flag is used without explicit name
- Cycle through pool to avoid duplicates within a rig


mol-polecat-work

Full polecat lifecycle from assignment to decommission.

This proto enables nondeterministic idempotence for polecat work.
A polecat that crashes after any step can restart, read its molecule state,
and continue from the last completed step. No work is lost.

Variables:
- {{issue}} - The source issue ID being worked on


gt mail send: --priority flag should work like bd mail send

UX inconsistency: gt mail send passes flags that bd mail send doesn't support.

## Root Cause

router.go line 42 passes `--priority` to bd:
```go
args = append(args, "--priority", fmt.Sprintf("%d", beadsPriority))
```

But `bd mail send` only has `--urgent` (boolean), not `--priority`.

## Fix Options

1. Add `--priority` flag to `bd mail send` (preferred - more expressive)
2. Change router to only use `--urgent` when priority=0

## Also Affected

- `--type` flag (line 46) - bd mail send doesn't have this
- `--thread-id` flag (line 51) - bd mail send doesn't have this
- `--reply-to` flag (line 56) - bd mail send doesn't have this

The router assumes bd mail send has features it doesn't have.


loop-or-exit

Decision: burn and loop if context low, exit for respawn if context high.


Doctor framework: Check interface, Result types, Report

Framework for gt doctor health checks.

## Check Interface

```go
type Check interface {
    Name() string
    Description() string
    Run(ctx *CheckContext) *CheckResult
    Fix(ctx *CheckContext) error  // optional auto-fix
    CanFix() bool
}

type CheckContext struct {
    TownRoot string
    RigName  string  // empty for town-level checks
    Verbose  bool
}

type CheckResult struct {
    Status  CheckStatus
    Message string
    Details []string  // additional info
    FixHint string    // suggestion if not auto-fixable
}

type CheckStatus int
const (
    StatusOK CheckStatus = iota
    StatusWarning
    StatusError
)
```

## Report

```go
type Report struct {
    Timestamp time.Time
    Checks    []CheckResult
    Summary   ReportSummary
}

type ReportSummary struct {
    Total    int
    OK       int
    Warnings int
    Errors   int
}

func (r *Report) Print(w io.Writer, verbose bool)
```

## Doctor Runner

```go
type Doctor struct {
    checks []Check
}

func NewDoctor() *Doctor
func (d *Doctor) Register(check Check)
func (d *Doctor) Run(ctx *CheckContext) *Report
func (d *Doctor) Fix(ctx *CheckContext) *Report  // run with auto-fix
```

## Built-in Checks

Town-level (gt-f9x.5):
- ConfigExists, ConfigValid
- StateExists, StateValid
- MayorMailboxExists
- RigsRegistryValid

Rig-level (gt-f9x.6):
- RigCloneExists
- GitExcludeConfigured
- WitnessExists, RefineryExists
- PolecatClonesValid


Merge: gt-oiv0

branch: polecat/furiosa
target: main
source_issue: gt-oiv0
rig: gastown


Merge: gt-70b3

type: merge-request
branch: polecat/Rictus
target: main
source_issue: gt-70b3
rig: gastown


Work on gt-ogr: Fix rig count in tmux status bar. The cou...

Work on gt-ogr: Fix rig count in tmux status bar. The count is showing wrong. Run 'bd show gt-ogr' for details.


inbox-check

Process witness mail: lifecycle requests, help requests.

```bash
gt mail inbox
```

Handle by message type:
- LIFECYCLE/Shutdown: Queue for pre-kill verification
- Blocked/Help: Assess if resolvable or escalate
- HANDOFF: Load predecessor state
- Work complete: Verify issue closed, proceed to pre-kill

Record any pending actions for later steps.
Mark messages as processed when complete.


self-review

Review your own changes. Look for:
- Bugs and edge cases
- Style issues
- Missing error handling
- Security concerns

Fix any issues found before proceeding.

Depends: implement


Refinery needs manual restart/handoff mechanism

Refinery sessions can get stuck or need restart. Currently requires manual intervention. Need: 1) gt refinery restart command, 2) Refinery self-handoff on context fill, 3) Auto-recovery from stuck states.


Consolidate design docs into beads descriptions

The markdown design docs (swarm-shutdown-design.md, polecat-beads-access-design.md, mayor-handoff-design.md) will decay. Extract key decisions and prompting templates into the beads descriptions themselves, then archive or remove the markdown files. Beads are the source of truth.


working

Actively working. Monitor for stuck.

The polecat is processing its assigned issue ({{issue}}).
Monitor via peek. Watch for:
- Progress on commits
- Status updates in beads
- SHUTDOWN mail when done

Wait for SHUTDOWN signal from the polecat.
Variables: {{polecat}}, {{issue}}


Implement pinned beads for handoff state

Add pinned bead support to beads:
- Pinned beads never close, only update
- Use for persistent state like Refinery handoffs
- bd create --pinned flag
- bd list --pinned to find them
- Update description to change state


gt mq submit: creates task type instead of merge-request type

## Problem

`gt mq submit` creates an issue with `type: task` but should be `type: merge-request`.

## Evidence

```
$ bd show gt-n508
gt-n508: Merge: gt-70b3
Status: open
Priority: P1
Type: task      <-- WRONG, should be merge-request
...
Description:
type: merge-request   <-- Correct type is in description, not in actual type field
```

## Impact

`gt mq list` shows empty queue because it queries for `type: merge-request`

## Fix

`gt mq submit` should set `--type merge-request` when creating the bead.


gt mail reply/thread: Conversation support

Add mail conversation features:

- gt mail reply <id> -m 'message' - Reply to a message
- gt mail thread <id> - Show all messages in a thread

Enables back-and-forth communication between agents.


Merge: gt-frs

branch: polecat/Slit
target: main
source_issue: gt-frs
rig: gastown


Spawn inject: Enter not submitted after multiline paste

When gt spawn injects a multiline context (85+ lines), Claude Code shows
'[Pasted text #1 +85 lines]' but the prompt is not submitted.

The tmux SendKeys function does include 'Enter' but it appears to not work
for long pasted text:

```go
func (t *Tmux) SendKeys(session, keys string) error {
    _, err := t.run("send-keys", "-t", session, keys, "Enter")
    return err
}
```

Possible fixes:
1. Use tmux paste-buffer instead of send-keys for long text
2. Send Enter separately after the text
3. Use bracketed paste mode correctly

Reproduction:
```bash
gt spawn gastown/Nux --issue gt-u1j.13 --create
# Session shows pasted text but waits at prompt
```


gt witness: Witness management commands

Add 'gt witness' command group for witness lifecycle management.

Subcommands:
- gt witness start [rig] - Start witness for a rig
- gt witness stop [rig] - Stop witness
- gt witness status [rig] - Show witness status
- gt witness attach [rig] - Attach to witness session

Witness monitors polecats and handles:
- Idle detection and cleanup
- Session health checks
- Nudging stuck agents


Add hook-attachment-valid doctor check

Add gt doctor check to verify attached molecules exist and are not closed.

Check: hook-attachment-valid
Error if: Hook's attached_molecule field points to non-existent or closed issue
Fix suggestion: Clear attachment with gt mol detach


Merge: gt-yd98

branch: polecat/valkyrie
target: main
source_issue: gt-yd98
rig: gastown


gt rig add / gt doctor: patrol awareness and wiring

## Problem

When a rig is installed or audited, we need to ensure all built-in patrols and role hooks are properly wired up.

## gt rig add Changes

When adding a rig, automatically:

1. **Create patrol molecules** for each role:
   - mol-deacon-patrol (town-level)
   - mol-witness-patrol (per-rig)
   - mol-refinery-patrol (per-rig)

2. **Set up hooks** that trigger patrols:
   - Deacon: daemon timer / heartbeat
   - Witness: daemon timer / polecat lifecycle events
   - Refinery: MR submission events / daemon timer

3. **Configure daemon** to manage these patrols:
   - Register patrol molecules in daemon config
   - Set up respawn behavior for each role

4. **Create plugin directories**:
   - ~/gt/plugins/ (town-level)
   - <rig>/plugins/ (rig-level, if needed)

## gt doctor Changes

Add patrol health checks:

### patrol-molecules-exist
- Verify mol-deacon-patrol, mol-witness-patrol, mol-refinery-patrol exist
- Check they parse correctly (valid steps, dependencies)

### patrol-hooks-wired
- Verify hooks trigger patrol execution
- Check daemon is configured to manage patrols

### patrol-not-stuck
- Detect wisps that have been in-progress too long
- Flag orphaned patrol molecules (no active session)

### patrol-plugins-accessible
- Verify plugin directories exist and are readable
- Check plugin frontmatter parses correctly

### patrol-roles-have-prompts
- Verify prompts/roles/*.md exist for each role
- Check they reference the correct patrol molecule

## Auto-fix

gt doctor --fix can:
- Create missing patrol molecules
- Wire up missing hooks
- Create plugin directories
- NOT restart stuck patrols (needs human decision)

## Related
- gt-7920 (mol-refinery-patrol)
- gt-7921 (await-work and plugin-run)
- docs/wisp-architecture.md


Refinery Patrol Cycle


Add harness overview to Mayor priming

Update gt prime Mayor context to explain the harness concept: umbrella repo for GT installation, rigs underneath, Mayor sits above all rigs


Merge: gt-h6eq.5

branch: polecat/keeper
target: main
source_issue: gt-h6eq.5
rig: gastown


Session management: start, stop, attach, capture

Polecat session lifecycle management.

## Interface

```go
type SessionManager struct {
    tmux *Tmux
    rig  *Rig
}

func NewSessionManager(tmux *Tmux, rig *Rig) *SessionManager

// Lifecycle
func (sm *SessionManager) Start(polecat string, opts StartOptions) error
func (sm *SessionManager) Stop(polecat string) error
func (sm *SessionManager) IsRunning(polecat string) (bool, error)
func (sm *SessionManager) List() ([]SessionInfo, error)

// Interaction
func (sm *SessionManager) Attach(polecat string) error
func (sm *SessionManager) Capture(polecat string, lines int) (string, error)
func (sm *SessionManager) Inject(polecat string, message string) error

type StartOptions struct {
    WorkDir   string   // defaults to polecat clone dir
    Issue     string   // optional: issue to work on
    Command   string   // optional: override claude command
}

type SessionInfo struct {
    Polecat   string
    SessionID string
    Running   bool
    StartedAt time.Time
}
```

## Session Naming

`gt-<rig>-<polecat>` (e.g., `gt-wyvern-Toast`)

## Start Flow

1. Verify polecat clone exists
2. Check no existing session
3. Create tmux session in polecat workdir
4. Send initial command: `claude` or custom
5. If issue provided, inject initial prompt

## Stop Flow

1. Capture final output (for logging)
2. Send exit/quit command
3. Wait briefly for graceful shutdown
4. Kill session if still running

## Capture

Uses tmux capture-pane to get recent output. Returns last N lines.

## Inject

Sends text to session via tmux send-keys. Used for:
- Mail notifications
- Witness nudges
- User messages


Create mol-gastown-polecat derived molecule

Create the standard Gas Town polecat workflow molecule.

## Molecule Definition
\`\`\`markdown
## Molecule: gastown-polecat
Full workflow for Gas Town polecats including binary installation.

Includes: mol-engineer-in-box

## Step: install-binary
After merge is submitted, rebuild and install the local gt binary.
This ensures the latest code is available to all local agents.

Run from the rig directory:
\`\`\`
go build -o gt ./cmd/gt
go install ./cmd/gt
\`\`\`

Needs: submit
\`\`\`

## Why This Molecule
Every polecat that pushes to main should also rebuild the binary.
This ensures the installed gt is always current with main.

## Implementation
1. Add to builtin_molecules.go (after Includes support lands)
2. Update SeedBuiltinMolecules
3. Run gt molecule seed

## Acceptance
- [ ] mol-gastown-polecat exists
- [ ] Includes all engineer-in-box steps
- [ ] Adds install-binary step after submit
- [ ] Can be used with gt spawn --molecule


mol-polecat-arm

Single polecat inspection and action cycle.

This molecule is bonded dynamically by mol-witness-patrol's survey-workers step.
Each polecat being monitored gets one arm.

## Variables

| Variable | Required | Description |
|----------|----------|-------------|
| polecat_name | Yes | Name of the polecat to inspect |
| rig | Yes | Rig containing the polecat |

## Steps

### capture
Capture recent tmux output for this polecat.

```bash
tmux capture-pane -t gt-{{rig}}-{{polecat_name}} -p | tail -50
```

Record:
- Last activity timestamp (when was last tool call?)
- Visible errors or stack traces
- Completion indicators ("Done", "Finished", etc.)

### assess
Categorize polecat state.

States:
- **working**: Recent tool calls, active processing
- **idle**: At prompt, no recent activity
- **error**: Showing errors or stack traces
- **requesting_shutdown**: Sent LIFECYCLE/Shutdown mail
- **done**: Showing completion indicators

Calculate: minutes since last activity.
Needs: capture

### load-history
Read nudge history for this polecat from patrol state.

```
nudge_count = state.nudges[{{polecat_name}}].count
last_nudge_time = state.nudges[{{polecat_name}}].timestamp
```

Needs: assess

### decide
Apply the nudge matrix to determine action.

| State | Idle Time | Nudge Count | Action |
|-------|-----------|-------------|--------|
| working | any | any | none |
| idle | <10min | any | none |
| idle | 10-15min | 0 | nudge-1 (gentle) |
| idle | 15-20min | 1 | nudge-2 (direct) |
| idle | 20+min | 2 | nudge-3 (final) |
| idle | any | 3 | escalate |
| error | any | any | assess-severity |
| requesting_shutdown | any | any | pre-kill-verify |
| done | any | any | pre-kill-verify |

Nudge text:
1. "How's progress? Need any help?"
2. "Please wrap up soon. What's blocking you?"
3. "Final check. Will escalate in 5 min if no response."

Record decision and rationale.
Needs: load-history

### execute
Take the decided action.

**nudge-N**:
```bash
tmux send-keys -t gt-{{rig}}-{{polecat_name}} "{{nudge_text}}" Enter
```

**pre-kill-verify**:
```bash
cd polecats/{{polecat_name}}
git status                    # Must be clean
git log origin/main..HEAD     # Check for unpushed
bd show <assigned-issue>      # Verify closed/deferred
```
If clean: kill session, remove worktree, delete branch
If dirty: record failure, retry next cycle

**escalate**:
```bash
gt mail send mayor/ -s "Escalation: {{polecat_name}} stuck" -m "..."
```

**none**: No action needed.

Record: action taken, result, updated nudge count.
Needs: decide

## Output

The arm completes with:
- action_taken: none | nudge-1 | nudge-2 | nudge-3 | killed | escalated
- result: success | failed | pending
- updated_state: New nudge count and timestamp

This data feeds back to the patrol's aggregate step.

Labels: [template, christmas-ornament, polecat-arm]


Post-work discovery: AI analysis finds follow-on issues

AI analyzes completed work to discover: bugs, punted work, follow-on tasks.

**From VC**: Supervisor.AnalyzeResult() with iterative refinement. ~300 lines.

**Gas Town implementation**: Post-work hook in molecule:
```yaml
post_work:
  discover:
    - bugs
    - punted_items
    - follow_on_work
  file_as: beads
```

Polecat output gets analyzed by AI, discovered work becomes beads issues.

**Value**: Nothing gets forgotten. VC found ~25% more issues with refinement.

**Key**: Use semantic deduplication (gt-xxx) to avoid pollution.


Test7

Test with fixed workdir


Zombie session detection for refinery/witness

A Claude session can crash or hang while still appearing as 'running' in tmux. The current IsRunning checks only verify tmux session exists, not that Claude is actually processing.

## Problem
- Refinery session might be hung (Claude crashed, infinite loop, etc.)
- tmux HasSession returns true, so auto-start doesn't trigger
- MRs pile up with no processing

## Solution Options
1. **Activity-based detection**: Check last output timestamp in tmux
2. **Heartbeat file**: Agents write timestamp to file, check staleness
3. **Prompt detection**: Look for Claude '>' prompt indicating idle/stuck

## Related
- gt-bjft (spawn auto-start) assumes IsRunning means healthy
- Witness patrol assumes running refinery is processing


Outpost error handling: Retry logic and resilience

## Overview

Error handling and retry logic for outpost operations.

## Error Types

```go
var (
    ErrOutpostUnreachable = errors.New("outpost unreachable")
    ErrWorkerSpawnFailed  = errors.New("worker spawn failed")
    ErrWorkerTimeout      = errors.New("worker timed out")
    ErrCostCapExceeded    = errors.New("cost cap exceeded")
    ErrAllOutpostsBusy    = errors.New("all outposts at capacity")
)
```

## Retry Policy

```go
type RetryPolicy struct {
    MaxAttempts     int
    InitialBackoff  time.Duration
    MaxBackoff      time.Duration
    BackoffFactor   float64
    RetryableErrors []error
}

func DefaultRetryPolicy() *RetryPolicy {
    return &RetryPolicy{
        MaxAttempts:    3,
        InitialBackoff: 1 * time.Second,
        MaxBackoff:     30 * time.Second,
        BackoffFactor:  2.0,
        RetryableErrors: []error{
            ErrOutpostUnreachable,
            ErrWorkerSpawnFailed,
        },
    }
}
```

## Retry Implementation

```go
func (m *OutpostManager) SpawnWithRetry(issue string, cfg WorkerConfig) (Worker, error) {
    var lastErr error
    backoff := m.retryPolicy.InitialBackoff

    for attempt := 0; attempt < m.retryPolicy.MaxAttempts; attempt++ {
        outpost := m.policy.SelectOutpost(issue, m.outposts)
        if outpost == nil {
            return nil, ErrAllOutpostsBusy
        }

        worker, err := outpost.Spawn(issue, cfg)
        if err == nil {
            return worker, nil
        }

        if !m.isRetryable(err) {
            return nil, err
        }

        lastErr = err
        time.Sleep(backoff)
        backoff = min(backoff * m.retryPolicy.BackoffFactor, m.retryPolicy.MaxBackoff)
    }

    return nil, fmt.Errorf("spawn failed after %d attempts: %w",
        m.retryPolicy.MaxAttempts, lastErr)
}
```

## Outpost Health Tracking

```go
type OutpostHealth struct {
    LastPing      time.Time
    LastError     error
    FailureCount  int
    CircuitBreaker bool  // If true, skip this outpost
}

func (m *OutpostManager) updateHealth(name string, err error) {
    // Track failures, open circuit breaker after N failures
    // Auto-reset after successful ping
}
```

## Config

```yaml
policy:
  retry:
    max_attempts: 3
    initial_backoff: 1s
    max_backoff: 30s

  circuit_breaker:
    failure_threshold: 5
    reset_timeout: 1m
```

## Files

- `internal/outpost/retry.go`
- `internal/outpost/health.go`

## Dependencies

Depends on: gt-9a2.3 (OutpostManager)
Can be done after basic outpost implementations work.


Merge: gt-h5n.5

branch: polecat/Scabrous
target: main
source_issue: gt-h5n.5
rig: gastown


Swarm state persistence: manifest + state + events

Upgrade swarm persistence to match PGT pattern.

## Current State
Single .gastown/swarms.json with all swarms.

## Target State (per-swarm)
```
.gastown/swarms/
└── <swarm-id>/
    ├── manifest.json  # Immutable config
    ├── state.json     # Mutable progress
    ├── events.jsonl   # Audit log
    └── report.md      # Generated report
```

## File Schemas

### manifest.json (immutable after creation)
```json
{
  "id": "sw-1",
  "title": "Epic description",
  "epic_id": "gt-abc",
  "rig": "gastown",
  "base_commit": "abc123",
  "integration_branch": "swarm/sw-1",
  "target_branch": "main",
  "workers": ["Toast", "Nux"],
  "tasks": [{"id": "gt-xyz", "title": "..."}],
  "created_at": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"
}
```

### state.json (mutable)
```json
{
  "state": "active",
  "task_states": {
    "gt-xyz": {"state": "merged", "assignee": "Toast"}
  },
  "updated_at": "2024-01-01T01:00:00Z",
  "error": null
}
```

### events.jsonl (append-only audit)
```jsonl
{"event": "created", "ts": "...", "data": {...}}
{"event": "task_assigned", "ts": "...", "data": {...}}
{"event": "task_merged", "ts": "...", "data": {...}}
```

## Benefits
- Audit trail via events.jsonl
- Manifest immutability prevents corruption
- Cleaner separation of concerns
- Per-swarm isolation

## Migration
Keep backward compat with swarms.json during transition.

## Files to Modify
- internal/swarm/manager.go: Refactor persistence
- internal/cmd/swarm.go: SwarmStore → directory-based

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Per-swarm directory structure
- [ ] Events logged to JSONL
- [ ] Manifest immutable after creation
- [ ] List command aggregates from directories


gt spawn should auto-start refinery/witness if not running

When spawning a polecat, the infrastructure (refinery, witness) should already be running.

## Current Behavior
spawn.go only:1. Assigns issue to polecat2. Sends work mail3. Starts polecat session

The refinery and witness must be started separately.

## Expected Behavior (per user feedback)
When spawning a polecat, if the rig's refinery or witness is not running, auto-start them.

## Options

### Option A: spawn auto-starts infrastructure
Check if refinery/witness running before spawn, start if not.

### Option B: gt swarm start <rig> command
Explicit command that:
1. Starts refinery
2. Starts witness
3. Optionally spawns polecats on bd ready issues

### Option C: gt rig start <rig>
Similar to Option B but as rig lifecycle command.

## Related
- gt-n7z7: refinery --foreground race condition bug
- gt-u1j.18: witness CLI commands


Recreate beads rigs with fresh clones

## Problem

Beads rigs have schema mismatches (missing thread_id column, etc.) from development iteration.

## Tasks

1. Shut down any active polecats
2. Delete existing beads rigs: mayor/rig, refinery/rig, witness/rig, crew/*
3. Re-clone from beads repo
4. Run bd init in each new clone

## Rigs to recreate

- /Users/stevey/gt/beads/mayor/rig
- /Users/stevey/gt/beads/refinery/rig
- /Users/stevey/gt/beads/crew/* (if any)

## Source

Clone from beads repo (need to confirm remote URL)


Phase 1.4: Basic patrol runner in Deacon

Deacon CLAUDE.md and prime context for patrol execution.

## Deacon Context
- Update Deacon CLAUDE.md with patrol instructions
- On wake: check pinned bead for attachment
- If attached: resume molecule from current step
- Execute steps, close each when done
- On final step: burn molecule, go naked

## gt prime Enhancement
- Detect if agent has attached molecule
- Show molecule progress in prime output
- Include patrol-specific instructions

Depends: gt-rana.3


Beads CLI wrapper: shell out to bd

Wrapper for bd (beads CLI) commands.

## Interface

```go
type Beads struct {
    workDir string
}

func NewBeads(workDir string) *Beads

// Query
func (b *Beads) List(opts ListOptions) ([]*Issue, error)
func (b *Beads) Ready() ([]*Issue, error)
func (b *Beads) Show(id string) (*Issue, error)
func (b *Beads) Blocked() ([]*Issue, error)

// Mutations
func (b *Beads) Create(opts CreateOptions) (*Issue, error)
func (b *Beads) Update(id string, opts UpdateOptions) error
func (b *Beads) Close(ids ...string) error

// Sync
func (b *Beads) Sync() error
func (b *Beads) SyncStatus() (*SyncStatus, error)
```

## Data Types

```go
type Issue struct {
    ID          string
    Title       string
    Status      string
    Priority    int
    Type        string
    Description string
    Parent      string
    Children    []string
    DependsOn   []string
    Blocks      []string
}

type ListOptions struct {
    Status   string  // "open", "closed", "all"
    Type     string
    Priority int
}

type CreateOptions struct {
    Title       string
    Type        string
    Priority    int
    Description string
    Parent      string
}
```

## Implementation

Shell out to bd binary, parse JSON output where available.
```go
func (b *Beads) runBd(args ...string) ([]byte, error) {
    cmd := exec.Command("bd", args...)
    cmd.Dir = b.workDir
    return cmd.Output()
}
```

## Error Handling

- bd not installed: Clear error with install instructions
- Not a beads repo: Detect and report
- Sync conflicts: Parse and report


implement

Implement the solution for gt-test123. Follow codebase conventions.
File discovered work as new issues with bd create.

Make regular commits with clear messages.
Keep changes focused on the assigned issue.

Depends: load-context


mol-ready-work variants: safe vs aggressive

## Summary

Create two variants of mol-ready-work:

### mol-ready-work-safe (default)
- PRs: review and comment, but require human approval for merge
- Issues: triage only, don't auto-close
- Beads: implement but create PR instead of pushing to main

### mol-ready-work-aggressive
- PRs: can approve and merge directly
- Issues: can close duplicates/invalid
- Beads: can push directly to main

## Implementation
Could be a single molecule with a `{{mode}}` variable, or two separate protos.

## Parent
Part of gt-tnca (mol-ready-work epic)


gt daemon: Background service management

## Summary

ONE daemon for all Gas Town - a simple Go process (not a Claude agent) that:
1. Pokes agents periodically (heartbeat)
2. Processes lifecycle requests
3. Restarts sessions when agents request cycling

## Architecture

Daemon (gt daemon)
- Pokes Mayor: "HEARTBEAT: check your rigs"
- Pokes each Witness: "HEARTBEAT: check your workers"
- Has inbox at daemon/ for lifecycle requests
- Restarts sessions on cycle requests

## NOT the daemon's job:
- Making decisions (Witnesses do that)
- Running Claude (it's a Go process)
- Processing work (polecats do that)
- Direct polecat management (Witnesses do that)

The daemon is a **dumb scheduler** - poke things, execute lifecycle requests. All intelligence is in agents.

## Commands

- gt daemon start: Start daemon (background)
- gt daemon stop: Stop daemon
- gt daemon status: Show daemon status
- gt daemon logs: View daemon logs

## Daemon Loop

Every heartbeat interval:
1. Poke Mayor
2. For each rig: Poke Witness
3. Process lifecycle requests from daemon/ inbox
4. Check for dead sessions, restart if cycle requested

## Lifecycle Request Handling

Daemon checks its inbox (daemon/) for lifecycle requests:
- From Mayor: cycle/restart Mayor session
- From Witnesses: cycle/restart Witness session

On request:
1. Verify agent state shows requesting_cycle
2. Kill session
3. Start new session
4. Clear requesting_cycle flag

## Poke Protocol

Poke = tmux inject "HEARTBEAT: do your job"
- Agent ignores if already working
- Agent wakes up if idle
- Idempotent - multiple pokes are fine

## Lifecycle Hierarchy

- Daemon manages: Mayor, all Witnesses
- Witness manages: Polecats, Refinery (per rig)
- Crew: self-managed (human workspace)

## Related Issues

- gt-kmn.11: Daemon heartbeat details
- gt-gby: gt handoff command (unified lifecycle)
- gt-u1j.9: Fold witness daemon into this


Implement await type handlers (gh:run, gh:pr, timer, human, mail)

Implement condition checking for each await type.

## Handlers Needed
- gh:run:<id> - Check GitHub Actions run status via gh CLI
- gh:pr:<id> - Check PR merged/closed status via gh CLI
- timer:<duration> - Simple elapsed time check
- human:<prompt> - Check for human approval (via mail?)
- mail:<pattern> - Check for mail matching pattern

## Interface
```go
type AwaitHandler interface {
    Check(awaitID string) (completed bool, result string, err error)
}
```

## Moved from beads
Originally bd-2l03. Deacon handlers belong in gastown.


Create handoff beads for Witness and Refinery roles

Each patrol role needs a pinned handoff bead to track attached molecules.

## Pattern (from Deacon)
- Title: '\<role\> Handoff' (e.g., 'witness Handoff', 'refinery Handoff')
- Status: pinned
- Description contains:
  ```
  attached_molecule: \<mol-id\>
  attached_at: \<timestamp\>
  ```

## Tasks
1. Create 'witness Handoff' bead in each rig's beads
2. Create 'refinery Handoff' bead in each rig's beads
3. Update Witness/Refinery startup to check handoff bead for attached work
4. Update templates to document handoff bead usage

## Note
These are rig-level beads (in gastown/.beads/, beads/.beads/), not town-level like deacon Handoff (in ~/gt/.beads/).


Create DEACON.md role context

Create ~/gt/DEACON.md with the Deacon's role context, wake cycle instructions, and command reference. Model after existing CLAUDE.md for Mayor.


Design mol-ready-work patrol for crew workers

## Summary

Design and implement a protomolecule (mol-ready-work) that enables crew workers to autonomously work through backlogs when the overseer is away. This replaces the normal "await instructions" patrol step with productive backlog processing.

## Context

Crew workers like dave/joe are persistent, user-managed agents. Currently their patrol loop has an "await instructions" step that idles. We want an alternative: sling mol-ready-work at them and they crank through backlogs until:
- The overseer interrupts with new instructions
- Context fills up (request handoff)
- Backlogs are empty

## Backlogs (Priority Order)

1. **Open PRs** - Review/merge pending pull requests
2. **Untriaged GH issues** - New issues needing triage
3. **Open beads work** - bd ready items (unblocked issues)
4. **Triaged GH issues** - Bugs/features to implement

## Key Features

### ROI-Based Selection
Instead of strict priority, agent applies ROI heuristic:
- Size estimate (fits in remaining context?)
- Achievability (has all needed info?)
- Impact (priority + type weight)
- Pick highest-value achievable item

### Context Management
- Check token usage after each work item
- Request handoff before running out
- Leave clear handoff notes (mail to self)
- Next session picks up the patrol

### Patrol Loop Structure
```
orient → scan-backlogs → select-work → execute-work → check-context → (loop or handoff)
```

## Design Questions

1. How does gt sling work? Does it exist?
2. How does this interact with the normal crew patrol?
3. Should the molecule go in Gas Town catalog or per-rig?
4. How does bonding work for discovered work during execution?
5. Should this be a wisp (ephemeral) or mol (persistent)?

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] mol-ready-work protomolecule defined in catalog
- [ ] gt sling command implemented (or existing mechanism documented)
- [ ] Context-checking step works with agent token awareness
- [ ] Handoff mechanism integrates with gt mail
- [ ] Documentation for crew workers on using the patrol


Polecat management: add, remove, list, state

Polecat lifecycle: add, remove, list, state tracking.

## Data Model

```go
type Polecat struct {
    Name      string          `json:"name"`
    Rig       string          `json:"rig"`
    State     PolecatState    `json:"state"`
    ClonePath string          `json:"clone_path"`
    Branch    string          `json:"branch"`
    Issue     string          `json:"issue,omitempty"`
    CreatedAt time.Time       `json:"created_at"`
    UpdatedAt time.Time       `json:"updated_at"`
}

type PolecatState string
const (
    StateIdle       PolecatState = "idle"
    StateActive     PolecatState = "active"
    StateWorking    PolecatState = "working"
    StateDone       PolecatState = "done"
    StateStuck      PolecatState = "stuck"
)
```

## Interface

```go
type PolecatManager struct {
    rig *Rig
    git *Git
}

func NewPolecatManager(rig *Rig, git *Git) *PolecatManager

// Lifecycle
func (pm *PolecatManager) Add(name string) (*Polecat, error)
func (pm *PolecatManager) Remove(name string) error
func (pm *PolecatManager) List() ([]*Polecat, error)
func (pm *PolecatManager) Get(name string) (*Polecat, error)

// State
func (pm *PolecatManager) SetState(name string, state PolecatState) error
func (pm *PolecatManager) AssignIssue(name, issue string) error
func (pm *PolecatManager) ClearIssue(name string) error

// Convenience
func (pm *PolecatManager) Wake(name string) error   // idle → active
func (pm *PolecatManager) Sleep(name string) error  // active → idle
```

## Add Flow

1. Create directory: `<rig>/polecats/<name>/`
2. Clone rig repo into it (or copy from rig root)
3. Create new branch: `polecat/<name>`
4. Initialize polecat state file
5. Create mail inbox

## Remove Flow

1. Verify session not running
2. Check for uncommitted changes (warn/error)
3. Remove directory
4. Clean up state

## State Persistence

Store in `<rig>/polecats/<name>/state.json`


mol-deacon-patrol

[RESURRECTED] This issue was deleted but recreated as a tombstone to preserve hierarchical structure.

Original description:
Deacon patrol molecule template. Label: template


Polecat wisp architecture: Proto → Wisp → Mol pattern

Design the three-layer architecture for polecat lifecycle:

## The Insight

Polecats should run a ONE-SHOT WISP (not looping like patrols):

**Step 1: Onboard**
- Read full polecat protocol (polecat.md template)
- Learn Gas Town operation, exit strategies, molecule protocol
- This is the 'how to be a polecat' education

**Step 2: Execute Mol**
- Run the assigned molecule (the actual work item)
- Could span multiple sessions via session continuity
- The mol is pure work content (epic, issue, feature)

**Step 3: Cleanup**
- Run final step of the wisp
- Self-delete / request shutdown

## Three Layers

- **Proto**: polecat.md template (instructions for being a polecat)
- **Wisp**: One-shot harness instantiated from proto (wraps the mol)
- **Mol**: The work item (issue/epic being processed)

## Why This Matters

1. **Separation of concerns**: Protocol (how) vs Work (what)
2. **Reusability**: Same wisp harness wraps any mol
3. **Extensibility**: Plugin points for custom behavior
4. **Session continuity**: Wisp handles multi-session, not the mol
5. **Blurred control/data planes**: Intentional in Gas Town

## Design Questions

1. How does proto (polecat.md) become a wisp instance?
2. What are the plugin/extension points?
3. Should all 'engineer in a box' mols use proto → wisp → mol?
4. How does this relate to refinery/deacon patterns?


tmux notifications: display-message too subtle, use send-keys instead

## Problem

`tmux display-message` notifications are not visible enough - they appear briefly in the status bar and are easy to miss.

## Current Behavior

router.go uses:
```go
r.tmux.DisplayMessageDefault(sessionID, notification)
```

## What Works

Sending echo commands directly to the terminal:
```bash
tmux send-keys -t <session> "echo '📬 NEW MAIL from mayor'" Enter
```

## Proposed Fix

Change notification method to send visible output to the terminal, perhaps with a box/banner:
```
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📬 NEW MAIL from mayor
Subject: <subject>
Run: bd mail inbox
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
```

## Considerations

- This interrupts the terminal output (acceptable for important mail)
- Could check if Claude is mid-response and queue notification
- Or use tmux popup if available

Additional issues:
1. Enter key not sent properly when chained with send-keys
2. Need to debounce and send Enter separately
3. Correct pattern: send text, sleep briefly, then send Enter


Mayor startup protocol prompting

Add startup protocol to Mayor CLAUDE.md template.

## On Session Start

1. Check for handoff:
   town inbox | grep "Session Handoff"

2. If handoff found:
   - Read it: town read <msg-id>
   - Process pending escalations (highest priority)
   - Check status of noted swarms
   - Verify rig health matches notes
   - Continue with documented next steps

3. If no handoff:
   town status     # Overall health
   town rigs       # Each rig
   bd ready        # Work items
   town inbox      # Any messages
   Build your own picture of current state.

4. After processing handoff:
   - Archive or delete the handoff message
   - You now own the current state

## Handoff Best Practices

- Be specific: 'Toast has merge conflict in auth/middleware.go' not 'Toast is stuck'
- Include context: Why decisions are pending, what you were thinking
- Prioritize next steps: What is most urgent
- Note time-sensitive items: Anything that might have changed since handoff


Worker prompting: Beads write access

Add beads write access section to polecat AGENTS.md.template.

## Beads Access Section for Prompting

```markdown
## Beads Access

You have **full beads access** - create, update, and close issues.

### Quick Reference

```bash
# View work
bd ready                    # Issues ready (no blockers)
bd list                     # All open issues
bd show <id>                # Issue details

# Create issues
bd create --title="Fix bug" --type=bug --priority=2
bd create --title="Add feature" --type=feature

# Update issues
bd update <id> --status=in_progress    # Claim work
bd close <id>                          # Mark complete

# Sync (required before merge!)
bd sync                     # Commit beads changes to git
```

### When to Create Issues

Create beads issues when you discover work that:
- Is outside your current task scope
- Would benefit from tracking
- Should be done by someone else

**Good examples**:
```bash
bd create --title="Race condition in auth" --type=bug --priority=1
bd create --title="Document API rate limits" --type=task --priority=3
```

**Don't create for**:
- Tiny fixes you can do in 2 minutes
- Vague "improvements" with no scope
- Work already tracked elsewhere

### Beads Sync Protocol

**CRITICAL**: Always sync beads before merging!

```bash
bd sync                    # Commits beads changes
git add .beads/
git commit -m "beads: sync"
```

If you forget to sync, beads changes are lost when session ends.
```

## Implementation

Add to AGENTS.md.template polecat section.


Merge: gt-rixa

branch: polecat/furiosa
target: main
source_issue: gt-rixa
rig: gastown


gt mail: Cross-level routing is broken

When Mayor sends mail to rig worker, message lands in wrong beads database. Sender's beads vs recipient's.


Work on ga-y6b: Implement Refinery as Claude agent. Conve...

Work on ga-y6b: Implement Refinery as Claude agent. Convert from shell to Claude agent that processes MRs in merge queue, runs tests, merges to integration branch. When done, submit MR (not PR) to integration branch for Refinery.


Molecule schema: YAML format for workflow definitions

Define the YAML schema for molecule definitions:

```yaml
molecule: <name>
version: 1
description: "Human description"
steps:
  - id: <step-id>
    title: "Step title"
    prompt: "Instructions for agent"
    depends: [<other-step-ids>]  # optional
    tier: haiku|sonnet|opus      # optional, default from config
    timeout: 30m                 # optional
```

Store molecules in:
- `<rig>/molecules/<name>.yaml` for rig-specific
- `<town>/molecules/<name>.yaml` for town-wide

Built-in molecules to ship:
- engineer-in-box: design→code→review→test→submit
- quick-fix: implement→test→submit
- research: investigate→document


Pinned Beads: Ongoing concerns and anchors

Pinned beads represent persistent concerns that do not close traditionally. Stay out of bd ready. Examples: Monitor production, Weekly syncs. Implementation: pinned: true field on bead.


orphan-check

Find abandoned work. Check for in_progress issues with no active agent.


Extend auto-continue to polecats (not just crew)

gt prime currently only outputs AUTO-CONTINUE MODE for crew workers.
Polecats with attached work should also auto-continue.

## Current behavior
outputCrewAttachmentStatus() in prime.go:
- Only runs for RoleCrew
- Outputs '→ AUTO-CONTINUE MODE' when attached work detected

## Desired behavior
- Rename to outputAttachmentStatus() or similar
- Run for RoleCrew AND RolePolecat
- Same directive: if attachment exists, work immediately

## The Propulsion Principle
'If you find something on your hook, YOU RUN IT.'

This applies to ALL workers, not just crew.

## Implementation
1. Extend role check in outputCrewAttachmentStatus()
2. Adjust assignee detection for polecats vs crew
3. Test with both worker types


Split PGT/GGT harness or migrate to GGT-only

Current ~/ai harness is shared by PGT and GGT with confusing overlap. Options:
1. Keep separate (document the coexistence)
2. Migrate fully to GGT structure
3. Create separate harnesses

This affects the beads redirect, Mayor home location, and rig structure.


Track operational stats as entity/audit beads

Witness and refinery track operational stats in JSON files:
- total_merged, today_merged, total_failed (refinery)
- total_checks, total_nudges, total_escalations (witness)

For HOP entity CV tracking, these could become:
- type=audit beads (daily roll-ups of operational metrics)
- Entity chain entries showing validator activity

This provides observability and contributes to entity reputation tracking (e.g., refinery X has merged 500 PRs with 2% failure rate).

Not critical for launch but aligns with HOP Platform of Platforms vision.


Work on gt-role-template: Refine witness/CLAUDE.md role t...

Work on gt-role-template: Refine witness/CLAUDE.md role template. See issue for details. Run 'bd show gt-role-template' to see the full issue.


Add molecules.jsonl as separate catalog file for template molecules


Create mol-refinery-patrol with test failure gates

## Problem

The Refinery role lacks:
1. A formal patrol molecule (Deacon has mol-deacon-patrol)
2. Engineer identity/philosophy guidance
3. Structural enforcement of failure handling (not just documentation)

When tests fail during merge processing, the current guidance doesn't prevent 'disavowal' - noting a problem exists and proceeding without tracking it.

## The Structural Solution

Create `mol-refinery-patrol` with **verification gates** that make disavowal structurally impossible:

```markdown
## Molecule: mol-refinery-patrol

## Step: inbox-check
Check mail for MR submissions, escalations, messages.
Process any urgent items first.

## Step: queue-scan
Fetch remote, identify polecat branches waiting.
If queue empty, skip to context-check.
Track branch list for this cycle.
Needs: inbox-check

## Step: process-branch
Pick next branch. Rebase on current main.
If rebase conflicts: notify polecat, skip to next branch.
Needs: queue-scan

## Step: run-tests
Run go test ./...
Track results (pass/fail count).
Needs: process-branch

## Step: handle-failures
**GATE**: If tests passed, this step auto-completes.
If tests failed:
- Diagnose: branch regression or pre-existing?
- Branch regression → abort, notify polecat
- Pre-existing → EITHER fix OR \`bd create --type=bug\`
**VERIFY**: Fix committed OR bead filed before proceeding.
Needs: run-tests

## Step: merge-push
Merge to main (ff-only preferred).
Push immediately.
Delete polecat branch.
Needs: handle-failures

## Step: loop-check
More branches? Return to process-branch.
Otherwise continue to summary.
Needs: merge-push

## Step: generate-summary
Summarize cycle: branches processed, tests results, issues filed.
Needs: loop-check

## Step: context-check
Check context usage.
If high: write handoff, prepare for burn/respawn.
Needs: generate-summary

## Step: burn-or-loop
If context LOW and queue non-empty: loop (return to queue-scan)
If context HIGH or queue empty: burn and exit
Needs: context-check
```

## Implementation Tasks

### 1. Add RefineryPatrolMolecule() to builtin_molecules.go
- Copy pattern from DeaconPatrolMolecule
- Include all steps with proper `Needs:` dependencies
- Emphasize handle-failures gate in description

### 2. Update Refinery CLAUDE.md
Add sections:
- **The Engineer Mindset** (identity/philosophy)
- **The Scotty Test** (Would Scotty walk past this?)
- **Patrol Molecule** reference (mol-refinery-patrol)
- **Test Failure Protocol** (explicit decision tree)

### 3. Create prompts/roles/refinery.md
- Follow pattern of deacon.md
- Include patrol execution loop diagram
- Reference the molecule

### 4. Consider mol-witness-patrol
- Witness has detailed heartbeat protocol but no formal molecule
- Similar pattern could apply

## Why This Matters

GUPP: 'If you have work on your hook, you have to run it.'
The patrol molecule puts failure handling ON THE HOOK as a mandatory step.
You can't skip handle-failures to get to merge-push.
The structure enforces good behavior.

## Related
- gt-7919: Fix failing beads tests (discovered during this session)
- mol-deacon-patrol (existing pattern to follow)
- docs/molecular-chemistry.md (chemistry concepts)
- docs/wisp-architecture.md (wisp vs mol decision)


gt session restart/status: Complete session management

Add missing session subcommands:

- gt session restart <rig> <polecat> - Restart a session (stop + start)
- gt session status <rig> <polecat> - Show session status details

status should show:
- Running state
- Uptime
- Current activity
- Last output timestamp


Witness patrol: cleanup idle orphan polecats

Add patrol step to find and cleanup polecats that are idle with no assigned issue. These orphans occur when polecats crash before sending DONE or Witness misses the message. Patrol should verify git is clean before removing worktree. Part of gt-rana.


/restart: Personal slash command for in-place agent restart

Create ~/.claude/commands/restart.md that restarts current Gas Town agent in place.

## Detection
- Read tmux session name: gt-mayor, gt-witness-*, gt-refinery-*, gt-polecat-*
- Fallback: check GT_ROLE env var

## Behavior by role
- mayor: gt mayor restart (sends Ctrl-C, loop respawns)
- witness: gt witness restart
- refinery: gt refinery restart
- polecat: gt polecat restart (or witness-mediated)

## Command format
Uses backticks for inline bash to detect context, then instructs Claude to run appropriate restart.


Add deacon/ mail identity support

Ensure deacon/ works as a mail identity in town-level beads. Test with bd mail send deacon/ and bd mail inbox --identity deacon/.


Polecats should not push branches to remote

## Current Behavior

Polecats push their branches to origin (e.g., `polecat/furiosa`), which pollutes the remote with many short-lived branches.

## Desired Behavior

Polecats should only commit locally. The Refinery handles all remote pushes:
1. Polecat works on local `polecat/<name>` branch
2. Polecat signals done (state → idle)
3. Refinery pulls from local polecat branch
4. Refinery runs tests, merges to main
5. Refinery pushes main to remote
6. If PR review needed, Refinery creates the PR

## Benefits

- Clean remote (no branch pollution)
- Clear responsibility (Refinery is the quality gate)
- Simpler cleanup (local branches deleted with worktree)
- Less noise in GitHub UI

## Trade-offs

- If polecat crashes before Refinery merges, code is lost locally
- But beads issue remains open, another polecat can redo the work
- This is acceptable for ephemeral workers

## Implementation

In polecat CLAUDE.md or landing protocol:
- Remove `git push origin HEAD` from workflow
- Replace with just `git commit` + signal done
- Refinery handles the rest


Swarms of One: Lightweight single-worker task dispatch

Design and implement a lightweight pattern for firing off single workers to handle tasks without full swarm overhead.

## Context

Currently we have:
- town spawn: Creates a polecat in a rig with issue assignment
- Swarms (sw-*): Full lifecycle tracking with manifest, state, events, reports
- Ephemeral rigs (rig-*): Temporary worker groups for swarms

What's missing: A simple way to say 'fire off a worker to do X' without swarm ceremony.

## Design Questions

1. Should this be a new command like 'gt fire' or an option on existing commands?
2. Should single tasks still get swarm IDs (sw-N) for consistency/queryability?
3. Should it default to creating new workers or support --reuse for idle polecats?
4. How does this relate to crew workers (gt-cik)?

## Possible Interface

gt fire --rig gastown --issue gt-xyz [--prompt '...']
gt fire gastown/QuickTask --issue gt-xyz

## Related

- gt-cik: Overseer Crew (user-managed persistent workspaces)
- gt-kmn: Swarm System epic


Digest: mol-deacon-patrol

Patrol OK: town quiet


Merge Queue in Beads: Universal chit system for all work

**Design doc**: docs/merge-queue-design.md


Refinery background daemon mode

The refinery 'gt refinery start' command only works in foreground mode (--foreground). Need to implement background daemon mode for production use.

Options:
1. Use a separate tmux session for the refinery
2. Implement proper daemonization
3. Use Claude Code session for the refinery agent

For MVP, option 1 (tmux session) is probably simplest.


Update lifecycle mail targets to deacon/

Update Mayor, Witness, and Crew handoff code to send lifecycle requests to deacon/ instead of daemon/. Update internal/cmd/handoff.go and related code.


Swarm learning: Spawn should auto-notify polecats

town spawn assigns issues but doesn't notify polecats. Required separate 'town session send' to inject prompts. This should be one atomic operation - spawn assigns AND pokes the polecat to start working.


Fetch and conflict check: git operations for MR

Implement git operations for MR processing.

Steps:
1. git fetch origin <mr.branch>
2. git checkout <mr.target> (main or integration/xxx)
3. git merge --no-commit --no-ff <mr.branch> (test merge)
4. Check for conflicts
5. If conflicts: abort and return Failure(conflict, files)
6. If clean: abort (actual merge in next step)

Helper functions:
- FetchBranch(branch string) error
- CheckConflicts(source, target string) ([]string, error)

Reference: docs/merge-queue-design.md#process-merge-steps


Design: Work flow simulation and validation

Validate GGT designs through simulation before implementation.

## Validation Approaches

### 1. Dry-Run Simulation (Recommended First)
Mayor walks through scenarios mentally/on paper:
- "If polecat Toast signals done with dirty git state, what happens?"
- "If Witness context fills mid-verification, what state is lost?"
- "If two polecats try to close same issue, what happens?"

Create beads for any gaps discovered.

### 2. Real Work in gastown-py
Use Python Gas Town to stress-test assumptions:
- Run actual batch work on test repos
- Observe edge cases in practice
- Document issues found

### 3. Edge Case Analysis
Systematic review of failure modes:
- Agent crashes mid-operation
- Network failures during sync
- Concurrent access to shared state
- Context limits hit at bad times

## Key Scenarios to Validate

- [ ] Witness session cycling (state preservation)
- [ ] Polecat decommission with dirty state
- [ ] Merge conflicts in queue
- [ ] Beads sync conflicts between workers
- [ ] Escalation path (stuck worker -> Mayor)
- [ ] Cross-rig communication
- [ ] Federation mail routing (future)

## Success Criteria

- No data loss scenarios identified
- Clear recovery paths for all failure modes
- Edge cases either handled or documented as limitations
- Design improves as model cognition improves

## Output

For each scenario validated:
1. Document in relevant bead if issue found
2. Create new beads for missing functionality
3. Update architecture.md if design changes


implement

Implement the solution for gt-test. Follow codebase conventions.
File discovered work as new issues with bd create.

Make regular commits with clear messages.
Keep changes focused on the assigned issue.

Depends: load-context


Merge: gt-92l

branch: polecat/Ace
target: main
source_issue: gt-92l
rig: gastown


Mail system: message types and threading

GGT mail system needs message types and threading like PGT.

## 1. Message Types
Add to internal/mail/types.go:
```go
type MessageType string
const (
    TypeTask         MessageType = "task"         // Required processing
    TypeScavenge     MessageType = "scavenge"     // Optional first-come work
    TypeNotification MessageType = "notification" // Informational
    TypeReply        MessageType = "reply"        // Response to message
)

// Update Message struct
type Message struct {
    // existing fields...
    Type     MessageType `json:"type"`
    ThreadID string      `json:"thread_id,omitempty"`
    ReplyTo  string      `json:"reply_to,omitempty"`
}
```

## 2. Priority Levels
Expand from 2 to 4:
```go
type Priority string
const (
    PriorityLow    Priority = "low"
    PriorityNormal Priority = "normal"
    PriorityHigh   Priority = "high"
    PriorityUrgent Priority = "urgent"
)
```

## 3. CLI Updates
internal/cmd/mail.go:
- Add --type flag to send: `gt mail send ... --type task`
- Add --reply-to flag: `gt mail send ... --reply-to <msg-id>`
- Add thread command: `gt mail thread <thread-id>`

## 4. Threading Logic
NewMessage() should auto-generate thread_id if not a reply.
Reply messages inherit thread_id from original.

## Files to Modify
- internal/mail/types.go: Add types, expand Priority
- internal/mail/mailbox.go: Thread filtering
- internal/cmd/mail.go: CLI flags and thread command

## PGT Reference
gastown-py/src/gastown/mail/message.py

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Messages have type field (default: notification)
- [ ] 4 priority levels supported
- [ ] Reply creates thread with shared thread_id
- [ ] gt mail thread <id> shows conversation


bd list --parent: filter by parent issue

Add --parent flag to bd list to filter issues by parent.

Example:
```bash
bd list --parent=gt-h5n --status=open
```

Would show all open children of gt-h5n.

Useful for:
- Checking epic progress
- Finding swarmable work within an epic
- Molecule step listing


Merge: gt-tnca.1

branch: polecat/immortan
target: main
source_issue: gt-tnca.1
rig: gastown


bd mail send: pinned column missing from schema

gt mail send fails with: sqlite3: SQL logic error: table issues has no column named pinned

Likely a schema migration issue - bd schema has 'pinned' field but SQLite table doesn't.

## Reproduction
gt mail send gastown/Immortan -s 'test' -m 'test'

## Error
table issues has no column named pinned

## Fix
Either:
1. Add migration to add pinned column
2. Remove pinned from insert if not present
3. Regenerate DB from JSONL


Plugin: plan-oracle (work decomposition)

Plugin that helps decompose epics/issues into sub-tasks. Analyzes scope, identifies dependencies, estimates complexity for parallelization, creates beads for sub-tasks with dependency links.


test pin issue


Auto-handoff: self-cycling with guaranteed work pickup

## Summary

A mechanism for agents to self-cycle: send handoff mail, request Deacon to kill the process, and automatically restart to pick up the work.

## Use Case

User says: `auto-handoff: gt-bug3`

The agent:
1. Sends handoff mail documenting current state
2. Requests Deacon to terminate the session
3. Deacon restarts the agent in background
4. New session picks up the handoff and continues working

When the user returns to terminal, the old session is gone but work continues in background. User can reattach.

## Key Requirements

- **Guaranteed pickup**: Something in the hook and/or handoff must ensure the new session picks up the work (not just a passive "check inbox")
- **Background execution**: Work continues without user presence
- **Reattachability**: User can reconnect to see progress

## Design Questions

1. Can molecules help coordinate this? (e.g., molecule binds the handoff + auto-restart)
2. What hook handles the pickup guarantee?
3. How does Deacon know to restart vs just kill?
4. How does user reattach to a background agent?

## Related

- Molecules system
- Deacon lifecycle management
- Handoff hooks


Witness handoff bead state persistence

Implement state persistence for Witness across wisp cycles.

## Problem
Wisps burn between cycles, but Witness needs to remember:
- Which workers have been nudged
- How many times (nudge_count)
- When was last nudge
- Last observed activity

## Solution
Witness handoff bead with worker_states field:

```json
{
  "id": "gt-witness-state",
  "type": "handoff",
  "assignee": "<rig>/witness",
  "pinned": true,
  "worker_states": {
    "furiosa": {
      "issue": "gt-123",
      "nudge_count": 2,
      "last_nudge": "2024-12-22T10:00:00Z"
    }
  },
  "last_patrol": "2024-12-22T10:05:00Z"
}
```

## Implementation
1. On patrol start: bd show <witness-handoff-id> to load state
2. During patrol: update in-memory state
3. On save-state step: bd update to persist
4. State survives wisp burn/squash

## Depends on
- gt-83k0 (mol-witness-patrol definition)


Digest: mol-deacon-patrol

Patrol: 2 completions (valkyrie gt-yd98 MQ, scrotus gt-mzal.1 boot proto). 8 polecats working.


Fix blocking bugs (gt-dsfi, gt-n7z7, gm-c6b)

Fix bugs blocking Witness functionality:

1. gt-dsfi: handoff deadlock
   - Polecats hang when trying to exit
   - Blocks shutdown request handler

2. gt-n7z7: refinery foreground race condition
   - Sometimes detects parent as already running
   - Blocks reliable Refinery startup

3. gm-c6b: mail coordination
   - Cross-rig mail should use town-level database
   - Affects Witness <-> Mayor communication

These should be fixed early as they'll block integration testing.

Fixed gt-dsfi and gt-n7z7. Issue gm-c6b not found in database.


Rename .beads-ephemeral to .beads-wisps in docs

The wisp storage directory should be named `.beads-wisps/` not `.beads-ephemeral/`.

Also fix the architecture: Witness and Refinery share mayor/rig's beads and wisps.
They don't have separate ephemeral stores.

## Files to update
- docs/wisp-architecture.md
- docs/architecture.md
- ~/gt/docs/patrol-system-design.md
- ~/gt/CLAUDE.md

## Changes
1. Rename `.beads-ephemeral/` → `.beads-wisps/` everywhere
2. Remove incorrect references to witness/.beads-ephemeral/ and refinery/rig/.beads-ephemeral/
3. Clarify that all rig-level patrols use mayor/rig/.beads-wisps/


Plugin surface for daemon lifecycle hooks

Allow rigs to customize daemon behavior via hooks/plugins.

## Hook Points

- on_heartbeat: Called during daemon heartbeat cycle
- on_worker_idle: Called when worker goes idle
- on_worker_stuck: Called when stuck detection triggers
- on_lifecycle_request: Called before processing lifecycle

## Configuration

```
<rig>/config/daemon-hooks.json
{
  "on_heartbeat": "./hooks/check-ci-status.sh",
  "on_worker_idle": "./hooks/maybe-assign-work.sh",
  "idle_threshold": "5m",
  "custom_signals": [
    {"name": "ci_status", "command": "./hooks/get-ci.sh"}
  ]
}
```

## Signal Contribution

Hooks can return signals that feed into decision engine:
- SKIP_POKE: Don't poke this agent
- FORCE_POKE: Override backoff, poke now
- CUSTOM_DATA: Extra context for logging

## Use Cases

- Check CI status before interrupting test runs
- Auto-assign work when worker becomes idle
- Custom stuck detection for specific workflows


CLI: all command for batch polecat operations

Batch operations across multiple polecats.

## Commands

### gt all start
```
gt all start [--awake-only] [<specs>...]
```
Start sessions for multiple polecats.
- --awake-only: Only start awake polecats
- specs: Polecat names, rig/polecat patterns

### gt all stop
```
gt all stop [<specs>...] [--force]
```
Stop sessions for multiple polecats.

### gt all status
```
gt all status [<specs>...] [--json]
```
Show status of multiple polecats.

### gt all attach
```
gt all attach [<specs>...]
```
Attach to multiple sessions in tmux panes/windows.

### gt all run
```
gt all run <command> [<specs>...]
```
Run command in multiple polecat sessions.

## Spec Patterns
- `Toast`: Specific polecat (in default/current rig)
- `gastown/Toast`: Specific rig/polecat
- `gastown/*`: All polecats in rig
- `*`: All polecats everywhere

## Implementation
```go
func expandSpecs(specs []string, awakeOnly bool) ([]*polecat.Polecat, error) {
    // Expand patterns to list of polecats
}

func runForAll(polecats []*polecat.Polecat, action func(*polecat.Polecat) error) error {
    // Run action for each, collect errors
}
```

## New File
internal/cmd/all.go

## PGT Reference
gastown-py/src/gastown/cli/all_cmd.py

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Pattern expansion works
- [ ] Parallel execution where safe
- [ ] Aggregate error reporting
- [ ] --awake-only filter works


plugin-run

Execute plugins from ~/gt/plugins/. Check gates, run eligible plugins.


Pinned beads should appear first in mail inbox

Currently bd mail inbox sorts by priority then date, but pinned beads (handoff context) should always appear at the top.

**Current behavior:**
- Pinned beads mixed in with regular mail based on priority/date

**Expected behavior:**
- Pinned beads always first in inbox (before priority sorting)
- This enables handoff beads to be the default first item an agent sees

**Implementation:**
1. In mail.go runMailInbox(), after filtering, sort pinned beads to top
2. Within pinned and non-pinned groups, maintain priority/date sort

**Related:**
- gt-r8ej: Implement pinned beads for handoff state
- gt-8h4: Pinned Beads epic

**Acceptance criteria:**
- bd mail inbox shows pinned beads first
- Pinned beads still sorted by priority/date among themselves
- Non-pinned mail sorted normally after pinned section


generate-summary

Generate a summary for molecule squash.
File any remaining work as issues.

Document any important context for the squash digest.

Depends: submit-merge


Fix TestHasPolecat test failure in internal/session

TestHasPolecat in internal/session/manager_test.go fails because it expects
specific polecats (Toast, Cheedo) to exist in the test environment.

Error:
```
manager_test.go:46: expected hasPolecat(Toast) = true
manager_test.go:49: expected hasPolecat(Cheedo) = true
```

Fix: Either create test fixtures or mock the filesystem check.


gt polecat done should auto-stop running session

Currently 'gt polecat done' fails if session is running, requiring a separate 'gt session stop' first. This is unnecessary friction - done should just stop the session automatically since that's always what you want.


gt mail: Cross-level routing is broken

**Problem:**
When Mayor (at ~/gt) sends mail to a rig worker (gastown/crew/max), the message lands in town-level beads (~/.beads/) but the recipient checks rig-level beads (crew/max/.beads/).

**Reproduction:**
```bash
cd ~/gt
gt mail send gastown/crew/max -s 'Test' -m 'body'
# Message goes to ~/gt/.beads/ with prefix hq-*

cd ~/gt/gastown/crew/max
gt mail inbox
# Does NOT see the message - it's looking in crew/max/.beads/
```

**Root cause:**
`findBeadsWorkDir()` walks up from CWD to find .beads. `Router.Send()` runs `bd create` in that directory. This means messages always go to the sender's beads, not the recipient's.

**Fix options:**
1. Route based on recipient address - if sending to rig/*, use that rig's .beads
2. Use a single shared beads database for all mail (simpler but less isolated)
3. Teach agents to check both levels (workaround, not fix)

**Related:**
- gt-ngu1: Pinned beads sorting (done but pointless if mail doesn't route)
- This blocks all cross-level mail functionality


Merge: gt-r6td

branch: polecat/furiosa
target: main
source_issue: gt-r6td
rig: gastown


Per-epic config overrides: custom merge settings

Allow per-epic merge configuration overrides.

Epic can specify merge_config in its description:
  merge_config:
    run_tests: true
    test_command: 'go test -race ./...'
    on_conflict: assign_back

When processing MRs for an epic:
1. Load rig-level merge_queue config
2. Check if epic has merge_config
3. Merge epic config over rig config
4. Use merged config for processing

Use cases:
- Risky refactors: more thorough testing
- Urgent fixes: skip some checks
- Experimental work: different test suite

Reference: docs/merge-queue-design.md#per-epic-overrides


Crew directory structure and config

Add crew/ directory support to rig structure. Include:
- crew/ as peer to polecats/, refinery/, witness/
- Crew worker subdirectories with full git clones
- Optional BEADS_DIR configuration for beads integration
- Crew state tracking (separate from polecat state)


Polecat Lifecycle Events: Refinery-Witness Coordination

## Problem

Polecat work completion is currently treated as a single event (MR submission), but the true completion is when the Refinery merges the work. This creates a lifecycle gap:

1. Polecat submits MR → considered "done" by Witness
2. But MR might fail to merge (conflicts, test failures)
3. No one notifies anyone when merge actually succeeds

## Solution: Two-Event Lifecycle

**Event 1: MR Submitted**
- `gt mq submit` notifies Witness
- Witness verifies submission was clean
- Polecat can go idle (but worktree retained)
- If submission had issues, Witness can help

**Event 2: MR Merged**
- Refinery sends `LIFECYCLE: work merged` to Witness
- Witness updates polecat state to `merged`
- Worktree now eligible for full cleanup/recycling

## Village Sibling Watch

For robustness, patrol roles check on their siblings:
- Refinery checks Witness via `gt peek`
- Witness checks Refinery via `gt peek`
- Creates defense in depth - if primary notification fails, someone catches it

## Recovery

If Refinery misses sending lifecycle notification:
- Witness polecat-scan can detect: polecat in mr_submitted but MR shows merged
- Deacon orphan-check can detect: merged MRs with stale polecats


CLI: spawn command

High-level command to spawn a polecat with work assignment.

## Command

```
gt spawn <rig>/<polecat> --issue <id>
gt spawn <rig> --issue <id>  # auto-select available polecat
gt spawn <rig>/<polecat> -m "Work on X"  # free-form task
```

## What It Does

1. Select or create polecat
2. Ensure polecat is in idle/active state
3. Assign the issue (update beads, set polecat state)
4. Start session (gt session start)
5. Inject initial context

## Options

- `--issue <id>`: Beads issue to assign
- `-m "message"`: Free-form work description
- `--create`: Create polecat if it does not exist
- `--no-start`: Assign work but do not start session

## Auto-Select Logic

If polecat not specified:
1. Look for idle polecats in rig
2. Prefer ones that worked on similar issues before
3. If none available, fail (or create if --create)

## Initial Context

Injects into session:
```
[SPAWN] You have been assigned: <issue-title>
Issue: <id>
Priority: <priority>

<description>

Work on this issue. Signal DONE when complete.
```

## Implementation

Orchestrates PolecatManager + SessionManager + Beads:
```go
func Spawn(rig, polecat, issue string, opts SpawnOptions) error
```


Phase 1.2: Configure bd for ephemeral molecule bonding

Ensure bd mol bond --ephemeral works with Gas Town setup.

## Questions for Dave

1. Does bd automatically find .beads-ephemeral/ or need explicit path?
2. How does bd mol bond --ephemeral know which repo to use?
3. Is there a redirect mechanism for ephemeral like main beads?

## Integration

From polecat/crew working directory:
```bash
bd mol bond mol-polecat-work --ephemeral --assignee $(gt whoami)
```

Should create molecule in rig's .beads-ephemeral/, not main beads.


Deacon plugin scheduler: cron-like execution

Implement scheduled plugin execution in the Deacon's plugins step.

## Concept

Plugins are just directories with config. Deacon checks which are due
and executes them during the plugins step of rounds.

## Plugin Registration

Plugins are registered in:
1. Pinned kernel bead (preferred)
2. `{townRoot}/plugins/` directory scan (fallback)

Each plugin has:
```json
{
  "name": "beads-hygiene",
  "schedule": "0 2 * * *",
  "last_run": "2025-12-20T02:00:00Z",
  "enabled": true,
  "attention_budget": "low",
  "max_duration_minutes": 30
}
```

## Schedule Format

Standard cron format: `minute hour day month weekday`
- `0 2 * * *` - 2 AM daily
- `0 4 * * 0` - 4 AM Sundays
- `*/15 * * * *` - Every 15 minutes

## Execution

During plugins step:
1. Load plugin schedules from kernel bead + directory
2. For each plugin:
   a. Parse schedule, check if due (last_run + schedule)
   b. If due, execute:
      - Read `plugins/{name}/CLAUDE.md` for context
      - Run plugin logic (inline or spawn subagent)
      - Record outcome and update last_run
3. Continue to next step

## Plugin Execution Modes

- **inline**: Deacon runs the plugin logic directly (simple, fast)
- **subagent**: Spawn a polecat-like agent for the plugin (complex, parallel)
- **mail**: Send mail to another agent to do the work (delegation)

## State Tracking

`{townRoot}/deacon/plugin-state.json`:
```json
{
  "plugins": {
    "beads-hygiene": {
      "last_run": "2025-12-20T02:00:00Z",
      "last_outcome": "success",
      "run_count": 42,
      "failure_count": 2
    }
  }
}
```

## Relation to gt-axz

This implements the execution side of the plugin architecture (gt-axz).
gt-axz defines the format; this task implements the scheduler.


gt mq integration create: create integration branch for epic

Implement 'gt mq integration create <epic>' command.

Actions:
1. Verify epic exists
2. Create branch: integration/<epic-id> from main
3. Push to origin
4. Store integration branch info in epic metadata

Usage:
  gt mq integration create gt-auth-epic
  # Creates integration/gt-auth-epic from main

Future MRs for this epic's children will auto-target this branch.

Reference: docs/merge-queue-design.md#integration-branches


Implement gt sling command

The unified work dispatch command.

```bash
gt sling <thing> <target> [options]
```

Implements spawn + assign + pin in one operation. See sling-design.md.

Acceptance:
- [ ] Parse thing (proto name, issue ID, epic ID)
- [ ] Parse target (agent address)
- [ ] Spawn molecule if proto
- [ ] Assign to target agent
- [ ] Pin to agent's hook (pinned bead)
- [ ] Support --wisp flag for ephemeral
- [ ] Support --molecule flag for issue+workflow
- [ ] Error if hook already occupied (unless --force)


CLI: rig commands (add, list, show, remove)

GGT needs rig management commands.

Missing Commands:
- gt rig add <git-url> [--name NAME] - Add rig to workspace
- gt rig list - List all rigs with status
- gt rig show <rig> - Show detailed rig info
- gt rig remove <rig> - Remove a rig

PGT Reference: gastown-py/src/gastown/cli/rig_cmd.py

Current State:
- gt init creates rig structure but no ongoing management
- Rig discovery in internal/rig/manager.go but not exposed via CLI


Fix role detection for nested rig structures

When gastown/ has its own mayor/ dir, workspace detection finds it as town root instead of ~/ai. This breaks polecat/refinery/witness detection when running from within a rig.


Polecat beads not synced with rig beads

When gt spawn assigns an issue to a polecat, the polecat cannot find the issue because:

1. Rig beads at /gt/gastown/.beads contains gt-th7
2. Polecat beads at /gt/gastown/polecats/dementus/.beads does NOT have gt-th7
3. bd sync in polecat dir pulls from beads-sync branch which doesn't have the new issue
4. Rig bd sync uses 'main' branch, causing a branch mismatch

The polecat gets a work assignment for an issue it literally cannot see.

## Root Cause

- Rig beads and polecat beads are separate git-tracked copies
- No mechanism to propagate newly created issues from rig to polecats before assignment
- Sync branch configuration mismatch between rig and polecats

## Fix Options

1. gt spawn should sync rig beads before assigning work
2. gt spawn should sync polecat beads after assignment
3. Use shared beads (symlink or same DB) instead of copies
4. Push new issues immediately on create

Note: This sync mismatch is resolved by gt-9nf (fresh polecats). Rather than fixing sync between stale clones, we'll always create fresh worktrees. This issue documents the root cause for posterity.


gt done: Missing command referenced in polecat docs


Merge: gt-rana.4

branch: polecat/ace
target: main
source_issue: gt-rana.4
rig: gastown


Test Task 2: Add comment to version.go


Batch work landing report generation

Generate reports on batch work completion.

## Trigger

When all children of an epic are closed, generate a completion report.

## Report Contents

- Epic metadata (ID, title, created by, duration)
- Task summary (completed counts, timing)
- Per-task details (issue, assignee, time taken)
- Git stats (commits merged, lines changed)
- Cleanup stats (branches deleted)

## Output Locations

1. Mail to Mayor - summary report
2. Optional: save to file with --save flag

## Command

```bash
gt report --epic <epic-id> [--save report.md]
```

## Format

Markdown with sections:
- Summary
- Tasks
- Workers
- Timeline

## Note

This replaces the swarm-based reporting (gt-662). Reports are generated from epic/issue data, not from separate swarm state files.

## Reference

PGT: swarm/report.py (for format ideas, ignore swarm ID patterns)


Remove unused style helper functions

internal/style/style.go defines RenderSuccess, RenderWarning, RenderError, and RenderInfo helper functions that are never used. Code uses style.Success.Render() directly instead. Either use the helpers consistently or remove them.


Witness pre-kill verification protocol

Add pre-kill verification protocol to Witness CLAUDE.md template.

## Protocol for Witness Prompting

```markdown
## Pre-Kill Verification Protocol

Before killing any worker session, verify workspace is clean.

### Verification Steps

When a worker signals done:

1. **Capture worker state**:
```bash
town capture <polecat> "git status && git stash list && bd sync --status"
```

2. **Assess the output** (use your judgment):
- Is working tree clean?
- Is stash list empty?
- Is beads synced?

3. **Decision**:
- **CLEAN**: Proceed to kill session
- **DIRTY**: Send nudge with specific issues

### Nudge Templates

**Uncommitted Changes**:
```
town inject <polecat> "WITNESS CHECK: Uncommitted changes found. Please commit or discard: <files>. Signal done when clean."
```

**Beads Not Synced**:
```
town inject <polecat> "WITNESS CHECK: Beads not synced. Run 'bd sync' then commit. Signal done when complete."
```

### Kill Sequence

Only after verification passes:
```bash
town kill <polecat>
town sleep <polecat>
```

### Escalation

If worker fails verification 3+ times:
```bash
town mail send mayor/ -s "Escalation: <polecat> stuck" -m "Cannot complete cleanup after 3 attempts. Issues: <list>."
```
```

## Implementation

Add to WITNESS_CLAUDE.md template.


Mayor session cycling prompting

Add session cycling section to Mayor CLAUDE.md template.

## When to Cycle

Cycle proactively when:
- Running for several hours
- Context feels crowded (losing track of earlier state)
- Major phase completed
- About to start complex new work

## Composing Handoff Notes

1. Gather information:
   town status    # Overall health
   town rigs      # Each rig state
   town inbox     # Pending messages
   bd ready       # Work items

2. Compose note with this structure:

[HANDOFF_TYPE]: mayor_cycle
[TIMESTAMP]: <current time>
[SESSION_DURATION]: <how long running>

## Active Swarms
<per-rig swarm status>

## Rig Status
<table of rig health>

## Pending Escalations
<issues needing your decision>

## In-Flight Decisions
<decisions being made>

## Recent Actions
<last 5-10 things you did>

## Delegated Work
<work sent to refineries>

## User Requests
<pending user asks>

## Next Steps
<what next session should do>

## Warnings/Notes
<critical info for next session>

3. Send handoff:
   town mail send mayor/ -s "Session Handoff" -m "<note>"

4. End session - next instance picks up from handoff.


Merge fix/spawn-beads-path branch to main

Branch has gt nudge command; main has notification deduplication. Both valuable.

Key insight: Only ~10 commits diverged each way in mayor/rig.
- Branch: 9509afa feat(nudge): Add gt nudge command (MISSING from main)
- Main: d2fccd5 slot-based notification deduplication (KEEP)

Merge plan:
1. git merge fix/spawn-beads-path --no-ff
2. Keep nudge.go from branch
3. Keep notification.go from main
4. Merge tmux.go (both NudgeSession AND SendKeysReplace)
5. go build && go test
6. Deploy to ~/.local/bin/gt


Molecule Phase Terminology Documentation

Document the three-phase molecule lifecycle with consistent terminology:

## The Phases (States of Matter)

| Phase | State | Nature |
|-------|-------|--------|
| **Proto** | Solid/Crystal | Frozen template, static definition in catalog |
| **Mol** | Liquid | Reified instance, malleable, tracked in git (durable) |
| **Wisp** | Gas | Evaporates after squash, ephemeral orchestration |

## Documentation Gaps Identified

### High Priority
1. Update vision.md Steam Engine metaphor to use proto/mol/wisp terminology
2. Add lifecycle diagram: Proto → bond → Mol or Wisp → squash → Digest
3. Document Go types for phases (ProtoMolecule, etc.)
4. Document .beads-ephemeral/ structure and purpose

### Medium Priority
5. Update CLAUDE.md files (polecat, witness, refinery) with molecule workflow
6. Document bd mol bond/squash/burn CLI API with examples
7. Add polecat guide: Executing molecules and generating summaries

### Low Priority
8. Add terminology glossary to architecture.md
9. Create troubleshooting playbook for stuck molecules
10. Add reference diagrams for state transitions

## Current State
- architecture.md has good molecule basics but uses inconsistent terminology
- vision.md has Steam Engine metaphor (proto=fuel, wisp=steam, digest=distillate)
- molecules.md has detailed reference but needs phase clarity
- builtin_molecules.go has 8 molecules but no phase documentation in code


mol-deacon-patrol

Deacon patrol molecule template. Label: template


Mayor restart loop: auto-prime and mail check on attach

When mayor session cycles (after /exit, gt mayor attach reconnects), the new session lacks context.

## Current Behavior
- Mayor exits, shell script loop restarts claude
- New session starts cold - no gt prime, no mail check
- Mayor is disoriented, doesn't know prior context
- Strong 'antimemetic properties' - we discuss fixing it, then forget

## Expected Behavior
After restart, mayor should automatically:
1. Run gt prime (load role context)
2. Check gt mail inbox (find handoff messages)
3. Look for 🤝 HANDOFF messages from predecessor

## Possible Fixes
1. Startup hook in Claude Code settings that runs gt prime
2. CLAUDE.md instructions that say 'FIRST THING: run gt prime'
3. Shell script wrapper that injects context before attach
4. Modify gt mayor attach to inject prime command

## Related
- gt-vci: Mayor handoff mail template
- gt-sye: Mayor startup protocol prompting


Rollback support: gt mq revert for problematic merges

Implement 'gt mq revert <mr-id>' for rolling back merges.

Actions:
1. Find merge commit from closed MR
2. Create revert commit: git revert <merge-commit>
3. Push revert to target branch
4. Create 'reverted' MR tracking the revert
5. Optionally reopen source issue

Options:
- --reason REASON: required explanation
- --reopen-issue: reopen the source work item

Track revert in MR metadata for audit trail.

Reference: docs/merge-queue-design.md#open-questions


Merge queue: per-rig queue management

Per-rig merge queue for coordinating polecat work.

## Concept

When polecats complete work, they submit to the merge queue. The Refinery processes the queue, merging work to main in order.

## Data Model

```go
type MergeRequest struct {
    ID        string    `json:"id"`
    Polecat   string    `json:"polecat"`
    Branch    string    `json:"branch"`
    Issue     string    `json:"issue,omitempty"`
    Status    MRStatus  `json:"status"`
    CreatedAt time.Time `json:"created_at"`
    UpdatedAt time.Time `json:"updated_at"`
}

type MRStatus string
const (
    MRPending   MRStatus = "pending"
    MRReviewing MRStatus = "reviewing"
    MRMerged    MRStatus = "merged"
    MRRejected  MRStatus = "rejected"
)
```

## Interface

```go
type MergeQueue struct {
    rig  *Rig
    path string  // <rig>/refinery/queue.jsonl
}

func NewMergeQueue(rig *Rig) *MergeQueue

// Queue operations
func (mq *MergeQueue) Submit(polecat, branch string, issue string) (*MergeRequest, error)
func (mq *MergeQueue) List() ([]*MergeRequest, error)
func (mq *MergeQueue) Next() (*MergeRequest, error)  // oldest pending
func (mq *MergeQueue) Get(id string) (*MergeRequest, error)

// Status updates
func (mq *MergeQueue) SetStatus(id string, status MRStatus) error
func (mq *MergeQueue) MarkMerged(id string) error
func (mq *MergeQueue) MarkRejected(id, reason string) error
```

## Queue Storage

JSONL file at `<rig>/refinery/queue.jsonl`. FIFO ordering.

## Git Coordination

Refinery processes queue:
1. Fetch polecat branch
2. Attempt merge to main
3. Run tests (if configured)
4. Push to origin
5. Update queue status

## Conflict Handling

If merge fails:
- Mark MR as rejected
- Notify polecat to rebase


Swarm learning: Witness needs automated context cycling

Furiosa hit 2% context during swarm work. Witness role needs automated detection of low context and should trigger session cycling before agents get stuck. Add to Witness responsibilities in prompts.md.


gt crew at: auto-prime when exec'ing Claude in-session

When running 'gt crew at <name>' from inside the target session, we exec Claude directly. But this means we can't send 'gt prime' afterward since we ARE the process.

Possible solutions:
1. Claude startup hook that runs gt prime
2. Pass prompt as argument to claude CLI
3. Wrapper script approach

Related: crew resume prompt also can't be sent in this path.


Witness patrol: stale MR queue detection needs state tracking

The mol-witness-patrol check-refinery step says 'if queue is non-empty for >30 min, send nudge' but doesn't explain how to track when the queue first became non-empty.

## Problem
The Witness needs to persist:
- When MR queue first became non-empty
- Previous queue state for comparison

Without this, the Witness can't detect stale queues.

## Solution
Add to witness handoff bead:
- mr_queue_nonempty_since: timestamp
- Update in save-state step
- Check in check-refinery step


Merge: gt-h5n.5

branch: polecat/Scabrous
target: main
source_issue: gt-h5n.5
rig: gastown


Create rig .runtime/ for rig runtime state

Move ephemeral rig state to .runtime/:
- Create <rig>/.runtime/ directory
- Move .gastown/witness.json → .runtime/witness.json
- Move .gastown/refinery.json → .runtime/refinery.json
- Move .gastown/namepool.json (state portion) → .runtime/namepool-state.json
- Update .gitignore to ignore .runtime/
- Update all code references


Self-test

Testing gt mail works


town handoff command (optional)

CLI commands for session handoff workflow (optional convenience).

## Commands

### gt handoff
Generate handoff interactively.
```
gt handoff [--send]
```
- Collects current state (status, inbox, beads)
- Prompts for additional notes
- --send: Mail to self and exit

### gt resume
Check for and display pending handoff.
```
gt resume
```
- Checks inbox for handoff message
- Displays formatted handoff if found
- Suggests next actions

## Implementation

These are convenience wrappers. The same workflow can be done manually:
```bash
# Manual handoff
town status > /tmp/handoff
town inbox >> /tmp/handoff
bd ready >> /tmp/handoff
# Edit and send
town mail send mayor/ -s "Session Handoff" -f /tmp/handoff
```

## Priority

P2 - Optional. Manual workflow works fine. Nice to have for UX.

## Notes

Part of session cycling workflow designed in gt-u82.


mol-code-review: Self-improving code review molecule

Create a code review molecule that enables Gas Town to self-improve through automated PR review. Flywheel: review generates quality checks, discovered issues, pattern learning.


gt mail read: Support numeric indices for message ID

Allow 'gt mail read 1' to read the first message in inbox.

Current behavior requires full message ID like 'msg-abc123'.
Should support:
- Numeric index: 'gt mail read 1' reads first/newest message
- Partial ID match: 'gt mail read abc' matches 'msg-abc123'

This is a UX improvement - agents frequently type 'gt mail read 1'.


Phase 4: Polish and observability

Production readiness.

## Commands
- gt patrol status - Show patrol state for all agents
- gt patrol history - Recent patrol activity

## Observability
- Metrics collection
- Alert thresholds
- Dashboard (optional)

## Tuning
- Cooldown optimization
- Wake SLA verification
- Error threshold tuning

Depends: Phase 3