prior-art-reference

# prior-art-reference A curated directory of ~16 open-source projects that overlap with MultiTable's problem space: unified harnesses over multiple AI coding agents, governance/policy layers, parallel-agent isolation, and multi-agent orchestration. Future sessions consult this skill **before** designing a new feature, to check what comparable projects already do. This skill is a **standing pointer**. It is **reference only** — read it to compare and steal ideas at the design level, not to port code. Any decision to copy code is a separate, case-by-case decision and is *not* implied by this skill loading. The dedicated [`omnigent-reference`](../omnigent-reference/SKILL.md) skill handles MultiTable's closest single sibling (omnigent-ai/omnigent) at much greater depth. This skill is the broader landscape around it. ## When to consult this skill proactively The skill exists so MultiTable doesn't re-derive solved problems. **Reach for it freely** — don't wait for the user to name a project. Three concrete triggers: ### 1. Persistent bug (two or more failed fix attempts) If you've tried to fix a bug twice and it's still broken — especially in an area another harness has clearly solved (per [`reference/parallels.md`](reference/parallels.md)) — stop and check prior art before a third attempt. Likely candidates: - Permission/approval flow bugs → OpenHarness, Microsoft Agent Governance Toolkit, omnigent - Streaming/delta accounting bugs → Mastra, OpenCode, the provider whose protocol you're adapting - Session resume / persistence bugs → omnigent, LangGraph (checkpointing), Mastra (threads) - Parallel-session isolation bugs → Claude Squad (git-worktree-per-agent) - Usage-limit / rate-limit parsing bugs → **CodexBar** (53+ providers) Pull the relevant project's source via `WebFetch` or `gh api`, find the analogous code path, and compare. A second design point almost always exposes the assumption you missed. ### 2. Complex new feature Before writing a non-trivial feature in any concept area listed in [`reference/parallels.md`](reference/parallels.md), read what the listed projects already do. This is cheap (1–2 `WebFetch` calls) and shapes the design — don't ship a v1 that the existing harnesses already iterated past. Mention what you found to the user as part of the plan, with project names cited. ### 3. Unfamiliar protocol / wire-shape question If MultiTable is about to integrate a new transport, parse a new event stream, or implement a new gating mechanism, the odds are high that one of these projects already faced it. Search their repos first; you may save a day. In all three cases: cite each project by name, don't blend concepts (see pitfalls), and remember — this skill authorizes *reading* their code for inspiration, not porting it. Any decision to copy code is a separate, case-by-case call. ## Strict isolation note - These projects are **external prior art**, not MultiTable providers. There is no Mastra/CrewAI/LangGraph adapter under `packages/daemon/src/agent/providers/`, and there shouldn't be — adding one is a separate user-directed decision, not something this skill authorizes. - Never blend concepts from multiple projects into a single recommendation as if they were one design. Cite each source by name when you reference it. - URLs decay. Before quoting current behavior (APIs, feature lists, license terms), verify with `WebFetch` against the URLs in [`reference/projects.md`](reference/projects.md) or `gh api repos/<owner>/<repo>`. ## Quick task → file map | What you want | Read | |---|---| | The full project list with TL;DRs and URLs | [`reference/projects.md`](reference/projects.md) | | MultiTable concept → which projects to consult | [`reference/parallels.md`](reference/parallels.md) | | Mis-uses and cautions | [`pitfalls.md`](pitfalls.md) | ## Decision tree: where do I look? ``` "Is there an OSS project that does <X>?" ├── Which MultiTable concept does <X> map to? ───── reference/parallels.md ├── Need the project's URL, TL;DR, or relevance ─── reference/projects.md └── Want to read the actual source ─── reference/projects.md → URL → WebFetch / gh api ``` ## When to *not* use this skill - The user is working on an existing MultiTable provider (Claude, Codex, Hermes, Grok, Cursor). Use that provider's dedicated skill instead. - The user is asking how omnigent specifically does something — use [`omnigent-reference`](../omnigent-reference/SKILL.md). - The user is asking about Claude API / Anthropic SDK semantics — use `claude-api` or `claude-agent-sdk`.