jat-start

name	jat-start
description	Begin working on a JAT task. Registers agent identity, selects a task, searches memory, detects conflicts, declares files, emits IDE signals, and starts work. Use this at the beginning of every JAT session.
metadata	{"author":"jat","version":"1.0"}

/skill:jat-start - Begin Working

One agent = one session = one task. Each session handles exactly one task from start to completion.

Usage

/skill:jat-start                    # Show available tasks
/skill:jat-start task-id            # Start specific task
/skill:jat-start AgentName          # Resume as AgentName
/skill:jat-start AgentName task-id  # Resume as AgentName on task

Add quick to skip conflict checks.

What This Does

1. Establish identity - Register or resume agent in Agent Registry
2. Select task - From parameter or show recommendations
3. Search memory - Surface context from past sessions
4. Review prior tasks - Check for duplicates and related work
5. Start work - Declare files, update task status
6. Emit signals - IDE tracks state through jat-signal

Step-by-Step Instructions

IMPORTANT: Minimize round-trips by issuing independent tool calls in parallel.

Startup uses 3 parallel rounds. Each round issues all calls simultaneously, then processes results before the next round.

ROUND 1 (parallel) → ROUND 2 (parallel) → ROUND 3 (parallel) → Banner
  Identity              Starting signal       Task update
  Task details          Memory search          Working signal
  Git status            Prior task search      Integration sync

ROUND 1: Gather Context (all parallel)

Issue ALL of these tool calls in a single message:

1A: Identity — Check for IDE pre-registration + get session ID:

TMUX_SESSION=$(tmux display-message -p '#S' 2>/dev/null); PRE_REG_FILE=".claude/sessions/.tmux-agent-${TMUX_SESSION}"; test -f "$PRE_REG_FILE" && cat "$PRE_REG_FILE" || echo "NO_PRE_REG"

get-current-session-id

1B: Task details (if task-id provided):

jt show "$TASK_ID" --json

If no task-id, show jt ready and stop here.

1C: Git status:

git branch --show-current && git diff-index --quiet HEAD -- && echo "clean" || echo "dirty"

Manual Registration (only if NO_PRE_REG):

am-register --name "$AGENT_NAME" --program pi --model "$MODEL_ID"
tmux rename-session "jat-${AGENT_NAME}" 2>/dev/null
mkdir -p .claude/sessions
echo "$AGENT_NAME" > ".claude/sessions/agent-${SESSION_ID}.txt"

ROUND 2: Signal + Context Search (all parallel)

Issue ALL of these tool calls in a single message:

2A: Starting signal:

jat-signal starting '{
  "agentName": "NAME", "sessionId": "ID", "taskId": "TASK_ID",
  "taskTitle": "TITLE", "project": "PROJECT", "model": "MODEL_ID",
  "tools": ["bash","read","write","edit"], "gitBranch": "BRANCH",
  "gitStatus": "clean", "uncommittedFiles": []
}'

2B: Memory search:

jat-memory search "key terms from task title" --limit 5 2>/dev/null || echo "NO_MEMORY_INDEX"

2C: Prior task search:

DATE_7=$(date -d '7 days ago' +%Y-%m-%d 2>/dev/null || date -v-7d +%Y-%m-%d); jt search "$SEARCH_TERM" --updated-after "$DATE_7" --limit 20 --json

Look for duplicates, related work, and in-progress tasks in similar areas.

ROUND 3: Start Work (all parallel)

Issue ALL of these tool calls in a single message:

3A: Update task status:

jt update "$TASK_ID" --status in_progress --assignee "$AGENT_NAME" --files "relevant/files/**"

3B: Working signal (incorporate memory results into approach):

jat-signal working '{
  "taskId": "TASK_ID", "taskTitle": "TASK_TITLE",
  "approach": "Brief description of implementation plan",
  "expectedFiles": ["src/**/*.ts"], "baselineCommit": "COMMIT_HASH"
}'

Note: Integration status sync (in_progress) fires automatically from jt update --status in_progress — no agent action needed.

Output Banner

╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║         STARTING WORK: {TASK_ID}                           ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Agent: {AGENT_NAME}
Task: {TASK_TITLE}
Priority: P{X}

Approach:
  {YOUR_APPROACH_DESCRIPTION}

Credentials & Authentication

CRITICAL: Never hardcode or invent passwords. Never reset user passwords for testing.

When you need credentials (API keys, database URLs, service role keys, login credentials), use jat-secret:

jat-secret --list                          # List all available secrets
jat-secret <project>-supabase-url          # Project Supabase URL
jat-secret <project>-supabase-service-role-key  # Service role key
eval $(jat-secret --export)                # Load all as env vars

For browser testing that requires login:

• Use the stored admin credentials: jat-secret flush-admin-email and jat-secret flush-admin-password
• NEVER reset a real user's password via the admin API to log in for testing
• NEVER use auth.admin.updateUserById() or PUT /auth/v1/admin/users/ to set a password for browser verification
• If the stored credentials don't work, emit needs_input and ask the user — do NOT reset the password

Resetting passwords to test UI is destructive — it locks real users out of their accounts.

Asking Questions During Work

Always emit needs_input signal BEFORE asking questions:

jat-signal needs_input '{
  "taskId": "TASK_ID",
  "question": "Brief description of what you need",
  "questionType": "clarification"
}'

Question types: clarification, decision, approval, blocker, duplicate_check

After getting a response, emit working signal to resume.

When You Finish Working

Emit review signal BEFORE presenting results:

jat-signal review '{
  "taskId": "TASK_ID",
  "taskTitle": "TASK_TITLE",
  "summary": ["What you accomplished", "Key changes"],
  "filesModified": [
    {"path": "src/file.ts", "changeType": "modified", "linesAdded": 50, "linesRemoved": 10}
  ]
}'

Then output:

READY FOR REVIEW: {TASK_ID}

Summary:
  - [accomplishment 1]
  - [accomplishment 2]

Run /skill:jat-complete when ready to close this task.

Signal Reference

Signal	When	Required Fields
starting	After registration	agentName, sessionId, project, model, gitBranch, gitStatus, tools
working	Before coding	taskId, taskTitle, approach
needs_input	Before asking questions	taskId, question, questionType
review	When work complete	taskId, taskTitle, summary