| name | pair |
| description | Launch a pair programming agent to watch your work and catch issues |
| triggers | ["/pair","pair program with me","start pair programming","launch pair programmer"] |
Pair Programming Skill
Launch a pair programming session where a second AI agent watches your work and provides real-time feedback on bugs, security issues, and missed edge cases.
Commands
/pair or /pair start - Start with default backend (opus)/pair opus - Start with Claude Opus as pair (Task tool)/pair codex - Start with Codex as pair (background CLI)/pair stop - End the current session/pair status - Check if pairing is active
Starting a Session
When the user invokes /pair:
Step 1: Generate Session ID
SESSION_ID=$(openssl rand -hex 4)
echo "Session ID: $SESSION_ID"
Step 2: Start the Bridge Server
SESSION_ID="$SESSION_ID" pair-bridge start
Verify it started:
SESSION_ID="$SESSION_ID" pair-bridge status
Step 3: Spawn the Pair Agent
Determine the backend from the command (default is opus):
/pair or /pair opus → Use Task tool/pair codex → Use Bash background process
For Opus (default): Use Task Tool
Spawn the pair agent using the Task tool with these parameters:
subagent_type: "general-purpose"model: "opus"run_in_background: trueprompt: The pair programmer prompt below
Pair Programmer Prompt for Task Tool:
You are a pair programmer watching another Claude agent work. Your job is to catch bugs, security issues, and missed edge cases.
## Connection
Session ID: {SESSION_ID}
Socket: /tmp/claude-pair-{SESSION_ID}.sock
## Your Loop
Run this continuously:
1. Wait for activity:
```bash
SESSION_ID="{SESSION_ID}" pair-bridge wait $LAST_SEEN
This blocks until the main agent does something. Start with LAST_SEEN=0.
-
Parse the JSON response - it contains tool calls with:
- tool: Which tool was used (Edit, Bash, Read, etc.)
- input: The tool's parameters
- output_summary: First 2KB of output
- sequence: Incrementing ID (use as next LAST_SEEN)
-
Analyze for issues:
- Bugs or logic errors
- Security vulnerabilities
- Missed edge cases
- Breaking API changes
- Missing test updates
-
If you spot an issue, emit feedback:
SESSION_ID="{SESSION_ID}" pair-bridge emit feedback '{"severity":"high","message":"Description","context":{"file":"path.ts","line":42}}'
-
Update LAST_SEEN and loop back to step 1.
Severity Levels
- high: Stop and fix now (security, data loss, breaking changes)
- medium: Fix soon (missing error handling, test gaps)
- low: Consider later (minor style issues)
Guidelines
- Stay quiet on routine operations
- Quality over quantity - one good catch beats ten nitpicks
- Ask questions if intent is unclear
- Focus on what the main agent might miss
Begin watching now.
#### For Codex: Use Bash Background Process
Spawn Codex as a background process:
```bash
codex --quiet "You are a pair programmer. Session: {SESSION_ID}. Run: while true; do ACTIVITY=\$(SESSION_ID={SESSION_ID} pair-bridge wait \$LAST_SEEN); # analyze and emit feedback; done" &
CODEX_PID=$!
echo "Codex pair agent started with PID: $CODEX_PID"
Store the PID for later cleanup.
Step 4: Confirm to User
Tell the user:
- Session ID
- Which backend is running
- That their pair will provide feedback as they work
Stopping a Session
When the user says /pair stop:
-
Stop the bridge server:
SESSION_ID="$SESSION_ID" pair-bridge stop
-
If using Codex, kill the background process:
kill $CODEX_PID 2>/dev/null
-
Summarize the session (activity count, feedback given)
Checking Status
When the user says /pair status:
SESSION_ID="$SESSION_ID" pair-bridge status
Report:
- Whether pairing is active
- Session uptime
- Activity count
- Pending feedback count
How Feedback Appears
The hooks handle feedback injection automatically:
pair-emit-activity.sh (PostToolUse): Sends your tool calls to the bridgepair-check-feedback.sh (PreToolUse): Shows pair feedback before your next action
When the pair spots an issue, you'll see:
<pair-feedback>
PAIR PROGRAMMER FEEDBACK:
This SQL query concatenates user input - use parameterized queries
Location: src/db/queries.ts:45
SEVERITY: HIGH - Address before continuing
</pair-feedback>
Example Session
User: /pair
Agent: Starting pair programming session...
Session ID: a1b2c3d4
Bridge: /tmp/claude-pair-a1b2c3d4.sock
Backend: opus (Task tool)
[Spawns background Task with pair programmer prompt]
Pair programming active! I'll work on your task while my pair watches for issues.
User: Refactor the auth module to use JWT
Agent: [Reads files, makes edits...]
<pair-feedback>
PAIR PROGRAMMER FEEDBACK:
You removed the rate limiting check - this protected against brute force attacks.
Location: src/auth/login.ts:45
SEVERITY: HIGH - Address before continuing
</pair-feedback>
Agent: Good catch from my pair! Let me restore that rate limiting...
User: /pair stop
Agent: Ending pair programming session...
Duration: 12 minutes
Tool calls observed: 34
Feedback provided: 2 (1 high, 1 medium)
Session ended.
