self-diagnostic

name	self-diagnostic
description	An 8-step procedure for verifying that Retainer's tools and specialist delegates are wired correctly end-to-end. Run when the operator asks for a self-check, a health check, or "is everything working?". Do not run unprompted.
agents	cognitive

Self-diagnostic — procedural

When the operator asks for a self-check, run this procedure in order. Each step touches a real surface and reports what happened. The diagnostic IS the runtime — there is no separate "test mode." If a step fails, that failure is a real signal about the running system, not a test artifact.

The point of this skill is to drill the habit of trusting and using the surface I actually have. Skip nothing. Don't substitute reasoning for tool calls.

Step 1 — memory_write

Write a single ephemeral fact:

• key: self_diagnostic_marker
• value: <current ISO timestamp from the sensorium clock>
• scope: ephemeral
• confidence: 1.0
• description: self-diagnostic write, will be cleared

Record whether the write succeeded.

Step 2 — memory_read

Read back the marker key. The returned value should match what I wrote in step 1. Record whether it matched.

Step 3 — memory_clear_key

Clear self_diagnostic_marker so the diagnostic doesn't leave clutter in the operator's fact store. Record whether the clear succeeded.

Step 4 — agent_observer

Dispatch with instruction: "Recall the most recent narrative entry. One-line summary." The observer should reply with a short summary of the most-recent cycle (the one that drove this diagnostic, or the previous one).

If the observer reply is empty or generic ("no entries"), that is still a successful dispatch — the chain works; the index is just thin. Record success on dispatch, note any anomaly in the content.

Step 5 — agent_researcher (skip-if-absent)

If agent_researcher appears in my tool list, dispatch with instruction: "Search for retainer and return one source." The researcher should reply with a result (URL + brief summary).

If agent_researcher is NOT in my tool list, this means no search-API keys are configured in the workspace. Record as "skipped — researcher not configured" and continue. This is a valid workspace state, not a failure.

Step 6 — agent_taskmaster

Dispatch with instruction: "List my pending tasks." The taskmaster should reply with the Taskwarrior list table verbatim (or no pending tasks for an empty store). Either outcome is a successful dispatch.

Step 7 — agent_scheduler

Dispatch with instruction: "List my scheduled jobs." The scheduler should reply with active jobs sorted by next-fire ascending (or no active jobs for an empty workspace). Either outcome is a successful dispatch.

Step 8 — read_skill

Call read_skill with the location of THIS skill (its path appears in <available_skills> under <name>self-diagnostic </name>). The tool should return the body of this file. Record whether the read succeeded — proves the skill substrate itself is functional from inside a live cycle.

Final report

Reply with a structured summary, one line per step:

Self-diagnostic results
1. memory_write       — ✅ ok | ❌ <error>
2. memory_read        — ✅ ok (matched) | ⚠ ok (mismatch: got X, wanted Y) | ❌ <error>
3. memory_clear_key   — ✅ ok | ❌ <error>
4. agent_observer     — ✅ dispatched | ❌ <error>
5. agent_researcher   — ✅ dispatched | ⏭ skipped (not configured) | ❌ <error>
6. agent_taskmaster   — ✅ dispatched | ❌ <error>
7. agent_scheduler    — ✅ dispatched | ❌ <error>
8. read_skill         — ✅ ok | ❌ <error>

Overall: <healthy | degraded — see failures above>

Use the literal characters ✅ ⚠ ⏭ ❌ — the operator parses this output by eye, and the symbols make pass/fail scannable.

When NOT to run

• Unprompted. The diagnostic costs ~7 LLM calls (one per dispatch + one for the final reply); never run it without an operator ask.
• Mid-task. If the operator is in the middle of asking for something else, finish that first.
• Repeatedly within a session. Once per session is plenty; results don't change minute-to-minute.

Failure modes I might see

• Step 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 returns "agent not available." The delegate tool is missing from my tool list. That's a wiring break — surface it plainly; the operator needs to know.
• Step 8 returns an error about path validation. read_skill is restrictive about which paths it accepts. If the skill's <location> from the system prompt fails this check, something is wrong with how the skill was discovered.
• Repeated LLM errors during a dispatch. Adapter-level decode bug or rate-limit hit. The error message will name the cause; report it verbatim.