hierarchical-mindfulness

name	hierarchical-mindfulness
description	This skill should be used when the user asks to "orchestrate", "delegate", "coordinate agents", "enforce hierarchy", "mindful delegation", "hierarchical thinking", "chain of command", or "orchestrator patterns". Essential for coordinators and high-governance agents to maintain delegation integrity.
version	0.1.0
license	MIT
metadata	{"audience":"ai-agents","workflow":"orchestration"}

Hierarchical Mindfulness

Mindful orchestration through constant awareness of delegation hierarchy, session state, and chain integrity.

★ Insight ─────────────────────────────────────

• The "Chain Cannot Break": every action must trace back through Milestone → Phase → Plan → Task
• Delegation depth awareness prevents infinite loops and context pollution
• Session resumption requires detecting idle time, governance level, and phase alignment ─────────────────────────────────────────────────

Core Philosophy

Mindful Orchestration

Mindful orchestration operates on three principles:

1. Hierarchy First: Always know position in the chain before acting
2. Context Awareness: Understand session state, delegation depth, and phase
3. Evidence-Based: Every delegation returns structured proof of completion

The Unbreakable Chain

Milestone → Phase → Plan → Task
     ↓
coordinator → governance → validator → builder

Critical Rule: Each level delegates ONLY to the level directly below it. Never skip levels.

forbidden_patterns:
  - "coordinator → builder"     # Skips governance and validator
  - "governance → builder"      # Skips validator
  - "validator → coordinator"   # Upward delegation violates chain

valid_patterns:
  - "coordinator → governance"  # Direct child
  - "governance → validator"    # Direct child
  - "validator → builder"       # Direct child

---

Session State Awareness

Before ANY delegation, assess session state:

Session Lifecycle Detection

State	Condition	Behavior
New	First tool not yet used	Inject full governance context
Active	< 1 hour idle	Continue normal delegation
Resumed	1-48 hours idle	Re-establish context, verify phase
Stale	> 48 hours idle	Require user confirmation
Compacted	Context window full	Use anchors for continuity

Delegation Depth Tracking

depth_levels:
  0: "Root session (user)"
  1: "Primary agent (@idumb-supreme-coordinator)"
  2: "Mid-level governance (@idumb-high-governance)"
  3: "Validator (@idumb-low-validator)"
  4: "Builder (@idumb-builder)"

rules:
  - Max depth: 4
  - Depth > 4: Indicates potential loop
  - Each delegation increments depth
  - Return decrements depth

Governance Level Assessment

Level	Description	Protocol
strict	Zero tolerance for violations	Block on any chain break
standard	Warn on soft violations	Allow with --force override
minimal	Log only	Observe without blocking

---

Orchestration Protocol

Step 1: Assess Position

Before delegating, verify:

checklist:
  1: "Read .idumb/brain/state.json"
  2: "Identify current phase"
  3: "Check delegation depth"
  4: "Verify agent role matches permissions"
  5: "Confirm target is valid child in hierarchy"

Step 2: Delegate Mindfully

Structure every delegation:

delegation_template:
  agent: "[valid child agent]"
  context:
    phase: "[current phase]"
    state_snapshot: "[relevant state]"
    anchors: "[critical anchors]"
  requirements:
    constraints: "[what cannot be done]"
    permissions: "[what tools are allowed]"
    deliverable: "[expected return format]"
  tracking:
    delegation_id: "[unique identifier]"
    parent_session: "[for traceability]"

Step 3: Validate Return

Never accept unstructured responses:

required_return_format:
  status: "pass | fail | partial"
  evidence: "[what was verified]"
  actions_taken: "[list of operations]"
  files_modified: "[if applicable]"
  next_action: "[recommended continuation]"
  delegation_id: "[matching request]"

---

Chain Enforcement

MUST-BEFORE Rules

Certain operations have prerequisites:

init_chain:
  - "All /idumb:* commands require state.json"
  - "Exception: /idumb:init, /idumb:help"

project_chain:
  - "/idumb:roadmap requires PROJECT.md"
  - "/idumb:discuss-phase requires ROADMAP.md"

phase_chain:
  - "/idumb:execute-phase requires PLAN.md"
  - "/idumb:verify-work requires execution evidence"

validation_chain:
  - "Phase complete requires VERIFICATION.md"
  - "Commit suggests recent validation"

Violation Handling

Severity	Action	User Override
HARD_BLOCK	Stop execution	No
SOFT_BLOCK	Block with --force option	Yes
WARN	Continue with warning	N/A

---

Session Resumption Protocol

Conditional Resumption

if_idle_hours:
  1-48:
    action: "Resume with context injection"
    inject:
      - "Current phase"
      - "Active anchors (critical/high)"
      - "Pending TODOs"
      - "Last action history (5)"

  48-168:
    action: "Warn user of staleness"
    require:
      - "User confirmation to continue"
      - "Phase verification"
      - "Optional: create checkpoint"

  >168:
    action: "Critical staleness"
    require:
      - "Explicit user acknowledgment"
      - "State refresh recommendation"
      - "Archive old context if continuing"

Governance Injection on Resume

When resuming, inject based on session level:

root_session:
  inject: "Full governance context + anchors"
  reason: "Primary orchestration layer"

all_session:
  inject: "Minimal context + task scope"
  reason: "Prevent context bloat in delegation"

resumed_all:
  inject: "Re-establish delegation chain"
  reason: "Mindfulness of parent session context"

---

Mindfulness Triggers

When to Pause and Reassess

Pause delegation when:

1. Delegation depth exceeds 4: Potential infinite loop
2. Same agent spawns repeatedly: Detection needed
3. Chain violation detected: Must address before continuing
4. Context window > 80%: Pre-compaction checkpoint
5. Session idle > 1 hour: Resumption protocol

When to Force Checkpoint

Create checkpoints before:

1. Phase transitions
2. Major structural changes
3. After 10+ iterations
4. Before potential breaking operations
5. When session shows signs of stall

---

Error Recovery

Chain Break Recovery

if_chain_break_detected:
  1: "Identify break point in chain"
  2: "Log violation with evidence"
  3: "Determine if HARD_BLOCK or SOFT_BLOCK"
  4: "Apply appropriate action"
  5: "Offer user remediation options"

remediation_options:
  - "Run prerequisite command"
  - "Override with --force (if allowed)"
  - "Create missing artifact"
  - "Return to parent agent"

Delegation Loop Detection

loop_indicators:
  - "Same agent spawned 3+ times"
  - "Delegation depth > 5"
  - "Same task delegated repeatedly"
  - "No progress after 5 iterations"

actions:
  - "Log stall detection"
  - "Return to parent with error"
  - "Suggest alternative approach"
  - "Never auto-fix loop"

---

Additional Resources

Reference Files

For detailed implementation guidance, consult:

• references/chain-enforcement.md - Complete MUST-BEFORE dependency rules
• references/agent-hierarchy.md - Agent permission matrix and delegation patterns
• references/session-tracking.md - Session state and delegation depth management
• references/mindfulness-protocols.md - Advanced orchestration patterns

Example Delegations

Working examples in examples/:

• examples/valid-delegation.md - Proper coordinator → governance delegation
• examples/resumed-session.md - Session resumption with context injection
• examples/chain-recovery.md - Recovering from chain violations

---

Quick Reference

Valid Delegation Paths

coordinator       →  governance →  validator  →  builder
     ↓                ↓              ↓              ↓
  task:true        task:true      read-only     write:true
  write:false      write:false    tools:limited  bash:true
  bash:false       bash:false     grep,glob

Session State Commands

Tool	Purpose
idumb-state read	Get current session state
idumb-state anchor	Store critical context
idumb-validate freshness	Check for staleness
idumb-context summary	Get compaction-friendly context

Emergency Protocols

if_stall_detected:
  command: "/idumb:debug"
  action: "Analyze delegation history for loops"

if_context_full:
  command: "Create checkpoint"
  action: "Store state before compaction"

if_chain_violation:
  command: "Check chain-enforcement.md"
  action: "Verify prerequisites before proceeding"

---

★ Insight ─────────────────────────────────────

• Mindful orchestration prevents the 80% context window saturation problem
• Every delegation should be traceable back to user intent through the chain
• Session resumption is the most dangerous time for governance drift
• Anchors are the only thing that survives compaction with full fidelity ─────────────────────────────────────────────────