operator

name	operator
description	Request platform actions by emailing the operator inbox with natural language commands

Operator Communication

This skill handles communication between a sandbox and the Klanker Maker platform operator. The operator inbox ([e-mail]) has a Haiku AI interpreter that understands natural language commands and can execute platform operations.

Prerequisites: Run klanker:sandbox first to detect environment and email policy.

Cross-references

• klanker:sandbox — environment + tooling detection (run first)
• klanker:email — the underlying send/receive mechanics (this skill is a thin natural-language layer on top)
• klanker:slack — for one-way operator pings that don't need a reply
• klanker:user — what the operator can do from their workstation (so you know what to ask for)

How It Works

1. You compose a natural language request and send it to $KM_OPERATOR_EMAIL
2. The operator Lambda receives it, validates the KM-AUTH safe phrase, and passes it to Haiku
3. Haiku interprets the command and executes it (or replies asking for confirmation)
4. You receive a reply email with the result

The KM-AUTH safe phrase is automatically appended by km-send when sending to the operator. You do not need to include it manually.

Requesting Scheduled Operations

Ask the operator to schedule future actions using natural language. The Haiku interpreter maps these to km at commands.

Schedule an Agent Run

cat > /tmp/op-request.txt << 'EOF'
Schedule an agent run on my sandbox in 30 minutes with prompt: "run the test suite and email me the results"
EOF
km-send --subject "schedule agent run" --body /tmp/op-request.txt

Schedule on Another Sandbox

cat > /tmp/op-request.txt << 'EOF'
Schedule an agent run on sb-worker01 at 5pm today with prompt: "pull latest and rebuild" and use --auto-start in case it's paused
EOF
km-send --subject "schedule remote agent" --body /tmp/op-request.txt

Set a Reminder

cat > /tmp/op-request.txt << 'EOF'
Email me back in 20 minutes with a reminder to check the build results
EOF
km-send --subject "reminder" --body /tmp/op-request.txt

Cancel a Scheduled Operation

cat > /tmp/op-request.txt << 'EOF'
Cancel the scheduled destroy for sb-worker01
EOF
km-send --subject "cancel schedule" --body /tmp/op-request.txt

Lifecycle Requests

Extend TTL

cat > /tmp/op-request.txt << 'EOF'
Extend my TTL by 2 hours
EOF
km-send --subject "extend ttl" --body /tmp/op-request.txt

Add Budget

cat > /tmp/op-request.txt << 'EOF'
Add $1.00 compute budget and $2.00 AI budget to my sandbox
EOF
km-send --subject "add budget" --body /tmp/op-request.txt

Create a New Sandbox

cat > /tmp/op-request.txt << 'EOF'
Create a new sandbox from the goose profile with alias worker-3
EOF
km-send --subject "create sandbox" --body /tmp/op-request.txt

Note: Create requests require operator confirmation (the Haiku interpreter replies asking for approval before executing).

Pause/Resume Another Sandbox

cat > /tmp/op-request.txt << 'EOF'
Pause sb-worker02 — we don't need it until tomorrow
EOF
km-send --subject "pause sandbox" --body /tmp/op-request.txt

Conversation Threading

The Haiku interpreter maintains conversation state via SES Message-ID threading. When following up on a previous request:

• Reply to the operator's response email (the threading happens automatically via subject Re: matching)
• Include context: "Yes, go ahead with the create" or "No, cancel that"

The interpreter understands affirmative replies: yes, yup, sure, ok, lgtm, looks good, go ahead And negative replies: no, nope, cancel, abort, nevermind

Status Queries

cat > /tmp/op-request.txt << 'EOF'
What's the status of sb-worker01? Is it still running?
EOF
km-send --subject "status check" --body /tmp/op-request.txt

The operator replies with sandbox metadata: status, TTL remaining, budget usage, etc.

Waiting for Operator Replies

After sending a request, poll for the operator's reply:

# Send request
km-send --subject "extend ttl" --body /tmp/op-request.txt

# Wait for reply (operator replies are from the operator email address)
TIMEOUT=120
ELAPSED=0
while [ $ELAPSED -lt $TIMEOUT ]; do
  REPLY=$(km-recv --json 2>/dev/null | jq -r "select(.from | test(\"operator\")) | select(.subject | test(\"Re:.*extend ttl\")) | .body" 2>/dev/null)
  if [ -n "$REPLY" ]; then
    echo "Operator reply: $REPLY"
    km-recv --mark-read
    break
  fi
  sleep 10
  ELAPSED=$((ELAPSED + 10))
done

Operator replies are typically fast (Lambda execution), but allow 1-2 minutes for the mail poller sync (60s cycle).

Error Handling

Situation	Cause	Action
No reply after 2 minutes	Operator Lambda may be down, or KM-AUTH failed	Check: is $KM_SAFE_PHRASE set? Try resending.
Reply says "unauthorized"	KM-AUTH safe phrase is missing or wrong	The safe phrase is auto-appended by km-send. If this fails, the sandbox identity may not be provisioned correctly.
Reply says "not understood"	Haiku couldn't parse the request	Rephrase more clearly. Use explicit command names: "create", "destroy", "pause", "resume", "extend", "budget-add".
Reply asks for confirmation	Destructive or expensive operations need approval	Reply with "yes" or "no" to the same thread.

Supported Commands

The Haiku interpreter recognizes these operations:

Operation	Example Natural Language
Create sandbox	"Create a sandbox from the learn profile with alias test-1"
Destroy sandbox	"Destroy sb-worker01"
Pause/Stop	"Pause sb-worker02"
Resume	"Resume sb-worker02"
Extend TTL	"Extend my TTL by 3 hours"
Add budget	"Add $2 compute budget to sb-worker01"
Schedule agent run	"Run an agent on sb-worker01 in 1 hour with prompt: ..."
Cancel schedule	"Cancel the scheduled destroy for sb-worker01"
Status	"What's the status of my sandbox?"