# Proposing Side Grasps

> Propose horizontal (side-entry) grasps swept around an object's oriented box — twelve azimuths ranked by jaw margin. Use when top-down access is blocked by an overhead shelf, a lid or a bin wall, or when the object's vertical dimension is the only one the hand can span. Declines when the object is wider than the jaws from every azimuth.

- Skill: `graph-robots/proposing-side-grasps` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add graph-robots/proposing-side-grasps`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/graph-robots/proposing-side-grasps/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: graph-robots (https://skillmd.com/u/graph-robots)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/graph-robots/proposing-side-grasps

---


# proposing-side-grasps

One strategy for the **propose** stage: horizontal entry, swept around the
object.

## Why this is its own skill

It is the alternative that exists so a top-down refusal has somewhere to go.
`proposing-short-axis-grasps` declines by measuring a width; it cannot offer a
side entry, because approaching horizontally is a *different strategy*, not a
different number. A policy with only one propose rung answers a structural
refusal by re-tuning parameters that cannot help.

## When to use

- Overhead access is blocked — a shelf plate, a lid, a bin rim above the target.
- The object is flat and wide on top but narrow in profile.
- The top-down rung declined.

## When NOT to use

- The object stands against a wall or in a corner and only one azimuth is open.
  This skill will happily rank a blocked side first; the clearance gate in
  `selecting-reachable-grasp` is what makes that safe, so do not use this rung
  without a selector.
- The graspable feature is a concave interior — a box's silhouette says nothing
  about concavity.

## Recommended subgraph state flow

```text
describe → get_obb → propose → select → END
```

1. **`describe`** — `tool: robot.describe_gripper`.
2. **`get_obb`** — `tool: sim.get_object_obb` (or `geometry.filter_and_compute_obb`
   on the vision body).
3. **`propose`** — `script: scripts/<sg>/propose_side_grasps.py`, inputs
   `target_obb`, `gripper`. Router on `route`.
4. **`select`** — build a pose per candidate with `robot.grasp_frame(approach=…,
   close_heading_deg=…)` and walk them with `selecting-reachable-grasp`. Its
   clearance gate is what turns "ranked by margin" into "reachable in this
   scene".

## Required end states

| End state | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `proposed` | Candidates, widest margin first. Continue to select. |
| `declined` | Wider than the jaws from every azimuth. The remaining option is a part of the object narrower than its whole box. |