Architecture: Decentralized rig structure with per-rig agents

## Decision

Adopt decentralized architecture where each rig contains all its agents (mayor/, witness/, refinery/, polecats/) rather than centralizing mayor clones at town level.

## Town Level Structure

```
~/ai/                              # Town root
├── config/                        # Town config (VISIBLE, not hidden)
│   ├── town.json                  # {"type": "town"}
│   ├── rigs.json                  # Registry of managed rigs
│   └── federation.json            # Wasteland config (future)
│
├── mayor/                         # Mayor's HOME at town level
│   ├── CLAUDE.md
│   ├── mail/inbox.jsonl
│   └── state.json
│
└── <rigs>/                        # Managed projects
```

## Rig Level Structure (e.g., wyvern)

```
wyvern/                            # Rig = clone of project repo
├── .git/info/exclude              # Gas Town adds: polecats/ refinery/ witness/ mayor/
├── .beads/                        # Beads (if project uses it)
├── [project files]                # Clean project code on main
│
├── polecats/                      # Worker clones
│   └── <name>/                    # Each is a git clone
│
├── refinery/
│   ├── rig/                       # Refinery's clone
│   ├── state.json
│   └── mail/inbox.jsonl
│
├── witness/                       # NEW: Per-rig pit boss
│   ├── rig/                       # Witness's clone
│   ├── state.json
│   └── mail/inbox.jsonl
│
└── mayor/
    ├── rig/                       # Mayor's clone for this rig
    └── state.json
```

## Key Decisions

1. **Visible config dir**: `config/` not `.gastown/` (models don't find hidden dirs)
2. **Witness per-rig**: Each rig has its own Witness (pit boss) with its own clone
3. **Mayor decentralized**: Mayor's clones live IN each rig at `<rig>/mayor/rig/`
4. **Minimal invasiveness**: Only `.git/info/exclude` modified, no commits to project
5. **Clone subdir name**: Keep `rig/` for consistency (refinery/rig/, witness/rig/, mayor/rig/)

## Role Detection

- Town root or mayor/ → Mayor (town level)
- Rig root → Mayor (canonical main)
- <rig>/mayor/rig/ → Mayor (rig-specific)
- <rig>/refinery/rig/ → Refinery
- <rig>/witness/rig/ → Witness
- <rig>/polecats/<name>/ → Polecat

## Migration from PGT

- `mayor/rigs/<rig>/` → `<rig>/mayor/rig/`
- `<rig>/town/` → eliminated (rig root IS the clone)
- Add `witness/` to each rig


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


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


Deacon: Hierarchical health-check orchestrator

Replace daemon heartbeats with Deacon - an AI agent that keeps Gas Town running.

## Core Concept

The Deacon is a **Claude agent** (not just a Go process) that:
- Lives at town root in gt-deacon session
- Has its own mailbox (deacon/ identity in town beads)
- Is poked by a minimal Go daemon every ~60s (if idle)
- Monitors Mayor and Witnesses proactively
- Handles lifecycle requests (restart/cycle) from Mayor, Witnesses, AND Crew

## Architecture

```
Minimal Go Daemon (just watches Deacon)
         |
         v
     Deacon (Claude agent)
         |
    +----+----+
    v         v
  Mayor    Witnesses --> Polecats (Witness-managed)
    |         |
    +----+----+
         |
      Crew (lifecycle only, not monitored)
```

## Deacon Responsibilities

**Proactive monitoring:**
- Mayor health (tmux session, keepalive freshness)
- Witness health (tmux sessions, keepalive freshness)

**Reactive lifecycle:**
- Process restart/cycle requests from Mayor, Witnesses, Crew
- Kill session, create new, prime, verify startup

**Escalation:**
- Mail human (configurable) if issues can't be resolved

## Key Files

- ~/gt/DEACON.md - Role context
- ~/gt/deacon/ - State directory
  - heartbeat.json - Written each wake cycle (daemon checks this)
  - state.json - Health tracking, last scan results
- ~/gt/.beads/ - Town beads with deacon/ mail identity

## Wake Cycle

1. Write heartbeat (prevents daemon from poking)
2. Check mail (lifecycle requests)
3. Quick health scan (Mayor, Witnesses)
4. Process lifecycle requests
5. Remediate unhealthy agents
6. Update state

## Session Patterns

- Deacon: gt-deacon
- Mayor: gt-mayor
- Witness: gt-<rig>-witness
- Crew: gt-<rig>-<name> (e.g., gt-gastown-max)

## Relation to Policy Beads

Future: Deacon behavior configurable via policy beads (gt-3zw).
Initial implementation uses sensible defaults.


Add molecule to update local go binary on push to main

When pushing to main branch, automatically rebuild and install the gt binary on the local machine so changes are immediately available.


Bubbletea TUI dashboard

Interactive TUI using Charm Bubbletea. Root model, view routing, Lipgloss theme. Includes: dashboard, rig explorer, polecat detail with live tail, mail view, beads view, spawn wizard.


Merge: gt-a95

branch: polecat/Ace
target: main
source_issue: gt-a95
rig: gastown


gt handoff: Unified agent lifecycle command

## Summary

Unified `gt handoff` command for ALL agent types to request lifecycle actions.

## Usage

gt handoff              # Context-aware default
gt handoff --shutdown   # Terminate, cleanup, don't restart
gt handoff --cycle      # Restart with handoff mail
gt handoff --restart    # Fresh restart, no handoff

## Context-Aware Defaults

| Agent Type | Default | Reason |
|------------|---------|--------|
| Polecat | --shutdown | Ephemeral, work is done |
| Witness | --cycle | Long-running, context full |
| Refinery | --cycle | Long-running, context full |
| Mayor | --cycle | Long-running, context full |
| Crew | (sends mail only) | Human-managed |

## What gt handoff Does

1. **Verify safe to stop**
   - Git state clean (no uncommitted changes)
   - Work handed off (PR exists for polecats)

2. **Send handoff mail to self** (for cycle/restart)
   - Captures current state
   - New session will read this

3. **Send lifecycle request to manager**
   - Polecats/Refinery → Witness
   - Witness/Mayor → Daemon
   - Format: mail to <manager> with action type

4. **Set state: requesting_<action>**
   - Lifecycle manager checks this before acting

5. **Wait for termination**
   - Don't self-exit - let manager kill session
   - Ensures clean handoff

## Lifecycle Request Flow

Agent                           Lifecycle Manager
  |                                    |
  | 1. gt handoff --cycle              |
  |    a. Verify git clean             |
  |    b. Send handoff mail to self    |
  |    c. Set requesting_cycle=true    |
  |    d. Send lifecycle request       |
  |------------------------------------→|
  |                                    |
  |                   2. Receive request
  |                   3. Verify state  |
  |                   4. Kill session  |
  |                   5. Start new     |
  |                      (for cycle)   |
  |                                    |
  |         New session reads handoff  |
  |         Resumes work               |

## Who Manages Whom

| Agent | Sends lifecycle request to |
|-------|---------------------------|
| Polecat | <rig>/witness |
| Refinery | <rig>/witness |
| Witness | daemon/ |
| Mayor | daemon/ |

## Implementation

1. Detect current role (polecat, witness, refinery, mayor, crew)
2. Apply context-aware default if no flag specified
3. Run pre-flight checks (git clean, work handed off)
4. Send handoff mail to self (if cycling)
5. Send lifecycle request to appropriate manager
6. Set requesting_<action> in state.json
7. Wait (manager will kill us)

## For Polecats (--shutdown)

Additional cleanup after kill:
- Witness removes worktree
- Witness deletes polecat branch
- Polecat ceases to exist

## Related Issues

- gt-99m: Daemon (handles Mayor/Witness lifecycle)
- gt-7ik: Ephemeral polecats (polecat cleanup)
- gt-eu9: Witness session cycling


Add gt deacon start/stop/status commands

Add CLI commands: gt deacon start (spawn gt-deacon session), gt deacon stop (kill session), gt deacon status (show health state). Similar to gt mayor commands.


Test message

Test body


Workspace cleanup: preflight and postflight

Workspace preflight and postflight commands for clean state management.

## Preflight
```
gt preflight [--rig <rig>] [--dry-run]
```

Run before starting batch work:
1. Clean stale mail in inboxes
2. Check for stuck workers (warn)
3. Check rig health (polecats, refinery)
4. Verify git state is clean
5. Run bd sync to ensure beads current

## Postflight
```
gt postflight [--rig <rig>] [--archive-mail] [--dry-run]
```

Run after batch work completes:
1. Archive old mail with --archive-mail
2. Clean up stale integration branches
3. Sync beads
4. Report on rig state

## Implementation
```go
func Preflight(rigName string, dryRun bool) (*PreflightReport, error)
func Postflight(rigName string, opts PostflightOptions) (*PostflightReport, error)
```

## Report Structures
```go
type PreflightReport struct {
    MailCleaned    int
    RigHealthy     bool
    StuckWorkers   []string
    Warnings       []string
}

type PostflightReport struct {
    MailArchived   int
    BranchesCleaned int
    Warnings       []string
}
```

## Note

These are workspace maintenance commands, not tied to "swarm" lifecycle. Run them anytime to keep the rig clean.

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Preflight cleans stale state
- [ ] Postflight archives old mail
- [ ] Both have --dry-run mode
- [ ] Clear reports of actions taken


Merge: gt-a95


Phase 5.2: Ephemeral error handling and recovery

Handle edge cases in ephemeral molecule lifecycle.

## Scenarios

### Agent dies mid-molecule
- Ephemeral state persists
- Witness detects stall (no heartbeat)
- Options:
  a. Nudge agent to resume
  b. Reassign to new agent
  c. Escalate to Mayor

### Squash fails
- Retry with exponential backoff
- If persistent failure, escalate
- Don't lose the ephemeral state until squash succeeds

### Orphaned molecules
- Molecule started, never completed
- gt doctor detects (>24h old with no activity)
- Options:
  a. Manual review
  b. Auto-abandon with 'abandoned' digest
  c. Reassign

### Ephemeral repo corruption
- Re-init from scratch
- Active molecules are lost
- Main beads is source of truth for assigned work

## Implementation

Add error handling to:
- bd mol bond (handle init failures)
- bd squash (retry logic)
- gt doctor (recovery suggestions)


gt session capture: Support positional line count argument

Make 'gt session capture gastown/Toast 50' work.

Currently requires: gt session capture gastown/Toast -n 50
Should also accept: gt session capture gastown/Toast 50

Agent UX principle: commands should work the way agents guess they work.


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)


gt crew list: List crew workspaces

Implement 'gt crew list [--rig <rig>]' command:
- List all crew workers in rig(s)
- Show status (session running, last activity)
- Show current branch and git status summary
- Support --json output


Define Engineer as the Refinery agent role

Clarify the distinction:

- **Refinery** = place/module/directory/workspace
  - `<rig>/refinery/` directory structure
  - `gt refinery start/stop/status` commands
  - tmux session name: `refinery` or `<rig>-refinery`

- **Engineer** = role/agent who works in the Refinery
  - CLAUDE.md prompting: "You are an Engineer..."
  - Documentation: "The Engineer processes merge requests..."
  - Mail address: `<rig>/engineer` (or `<rig>/refinery`?)

Updates needed:
- Add Engineer role description to docs
- Update CLAUDE.md templates for refinery agents
- Keep `gt refinery` commands as-is (they manage the place)
- Internal code stays `internal/refinery/` (the module)

Future consideration: Multiple Engineers in one Refinery for parallel merge processing.


Shutdown request handler

Handle polecat shutdown requests:

When polecat runs 'gt handoff --shutdown':
1. Polecat sends mail to <rig>/witness requesting shutdown
2. Witness receives mail
3. Witness verifies:
   - Git working tree is clean
   - Work is submitted (MR exists or in queue)
   - No uncommitted beads changes
4. If clean:
   - gt session stop <rig>/<polecat>
   - git worktree remove polecats/<name>
   - git branch -d polecat/<name>
5. If not clean:
   - Send nudge back to polecat
   - Track retry count

Depends on fixing gt-dsfi (handoff deadlock).


Deacon rounds molecule: the kernel execution loop

Define and implement mol-deacon-rounds - the molecule the Deacon executes each wake.

## Molecule Definition

```markdown
# mol-deacon-rounds

The Deacon kernel - executed on every wake cycle.

## Step: session-check
Check context budget. If low, cycle to fresh session.
Needs: (none - always runs first)

## Step: health-scan
Check health of all monitored agents:
- Mayor (gt-mayor session)
- Witnesses (gt-*-witness sessions)
- Refineries (gt-*-refinery sessions)
- Crew (gt-*-* sessions, lifecycle only)

Remediate unhealthy agents:
- Restart dead sessions
- Nudge stuck agents
- Escalate if remediation fails

Needs: session-check

## Step: lifecycle
Process pending lifecycle requests from mail:
- LIFECYCLE: <identity> requesting cycle
- LIFECYCLE: <identity> requesting restart
- LIFECYCLE: <identity> requesting shutdown

Needs: health-scan

## Step: plugins
Run due plugins:
1. Check scheduled plugins (cron-like)
2. Check event-triggered plugins (from mail events)
3. Check human-requested plugins (from mail)
4. Execute each, record outcomes

Needs: lifecycle

## Step: events
Process timer and event callbacks:
- TIMER: <identity> wake at <time>
- EVENT: <type> <payload>

Notify relevant agents or trigger actions.

Needs: plugins

## Step: complete
Finalize the cycle:
1. Update heartbeat.json
2. Clear/update keepalive.json
3. Log summary
4. Return to prompt (wait for next wake)

Needs: events
```

## Execution

The Deacon reads this molecule from its pinned bead and executes steps in order.
Each step:
1. Announces "Starting <step>"
2. Performs the step logic
3. Records outcome
4. Proceeds to next step

## Step Plugins

Each step can have inline plugins (additional attention):
```yaml
step: health-scan
  plugins:
    - advanced-diagnostics  # Run if basic scan finds issues
```

## Relation to bd mol

Uses the same molecule format as bd mol for polecats.
Deacon molecule is special: it's the kernel, not work.


CLI: worker status reporting commands

Worker status reporting CLI for polecats to report progress.

## Commands

### gt worker started
```
gt worker started <issue-id> [-m MESSAGE]
```
Reports work started on issue.

### gt worker progress
```
gt worker progress <issue-id> <0-100> [-m MESSAGE]
```
Reports percentage complete.

### gt worker blocked
```
gt worker blocked <issue-id> <reason> [-m MESSAGE]
```
Reports blocked status with reason.

### gt worker completed
```
gt worker completed <issue-id> [-m MESSAGE]
```
Reports task completion.

### gt worker failed
```
gt worker failed <issue-id> <reason> [-m MESSAGE]
```
Reports task failure.

## Implementation
Each command sends mail to refinery with structured content:
```go
type WorkerStatusReport struct {
    IssueID    string
    Status     string  // started|progress|blocked|completed|failed
    Progress   int     // 0-100 for progress
    Reason     string  // for blocked/failed
    Message    string  // optional detail
    ReportedAt time.Time
}
```

## Message Format
Subject: "[STATUS] <issue-id>: <status>"
Body: JSON-encoded WorkerStatusReport

## Default Recipient
```go
// Determine from context
func getDefaultRecipient() string {
    rig := os.Getenv("GT_RIG")
    if rig != "" {
        return rig + "/refinery"
    }
    return "refinery/"
}
```

## New File
internal/cmd/worker.go

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

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] All 5 commands implemented
- [ ] Status sent as mail to refinery
- [ ] Structured JSON body for parsing
- [ ] Works from polecat session context


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`


Verify architecture.md shows correct harness and rig structure

Review architecture.md diagrams:
- Verify town-level structure shows harness correctly
- Confirm rig-level mayor/rig/ is shown (it appears to be there at line 197)
- Check mermaid diagrams match ASCII diagrams
- Update if any inconsistencies found
- Cross-reference with new harness.md docs


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


gt spawn --create should auto-add polecat if missing

## Problem

`gt spawn gastown --issue gt-xxx --create` fails if no polecats exist.

## Current Behavior

```
Error: auto-select polecat: no available polecats in rig 'gastown'
```

## Expected Behavior

`--create` should:
1. Create a new polecat if none exist
2. Or create the specified polecat if `gt spawn gastown/NewName --create`

## Workaround

Must manually run `gt polecat add gastown Name` first.

## Principle

Agent UX should be forgiving - if I say spawn with --create, make it work.


detectSender() doesn't recognize crew workers

## Problem

`detectSender()` in mail.go only detects polecats, not crew workers.

## Current Code (line 445)

```go
// If in a rig's polecats directory, extract address
if strings.Contains(cwd, "/polecats/") {
    // extract rig/polecat
}

// Default to mayor
return "mayor/"
```

## Symptom

Emma (crew worker at `/Users/stevey/gt/beads/crew/emma`) runs:
- `gt mail inbox` → checks `mayor/` inbox (wrong!)
- Should check `beads/emma` or `beads/crew/emma`

## Fix

Add crew detection:
```go
// If in a rig's crew directory, extract address
if strings.Contains(cwd, "/crew/") {
    parts := strings.Split(cwd, "/crew/")
    if len(parts) >= 2 {
        rigPath := parts[0]
        crewName := strings.Split(parts[1], "/")[0]
        rigName := filepath.Base(rigPath)
        return fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", rigName, crewName)
    }
}
```

## Also Check

- `gt prime` correctly detects role, so there may be another detection function that works
- Should unify detection logic


Immediate daemon notification on lifecycle request

When gt handoff sends a lifecycle request to the daemon (via bd mail send deacon/), the daemon only discovers it on its next heartbeat poll (every 5 min). Workers wait unnecessarily for retirement.

## Current Behavior
1. Worker runs gt handoff
2. Lifecycle mail sent to deacon/ via beads
3. Worker blocks waiting for retirement
4. Daemon heartbeat runs (up to 5 min later)
5. Daemon processes lifecycle request and kills session

## Expected Behavior
Lifecycle requests should be processed immediately, not on poll interval.

## Proposed Solutions

### Option A: SIGUSR1 Signal (simplest)
1. Add SIGUSR1 handler in daemon that calls ProcessLifecycleRequests()
2. gt handoff reads daemon.pid and sends SIGUSR1 after mail send

### Option B: Unix Socket
1. Daemon listens on ~/gt/daemon/lifecycle.sock
2. gt handoff connects and sends 'process' message

### Option C: Watchfile + fsnotify
1. gt handoff touches ~/gt/daemon/lifecycle.trigger
2. Daemon uses fsnotify to detect and process

Recommend Option A for simplicity.

## Affected Files
- internal/daemon/daemon.go - add signal handler
- internal/cmd/handoff.go - send signal after mail


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


HOP: Entity chain tracking for agents

Track work history per-entity (CV chains). See ~/ai/stevey-gastown/hop/decisions/002-entity-chains.md for design. Post-v0.1 work.


mol-swarm-cleanup: Post-swarm debris cleanup molecule

After a 20+ worker swarm completed, found significant beads debris:
- 18 stale messages (work assignments, lifecycle requests, swarm instructions)
- 3 completed issues still open/in_progress
- Test messages accumulated

Need: Document a post-swarm checklist or create gt swarm cleanup command that:
1. Closes stale work assignment messages
2. Reviews in_progress issues for completion
3. Closes orphaned lifecycle messages
4. Optionally archives test messages


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


gt swarm start: Does not spawn polecat sessions

gt swarm start marks swarm as 'active' but doesn't start any polecat sessions.

Repro:
1. gt swarm create gastown --epic gt-hw6 --worker Toast --worker Nux
2. gt swarm start gt-hw6
3. gt session list - shows no new sessions

Expected: Polecat sessions should start for each worker.
Actual: No sessions started, workers sit idle.


gt done: Command doesn't exist but documented in polecat CLAUDE.md

The polecat CLAUDE.md documents 'gt done' as the command to signal work is ready for merge queue, but running it gives 'unknown command'. Either implement the command or update the documentation.


CloudRun cost tracking: Usage monitoring and limits

## Overview

Track Cloud Run usage costs and enforce spending limits.

## Cost Model

Cloud Run pricing (approximate):
- CPU: ~$0.000024/vCPU-second
- Memory: ~$0.0000025/GiB-second
- Requests: ~$0.40/million

For 5-minute worker (2 vCPU, 4GB):
- CPU: 300 × 2 × $0.000024 = $0.0144
- Memory: 300 × 4 × $0.0000025 = $0.003
- **Total: ~$0.017 per session**

## Implementation

```go
type CostTracker struct {
    cpuRate    float64  // per vCPU-second
    memRate    float64  // per GiB-second
    sessions   []SessionCost
    mu         sync.RWMutex
}

type SessionCost struct {
    WorkerID  string
    StartTime time.Time
    EndTime   time.Time
    CPUs      float64
    MemoryGiB float64
}

func (t *CostTracker) RecordSession(workerID string, start, end time.Time, cpus, mem float64) {
    t.mu.Lock()
    defer t.mu.Unlock()
    t.sessions = append(t.sessions, SessionCost{...})
}

func (t *CostTracker) CurrentCost() float64 {
    t.mu.RLock()
    defer t.mu.RUnlock()
    var total float64
    for _, s := range t.sessions {
        duration := s.EndTime.Sub(s.StartTime).Seconds()
        total += duration * s.CPUs * t.cpuRate
        total += duration * s.MemoryGiB * t.memRate
    }
    return total
}
```

## Cost Cap Enforcement

```go
func (o *CloudRunOutpost) Spawn(...) (Worker, error) {
    if o.costCap > 0 && o.costTracker.CurrentCost() >= o.costCap {
        return nil, ErrCostCapExceeded
    }
    // ... spawn worker
}
```

## Config

```yaml
outposts:
  - name: cloudrun-burst
    type: cloudrun
    cost_cap_hourly: 5.00   # Stop spawning if hourly cost exceeds $5
    cost_cap_daily: 50.00   # Daily limit
```

## CLI

```bash
gt outpost status cloudrun-burst
# Shows: Cost (today): $0.42 / $50.00 cap
```

## Files

- `internal/cloudrun/cost.go`

## Dependencies

Depends on: gt-9a2.8 (basic CloudRunOutpost)


Swarm learning: Refinery merge queue automation

Manually merging 15 polecat branches was painful and error-prone. Refinery should automate: detect completed work, run tests, merge to main, handle conflicts. This is core Refinery value prop.


Speed up test suite

Tests are running slow during MQ processing. Investigate and optimize:
- Profile test execution time
- Look for slow tests (network, file I/O, sleeps)
- Consider parallel test execution
- Cache expensive setup where possible


Polecat health check loop

Implement the Witness health check loop:

Every 60 seconds:
1. List active polecats (gt polecats <rig>)
2. For each polecat, check:
   - Is tmux session still alive?
   - Is there a state.json with recent update?
   - Has there been git activity recently?
3. If stuck (no activity for configurable threshold):
   - First: nudge (send message asking for status)
   - Second: escalate to Mayor
   - Third: force kill after human confirmation

This is the 'health monitor' part of Witness.


Phase 1.2: Daemon attachment detection

Daemon polls Deacon's pinned bead to detect naked state.

## Implementation
- Daemon knows Deacon's pinned bead ID
- Every heartbeat cycle: bd show <pinned> --json
- Parse attached_molecule field
- If null/empty: Deacon is naked

## Actions on Naked
- Spawn mol-deacon-patrol
- Attach to Deacon's pinned
- Nudge Deacon to start

## Failsafes
- Keepalive file monitoring
- Stale detection (>10min no progress)
- Force nudge on stale

Depends: gt-rana.1


Layered context onboarding pattern

Pattern from handoff discussion:

## Pattern: Layered Context Onboarding

Town CLAUDE.md (user/org) -> Rig CLAUDE.md (project) -> Role priming

## Ultra-compressed HOP for workers (no reveal)

- Permanent record: All work tracked. Outcomes matter.
- Quality gates: Molecule steps exist for a reason.
- Attribution: Completions build your track record.
- Handoff clean: Leave state any worker can continue.

## Recommendation

Create Town @AGENTS.md for shared worker context that all workers see.
This provides common behavioral guidance without revealing full HOP context.


bd pin command fails: invalid field for update: pinned

In beads v0.32.0, `bd pin <id>` fails with 'invalid field for update: pinned'. The pinned field exists in the schema but update logic doesn't handle it.

Repro:
```
bd create 'test issue'
bd pin <id>
# Error: invalid field for update: pinned
```

Expected: Issue should be pinned.

This blocks gt mail send --pinned from working.


Refinery-Witness communication protocol

Define mail protocol between Refinery and Witness:

FROM Witness → Refinery:
- 'Polecat ready': polecat X completed work, ready for merge
- 'Rework complete': polecat Y finished requested rework

FROM Refinery → Witness:
- 'Merge success': polecat X merged, can be cleaned up
- 'Merge failed': polecat X needs rework on <reason>
- 'Rework request': please have a polecat rebase X on current main

Implement as structured mail with parseable format.


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.


Agent monitoring and status inference

Agent monitoring with status inference from activity, like PGT.

## Agent Status Enum
```go
type AgentStatus string
const (
    StatusAvailable AgentStatus = "available"
    StatusWorking   AgentStatus = "working"
    StatusThinking  AgentStatus = "thinking"
    StatusBlocked   AgentStatus = "blocked"
    StatusWaiting   AgentStatus = "waiting"
    StatusReviewing AgentStatus = "reviewing"
    StatusIdle      AgentStatus = "idle"
    StatusPaused    AgentStatus = "paused"
    StatusError     AgentStatus = "error"
    StatusOffline   AgentStatus = "offline"
)
```

## Status Sources (priority order)
```go
type StatusSource string
const (
    SourceBossOverride StatusSource = "boss"      // Witness/Mayor sets
    SourceSelfReported StatusSource = "self"      // Agent reports own status
    SourceInferred     StatusSource = "inferred"  // Detected from activity
)
```

## Activity Detection

### Pattern Registry
```go
var activityPatterns = []struct {
    Pattern string
    Status  AgentStatus
}{
    {"Thinking...", StatusThinking},
    {"BLOCKED:", StatusBlocked},
    {"Error:", StatusError},
    // etc
}
```

### Idle Detection
No pane output for N seconds → StatusIdle

### Resource Monitoring (optional)
CPU/memory via os.Process

## New Package
internal/monitoring/
├── types.go      # AgentStatus, StatusReport
├── detector.go   # PatternRegistry, detect from output
├── tracker.go    # Per-agent status tracking
└── idle.go       # Idle timeout detection

## Integration
- Session capture output → monitoring detector
- Status shown in gt status, gt session list

## PGT Reference
gastown-py/src/gastown/monitoring/

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Status enum with 10 states
- [ ] Pattern-based detection from pane output
- [ ] Idle detection with configurable timeout
- [ ] Status visible in CLI output


gt crew status: Show workspace status

Implement 'gt crew status [<name>]' command:
- Show session state (running/stopped)
- Show git status (branch, uncommitted changes, unpushed)
- Show last commit info
- Show mail inbox status (unread count)
- If no name given, show all crew workers


Refinery tmux status: show merge queue length

Add refinery-specific status line showing:
- MQ length (pending merges)
- Currently processing item (if any)
- Maybe: success/failure counts

Implement in runRefineryStatusLine() in internal/cmd/statusline.go


Refinery startup: Use Claude agent instead of foreground mode

WIP found in stash: Refactor refinery startup to spawn Claude as the refinery agent rather than using gt refinery start --foreground.

Changes needed:
- Use refineryDir (refinery/rig) as working directory
- Start Claude with --dangerously-skip-permissions
- Wait for shell ready, then Claude ready
- Send gt prime, then refinery startup prompt
- Remove foreground mode complexity

Related: gt-n7z7 (refinery --foreground race condition bug)


CLI: session commands (start, stop, at, list, capture, inject)

Session management CLI commands.

## Commands

### gt session start
Start a polecat session.
```
gt session start <rig>/<polecat> [--issue <id>]
```
- Creates tmux session
- Launches claude in polecat workdir
- Optionally injects initial issue context

### gt session stop
Stop a polecat session.
```
gt session stop <rig>/<polecat> [--force]
```
- Graceful shutdown by default
- --force kills immediately

### gt session at (attach)
Attach to running session.
```
gt session at <rig>/<polecat>
```
- Attaches tmux session to current terminal
- Detach with Ctrl-B D

### gt session list
List all sessions.
```
gt session list [--rig <rig>] [--json]
```
- Shows running/stopped status
- Optionally filter by rig

### gt session capture
Capture recent output from session.
```
gt session capture <rig>/<polecat> [--lines <n>]
```
- Default: last 100 lines
- Useful for checking polecat progress

### gt session inject
Send message to session.
```
gt session inject <rig>/<polecat> -m "message"
gt session inject <rig>/<polecat> -f <file>
```
- Injects text via tmux send-keys
- Used for nudges, notifications

## Address Format

`<rig>/<polecat>` e.g., `wyvern/Toast`

## Implementation

Session subcommand group:
```go
var sessionCmd = &cobra.Command{Use: "session"}
sessionCmd.AddCommand(startCmd, stopCmd, atCmd, listCmd, captureCmd, injectCmd)
```


Test MR

test


gt prime: Refinery context detection and output

Update gt prime to detect Refinery role:
- Detect from directory: refinery/rig/ = Refinery
- Show handoff bead reference
- Show merge queue status
- Show polecat branches with unmerged commits
- Show last actions summary


gt swarm: Not discovering tasks from epic dependents

gt swarm create/start shows '0 tasks loaded' even when epic has dependents.

Repro:
1. Create epic gt-hw6
2. Create tasks and add deps: bd dep add gt-xxx gt-hw6
3. gt swarm create gastown --epic gt-hw6 --worker Toast
4. Swarm shows 'Tasks: 0'

Expected: Swarm should discover tasks that depend on the epic.
Actual: Shows '(no tasks loaded)'


Merge conflicts: Buzzard/mq-status, Dementus/harness-docs


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


Patrol System: Agent lifecycle loops with attachments

Enable Gas Town agents to run continuous patrols, survive crashes, and hand off work across sessions.

## Core Concepts
- **Attachments**: Molecules bound to agent's pinned bead until complete
- **Patrols**: Cyclic molecules that loop (deacon, witness, refinery)
- **Quiescent**: Agents that sleep until triggered (witness, refinery)

## Design Doc
See docs/patrol-system-design.md

## Phases
Phase 1: Foundation (attachment field, daemon detection, mol-deacon-patrol)
Phase 2: Quiescent Agents (wake triggers, witness/refinery patrols)
Phase 3: Callbacks and Plugins (mail protocol, plugin runner)
Phase 4: Polish (gt patrol status, metrics, tuning)

## Key Decisions
- Attachment as field on pinned bead (not edge type, for now)
- Mail-based orchestration for all callbacks
- Queue replacement for heartbeat delivery (not pile-up)
- Burn and respawn for patrol loops (not in-place reset)


Bug: refinery --foreground detects parent session as already running

When gt refinery start gastown runs:
1. Creates tmux session gt-gastown-refinery
2. Sends 'gt refinery start gastown --foreground' into the session
3. The foreground command checks HasSession() - finds the session it's inside
4. Returns 'already running' error

The foreground mode check should either:
- Skip the tmux session check (only check PID)
- Use a different indicator that the daemon loop is running
- Pass a flag to indicate we're being called from the background starter

Workaround: Manually run 'gt refinery start gastown --foreground' from a fresh session.


Polecats should auto-cleanup after MR submission

Currently polecats must manually run 'gt handoff --shutdown' after completing work. This is error-prone and leaves stale polecats around.

## Desired Flow

1. Polecat completes work
2. Polecat runs 'gt mq submit' (or similar)
3. MR is added to integration queue
4. **Polecat automatically cleans up** (no manual handoff needed)

## Implementation Options

### Option A: mq submit triggers cleanup
In 'gt mq submit':
1. Submit MR to queue
2. Automatically run cleanup (same as gt handoff --shutdown)
3. Polecat session terminates

### Option B: Refinery triggers cleanup
When Refinery picks up MR:
1. Refinery processes MR
2. Sends message to Witness: 'CLEANUP: <polecat>'
3. Witness cleans up polecat

### Option C: Molecule-driven
Define cleanup as final phase of polecat-work molecule:
1. code → test → submit-mr → cleanup

## Note
This reinforces the ephemeral model: polecats exist only for the duration of a single task.


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.


gt spawn: add --polecat flag for explicit worker selection

Currently gt spawn requires positional arg format:
```
gt spawn gastown/Angharad --issue gt-xyz
```

But I tried the more intuitive flag form:
```
gt spawn --issue gt-xyz --polecat Angharad
```

This failed with 'unknown flag: --polecat'.

The flag form is more discoverable and consistent with other commands. Add --polecat flag as alternative to positional arg.


Work on gt-e11: gt mail send priority flag is incompatibl...

Work on gt-e11: gt mail send priority flag is incompatible with bd mail send. Run 'bd show gt-e11' for details.


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)


gt polecat add: should handle existing branch gracefully

## Problem

`gt polecat add gastown Nux` fails if the branch `polecat/Nux` already exists.

## Current Behavior

```
fatal: a branch named 'polecat/Nux' already exists
```

## Expected Behavior

Should either:
1. Reuse the existing branch
2. Or prompt to delete/recreate
3. Or auto-suffix: polecat/Nux-2

## Context

Branch may exist from previous polecat that was removed but branch wasn't cleaned up.


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.


Auto-target: MRs for epic children target integration branch

Automatically target integration branches for epic children.

When 'gt mq submit' is called:
1. Parse source issue from branch
2. Check if issue has a parent epic
3. Check if integration/<epic> branch exists
4. If yes: set target=integration/<epic>
5. If no: set target=main

This ensures batch work automatically flows to integration branches.

Also update 'gt mq submit --epic' to explicitly target an epic's integration branch.

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


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
```


Daemon heartbeat: worker and queue monitoring

Daemon periodic checks for work progress.

## Heartbeat Actions

Every N seconds (configurable):

1. Check Witness health per rig
   - Poke if witness needs to nudge workers

2. Check Refinery queue per rig
   - Poke if pending work in queue

3. Check work completion
   - If epic children all closed, notify Mayor

## Eventually Convergent

Multiple signals reinforce state:
- Polecat signals done → Witness notices → pokes Refinery
- Daemon heartbeat → checks queue → pokes Refinery
- Beads status → queryable by any agent

Even if one signal missed, system converges.

## Interface

```go
func (d *Daemon) HeartbeatLoop() {
    for {
        for _, rig := range d.rigs {
            d.CheckWitness(rig)
            d.CheckRefinery(rig)
            d.CheckWorkProgress(rig)
        }
        time.Sleep(d.config.HeartbeatInterval)
    }
}
```

## Notifications

Use mail with low priority for heartbeat pokes.
Agents can ignore if already processing.


CLI: core commands (status, prime, version, init)

Essential CLI commands for Gas Town operation.

## Commands

### gt status
Show overall town status.
```
gt status [--json]
```
Output:
- Town name and location
- Number of rigs
- Active polecats across all rigs
- Witness status per rig
- Recent activity summary

### gt prime
Output role context for current directory.
```
gt prime
```
Detects role from directory:
- Town root or mayor/ → Mayor context
- <rig>/witness/rig/ → Witness context
- <rig>/refinery/rig/ → Refinery context
- <rig>/polecats/<name>/ → Polecat context

### gt version
Show version information.
```
gt version [--short]
```
Output: version, git commit, build date.

### gt init
Initialize current rig for Gas Town (alternative to gt install for existing repos).
```
gt init [--force]
```
Creates Gas Town structure in existing git repo.

## Implementation

Each command is a Cobra subcommand under root:
```go
var statusCmd = &cobra.Command{...}
var primeCmd = &cobra.Command{...}
var versionCmd = &cobra.Command{...}
var initCmd = &cobra.Command{...}
```

Register in cmd/gt/main.go.


Phase 3: Callbacks and plugins

Mail-based callback protocol and plugin surface.

## Callbacks
- Polecat → Witness: shutdown requests
- Witness → Deacon: escalations, status
- Crew → Deacon: recycle requests
- Deacon → Mayor: escalations

## Plugins
- .beads/plugins.yaml registry
- Cooldown tracking
- Plugin runner in deacon patrol

Depends: Phase 2


Support numeric shortcuts in mail read (e.g., 'mail read 1')

When inbox shows numbered messages like:
* 1. gm-19b29031...  2025-12-16  mayor  Subject...
* 2. gm-19b26d51...  2025-12-16         Subject...

Users should be able to run 'gt mail read 1' instead of needing the full message ID 'gt mail read gm-19b29031f6a172206'.

Implementation:
- Track inbox message order in display
- Map numeric indices to actual message IDs
- Accept both numeric shortcuts and full IDs in 'mail read' command


Witness updates: Remove issue filing proxy

Update Witness prompting to remove issue filing proxy, since polecats now have direct beads access.

## Remove from Witness Prompting

The following is NO LONGER Witness responsibility:
- Processing polecat 'file issue' mail requests
- Creating issues on behalf of polecats
- Forwarding issue creation requests

## Add: Legacy Request Handling

If Witness receives an old-style 'please file issue' request:

1. Respond with update:
   town inject <polecat> "UPDATE: You have direct beads access now. Use bd create to file issues yourself."

2. Do not file the issue - let the polecat learn the new workflow.

## Keep in Witness Prompting

- Monitoring polecat progress
- Nudge protocol
- Pre-kill verification
- Session lifecycle management


mol-theme-generate: Custom name pool generation via cognition

Currently polecat name themes are hardcoded in namepool.go. Simple theme selection is fine as static config, but custom name generation should be a molecule.

Examples requiring cognition:
- "Generate 50 polecat names in the style of [book/movie/game]"
- "Create names that match the project's domain (medical, financial, etc.)"
- "Extend the mad-max theme with 20 more obscure characters"

## Molecule: theme-generate
Generate custom polecat names for a rig.

## Step: analyze-request
Understand the naming request:
- Theme style or source material
- Number of names needed
- Any constraints (length, format)

## Step: generate-candidates
Generate candidate names matching the style.
Aim for 2x the requested count.

## Step: validate-names
Filter candidates:
- No duplicates with existing themes
- Appropriate length (3-15 chars)
- No problematic terms

## Step: create-theme
Write the custom theme to rig config or beads.
Register in name pool.
Needs: validate-names

## Notes
- Output is a new theme entry in BuiltinThemes equivalent
- Could be stored as a pinned bead for persistence


CLI: mayor commands (start, attach, stop, status)

Mayor management CLI commands.

## Commands

### gt mayor start
```
gt mayor start [--continue] [--agent AGENT]
```
- --continue: Resume from previous session (check for handoff mail)
- --agent: claude (default) or other agent type

### gt mayor attach
```
gt mayor attach
```
Attach to running Mayor session.

### gt mayor stop
```
gt mayor stop [--grace-period N]
```
Stop Mayor session with optional grace period.

### gt mayor status
```
gt mayor status [--json]
```
Show Mayor running status.

## Session Management
Session name: `gt-mayor`
Working directory: `<town>/mayor/rig/` or `<town>/mayor/`

## Implementation
Similar to session commands but for special Mayor context.

```go
func getMayorPath(townRoot string) string {
    return filepath.Join(townRoot, "mayor")
}

func getMayorSessionName() string {
    return "gt-mayor"
}
```

## New File
internal/cmd/mayor.go

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

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] gt mayor start launches Mayor session
- [ ] gt mayor attach works
- [ ] gt mayor stop with grace period
- [ ] gt mayor status shows running state


GGT vs PGT Gap Analysis Summary

Summary of gaps comparing GGT (~4,500 LOC) to PGT (~27,700 LOC).

## Critical Gaps (P1) - Existing Issues
- gt-u1j.17: Polecat CLI (add, list, wake, sleep) - DETAILED
- gt-u1j.16: Rig CLI (add, list, show, remove) - DETAILED
- gt-u1j.18: Witness CLI (start, stop, status) - DETAILED
- gt-f9x.4: Doctor framework - DETAILED
- gt-f9x.5: Workspace doctor checks - DETAILED
- gt-f9x.6: Rig doctor checks - DETAILED

## Critical Gaps (P1) - New Issues
- gt-a95: Refinery background daemon mode - ENHANCED
- gt-hgk: Mail message types and threading - ENHANCED

## Significant Gaps (P2) - New Issues
- gt-d46: Mail CLI archive/purge/search - ENHANCED
- gt-e9k: Swarm preflight/postflight - ENHANCED
- gt-662: Swarm report generation - ENHANCED
- gt-69l: Hook system - ENHANCED
- gt-3yj: Agent monitoring - ENHANCED
- gt-1ky: Workspace CLI (may overlap f9x.3) - ENHANCED
- gt-9j9: Worker status reporting - ENHANCED
- gt-qao: Mayor CLI - ENHANCED
- gt-7o7: Session pre-shutdown checks - ENHANCED
- gt-c92: Batch all command - ENHANCED
- gt-lno: Swarm state persistence - ENHANCED
- gt-a9y: File locking - ENHANCED
- gt-30o: Error handling improvements - ENHANCED

## Significant Gaps (P2) - Existing Issues
- gt-kmn.12: Ephemeral rig support - DETAILED

## Lower Priority (P3) - New Issues
- gt-3fm: Mail orchestrator daemon - ENHANCED
- gt-2kz: Cleanup commands - ENHANCED
- gt-ebl: Names commands - ENHANCED
- gt-1u9: Interactive prompts - ENHANCED
- gt-8lz: Help text improvements - ENHANCED

## Closed as Duplicates
- gt-3tz → gt-u1j.17 (polecat CLI)
- gt-e1r → gt-u1j.16 (rig CLI)
- gt-86w → gt-f9x.4/5/6 (doctor)
- gt-alx → gt-kmn.12 (ephemeral rigs)

## Execution Order Recommendation
1. P1 CLI commands (existing detailed issues ready to implement)
2. gt-a95: Refinery daemon (blocks autonomous operation)
3. gt-7o7: Pre-shutdown checks (prevents data loss)
4. gt-a9y: File locking (prevents corruption)
5. gt-hgk + gt-d46: Mail improvements
6. gt-69l: Hook system (enables extensibility)
7. Remaining P2s in any order
8. P3s as time permits


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/.


gt shutdown should fully cleanup polecats (worktrees, branches, inboxes)

Current gt shutdown only kills tmux sessions but leaves:

1. Git worktrees in polecats/ directory
2. Polecat branches (polecat/<name>)
3. Inbox messages
4. Beads assignee state

This causes stale polecats to be reused on next startup.

## Expected Behavior

gt shutdown should:
1. Kill all polecat tmux sessions (current behavior)
2. For each polecat with StateIdle or StateDone:
   - Remove worktree
   - Delete branch
   - Clear inbox
3. For polecats with uncommitted work:
   - REFUSE to clean up
   - Report which polecats have uncommitted changes
   - Require --force or --nuclear to proceed

## Current Code

- start.go:runImmediateShutdown() only calls t.KillSession()
- Witness cleanupPolecat() does full cleanup but isn't called by shutdown

## Fix

Either:
1. Call Witness cleanup for each polecat during shutdown
2. OR add rig.ShutdownPolecats() that does the full cleanup


CLI: cleanup commands for stale state

Cleanup commands for recovering from stale state.

## Commands

### gt cleanup <polecat>
Clean stale state for specific polecat.
```
gt cleanup <rig>/<polecat> [--dry-run]
```

Actions:
- Remove orphaned state.json if clone missing
- Clear stale session references
- Reset stuck state (working → idle after timeout)

### gt cleanup --all
Clean all polecats in workspace.
```
gt cleanup --all [--dry-run]
```

## Implementation
```go
func CleanupPolecat(rigName, polecatName string, dryRun bool) (*CleanupResult, error)

type CleanupResult struct {
    OrphanedStateRemoved bool
    SessionsCleared      int
    StateReset           bool
    Warnings             []string
}
```

## Overlap with Doctor
- Doctor diagnoses and offers --fix
- Cleanup is more aggressive state recovery
- Consider merging into doctor --fix

## New File
internal/cmd/cleanup.go

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Removes orphaned state files
- [ ] Clears stale session refs
- [ ] --dry-run shows what would happen
- [ ] Reports all actions taken


Failure handling: assign back to worker, add labels

Handle merge failures appropriately.

Failure types and actions:
| Failure     | Action                                      |
|-------------|---------------------------------------------|
| conflict    | Add needs-rebase label, assign to worker    |
| tests_fail  | Add needs-fix label, assign to worker       |
| build_fail  | Add needs-fix label, assign to worker       |
| flaky_test  | Retry once, then treat as tests_fail        |
| push_fail   | Retry with backoff, escalate if persistent  |

Actions:
1. bd update <id> --status=open --assignee=<worker>
2. bd update <id> --labels=<failure-label>
3. Send mail to worker explaining failure
4. Log failure details

Reference: docs/merge-queue-design.md#handling-failures


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


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.


gt polecat: add 'done' or 'finish' command to transition from working to idle

When a polecat finishes work but session wasn't properly cleaned up, there's no way to reset it from 'working' state back to 'idle'.

Tried:
```
gt polecat sleep gastown/Angharad
Error: sleeping polecat: polecat is not active (state: working)
```

The sleep command only works on 'active' polecats, not 'working' ones.

Had to manually edit state.json to reset:
```
jq '.state = "idle" | .issue = ""' state.json
```

Need a command like:
```
gt polecat done gastown/Angharad   # working -> idle
gt polecat finish gastown/Angharad # working -> idle
gt polecat reset gastown/Angharad  # any state -> idle (force)
```


Add 'wit' alias for witness command

ref works as alias for refinery, but wit doesn't work for witness. Add Aliases: []string{"wit"} to witnessCmd.


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.


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.


Configuration in Beads: use pinned beads for rig/agent config

## Summary

Move configuration from JSON files into Beads data plane using pinned beads.

## Motivation

- Config becomes versionable and syncable like issues
- Agents can read config via `bd show`
- Unified data model for everything
- Supports the 'Beads as Universal Data Plane' vision (gt-aqm)

## Config Types to Migrate

### Rig-level (pinned per rig)
- Theme/colors for tmux status line
- Default branch naming conventions
- Merge queue settings
- Witness thresholds

### Agent-level (pinned per role)
- Handoffs (already planned - gt-cu7r)
- Agent preferences
- Current focus/context

### Town-level (pinned at town root)
- Cross-rig settings
- Federation config
- Global themes

## Implementation

1. Implement StatusPinned (beads-6v2) ✓ in progress
2. Create config pinned beads on rig init
3. Add `bd config get/set` commands that read/write pinned beads
4. Migrate existing config.json fields

## Naming Convention

```
<prefix>-cfg-<scope>
gt-cfg-theme      # gastown theme
bd-cfg-merge      # beads merge settings
gm-cfg-town       # town-level config
```

## Dependencies

- beads-6v2: Add StatusPinned to beads schema
- gm-w13: Pinned Beads epic


Add bulk polecat remove command (gt polecat remove --all)

When decommissioning a rig, need to remove multiple polecats one at a time. A --all or --rig flag would allow: gt polecat remove --rig gastown --force


VC Pattern Integration: Bring validated ideas to Gas Town

Analysis of ~/src/vc identified 6 validated patterns from the 2nd orchestrator attempt that map cleanly to Gas Town primitives. VC achieved 254 issues closed, 90.9% gate pass rate, and 24 successful missions.

Key insight: VC built ~4300 lines of Go for features that become ~65 lines of YAML + CLI flags in Gas Town's architecture.

Child tasks track each pattern to integrate.


beads: Stop searching upward when .beads found

## Problem

When running bd commands in a nested directory structure with multiple .beads directories, bd shows a confusing warning:

```
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ WARNING: 2 beads databases detected in directory hierarchy              ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ Multiple databases can cause confusion and database pollution.          ║
║                                                                          ║
║   /Users/stevey/gt/gastown/.beads (261 issues)                           ║
║   /Users/stevey/gt/.beads (21 issues)                                    ║
║                                                                          ║
║ WARNING: Not using the closest database! Check your BEADS_DB setting.   ║
║                                                                          ║
║ RECOMMENDED: Consolidate or remove unused databases to avoid confusion. ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
```

## Why This Is Wrong

In Gas Town, nested .beads directories are **intentional and necessary**:
- Town level: /Users/stevey/gt/.beads (mail, town-level issues)
- Rig level: /Users/stevey/gt/gastown/.beads (gastown project issues)
- Worker level: polecats have their own beads in worktrees

These are **unrelated** beads instances for different scopes. They should never be consolidated.

## Expected Behavior

When bd finds a .beads directory, it should:
1. Use that directory (closest ancestor wins)
2. **Stop searching upward** - do not look for parent .beads directories
3. **No warning** about multiple databases

## Current Behavior

bd searches all the way up to root, finds all .beads directories, and warns about "multiple databases" even though they are separate, intentional instances.

## Fix

In the database discovery code, stop the upward search as soon as a .beads directory is found. The first .beads found is the one to use, and parent directories are out of scope.

## Note

This is a beads issue, filed here for tracking. Should be implemented in the beads codebase.


gt spawn should create fresh polecat worktree, never reuse

Currently gt spawn tries to reuse existing polecats, which causes:

1. Stale beads database
2. Stale code (behind main/integration)
3. Old inbox messages
4. Git history pollution

## Current Behavior

gt spawn:
1. Looks for idle polecat in pool
2. If found, reuses existing worktree
3. Assigns new issue

## Desired Behavior

gt spawn:
1. Always create FRESH polecat from current main/integration
2. Fresh worktree with clean beads
3. No reuse of old worktrees

## Name Pool Still Useful

Keep name pool for:
- Allocating themed names (mad-max, etc.)
- Tracking which names are in use

But worktrees should be created fresh each time.

## Implementation

In spawn.go, before starting work:
1. If worktree exists: remove it first
2. Create fresh worktree from integration branch
3. Sync beads from rig to polecat
4. Then proceed with work assignment

This ensures polecats always start with latest code and beads.


Design: Polecat Beads write access

Design for granting polecats direct beads write access.

## Background

With Beads v0.30.0 tombstone-based rearchitecture, we have solid multi-agent support. Reversing the original read-only decision.

## Benefits

- Simplifies architecture (no mail-based issue filing proxy)
- Empowers polecats to file discovered work
- Beads handles work-disavowal

## Complications

For OSS projects where you cannot commit to project .beads/, need per-rig beads repo configuration.

## Subtasks (implementation)

- gt-zx3: Per-rig beads configuration schema
- gt-e1y: Worker prompting updates for beads access
- gt-cjb: Witness proxy removal
- gt-082: Beads sync in decommission checklist

**Design complete.** Each subtask has full specification in its description.


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


Add crew lifecycle support to Deacon

Currently crew sessions (like gastown/crew/max, beads/crew/dave) are marked as 'human-managed' and excluded from automated lifecycle.

## Current State
- `getManager(RoleCrew)` returns `"human"` (handoff.go:273)
- `gt handoff` for crew just prints a message, no lifecycle request sent
- Crew cannot request automated refresh from Deacon

## Desired State
Crew members should be able to request lifecycle actions from Deacon:
- `gt handoff --cycle` sends request to Deacon, which kills/restarts the crew session
- Useful when: context full, running molecules that need fresh session, automation

## Implementation
1. Change `getManager(RoleCrew)` to return `"deacon/"` (or new crew manager)
2. Teach Deacon to recognize crew session naming pattern
3. Add crew to Deacon's respawn loop handling
4. Test with `gt nudge` for reliable message delivery

## Use Case
Running a molecule (e.g., version-bump) and discovering mid-workflow that a fresh session is needed. Agent should be able to request refresh automatically rather than requiring human intervention.

## Related
- gt nudge: reliable message delivery to Claude sessions
- bd mol bond: molecule instantiation (coming in beads)


Merge: gt-70b3

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


gt rig reset: clear stale mail on reset/land

## Problem

When resetting or landing a rig/town, stale mail messages can confuse agents on startup. Old handoff messages, daemon notifications, and inter-agent mail should be cleaned up as part of reset.

## Current State

- `gt rig reset` exists but doesn't clear mail
- Stale messages accumulate (e.g., daemon SHUTDOWN messages)
- Agents may read outdated context on startup

## Proposed Behavior

`gt rig reset` and `gt town reset` should:
1. Close all open messages (`--type=message`) in the relevant beads
2. Optionally preserve pinned handoff beads (clear content, keep bead)
3. Log what was cleaned up

```bash
gt rig reset gastown          # Clears gastown mail
gt rig reset gastown --mail   # Only clear mail, keep other state
gt town reset                 # Clears all town-level mail
gt town reset --all           # Clears mail in all rigs too
```

## Implementation

1. Query `bd list --type=message --status=open`
2. Close each with reason 'Cleared during reset'
3. For pinned handoffs: `bd update <id> --description=''` instead of close


Direct test

Testing direct bd create


gt orphans: Find lost polecat work

Add a command to find orphaned commits that were never merged to main.

## Problem
Polecat work can get lost when:
- Session killed before merge
- Refinery fails to process
- Network issues during push

## Solution
Add `gt orphans` command that:
1. Uses `git fsck --unreachable` to find dangling commits
2. Filters to recent commits (default: 7 days, configurable)
3. Excludes stash/index entries (WIP on, index on)
4. Shows commit details and suggests recovery

## Usage
```
gt orphans              # Last 7 days
gt orphans --days=14    # Last 2 weeks
gt orphans --recover    # Interactive cherry-pick
```

## Found orphans (Dec 16-20, 2025)
- 3b146c11: Fix mail read auto-ack and add Mayor startup directive
- b6fdc561: Add persistent theme config and fix crew session theming
- 97aba756: Unify gt prime to call bd prime and mail check
- ce769ca5: Add mol-bootstrap molecule for Gas Town installation
- b2219de7: Add bootstrap documentation for new Gas Town installations
- bc82348: feat: Add gt done command (already recovered)


Crew workers getting wrong CLAUDE.md (shows Refinery)

## Problem

Crew workers (emma, dave) have CLAUDE.md that says they're the Refinery.

## Evidence

```
$ head -5 /Users/stevey/gt/beads/crew/emma/CLAUDE.md
# Claude: Beads Refinery
You are the **Refinery** for the **beads** rig...
```

## Expected

Should use crew.md.tmpl which correctly says:
```
# Crew Worker Context
You are a **crew worker** - the overseer's (human's) personal workspace...
```

## Impact

- Crew workers have wrong identity in static context
- `gt prime` correctly outputs crew context, but CLAUDE.md conflicts
- Confusing role information

## Fix

Check `gt crew create` or whatever populates CLAUDE.md for crew workers.


Molecule composition: Includes directive

Add support for molecule composition via the Includes directive.

## Format
\`\`\`markdown
## Molecule: derived-name
Includes: mol-base-molecule

## Step: additional-step
Additional instructions here.
Needs: step-from-base
\`\`\`

## Implementation
1. Add \`Includes:\` parsing to ParseMoleculeSteps()
2. Resolve included molecule by ID
3. Merge steps from included molecule
4. Allow new steps to depend on included steps
5. Support multiple includes (polymers)

## Files to modify
- internal/beads/molecule.go
- internal/beads/molecule_test.go

## Acceptance
- [ ] Parse Includes directive
- [ ] Resolve and merge included steps
- [ ] Dependencies across molecules work
- [ ] Multiple includes supported
- [ ] Tests cover composition scenarios


gt crew at/attach: Start session in crew workspace

Implement 'gt crew at <rig>/<name>' and 'gt crew attach <name>' commands:
- Start tmux session (optional - could just print cd instructions)
- Launch claude code in the workspace
- Deliver any pending mail
- Support --no-tmux to just print directory path
- 'attach' infers rig from cwd


CLI: witness commands (start, stop, status)

Witness daemon CLI commands.

## Commands

### gt witness start
Start the witness daemon for a rig.
```
gt witness start <rig> [--interval <seconds>]
```
- Starts background daemon process
- Default heartbeat interval: 30s
- Logs to <rig>/witness/witness.log

### gt witness stop
Stop the witness daemon.
```
gt witness stop <rig>
```
- Graceful shutdown
- Completes current heartbeat cycle

### gt witness status
Show witness status.
```
gt witness status <rig> [--json]
```
Output:
- Running/stopped
- Last heartbeat time
- Polecats being monitored
- Recent nudges/escalations

### gt witness logs
View witness logs.
```
gt witness logs <rig> [--follow] [--lines <n>]
```
- --follow: Continuous output (like tail -f)
- --lines: Number of lines (default 50)

## Daemon Management

Witness runs as background process:
- PID stored in <rig>/witness/witness.pid
- Uses nohup for persistence
- Logs structured JSON events

## Implementation

```go
var witnessCmd = &cobra.Command{Use: "witness"}
witnessCmd.AddCommand(startCmd, stopCmd, statusCmd, logsCmd)
```

Start launches daemon via exec, status reads PID file and pings process.


gt crew restart command

Add a 'gt crew restart' command that kills the tmux session and restarts fresh. Useful when a crew member gets confused or needs a clean slate.

Should:
- Kill existing tmux session if running
- Start fresh session with claude
- Run gt prime to reinitialize context

Alias: gt crew rs


Self-test

Testing gt mail works


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.


gt crew add: Create crew workspace

Implement 'gt crew add <name> [--rig <rig>]' command:
- Clone repo into <rig>/crew/<name>/
- Create feature branch (optional, or stay on main)
- Register for mail delivery
- Initialize CLAUDE.md with crew worker prompting
- Do NOT register with witness (user-managed)


GGT Command Parity: Complete gt command coverage

Complete gt command set to match/exceed PGT town commands.

Covers: uninstall, rig info, refinery attach, witness, session mgmt, mail UX, daemon.


session stop: --force flag is defined but not used


Merge: gt-3x1.3

branch: polecat/Doof
target: main
source_issue: gt-3x1.3
rig: gastown


Plugin: merge-oracle (merge queue analysis)

Example plugin that analyzes changesets before Refinery processes them. Builds overlap graph, classifies disjointness (parallel-safe vs needs-sequencing), uses LLM for semantic complexity, identifies high-risk patterns. Based on merge-orchestration proposal. See docs/architecture.md.


Swarm: ephemeral rig support

PGT has ephemeral rigs for swarms - temporary worker groups that are destroyed after landing.

Missing Features:
- gt swarm init [--rig <name>|--git-url <url>] [--num-workers N]
- gt swarm worker add/remove/list <rig-id>
- gt swarm rigs - List ephemeral rigs
- gt swarm destroy <rig-id> - Destroy ephemeral rig

Directory structure:
<workspace>/mayor/workers/<rig-id>/
├── rig.json (metadata)
├── alice/ (git clone)
├── bob/
└── carol/

PGT Reference: gastown-py/src/gastown/ephemeral.py

Note: Beads issue gt-kmn.12 mentions this but implementation is missing.


Fix TestHasPolecat test failure


Worker cleanup: Beads sync on shutdown

Add beads sync verification to worker cleanup checklist and Witness verification.

## Update to Decommission Checklist (gt-sd6)

Add to pre-done verification:
- bd sync --status must show 'Up to date'
- git status .beads/ must show no changes

## Beads Edge Cases

Uncommitted beads changes:
  bd sync
  git add .beads/
  git commit -m 'beads: final sync'

Beads sync conflict (rare):
  git fetch origin main
  git checkout main -- .beads/
  bd sync --force
  git add .beads/
  git commit -m 'beads: resolve sync conflict'

## Update to Witness Verification (gt-f8v)

When capturing worker state:
  town capture <polecat> "bd sync --status && git status .beads/"

Check for:
- bd sync --status shows 'Up to date'
- git status .beads/ shows no changes

If beads not synced, nudge:
  WITNESS CHECK: Beads not synced. Run 'bd sync' then commit .beads/. Signal done when complete.


Config package: Config, State types and JSON serialization

Config and state types with JSON serialization.

## Town Config (config/town.json)

```go
type TownConfig struct {
    Type      string    `json:"type"`       // "town"
    Version   int       `json:"version"`    // schema version
    Name      string    `json:"name"`       // town identifier
    CreatedAt time.Time `json:"created_at"`
}
```

## Rigs Registry (config/rigs.json)

```go
type RigsConfig struct {
    Version int                `json:"version"`
    Rigs    map[string]RigEntry `json:"rigs"`
}

type RigEntry struct {
    GitURL   string    `json:"git_url"`
    AddedAt  time.Time `json:"added_at"`
    BeadsConfig *BeadsConfig `json:"beads,omitempty"`
}

type BeadsConfig struct {
    Repo   string `json:"repo"`   // "local" | path | git-url
    Prefix string `json:"prefix"` // issue prefix
}
```

## Agent State (*/state.json)

```go
type AgentState struct {
    Role       string    `json:"role"`       // "mayor", "witness", etc.
    LastActive time.Time `json:"last_active"`
    Session    string    `json:"session,omitempty"`
    Extra      map[string]any `json:"extra,omitempty"`
}
```

## Interface

```go
func LoadTownConfig(path string) (*TownConfig, error)
func SaveTownConfig(path string, config *TownConfig) error

func LoadRigsConfig(path string) (*RigsConfig, error)
func SaveRigsConfig(path string, config *RigsConfig) error

func LoadAgentState(path string) (*AgentState, error)
func SaveAgentState(path string, state *AgentState) error
```

## Validation

- Version compatibility checks
- Required field validation
- Path existence verification


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


Merge: gt-g44u.1

branch: polecat/Ace
target: main
source_issue: gt-g44u.1
rig: gastown


Merge: gt-99a

branch: polecat/Slit
target: main
source_issue: gt-99a
rig: gastown


Simplify Go daemon to Deacon-watcher

Refactor internal/daemon to only: (1) check deacon/heartbeat.json every 60s, (2) poke gt-deacon if stale, (3) restart Deacon and mail for help if very stale. Remove all lifecycle processing and agent poking.


CloudRunOutpost: Basic implementation

## Overview

Basic CloudRunOutpost implementation. Persistent connections and cost tracking are separate tasks.

## Implementation

```go
type CloudRunOutpost struct {
    name        string
    project     string
    region      string
    service     string
    maxWorkers  int
    client      *WorkClient
    workers     map[string]*CloudRunWorker
    mu          sync.RWMutex
}

func NewCloudRunOutpost(cfg OutpostConfig) (*CloudRunOutpost, error) {
    serviceURL := fmt.Sprintf(
        "https://%s-%s.a.run.app",
        cfg.Service, cfg.Region,
    )
    return &CloudRunOutpost{
        name:       cfg.Name,
        project:    cfg.Project,
        region:     cfg.Region,
        service:    cfg.Service,
        maxWorkers: cfg.MaxWorkers,
        client:     NewWorkClient(serviceURL),
        workers:    make(map[string]*CloudRunWorker),
    }, nil
}
```

## Spawn

```go
func (o *CloudRunOutpost) Spawn(issue string, cfg WorkerConfig) (Worker, error) {
    req := WorkRequest{
        IssueID: issue,
        Rig:     RigConfig{URL: cfg.RigURL, Branch: cfg.GitBranch},
        Beads:   BeadsConfig{URL: cfg.BeadsURL, Branch: "beads-sync"},
        Branch:  "polecat/" + issue,
    }

    events, err := o.client.DispatchWork(context.Background(), req)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }

    worker := &CloudRunWorker{
        id:      uuid.New().String(),
        outpost: o.name,
        issue:   issue,
        events:  events,
        status:  WorkerStatusWorking,
    }

    o.mu.Lock()
    o.workers[worker.id] = worker
    o.mu.Unlock()

    go worker.monitor()
    return worker, nil
}
```

## CloudRunWorker

```go
type CloudRunWorker struct {
    id      string
    outpost string
    issue   string
    status  WorkerStatus
    events  <-chan WorkEvent
    logs    []string
}

func (w *CloudRunWorker) Attach() error {
    return errors.New("Cloud Run workers do not support attach")
}

func (w *CloudRunWorker) Logs() (io.Reader, error) {
    return strings.NewReader(strings.Join(w.logs, "\n")), nil
}
```

## Files

- `internal/outpost/cloudrun.go`

## Dependencies

Depends on: gt-9a2.1 (interfaces), gt-9a2.12 (HTTP client)
Blocks: gt-9a2.13 (persistent connections), gt-9a2.14 (cost tracking)


Witness MVP: Automated Polecat Lifecycle

Implement the Witness agent - per-rig 'pit boss' that manages polecat lifecycles.

The Witness enables hands-free swarming by automating:
- Spawning polecats for ready work
- Monitoring worker health
- Processing shutdown requests
- Cleaning up worktrees when done
- Escalating stuck workers to Mayor

Without Witness, humans must manually spawn, monitor, and kill each polecat.

## Core Loop

```
while True:
  # Handle pending shutdowns
  for polecat in polecats where state == pending_shutdown:
    verify git clean
    kill session
    remove worktree
    delete branch

  # Spawn for ready work
  ready = bd ready --parent=<epic> if epic else bd ready
  for issue in ready:
    if active_workers < max_workers:
      gt spawn --issue <id>

  # Check worker health
  for polecat in active polecats:
    if stuck (no progress for 30 min):
      nudge or escalate

  sleep 60
```

## Blocking Bugs to Fix
- gt-dsfi: handoff deadlock
- gt-n7z7: refinery foreground race condition
- gm-c6b: mail coordination (town vs rig beads)


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'.


Review and audit all GGT beads

Thorough review of all filed beads in gastown GGT repo. Check for: consistency, completeness, correct dependencies, accurate descriptions, proper prioritization. Ensure beads are self-contained and dont rely on external docs.


Git wrapper: shell out to git

Wrapper for git operations via subprocess.

## Interface

```go
type Git struct {
    workDir string
}

func NewGit(workDir string) *Git

// Core operations
func (g *Git) Clone(url, dest string) error
func (g *Git) Checkout(ref string) error
func (g *Git) Fetch(remote string) error
func (g *Git) Pull(remote, branch string) error
func (g *Git) Push(remote, branch string, force bool) error

// Commit operations
func (g *Git) Add(paths ...string) error
func (g *Git) Commit(message string) error
func (g *Git) CommitAll(message string) error

// Query operations
func (g *Git) Status() (*GitStatus, error)
func (g *Git) CurrentBranch() (string, error)
func (g *Git) HasUncommittedChanges() (bool, error)
func (g *Git) RemoteURL(remote string) (string, error)

// Merge operations
func (g *Git) Merge(branch string) error
func (g *Git) Rebase(onto string) error
func (g *Git) AbortMerge() error
func (g *Git) AbortRebase() error
```

## Implementation

Shell out to git binary via exec.Command. Parse output where needed (Status, CurrentBranch).

## Error Handling

- Wrap git stderr in error messages
- Detect specific failures (merge conflict, auth failure, not a repo)
- Return structured errors for callers to handle

## Testing

- Use temp directories with real git repos
- Test both success and failure paths


Merge execution: merge, test, push

Implement the actual merge execution.

Steps:
1. git checkout <mr.target>
2. git merge <mr.branch> --no-ff -m 'Merge <branch>: <title>'
3. If config.run_tests:
   - Run test_command (from config)
   - If failed: git reset --hard HEAD~1, return Failure(tests_failed)
4. git push origin <mr.target>
5. Return Success(merge_commit=HEAD)

Configuration:
- run_tests: bool (default true)
- test_command: string (default 'go test ./...')

Handle push failures with retry logic.

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


Add crew session pattern to lifecycle handling

Update identityToSession and restartSession to handle crew patterns: gastown/max -> gt-gastown-max. Crew workers can request lifecycle but are not proactively monitored.


Test: New Router

Testing bd create for mail


Machine registry: Store and manage machine configs

Registry for managing remote machines in federation.

## Data Model

```go
type Machine struct {
    Name     string `json:"name"`
    Type     string `json:"type"`      // "local", "ssh", "gcp"
    Host     string `json:"host"`      // for ssh: user@host
    KeyPath  string `json:"key_path"`  // SSH key path
    TownPath string `json:"town_path"` // Path to town on remote
}
```

## Interface

```go
type MachineRegistry struct {
    path     string  // config/federation.json
    machines map[string]*Machine
}

func NewMachineRegistry(configPath string) *MachineRegistry
func (r *MachineRegistry) Get(name string) (*Machine, error)
func (r *MachineRegistry) Add(m *Machine) error
func (r *MachineRegistry) Remove(name string) error
func (r *MachineRegistry) List() []*Machine
func (r *MachineRegistry) Connection(name string) (Connection, error)
```

## Storage

federation.json in config/:
```json
{
  "version": 1,
  "machines": {
    "local": {"type": "local"},
    "gcp-vm-1": {
      "type": "ssh",
      "host": "user@10.0.0.1",
      "key_path": "~/.ssh/gcp_key",
      "town_path": "/home/user/ai"
    }
  }
}
```

## Connection Factory

```go
func (r *MachineRegistry) Connection(name string) (Connection, error) {
    m := r.machines[name]
    switch m.Type {
    case "local":
        return NewLocalConnection(), nil
    case "ssh":
        return NewSSHConnection(m.Host, m.KeyPath), nil
    }
}
```


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.


gt doctor: Detect and clean up orphaned sessions/processes

## Problem
Orphaned tmux sessions and Claude processes accumulate over time, consuming memory.

## Discovered Orphans
- gt-deacon: Idle Claude session, not part of any rig

## Proposed Solution

### gt doctor --check (default)
Detect issues without fixing:
- Orphan sessions (not matching rig/polecat/crew/witness/refinery/mayor pattern)
- Claude processes without parent tmux session
- Tmux sessions without Claude (stuck at bash prompt)
- Polecats marked 'working' but session idle

### gt doctor --fix
Clean up detected issues:
- Kill orphan sessions
- Kill orphan Claude processes
- Optionally reset stuck polecat state

### gt gc (alternative name)
Short alias for cleanup operations.

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Detects orphan sessions
- [ ] Detects orphan processes
- [ ] Safe cleanup (doesn't kill active work)
- [ ] Reports what was cleaned


EXTERNAL: Beads Messaging & Knowledge Graph (bd-kwro)

Tracking issue for external dependency on Beads v0.30.2 messaging features.

Beads epic: bd-kwro in ~/src/beads (steveyegge/beads repo)

This blocks GGT work that depends on:
- bd mail send/inbox/read/ack commands
- message issue type
- replies_to threading
- Hooks system for notifications
- Identity configuration

GGT mail commands will be thin wrappers around bd mail once available.

When bd-kwro ships in Beads v0.30.2, close this and unblock dependent work.


Bug: parseLifecycleRequest always matches 'cycle' due to LIFECYCLE prefix

In lifecycle.go, parseLifecycleRequest checks strings.Contains(title, "cycle") first, but the prefix "LIFECYCLE:" contains the word "cycle". This means ALL lifecycle messages match the cycle action, making restart and shutdown unreachable. Fix: check for restart/shutdown before cycle, or use word boundaries.


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.


Enhance Mayor CLAUDE.md with GGT milestone tracking

Update ~/ai/CLAUDE.md (Mayor startup context) with:

1. GGT Self-Hosting Milestone section
   - Track progress toward gt replacing town
   - Key blockers: gt-h5n (merge queue), gt-974 (daemon)
   - What "self-hosting" means (GGT working on itself)

2. Recent Architecture Decisions
   - Engineer = role, Refinery = place
   - Merge queue in Beads (not branch discovery)
   - Session restart protocol

3. Transition Plan
   - Current: use town commands (PGT)
   - Target: use gt commands (GGT)
   - Switch criteria: gt-b1g closed

Keep it concise - Mayor context should be quick to scan.


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

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


Merge: gt-5af.1

branch: polecat/Ace
target: main
source_issue: gt-5af.1
rig: gastown


MQ dashboard widget: queue status in TUI

Add merge queue status widget to the Bubbletea TUI dashboard.

Display:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              MERGE QUEUE STATUS                  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Pending: 3   In Progress: 1   Merged (24h): 12  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ QUEUE:                                          │
│   ► gt-mr-004  P0  Nux/gt-xyz     Processing... │
│     gt-mr-005  P1  Toast/gt-abc   Ready         │
│     gt-mr-006  P1  Capable/gt-def Blocked (005) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Interactive features:
- Navigate queue entries
- View MR details
- Retry/reject from dashboard

Depends on: gt-u1j.2 (Bubbletea TUI dashboard)

Reference: docs/merge-queue-design.md#dashboard


Doctor check: Zombie session cleanup

Detect and clean up zombie tmux sessions via gt doctor.

## Problem

Zombie sessions occur when:
- Agent crashes without cleanup
- gt kill fails mid-operation
- System restart leaves orphan sessions
- Session naming collision

## Checks

### ZombieSessionCheck
- List all tmux sessions matching gt-* pattern
- Cross-reference with known polecats
- Flag sessions with no corresponding polecat state
- Flag sessions for removed polecats
- Check session age vs polecat creation time

### Detection Criteria
- Session exists but polecat directory doesn't
- Session name doesn't match any registered polecat
- Polecat state=idle but session running
- Multiple sessions for same polecat

## Output

```
[WARN] Zombie tmux sessions detected:
  - gt-wyvern-OldPolecat (polecat removed)
  - gt-beads-Unknown (no matching polecat)
  - gt-wyvern-Toast (duplicate session)

  Run 'gt doctor --fix' to clean up
```

## Auto-Fix (--fix flag)

- Kill orphan tmux sessions
- Update polecat state to match reality
- Log all cleanup actions

## Safety

- Never kill sessions where polecat state=working
- Prompt before killing if --fix used without --force
- Create audit log of killed sessions


Interrupt vs Queue mail semantics

Add priority/delivery semantics to mail messages.

## Semantics

| Type | Delivery | Use Case |
|------|----------|----------|
| Interrupt | tmux send-keys | Lifecycle, URGENT, stuck detection |
| Queue | Create message only | Normal mail, status, heartbeat |

## Implementation

- `bd mail send --interrupt` uses tmux send-keys notification
- Default is queue (agent checks with `gt mail check`)
- Urgent flag on messages for interrupt delivery

## Agent Side

- `gt mail check --quiet` - non-blocking check for queued mail
- `gt mail wait` - block until mail arrives (for idle agents)
- Heartbeats become queued, agent checks at natural breakpoints


Design: Swarm shutdown and worker cleanup

Design for graceful swarm shutdown, worker cleanup, and session cycling.

## Key Decisions

1. Pre-kill verification uses model intelligence (not framework rules)
2. Witness can request restart when context filling (mail self, exit)
3. Mayor NOT involved in per-worker cleanup (Witness responsibility)
4. Clear responsibility boundaries between Mayor/Witness/Polecat

## Subtasks (implementation)

- gt-sd6: Polecat decommission checklist prompting
- gt-f8v: Witness pre-kill verification protocol
- gt-eu9: Witness session cycling and handoff
- gt-gl2: Mayor vs Witness cleanup responsibilities

**Design complete.** Each subtask has full specification in its description.


Merge: gt-pyqv

branch: polecat/dementus
target: main
source_issue: gt-pyqv
rig: gastown


Clarify Mayor vs Witness cleanup responsibilities

Document the cleanup authority model: Witness owns ALL per-worker cleanup, Mayor never involved.

## The Rule

**Witness handles ALL per-worker cleanup. Mayor is never involved.**

## Why This Matters

1. Separation of concerns: Mayor strategic, Witness operational
2. Reduced coordination overhead: No back-and-forth for routine cleanup
3. Faster shutdown: Witness kills workers immediately upon verification
4. Cleaner escalation: Mayor only hears about problems

## What Witness Handles

- Verifying worker git state before kill
- Nudging workers to fix dirty state
- Killing worker sessions
- Updating worker state (sleep/wake)
- Logging verification results

## What Mayor Handles

- Receiving swarm complete notifications
- Deciding whether to start new swarms
- Handling escalations (stuck workers after 3 retries)
- Cross-rig coordination

## Escalation Path

Worker stuck -> Witness nudges (up to 3x) -> Witness escalates to Mayor -> Mayor decides: force kill, reassign, or human

## Anti-Patterns

DO NOT: Mayor asks Witness if worker X is clean
DO: Witness reports swarm complete, all workers verified

DO NOT: Mayor kills worker sessions directly
DO: Mayor tells Witness to abort swarm, Witness handles cleanup

DO NOT: Workers report done to Mayor
DO: Workers report to Witness, Witness aggregates and reports up


gt refinery start: doesn't actually start a session

## Problem

`gt refinery start gastown` reports success but doesn't start a tmux session.

## Evidence

```
$ gt refinery start gastown
Starting refinery for gastown...
✓ Refinery started for gastown

$ tmux list-sessions | grep refinery
(nothing)

$ gt refinery status gastown
State: ○ stopped
```

## Expected

Should start a tmux session (e.g., gt-gastown-refinery) with Claude processing the merge queue.

## Related

- gt-kcee: Witness commands also need implementation
- The refinery 'start' may just be updating state.json without spawning a session


Add bulk session stop command (gt session stop --all)

When decommissioning a rig, need to stop multiple sessions one at a time. A --all or --rig flag would allow: gt session stop --rig gastown


Witness session startup (gt witness start)

Implement gt witness start <rig>

Should:
1. Verify rig exists and has witness/ directory
2. Check for existing witness session (don't double-start)
3. Create tmux session: gt-<rig>-witness
4. Start Claude Code with --dangerously-skip-permissions
5. Send gt prime to load context
6. Send startup prompt

Similar pattern to refinery startup in internal/refinery/manager.go


🤝 HANDOFF: Investigate beads-sync divergence (221 files)

## Context

gt doctor now detects orphaned code on beads-sync branch. Running it shows:

  beads-sync-orphans: 221 file(s) on beads-sync not in main

This is in the gastown repo (checking from crew/max).

## Background

- Earlier today we recovered orphaned mail migration code lost in merge 96c773f
- Recently simplified architecture: all workers use mayor/rig/.beads (redirects)
- This simplification may have caused beads-sync branch to diverge unexpectedly

## Investigation Steps

1. From crew/max run: git diff main..beads-sync --stat
2. Check if beads-sync should even exist anymore (was for multi-clone sync)
3. If obsolete with redirect architecture, consider deleting it
4. If it has legitimate changes, cherry-pick or merge to main

## Key Question

With all workers using mayor/rig/.beads via redirects, is beads-sync still needed?

## Commands

git log main..beads-sync --oneline | head -20
git diff main..beads-sync -- *.go | head -100