ticket-workflow-orchestrator

name	ticket-workflow-orchestrator
description	Use when a heavy or long-running CTOX task should be modeled as dynamic ticket workflow phases while preserving the existing serial queue, review gate, and responsiveness.
metadata	{"short-description":"Orchestrate long tasks as dynamic ticket workflows"}
cluster	mission_orchestration

Ticket Workflow Orchestrator

Use this skill when CTOX must handle a hard or long-running task as a durable, interruptible workflow without bypassing the existing ticket, queue, review, and serial harness controls.

Operating Model

• A workflow is a graph of CTOX internal work items, not a separate scheduler.
• The parent ticket has kind workflow-case.
• Executable or planning units have kind workflow-step.
• Only ready workflow-step tickets are materialized into the normal serial queue.
• Founder or owner communication, urgent tickets, and already pending queue work can run between workflow steps.
• Never create a large hidden todo list inside one step. Persist the next bounded step or phase as tickets.

Roles

• reducer: reads prior phase output, review notes, and evidence; then creates the next dynamic steps with ctox ticket workflow-apply-delta.
• leaf: executes exactly one bounded task and reports evidence. A leaf must not create sibling workflow tickets directly.

Commands

Start a workflow:

ctox ticket workflow-start --title "<title>" --goal "<goal>" --thread-key "<scope>" --priority normal --queue-now

Create one manual step:

ctox ticket workflow-step-put --workflow-id "<workflow-id>" --phase "<phase>" --title "<title>" --body "<prompt>" --step-id "<stable-step-id>"

Apply a reducer delta:

ctox ticket workflow-apply-delta --workflow-id "<workflow-id>" --delta-json '<json>' --queue-now

Inspect:

ctox ticket workflow-show --workflow-id "<workflow-id>"

Delta Schema

Reducers produce small deltas:

{
  "phase_decision": "advance",
  "update_steps": [
    {
      "step_id": "phase-0-reducer",
      "workflow_step_status": "verified",
      "evidence": {
        "summary": "Planning phase produced executable implementation and verification steps."
      }
    }
  ],
  "create_steps": [
    {
      "step_id": "implement-queue-hook",
      "phase": "implementation",
      "role": "leaf",
      "title": "Implement queue hook",
      "prompt": "Make one scoped code change and run the focused check.",
      "predecessor_steps": ["phase-0-reducer"],
      "exit_gate": "Patch compiles or the failure is recorded with exact blocker output.",
      "priority": "normal"
    }
  ],
  "queue_now": ["implement-queue-hook"]
}

Keep deltas bounded:

• Create at most 16 steps in one reducer pass.
• Prefer 1 to 5 steps unless the phase has naturally independent bounded leaves.
• Use predecessor step ids for phase gates and predecessor work ids for exact item dependencies.
• Mark predecessor steps verified only when review, tests, or explicit evidence support it.
• If the next phase is unclear, create one reducer or clarification step instead of guessing.

Prompt Discipline

For reducers:

• Summarize what the previous phase established.
• Identify only the next executable phase.
• Create tickets whose prompts include acceptance criteria and exit gates.
• Do not queue work that depends on missing evidence.

For leaves:

• Execute the assigned work only.
• Record concrete evidence in the final response or as a workflow delta candidate.
• If the phase needs to change, return workflow_delta_candidate JSON instead of spawning tickets directly.
• Yield after the bounded step so CTOX can reprioritize the queue.