daemon-manual

name	daemon-manual
description	Operational router for the `daemon` tool: inspect slow/stuck/failed emanations, read daemon artifact folders, choose polling cadence, avoid reclaiming on a hunch, understand `daemon(action="list")`, use CLI backends and `backend_options`, and clean up daemon footprint. Read this after dispatching daemon work that is slow, failed, timed out, or needs backend-specific reasoning.
version	0.5.0

Daemon Manual — Router

The daemon tool schema covers dispatch/follow-up/check/reclaim. This manual routes to deeper operational references: how to inspect daemon artifacts, decide whether work is stuck, use CLI backends safely, and clean up old emanations.

Scope note: this manual does not restate the daemon tool argument schema, and it does not document cross-process recovery/orphan-detection internals. For the broader runtime turn loop that daemon emanations mirror, use lingtai-kernel-anatomy and its runtime-loop reference.

Use the smallest reference that matches the problem. Do not kill or reclaim a daemon on a hunch; inspect first.

Nested reference catalog

daemon-manual owns these nested references. They are parent-owned drill-down files, not standalone top-level skills.

- name: daemon-forensics
  location: reference/forensics/SKILL.md
  description: |
    Daemon artifact forensics: persistent daemons/em-* folders, daemon.json
    status fields, chat_history.jsonl, token_ledger.jsonl, events.jsonl, and how
    to inspect progress without guessing.
- name: daemon-inspection
  location: reference/inspection/SKILL.md
  description: |
    Polling cadence, stall heuristics, anti-patterns, backend-specific polling
    notes, and reminders before resting while daemon work remains pending.
- name: daemon-cli-backends
  location: reference/cli-backends/SKILL.md
  description: |
    Daemon API details and CLI backends: daemon(action=list), claude/claude-p/codex/opencode behavior,
    backend_options flag passing, preset/capability inheritance, and Codex
    modal capabilities.
- name: daemon-cleanup
  location: reference/cleanup/SKILL.md
  description: |
    Scope boundaries and daemon footprint cleanup: what the manual does not
    cover, reclaim persistence, and safe cleanup of old daemon artifacts.

Router table

Need / keywords	Read
Find an emanation's folder; inspect daemon.json, transcript, token ledger, event log; understand result paths or token attribution	reference/forensics/SKILL.md
Decide whether a daemon is stuck; choose when to list/check/tail; avoid polling too often; set a reminder before resting	reference/inspection/SKILL.md
Use daemon(action="list"); choose lingtai vs claude/claude-p/codex/opencode; pass backend_options; understand CLI backend limitations	reference/cli-backends/SKILL.md
Retire or audit old daemon artifacts; understand what reclaim does and does not delete; scope boundaries	reference/cleanup/SKILL.md

Quick decision tree

1. Need only the daemon tool argument schema? Use the tool description.
2. Daemon seems slow? Read reference/forensics/SKILL.md, then reference/inspection/SKILL.md if you might intervene.
3. Daemon failed/timed out? Read recent events/transcript via the forensics reference before retrying.
4. Choosing an execution backend or flags? Read reference/cli-backends/SKILL.md.
5. Cleaning old folders? Read reference/cleanup/SKILL.md and avoid deleting useful forensic evidence without a reason.

Core rules to keep resident

• Each emanation is disposable memory but durable evidence: its folder persists after completion or reclaim until cleanup.
• daemon(action="list") is a status overview, not a full transcript.
• Completion is push-notified; do not poll only to ask "is it done yet".
• Idle care before resting: completion is push-notified, but do not rest on that alone. With daemon work pending and unverified-healthy, arm at least one self-wake (a .notification/cron.json reminder) before going IDLE, with the delay set from the task's expected duration. On wake, health-check — daemon state/last_output_at advancing, current_tool/tool_call_count changing, events alive — and if there is no progress, reclaim/downgrade/switch path and report rather than waiting indefinitely. See reference/inspection/SKILL.md.
• If repeated-call _advisory appears on daemon(list/check), the call still ran; treat it as a signal to stop the loop, centralize status checking in the parent, and read reference/inspection/SKILL.md before polling again.
• If an emanation might be stuck, inspect state changes, recent transcript, and event activity before reclaiming.
• CLI backend flags are passthroughs. Verify the current CLI's --help before relying on a flag.

Maintenance

Keep this router short. Put new backend recipes, inspection examples, and cleanup procedures in nested references so agents load only the needed detail.