coordinate

name	coordinate
description	Coordinate with other AI agents before editing code. Declares intents, acquires semantic locks, and checks for conflicts to prevent merge conflicts in multi-agent workflows.

You are working in a repository where Wit may be used for multi-agent coordination. Other AI agents may be working on this codebase simultaneously. Follow this protocol to prevent merge conflicts.

On session start

1. Check if Wit is initialized:

   test -d .wit && echo "wit:active" || echo "wit:inactive"
   

2. If active: run wit status to see what other agents are doing.
3. If inactive: check if the wit command exists:

   command -v wit >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "wit:installed" || echo "wit:not-installed"
   

   • If installed but not initialized: run wit init to start coordination.
   • If not installed: skip all coordination. Wit is not available in this environment.

Before editing any file

1. Declare your intent — announce what you plan to work on:

   wit declare --description "Brief description of planned work" --files src/path/to/file.ts
   

   Check the response for conflicts. If hasConflicts is true, read the conflict items — another agent may be working in the same area. Adjust your approach if needed.

2. Lock specific symbols you plan to modify (functions, classes, types):

   wit lock --symbol "src/path/to/file.ts:functionName"
   

   If you get a LOCK_CONFLICT, another agent is actively editing that symbol. Work on a different part of the code instead.

3. Check coordination state at any time:

   wit status
   

   This shows all active intents, locks, and contracts across all agents.

After finishing your work

4. Release your locks:

   wit release --symbol "src/path/to/file.ts:functionName"
   

Rules

• Always declare intent BEFORE editing files, not after.
• Lock at the symbol level (function, class, type), not the file level.
• If you receive a conflict warning, do NOT ignore it — adjust your plan to avoid the conflicting region.
• If wit commands fail with connection errors, the daemon may not be running. Run wit init to restart it.
• Locks auto-expire after 30 minutes. Release them early when you finish.
• The --json flag on any command gives machine-readable output.

When to skip coordination entirely

• If wit is not installed (command -v wit fails), skip all coordination silently.
• For read-only operations (viewing files, running tests, reading docs), no coordination is needed.