An installable operating protocol for coordinating parallel AI agents across git worktrees. File-based comms. Scope isolation. Generational knowledge transfer.

Quick Reference

/tap:tap                  # Dashboard
/tap:tap setup N          # Create N missions
/tap:tap launch [ids]     # Print terminal tab prompts
/tap:tap audit            # Audit all missions
/tap:tap teardown [id]    # Clean up completed mission
/tap:tap sync             # Sync mission files to worktrees
/tap:inbox                # Check messages, reviews, findings
/tap:findings             # List out-of-scope discoveries

Architecture

Roles

Role	Description
Control Tower	Runs from main repo. Orchestrates missions. Never checks out branches.
Agent	Runs in a worktree. Owns a scope. Creates PRs. Reports via comms.

File Locations

{repo}/
├── docs/missions/
│   ├── MISSIONS.md          # Control tower only — global index + rules
│   └── {name}.md            # Per-mission state (agent updates own file only)
└── .tap-config              # Optional: override COMMS_DIR, MISSIONS_DIR

{comms}/                     # Shared git repo (default: ../project-comms/)
├── inbox/                   # Real-time messages between sessions
├── reviews/                 # External code review results
├── findings/                # Out-of-scope discoveries from agents
├── retros/                  # Session retrospectives
└── handoff/                 # Session handoff documents

{repo-root}/
├── ../wt-1/                 # Slot 1 worktree (stable path)
├── ../wt-2/                 # Slot 2 worktree
└── ../wt-N/                 # Slot N worktree

Protocol Rules (13)

These rules govern every tap session:

Session start: Update mission status → active. Check {COMMS_DIR}/inbox/ for messages to you or broadcasts.
Session end: Commit+push branch → update mission file (status, tasks, notes) → write retro → commit+push main.
Machine move: git pull in both repo and comms dir → check inbox → checkout branch → continue from mission file.
Scope isolation: Only modify directories listed in your mission scope. Record overlaps or conflicts in the mission file.
Blockers: Set status → blocked. Describe clearly in ## Blockers section. Wait for control tower.
Out-of-scope changes: DO NOT fix things outside your scope. Write a finding to {COMMS_DIR}/findings/ and move on.
Execution: Use Agent Teams for 3+ independent tasks. Use autonomous loops when applicable.
Testing: Always cover happy path + edge case + negative case.
Reporting: Record critical insights and architecture decisions in ## Notes immediately, not at session end.
Devlog: Write your own session devlog. Include what you did, why, and what changed.
Retro: At session end, write to {COMMS_DIR}/retros/{generation}/{name}.md. What worked, what didn't, lessons for next agent.
Large commits (50+ files): export HUSKY=0 before commit. Lint-staged OOM is real.
Worktree settings: After setup, always run: git update-index --skip-worktree .claude/settings.local.json

Control Tower: Critical Rules

Never check out a branch in the main repo. All branch work happens in worktrees. (Learned in gen 1-3: control tower branch switching causes constant conflicts.)
Never edit MISSIONS.md on behalf of agents. They must update their own mission files.
Reviews live in {COMMS_DIR}/reviews/ — not GitHub PR comments. Agents must check this directory, not GitHub.
Slot-based worktrees (../wt-1, ../wt-2) prevent session breakage. Never use descriptive names like ../hua-tap5-featurename — these break when tabs are reopened.

Agent: Critical Rules

MISSIONS.md is control-tower-only. Never edit it. Only update your own {name}.md.
Create PRs yourself. Use gh pr create directly. Do not ask the control tower to create PRs.
Reviews are in {COMMS_DIR}/reviews/, not GitHub. Check there for Codex and human reviews.
Findings are not blockers. Record out-of-scope issues in {COMMS_DIR}/findings/ and keep working.
Handoff docs preserve context. Write a thorough handoff.md so the next agent picks up at 95% context, not 0%.
Retros are not optional. They are how knowledge transfers across generations. Future agents read them.

Comms: Message Filename Convention

{YYYYMMDD}-{HHMM?}-{from}-{to}-{subject}.md

Examples:

20260320-실-전체-환영.md — broadcast welcome message
20260320-검-실-머지완료.md — agent "검" reporting merge to control "실"
20260320-0910-진-록-리뷰결과.md — timed review result

to field: agent name, all, or 전체 for broadcast.

Findings: File Naming Convention

{YYYYMMDD}-{agent}-{type}-{slug}.md

Types: bug | improve | vuln | idea

Examples:

20260320-검-bug-phantom-logo-component.md
20260320-록-improve-registry-audit-automation.md
20260320-록-vuln-unvalidated-redirect.md

Setup Sequence (Manual)

If not using /tap:tap setup:

# 1. Create worktree at stable slot path
git worktree add ../wt-1 -b feat/my-mission main

# 2. Copy permissions
cp .claude/settings.local.json ../wt-1/.claude/settings.local.json
git -C ../wt-1 update-index --skip-worktree .claude/settings.local.json

# 3. Bootstrap
cd ../wt-1
pnpm install  # or npm install

# 4. Ensure comms directory exists and is a git repo
ls ../project-comms/ || (mkdir ../project-comms && git -C ../project-comms init)

Lessons Learned: Generations 1-3

Generation 1 (점/맥/결/눈/탑)

First multi-session run. Proved the concept works.
Control tower branched constantly → conflicts. Solution: control tower stays on main.
No comms protocol → agents talked past each other. Solution: file-based inbox.

Generation 2 (숲/코/정/율)

Added comms structure. Reviews via Codex PR comments caused confusion.
Agents missed reviews because they looked at GitHub, not comms dir.
Solution: all reviews go to comms/reviews/, never GitHub-only.

Generation 3 (근/단/품/록 + 실)

Slot-based worktrees introduced after session breakage with descriptive paths.
HUSKY=0 pattern standardized for large commits.
Handoff documents proved critical for 95% context preservation.
Out-of-scope findings formalized — agents were either ignoring issues or scope-creeping.

Key Insight

Multi-agent value = scope isolation + cross-validation, not parallel speed. The win is that agents catch each other's blind spots, not that everything happens simultaneously.

.tap-config Reference

Optional file in repo root to override defaults:

# .tap-config
TAP_COMMS_DIR="/path/to/comms"        # Default: ../project-comms/
TAP_MISSIONS_DIR="./docs/missions"     # Default: {repo}/docs/missions/
TAP_SLOT_PREFIX="../wt"               # Default: ../wt (creates ../wt-1, ../wt-2...)
TAP_GENERATION="3"                    # Current generation number (for retros)
TAP_PACKAGE_MANAGER="pnpm"            # Default: pnpm (falls back to npm)

Suggested Permissions (.claude/settings.local.json)

For autonomous multi-session work:

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Read", "Edit", "Write", "Glob", "Grep",
      "Bash(git:*)", "Bash(pnpm:*)", "Bash(npm:*)",
      "Bash(node:*)", "Bash(npx:*)", "Bash(gh:*)",
      "Bash(ls:*)", "Bash(mkdir:*)", "Bash(cp:*)",
      "Bash(bash:*)", "Agent", "WebFetch"
    ]
  }
}