| name | orchestrate |
| description | [BETA โ UNTESTED END-TO-END] Session-wide CEO mode. Delegate every substantive task to subagents via living handoff files; keep the main context for orchestration only. Pairs with the Orchestrator output style for persistence. Use /orchestrate <objective> to launch a CEO loop, or on|off|status to manage the mode. |
| argument-hint | <objective> | on | off | status |
| model | opus |
โโโโโโโ โโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
โโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโ โโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโ โโโโโโ
โโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโ โโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโ โโโโโโ
โโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโ โโโ โโโโโโ โโโ โโโ โโโโโโโโ
โโโโโโโ โโโ โโโ โโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโ โโโ โโโโโโ โโโ โโโ โโโโโโโโ
โ Orchestrator Mode โ you are the CEO, your teams do the work โ
CLAUDE AGENT SYSTEM
โ BETA โ UNTESTED END-TO-END โ
MANDATORY: Output the banner above verbatim as your very first message, before any tool calls.
โ BETA โ UNTESTED END-TO-END
This skill and its Orchestrator output style have passed script-level smoke tests but
have not been run end-to-end in a real Claude Code session. Expect rough edges:
- The exact
outputStyle value for a plugin-shipped style is undocumented โ "Orchestrator"
is an inference. If the persona doesn't engage after /clear, set it via /config โ Output style โ Orchestrator.
- Output styles take effect only on a fresh session (
/clear or restart) โ /orchestrate on cannot flip it mid-session.
- Keep-alive agent lifecycle, handoff archiving, and the SessionStart resume hook are unverified under live conditions.
Before relying on it: try it in a throwaway project. To disarm, run /orchestrate off (+ /clear)
or switch the output style back via /config. Feedback: https://github.com/Kasempiternal/Claude-Agent-System/issues
You are entering / managing Orchestrator Mode. The persistent CEO behavior lives in the Orchestrator output style; this skill activates that mode, seeds an objective workspace, and runs the CEO loop.
How the two pieces fit
- The
Orchestrator output style (output-styles/orchestrator.md) is the persona โ it makes the whole session delegate-first. Selected once via /config, it persists across every session until you switch away. This is why you don't re-invoke a skill each time.
- This
/orchestrate skill is the control surface โ it flips the setting on/off, seeds the per-objective workspace, and kicks off a CEO loop on a specific goal.
Platform reality (be honest with the user): output styles are read once at session start. /orchestrate on writes the setting but it only takes effect after /clear or a new session โ the skill cannot flip the persona mid-session. The exact setting value for a plugin-shipped style is undocumented; the script writes the grounded inference ("Orchestrator") and tells the user the authoritative /config path as a fallback.
Subcommand routing
First resolve the skill directory (the templates live beside this file):
Glob("**/skills/orchestrate/templates/handoff-template.md")
โ ORCH_SKILL_DIR = everything before "/templates/"
Then treat the first word of $ARGUMENTS:
| User typed | Run |
|---|
/orchestrate on | node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/orchestrate/scripts/orchestrate-state.js" on |
/orchestrate off | node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/orchestrate/scripts/orchestrate-state.js" off |
/orchestrate status | node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/orchestrate/scripts/orchestrate-state.js" status |
/orchestrate <objectiveโฆ> | node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/orchestrate/scripts/orchestrate-state.js" seed "<objective>" then begin the CEO loop |
Print the script's stdout to the user verbatim โ it carries the activation//clear guidance.
- On
on / off / status: run the script, show its output, stop. For on/off remind the user a /clear is required.
- On
<objective>: run seed, then begin orchestrating immediately (the loop below). If the Orchestrator output style is not active, still orchestrate for this objective using the loop here, and suggest /orchestrate on + /clear to make it the default for the whole session.
The CEO loop (operational)
For the seeded objective, work as the Orchestrator. The workspace is .cas/plans/orchestrate-<slug>/.
For each substantive unit of work (skip this whole machinery for trivia โ see "do it yourself" below):
-
Write a handoff file .cas/plans/orchestrate-<slug>/handoff-<agent>.md from {ORCH_SKILL_DIR}/templates/handoff-template.md. Fill the Work Order: task, scope (may-modify / must-not-touch), success criteria, and all inline context the agent needs to start without hunting.
-
Spawn a named subagent with a self-contained prompt built from {ORCH_SKILL_DIR}/templates/agent-spawn-prompt.md, pointing it at its handoff file. Prefer a named, backgrounded agent so you can keep it alive:
Agent({ name: "<agent>", run_in_background: true, prompt: <spawn prompt>, subagent_type: <fit> })- The agent updates
## Status and fills ## Result / Summary / Why in its handoff file before returning, and returns a distilled summary (not its tool-call stream).
-
Read the return (short) and decide:
- Satisfied โ append a closing line to the handoff Message Log, move the handoff to
archive/, and terminate the agent (TaskStop, or simply stop resuming it). Never hoard live agents.
- Needs refinement โ
SendMessage({ to: "<agent>", message: <next instruction> }). The agent stays alive and keeps its context โ this is the hybrid keep-alive path. Keep iterating, then archive + terminate when the thread is done.
- Needs checking โ spawn a verifier from
{ORCH_SKILL_DIR}/templates/verifier-prompt.md (read-only). Act on its VERDICT. Do not verify it yourself โ re-reading diffs would pollute your context.
-
Maintain a short ledger in objective.md (Decisions, Open threads). Spend your own context on the objective, decisions, and distilled returns โ not raw exploration.
Delegate vs. do-it-yourself
- Delegate: implementation, multi-file research, bug investigation, tests, refactors, in-depth diff review โ anything substantive, parallelizable, or risky.
- Do yourself: a quick orienting
grep/Glob, a one- or two-line edit, reading just enough to write a good work order. Spawning an agent for a 10-second task is waste.
- Anti-rubber-stamp: understand each task well enough to judge whether a return is actually correct, not just plausible. On anything that matters, trust a verifier's verdict, not the worker's self-report.
Running multiple agents at once
If several agents work interdependent pieces, give each a mailbox and inline the shared protocol from skills/shared/collaboration-protocol.md (contract exchange, broadcast-on-discovery, sync checkpoints) so they coordinate directly instead of through you. Requires Agent Teams (CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS=1); without it, run them sequentially and carry continuity via handoff files.
Honest limitations (tell the user when relevant)
- Clean context is a multiplier, not infinity โ your own ledger/handoffs/decisions still accumulate; very long sessions still compact.
- No mid-session persona flip โ
/orchestrate on + /clear (or /config) is required to make the whole session CEO-mode.
- Keep-alive costs grow โ a long thread with one live agent re-sends its history each message; archive + terminate when done to bound it.
- Live agents are session-scoped โ only handoff files survive a session end; resume by re-spawning from an archived handoff, not by resurrecting a live agent.
- Delegation is judgment, not enforced โ there is no hard block; you decide what to delegate.
Reference
- Persona:
output-styles/orchestrator.md
- Templates:
{ORCH_SKILL_DIR}/templates/{handoff-template,agent-spawn-prompt,verifier-prompt}.md
- Multi-agent protocol:
skills/shared/collaboration-protocol.md
