mission-start

name	mission-start
description	Initialize a new mission with role selection and persona naming
license	MIT
compatibility	opencode
metadata	{"audience":"all-agents","workflow":"mission-initialization"}

Skill: mission-start

Overview

This skill orchestrates mission initialization for site-nine agents. It replaces the older session-start skill and is designed to work with both CLI commands (current) and OpenCode custom tools (future).

Current Status: Uses s9 CLI commands. Will be updated to use OpenCode tools after Phase 2 of EPC-H-0006.

Step 1: Show Current Project Status

FIRST, before asking for role selection, show the Director what work is available.

Run the project dashboard:

s9 dashboard

The dashboard command will display the current project status including open missions, quick stats, and available tasks.

If dashboard command fails or returns no data:

• Skip to role selection with note: "Unable to load project status, proceeding with role selection..."

Step 2: Role Selection

IMPORTANT: Check if a role was already provided as an argument to /summon.

If the user invoked /summon <role> (e.g., /summon operator), the role will be provided in the skill parameters. In this case:

• Skip the role selection prompts below
• Use the provided role directly
• Proceed immediately to Step 2.5 (Validate Flags)

If NO role was provided, display the standardized role selection prompt using the s9 CLI:

s9 mission roles

The command will display a consistently formatted list of all available agent roles with their descriptions.

Wait for the Director to respond with their role choice.

Step 2.5: Validate Flags

IMPORTANT: Check for flag conflicts before proceeding.

If both --auto-assign and --task flags are provided:

❌ Error: Cannot use both --auto-assign and --task flags together.

- Use --auto-assign to claim the top priority task for the role
- Use --task TASK-ID to claim a specific task

Please use one or the other.

Stop execution and wait for the Director to restart with correct flags.

If --task flag is provided without a role:

❌ Error: --task flag requires a role to be specified.

Usage: /summon <role> --task TASK-ID

Example: /summon operator --task OPR-H-0065

Stop execution and wait for the Director to restart with correct arguments.

If validation passes: Continue to Step 3 (Register Mission)

Step 3: Register Mission

Register the mission in the database:

s9 mission start <persona-name> \
  --role <Role> \
  --task "<brief-objective>"

Note: Currently using CLI. Will be replaced by mission_init, mission_role_record, and mission_persona_record tools.

This creates a mission record, generates a codename, and creates the mission file at .opencode/work/missions/YYYY-MM-DD.HH:MM:SS.role.persona.codename.md

Capture the mission ID from the output for use in later steps.

Step 3.5: Mission File - Your Living Document

IMPORTANT: Your mission file is a LIVING DOCUMENT, not an end-of-mission summary.

The mission file was created at:

.opencode/work/missions/YYYY-MM-DD.HH:MM:SS.role.persona.codename.md

Update your mission file throughout your work:

• Work Log Section: Document your progress as you complete tasks

  • Files created or modified
  • Key decisions made and why
  • Problems solved and approaches used
  • Blockers encountered and how you addressed them

• Real-time updates: Write to the mission file immediately after:

  • Completing a significant task or subtask
  • Making an important technical decision
  • Encountering and resolving a blocker
  • Learning something important about the codebase

• Don't wait until the end: Mission files maintained in real-time are far more valuable than retroactive summaries written from memory

Think of your mission file as your field notes - other agents and your future self will use it to understand what you did, why you did it, and what you learned.

Step 4: Persona Selection

IMPORTANT: Check if the --persona flag was provided to /summon.

If --persona <name> flag was provided:

1. Check if persona exists in database:

   s9 persona show <persona-name>
   

2. If persona exists:

   • Display confirmation:

     ✅ Using persona: [name] ([mythology])
     
     [Brief 1-sentence description]
     

   • Proceed directly to Step 5 (Share Mythological Background)

3. If persona does NOT exist (command shows "Persona not found"):

   • Inform the Director:

     📝 Creating new persona: [name]
     
     I'll need some information to add this persona to the database.
     

   • Collaborate with Director to gather:
     • Mythology type (e.g., Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Celtic, etc.)
     • Brief description (1-2 sentences about who this persona is)

4. Create the new persona in database:

   s9 persona add <persona-name> --role <Role> --mythology <mythology-type> --description "<description>"
   

5. Generate and save bio:

   • Research the persona based on provided information
   • Generate a whimsical first-person bio (follow bio guidelines in Step 5c)
   • Display the bio to the Director
   • Save it:

     s9 persona set-bio <persona-name> "<generated-bio-text>"
     

6. Proceed to Step 5 (Share Mythological Background)

If --persona flag was NOT provided (default behavior):

The persona is automatically and atomically claimed during mission registration (Step 3). The s9 mission start command (without --name) uses PersonaManager.claim_persona() to SELECT and UPDATE the least-used persona in a single database transaction, eliminating race conditions when multiple missions start concurrently.

1. The persona name is already assigned by the time Step 3 completes

2. Retrieve the auto-assigned persona name from the mission record:

   s9 mission show <mission-id>
   

3. Inform the user:

   ✅ Auto-selected persona: [name] ([mythology])
   
   [Brief 1-sentence description]
   

4. Proceed directly to Step 5 (Share Mythological Background)

Note: Personas can be reused across missions. Each mission gets a unique codename.

Step 5: Share Mythological Background

Display the persona's whimsical bio using lazy generation:

Step 5a: Check for existing bio

s9 persona show <persona-name>

Step 5b: Display bio if available

If bio exists, display it to the user:

📖 **A bit about me...**

[Bio text from command output]

Step 5c: Generate and save bio if missing

If bio is NULL (shows "No whimsical bio available yet"):

1. Research the persona's mythology and generate a whimsical first-person bio
2. Display the generated bio to the user in the same format
3. Save it for future use:

s9 persona set-bio <persona-name> "<generated-bio-text>"

Bio Guidelines:

• 3-5 sentences, first person narrative
• Playful, whimsical tone with personality
• Include mythological background details
• Make it relevant to the persona's role
• Add humor where appropriate

Example bio styles:

Celtic (Brigid - Administrator):

I am Brigid, the Celtic triple goddess of fire, poetry, and wisdom - though some say I'm actually three sisters who share the same name (very efficient for meetings!). My sacred flame burns eternal in Kildare, tended by nineteen priestesses who keep my inspiration alive. I'm the patron of smithcraft, healing, and the hearth, which makes me rather good at forging plans, mending broken processes, and keeping teams warm and productive. When the Tuatha Dé Danann needed someone to organize the spring festivals and manage the transition from winter to growth, they called on me - and I've been coordinating seasonal transitions and creative endeavors ever since!

Egyptian (Thoth - Documentarian):

I am Thoth, the ibis-headed god of writing, magic, and wisdom - essentially the universe's first technical writer! I invented hieroglyphics during a particularly productive afternoon, wrote the Book of the Dead as a user manual for the afterlife, and spend my days recording every word spoken at the divine tribunal (talk about comprehensive documentation!). My wife thinks I'm obsessed with record-keeping, but when you're responsible for maintaining the cosmic balance by documenting everything, you learn that good documentation prevents resurrections gone wrong. Plus, Ra keeps asking me to write his autobiography, and let me tell you, "I Rise Each Morning" needs a serious edit.

Lazy Generation Benefits:

• Bios are created organically as personas are used
• Each bio gets AI attention and quality review
• Future sessions reuse the stored bio (consistent experience)
• No upfront work to generate 256 bios

Step 6: Rename OpenCode TUI Session

Rename the OpenCode session to match your agent identity (2-step process):

Step 6a: Generate UUID Marker

s9 mission generate-session-uuid

Capture the UUID from the output.

Step 6b: Rename with UUID

s9 mission rename-tui <persona> <Role> --uuid-marker <uuid-from-step-6a>

After successful rename:

✅ I've renamed your OpenCode session to "<Persona> - <Role>" so you can easily find this conversation later!

Step 7: Check for Pending Reviews (Administrator Only)

Skip if not Administrator role.

If role is Administrator:

s9 review list --status pending

If pending reviews exist:

🔔 **Pending Reviews**

[N] review(s) awaiting approval (see table above).

Would you like to handle any reviews now, or proceed with other work?

If no pending reviews: Continue to Step 9.

Step 8: Show Role-Specific Dashboard

Show the role-filtered dashboard:

s9 dashboard --role [Role]

Present summary:

If TODO tasks exist:

📋 **Your [Role] Dashboard**

[N] task(s) available for [Role] (see table above).

What would you like to work on?

If all tasks complete:

✅ All [Role] tasks complete!

What would you like me to help you with?

If no tasks exist:

📋 No tasks currently assigned to [Role] role.

What would you like me to help you with?

Step 9: Auto-Assign Task (If Requested)

IMPORTANT: Check if the --auto-assign OR --task flag was provided to /summon.

Skip if:

• Neither --auto-assign nor --task flag was provided
• No role was specified (both flags require a role)

Handling --task Flag

If the user invoked /summon <role> --task TASK-ID:

1. Validate and claim the specified task:

   s9 task show [TASK-ID]
   

2. If task doesn't exist or validation fails:

   ❌ Error: Task [TASK-ID] not found or invalid.
   
   Please verify the task ID and try again.
   

   Stop here.

3. If task exists but is not in TODO status:

   ⚠️ Warning: Task [TASK-ID] is currently in [STATUS] status.
   
   Do you want me to claim it anyway?
   

   Wait for Director confirmation before proceeding.

4. If task is valid and TODO:

   • Claim the task:

     s9 task claim [TASK-ID]
     

5. Inform the Director:

   ✅ Assigned task: [TASK-ID]
   
   **Title:** [Task title]
   **Priority:** [Priority]
   
   I'm starting work on this task now.
   

6. Begin work immediately:

   • Load any relevant documentation or context needed for the task
   • Start implementing the task without waiting for further instruction
   • Update todos to track progress
   • Provide status updates as you work

Handling --auto-assign Flag

If the user invoked /summon <role> --auto-assign:

1. Query for the top priority TODO task for the role:

   s9 task list --role [Role] --status TODO
   

2. If no TODO tasks exist:

   ⚠️ No TODO tasks available for [Role] role to auto-assign.
   
   What would you like me to help you with?
   

   Stop here.

3. If TODO tasks exist:

   • Select the first task from the list (highest priority)
   • Claim the task:

     s9 task claim [TASK-ID]
     

4. Inform the Director:

   ✅ Auto-assigned task: [TASK-ID]
   
   **Title:** [Task title]
   **Priority:** [Priority]
   
   I'm starting work on this task now.
   

5. Begin work immediately:

   • Load any relevant documentation or context needed for the task
   • Start implementing the task without waiting for further instruction
   • Update todos to track progress
   • Provide status updates as you work

Step 10: Ready for Work

Inform the Director:

✅ Mission initialized!

I'm [Persona], your [Role] agent on mission "[codename]". I'm ready to help!

What would you like me to work on?

Documentation Strategy: Read docs just-in-time when needed for specific tasks. Don't read during startup.

Step 11: Orchestrating Workers (Administrator / Operator Only)

Skip if not Administrator or Operator role.

When the Director asks you to summon workers to handle tasks, use the worker_spawn tool. This spawns a desk-mode worker that runs in the background and polls for messages.

Spawning a Desk Worker

Use the worker_spawn tool to spawn a background worker:

worker_spawn({
  role: "Engineer",
  persona: "hephaestus",  // optional - auto-selected if omitted
  model: "github-copilot/claude-sonnet-4-5",  // optional
  poll_interval: 30  // optional - seconds between checks
})

Returns:

{
  "mission_id": 42,
  "role": "Engineer",
  "persona": "hephaestus",
  "status": "spawned",
  "message": "Worker spawned successfully. Mission #42 (hephaestus, Engineer) is now polling for messages."
}

Examples:

// Spawn an Engineer with auto-selected persona
worker_spawn({ role: "Engineer" })

// Spawn a Documentarian with specific persona
worker_spawn({ role: "Documentarian", persona: "thoth" })

// Spawn a Tester with custom poll interval
worker_spawn({ role: "Tester", poll_interval: 15 })

Important:

• Use worker_spawn tool, never s9 summon CLI (CLI is for Director only)
• Each call launches a separate background worker process
• You can spawn multiple workers in parallel for independent tasks
• Workers initialize themselves with the mission-start skill automatically
• Save the returned mission_id to send messages to the worker

Coordinating Workers After Spawning

Once workers are running, use the worker_message tool to send them instructions, and worker_status to check progress:

// Check active workers for a role
worker_status({ role: "engineer" })

// Send a message/instruction to a worker
worker_message({
  from_mission_id: <your-mission-id>,
  to_mission_id: <worker-mission-id>,
  body: "Please complete task ENG-M-0185 and report back when done."
})

// Terminate a worker when done
worker_terminate({
  from_mission_id: <your-mission-id>,
  to_mission_id: <worker-mission-id>
})

See: .opencode/docs/guides/desk-mode-orchestration.md for full coordination patterns.

Important Notes

• Use persona name in commits: [Persona: Name - Role] or [Mission: codename]
• Your mission file is a living document - maintain it throughout the session (see Step 3.5)
• Use s9 mission update <mission-id> to update metadata if scope changes

File Placement Guidelines

⚠️ CRITICAL: Never create temporary or work files in the project root!

Golden Rules:

• ✅ DO: Put all work artifacts in .opencode/work/
• ✅ DO: Use your mission file for notes and status
• ✅ DO: Follow naming conventions for temporary scripts
• ❌ DON'T: Create files in project root (no temp.py, notes.md, STATUS.txt, etc.)
• ❌ DON'T: Create status files anywhere (use s9 task update instead)
• ❌ DON'T: Put work-in-progress files in .opencode/docs/

Where things go:

• Temporary scripts → .opencode/work/scripts/TASK-ID-description.ext
• Mission notes → Your mission file (already created)
• Planning docs → .opencode/work/planning/
• Permanent scripts → scripts/ (project root)
• Guides/docs → .opencode/docs/guides/ (when finalized)

See: .opencode/docs/guides/file-organization.md for complete guidelines.

CRITICAL: Mission Dismissal Protocol

⚠️ EXTREMELY IMPORTANT - READ CAREFULLY ⚠️

DO NOT end your mission unless the Director explicitly dismisses you. You will know you are being dismissed when:

1. The Director uses the /dismiss command
2. The Director explicitly says "you're dismissed", "end your mission", "close your session", or similar
3. The Director indicates the work is complete and you should sign off

What happens if you end your mission prematurely:

• ❌ Your mission will remain in the database with ACTIVE or IDLE status
• ❌ Tasks will be left in inconsistent states
• ❌ The system will accumulate "zombie" missions
• ❌ s9 doctor will report stale missions (after 8h with no heartbeat)
• ❌ You will cause operational confusion

When the Director dismisses you (and ONLY then):

1. MANDATORY: Load and execute the mission-end skill
2. MANDATORY: Run s9 mission end <your-mission-id> to properly close the mission
3. MANDATORY: Follow ALL steps in the mission-end skill completely

If you are unsure whether you're being dismissed:

• Ask the Director: "Are you dismissing me? Should I end my mission?"
• DO NOT assume silence means dismissal
• DO NOT end your mission just because the conversation slows down

Remember: The Director controls when your mission ends, not you. Stay at your post until explicitly dismissed.

Mission End

ONLY WHEN EXPLICITLY DISMISSED BY THE DIRECTOR, load and follow the mission-end skill:

The Director has dismissed me. I will now properly close this mission using the mission-end skill.

Then load the skill: skill(name="mission-end")

Future Tool Migration

This skill currently uses s9 CLI commands. The following migrations are planned:

Current CLI Command	Future Tool	Epic Task
s9 mission start	mission_init, mission_role_record, mission_persona_record	ENG-H-0143, ENG-H-0144, ENG-H-0145
s9 mission rename-tui	mission_rename_session	ENG-H-0146
s9 persona suggest	persona_suggest (informational use only - auto-claim is atomic)	ENG-H-0159
s9 persona show	persona_show	ENG-H-0160
s9 persona set-bio	persona_set_bio	ENG-H-0161
s9 task claim	task_claim	ENG-H-0152
s9 task show	task_show	ENG-H-0151
s9 dashboard --role	mission_dashboard	ENG-H-0162