samocode-run

Samocode Run

Runs the samocode autonomous orchestrator on a project session and monitors its progress.

CRITICAL: DO NOT MANUALLY ORCHESTRATE

When user asks to "run samocode" or "continue samocode", you MUST use this skill.

DO NOT:

• Launch phase agents or Task subagents yourself for investigation/planning/implementation phases
• Manually read _overview.md and decide what phase to run
• Update _signal.json yourself
• Pretend to be the orchestrator

The Python worker (main.py) handles ALL of this. Your job is to START the worker and MONITOR its output.

Trigger Phrases

Use this skill when user says:

• "run samocode"
• "start samocode"
• "continue samocode"
• "let samocode work on it"
• "implement the plan"
• Claude command equivalent: /samocode-implement

What is Samocode?

Samocode is an autonomous session orchestrator that runs the configured AI CLI provider in a loop to complete complex tasks. It:

• Reads session state from _overview.md
• Runs phase-specific agents automatically based on current phase
• Sends Telegram notifications on state changes
• Continues until task is complete or blocked

For workflow details and phase definitions, see ~/samocode/CLAUDE.md.

Sessions: Manual vs Autonomous

There's no strict "samocode session" - just sessions. Any session can be worked on:

• Manually by you (the parent agent session) - e.g., investigation, Q&A, planning
• Autonomously by samocode - e.g., implementation, testing, quality fixes
• Mixed - start manually, hand off to samocode, take back control when blocked

This flexibility is intentional. Use samocode for repetitive/long-running phases, work manually when human judgment is needed.

When to Use

Only when user explicitly asks for samocode (see Trigger Phrases above).

Do NOT assume samocode should run just because a session exists.

Execution

Arguments: $ARGUMENTS (session name or project path with session name)

Steps

1. Find .samocode config:

   • Look for .samocode file in current working dir or project path
   • Extract the full path to the .samocode file (e.g., ~/project/.samocode)
   • If .samocode file is missing: ERROR and ask user to create it

2. Determine session name:

   • If $ARGUMENTS is a session name (e.g., "my-task"), use it directly
   • If $ARGUMENTS includes a path, extract session name from it
   • Session will be resolved: exact match → dated match → new session

3. Check session state (if exists):

   • Read _overview.md Status section
   • If user asked to "implement the plan" or invoked the /samocode-implement equivalent:
     • This is an implementation handoff, not a generic continue.
     • If Phase: planning and the session is waiting for plan approval (Blocked: waiting_human, Next: Await plan approval, or _signal.json has waiting_for: plan_approval / "for": "plan_approval"), approve the gate before starting samocode:
       • Phase: implementation
       • Blocked: no
       • Last Action: Plan approved for implementation
       • Next: Execute first implementation phase
       • Add to Flow Log: - [MM-DD HH:MM] Plan approved for implementation via samocode-run
     • Do NOT start from task-definition, requirements, or planning steps unless no approved/waiting plan exists.
     • If no plan file exists or requirements are incomplete, report that implementation cannot start yet and ask the user how to proceed.
   • If Phase: done:
     • Ask user: "Session is complete. What new work do you want to do?"
     • Update _overview.md:
       • Phase: investigation
       • Last Action: Resuming session for: [user's goal]
       • Next: Investigate approach for [user's goal]
     • Add to Flow Log: - [MM-DD HH:MM] Resuming: [user's goal]
   • If Blocked: yes or blocked:
     • Show user the current status (Last Action, Next, reason if available)
     • Ask how to proceed
     • Update status based on user's direction

4. Start samocode:

   cd ~/samocode && python main.py \
     --config [PATH_TO_.SAMOCODE] \
     --session [SESSION_NAME] 2>&1
   

   Optional: Add --timeout SECONDS for per-iteration time limit (default: 1800s = 30 min). Each child agent iteration is killed if it exceeds this. Increase for complex phases:

   python main.py --config ... --session ... --timeout 3600  # 1 hour per iteration
   

   Do NOT wrap with bash timeout - The orchestrator manages its own timeouts via --timeout. External timeouts can kill iterations mid-work and corrupt session state.

   Run this in background using run_in_background: true

   Avoid reading background task output directly. The samocode worker output includes full Agent CLI logs which are large (100KB+ per iteration). Monitor progress via _overview.md and other session files instead.

   If debugging requires checking task output (e.g., investigating a crash):

   • Use grep to search for specific errors or patterns first
   • Use tail -n 2 or tail -n 5 max - each line can be huge (full JSON)
   • Use Read with offset and limit to read small portions
   • Never read the entire file

5. Monitor loop (prefer session files over task output):

   5.1. Start background check (sleep duration by phase: investigation/planning 60s, implementation 120-180s, quality 120s, testing 60s):

   Bash(command="sleep 60 && cat [SESSION]/_overview.md", run_in_background=true)
   

   Returns task_id (e.g., "b155903")

   5.2. Wait for result - DO NOT SKIP, do immediately after 5.1:

   TaskOutput(task_id="b155903", block=true, timeout=600000)
   

   Note: 600000ms (10 min) is the max allowed timeout.

   5.3. Extract from result: Phase, Iteration, Total Iterations, Blocked, Last Action, Next, last 3 Flow Log entries

   5.4. Get recent commits:

   git -C [WORKING_DIR] log --oneline -3
   

   5.5. Report to user:

   Samocode Progress [HH:MM elapsed]
   --------------------------------
   Phase: [phase] (Iteration N/Total)
   Last: [Last Action]
   Next: [Next]
   
   Recent commits:
   - [hash] [message]
   
   Flow:
   - [last 2-3 Flow Log entries]
   

   5.6. Check stop condition:

   • Phase: done → report final summary, STOP
   • Blocked: contains yes or waiting → handle accordingly (see Handling Waiting States), STOP
   • Otherwise → goto step 5.1

   IMPORTANT: On STOP, clean up monitoring. When samocode finishes (done/blocked/waiting), do NOT leave pending background sleep tasks running. Stop any active monitoring task via TaskStop before reporting the final status. This prevents stale notification floods.

Handling Waiting States

When samocode signals waiting:

Auto-approve/answer ONLY if user explicitly requested it (e.g., "run samocode and approve", "accept suggestions", "auto-approve"). Otherwise, report the waiting state and wait for user decision.

For waiting_for: plan_approval:

1. Report: "Plan ready for review: [full path to plan file]"
2. If user requested auto-approve: proceed to approval
3. Otherwise: Ask "Approve this plan?" and wait
4. On approval, update _overview.md (NOT _signal.json):
   • Phase: implementation
   • Blocked: no
   • Last Action: Plan approved by human
5. Then restart samocode

For waiting_for: qa_answers:

1. Report: "Q&A ready: [full path to _qa.md]" (includes suggestions)
2. If user requested to accept suggestions: fill in suggested answers
3. Otherwise: Wait for user to provide/confirm answers
4. Update _qa.md with answers
5. Then restart samocode

CRITICAL: Update _overview.md, not _signal.json The orchestrator reads phase from _overview.md. Writing to _signal.json alone will cause loops.

Required .samocode File

Every project using samocode MUST have a .samocode file in its root:

MAIN_REPO=~/path/to/main/repo
WORKTREES=~/path/to/worktrees/
SESSIONS=~/path/to/_sessions/

All three keys are REQUIRED:

• MAIN_REPO: The main working directory (where the child agent runs)
• SESSIONS: Where samocode session folders are stored
• WORKTREES: Where git worktrees are created

Session Structure

Sessions are stored in SESSIONS dir (from .samocode file), NOT nested inside projects:

[SESSIONS_DIR]/
└── [YY-MM-DD]-[session-name]/    # Session folder (e.g., 26-01-15-pyright-ci)
    ├── _overview.md              # Main session state
    ├── _signal.json              # Control signal
    ├── _qa.md                    # Q&A when waiting for human input
    ├── _logs/                    # Agent iteration logs (JSONL)
    │   └── [MM-DD-HHMM]-[NNN]-[phase].jsonl
    ├── [MM-DD-HH:mm]-plan-*.md   # Implementation plans
    ├── [MM-DD-HH:mm]-dive-*.md   # Investigation reports
    └── [MM-DD-HH:mm]-*.md        # Other artifacts

Key Files in _overview.md

## Status
Phase: [investigation|planning|implementation|testing|quality|done]
Iteration: N
Blocked: [yes/no]
Last Action: [what happened]
Next: [what to do next]

## Flow Log
- [NNN @ MM-DD HH:MM] Event description -> optional-file.md

Common Issues

1. Missing .samocode file: Create .samocode file in project root with SESSIONS, WORKTREES, MAIN_REPO
2. Telegram errors: Check ~/samocode/.env has TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN and TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID
3. Timeout: Default is 30 min. Increase provider timeout env var (CLAUDE_TIMEOUT or CODEX_TIMEOUT) if iterations need more

Debugging Samocode Bugs

If samocode exhibits bugs or weird behavior (loops, wrong decisions, missing steps, etc.):

1. Analyze the issue:

   • Check worker output logs for errors
   • Read _overview.md to see what went wrong
   • Check if workflow.md instructions are unclear
   • Check if skills have ambiguous or missing guidance

2. Suggest fixes - DO NOT auto-implement:

   • Identify the root cause (workflow.md, skill, or worker code)
   • Propose specific fix to user with explanation
   • Show exact file and changes needed
   • WAIT FOR USER CONFIRMATION before making any changes

3. Samocode source locations:

   • Worker/orchestrator: ~/samocode/main.py, ~/samocode/worker/
   • Workflow prompt: ~/samocode/workflow.md
   • Skills: ~/samocode/skills/*/SKILL.md
   • Commands: ~/samocode/commands/*.md

4. Common fix patterns:

   • Infinite loops → Add explicit stop conditions in workflow.md
   • Wrong phase transitions → Clarify phase criteria in workflow.md
   • Missing context → Add more explicit instructions in skill
   • Format errors → Add examples in skill or workflow

IMPORTANT: Always propose fixes and wait for user approval. Samocode is critical infrastructure - no cowboy coding.

Example Usage

User: "Run samocode on the hvac project"
→ Find ~/code/hvac-voice-agent/.samocode file
→ Determine session name from context (e.g., "voice-agent")
→ Run: python main.py --config ~/code/hvac-voice-agent/.samocode --session voice-agent
→ Monitor iterations, report progress

User: "Continue the samocode session"
→ Find session name from context or ask user
→ Find .samocode file path
→ Run: python main.py --config [CONFIG_PATH] --session [SESSION_NAME]
→ Monitor iterations, report progress

Remember: You run python main.py, the Python worker runs the configured provider (Claude or Codex). You do NOT run phase agents yourself.