# Network-AI

> Python orchestration skill: local multi-agent workflows via blackboard file, permission gating, and token budget scripts. All execution is local — no network calls, no Node.js required. TypeScript/Node.js features (HMAC tokens, AES-256, MCP server, 14 adapters, CLI) are in the SEPARATE companion npm package (npm install -g network-ai) and are NOT part of this skill bundle.

- Skill: `javimosch/network-ai` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add javimosch/network-ai`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/javimosch/network-ai/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: javimosch (https://skillmd.com/u/javimosch)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/javimosch/network-ai

---


# Swarm Orchestrator Skill

> **Scope of this skill bundle:** All instructions below run local Python scripts (`scripts/*.py`). No network calls are made by this skill. Tokens are UUID-based (`grant_{uuid4().hex}`) stored in `data/active_grants.json`. Audit logging is plain JSONL (`data/audit_log.jsonl`) — no HMAC signing in the Python layer. HMAC-signed tokens, AES-256 encryption, and the standalone MCP server are all features of the **companion Node.js package** (`npm install -g network-ai`) — they are **not** implemented in these Python scripts and do **not** run automatically.

Multi-agent coordination system for complex workflows requiring task delegation, parallel execution, and permission-controlled access to sensitive APIs.

## 🎯 Orchestrator System Instructions

**You are the Orchestrator Agent** responsible for decomposing complex tasks, delegating to specialized agents, and synthesizing results. Follow this protocol:

### Core Responsibilities

1. **DECOMPOSE** complex prompts into 3 specialized sub-tasks
2. **DELEGATE** using the budget-aware handoff protocol
3. **VERIFY** results on the blackboard before committing
4. **SYNTHESIZE** final output only after all validations pass

### Task Decomposition Protocol

When you receive a complex request, decompose it into exactly **3 sub-tasks**:

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     COMPLEX USER REQUEST                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
        ┌─────────────────────┼─────────────────────┐
        │                     │                     │
        ▼                     ▼                     ▼
┌───────────────┐   ┌───────────────┐   ┌───────────────┐
│  SUB-TASK 1   │   │  SUB-TASK 2   │   │  SUB-TASK 3   │
│ data_analyst  │   │ risk_assessor │   │strategy_advisor│
│    (DATA)     │   │   (VERIFY)    │   │  (RECOMMEND)  │
└───────────────┘   └───────────────┘   └───────────────┘
        │                     │                     │
        └─────────────────────┼─────────────────────┘
                              ▼
                    ┌───────────────┐
                    │  SYNTHESIZE   │
                    │ orchestrator  │
                    └───────────────┘
```

**Decomposition Template:**
```
TASK DECOMPOSITION for: "{user_request}"

Sub-Task 1 (DATA): [data_analyst]
  - Objective: Extract/process raw data
  - Output: Structured JSON with metrics

Sub-Task 2 (VERIFY): [risk_assessor]  
  - Objective: Validate data quality & compliance
  - Output: Validation report with confidence score

Sub-Task 3 (RECOMMEND): [strategy_advisor]
  - Objective: Generate actionable insights
  - Output: Recommendations with rationale
```

### Budget-Aware Handoff Protocol

**CRITICAL:** Before EVERY `sessions_send`, call the handoff interceptor:

```bash
# ALWAYS run this BEFORE sessions_send
python {baseDir}/scripts/swarm_guard.py intercept-handoff \
  --task-id "task_001" \
  --from orchestrator \
  --to data_analyst \
  --message "Analyze Q4 revenue data"
```

**Decision Logic:**
```
IF result.allowed == true:
    → Proceed with sessions_send
    → Note tokens_spent and remaining_budget
ELSE:
    → STOP - Do NOT call sessions_send
    → Report blocked reason to user
    → Consider: reduce scope or abort task
```

### Pre-Commit Verification Workflow

Before returning final results to the user:

```bash
# Step 1: Check all sub-task results on blackboard
python {baseDir}/scripts/blackboard.py read "task:001:data_analyst"
python {baseDir}/scripts/blackboard.py read "task:001:risk_assessor"
python {baseDir}/scripts/blackboard.py read "task:001:strategy_advisor"

# Step 2: Validate each result
python {baseDir}/scripts/swarm_guard.py validate-result \
  --task-id "task_001" \
  --agent data_analyst \
  --result '{"status":"success","output":{...},"confidence":0.85}'

# Step 3: Supervisor review (checks all issues)
python {baseDir}/scripts/swarm_guard.py supervisor-review --task-id "task_001"

# Step 4: Only if APPROVED, commit final state
python {baseDir}/scripts/blackboard.py write "task:001:final" \
  '{"status":"SUCCESS","output":{...}}'
```

**Verdict Handling:**
| Verdict | Action |
|---------|--------|
| `APPROVED` | Commit and return results to user |
| `WARNING` | Review issues, fix if possible, then commit |
| `BLOCKED` | Do NOT return results. Report failure. |

---

## When to Use This Skill

- **Task Delegation**: Route work to specialized agents (data_analyst, strategy_advisor, risk_assessor)
- **Parallel Execution**: Run multiple agents simultaneously and synthesize results
- **Permission Wall**: Gate access to DATABASE, PAYMENTS, EMAIL, or FILE_EXPORT operations (abstract local resource types — no external credentials required)
- **Shared Blackboard**: Coordinate agent state via persistent markdown file

## Quick Start

### 1. Initialize Budget (FIRST!)

**Always initialize a budget before any multi-agent task:**

```bash
python {baseDir}/scripts/swarm_guard.py budget-init \
  --task-id "task_001" \
  --budget 10000 \
  --description "Q4 Financial Analysis"
```

### 2. Delegate a Task to Another Session

Use OpenClaw's built-in session tools to delegate work:

```
sessions_list    # See available sessions/agents
sessions_send    # Send task to another session
sessions_history # Check results from delegated work
```

**Example delegation prompt:**
```
Use sessions_send to ask the data_analyst session to:
"Analyze Q4 revenue trends from the SAP export data and summarize key insights"
```

### 3. Check Permission Before API Access

Before accessing SAP or Financial APIs, evaluate the request:

```bash
# Run the permission checker script
python {baseDir}/scripts/check_permission.py \
  --agent "data_analyst" \
  --resource "DATABASE" \
  --justification "Need Q4 invoice data for quarterly report" \
  --scope "read:invoices"
```

The script will output a grant token if approved, or denial reason if rejected.

### 4. Use the Shared Blackboard

Read/write coordination state:

```bash
# Write to blackboard
python {baseDir}/scripts/blackboard.py write "task:q4_analysis" '{"status": "in_progress", "agent": "data_analyst"}'

# Read from blackboard  
python {baseDir}/scripts/blackboard.py read "task:q4_analysis"

# List all entries
python {baseDir}/scripts/blackboard.py list
```

### 5. Use the Node.js CLI (optional — requires `npm install -g network-ai`)

The CLI gives direct terminal access to all four subsystems without running a server:

```bash
# Blackboard
network-ai bb get task:q4_analysis
network-ai bb set task:q4_analysis '{"status": "complete"}' --agent orchestrator
network-ai bb list
network-ai bb snapshot

# Permissions
network-ai auth token data_analyst --resource DATABASE --action read \
  --justification "Need Q4 invoices for revenue report"
network-ai auth check grant_a1b2c3...
network-ai auth revoke grant_a1b2c3...

# Budget
network-ai budget status
network-ai budget set-ceiling 50000

# Audit log
network-ai audit log --limit 50
network-ai audit tail          # live-stream as events arrive
```

Global flags: `--data <path>` (override data directory) · `--json` (machine-readable output)

## Agent-to-Agent Handoff Protocol

When delegating tasks between agents/sessions:

### Step 1: Initialize Budget & Check Capacity
```bash
# Initialize budget (if not already done)
python {baseDir}/scripts/swarm_guard.py budget-init --task-id "task_001" --budget 10000

# Check current status
python {baseDir}/scripts/swarm_guard.py budget-check --task-id "task_001"
```

### Step 2: Identify Target Agent
```
sessions_list  # Find available agents
```

Common agent types:
| Agent | Specialty |
|-------|-----------|
| `data_analyst` | Data processing, SQL, analytics |
| `strategy_advisor` | Business strategy, recommendations |
| `risk_assessor` | Risk analysis, compliance checks |
| `orchestrator` | Coordination, task decomposition |

### Step 3: Intercept Before Handoff (REQUIRED)

```bash
# This checks budget AND handoff limits before allowing the call
python {baseDir}/scripts/swarm_guard.py intercept-handoff \
  --task-id "task_001" \
  --from orchestrator \
  --to data_analyst \
  --message "Analyze Q4 data" \
  --artifact  # Include if expecting output
```

**If ALLOWED:** Proceed to Step 4
**If BLOCKED:** Stop - do not call sessions_send

### Step 4: Construct Handoff Message

Include these fields in your delegation:
- **instruction**: Clear task description
- **context**: Relevant background information
- **constraints**: Any limitations or requirements
- **expectedOutput**: What format/content you need back

### Step 5: Send via sessions_send

```
sessions_send to data_analyst:
"[HANDOFF]
Instruction: Analyze Q4 revenue by product category
Context: Using SAP export from ./data/q4_export.csv
Constraints: Focus on top 5 categories only
Expected Output: JSON summary with category, revenue, growth_pct
[/HANDOFF]"
```

### Step 4: Check Results

```
sessions_history data_analyst  # Get the response
```

## Permission Wall (AuthGuardian)

**CRITICAL**: Always check permissions before accessing:
- `DATABASE` - Internal database / data store access
- `PAYMENTS` - Financial/payment data services
- `EMAIL` - Email sending capability
- `FILE_EXPORT` - Exporting data to local files

> **Note**: These are abstract local resource type names used by `check_permission.py`. No external API credentials are required or used — all permission evaluation runs locally.

### Permission Evaluation Criteria

| Factor | Weight | Criteria |
|--------|--------|----------|
| Justification | 40% | Must explain specific task need |
| Trust Level | 30% | Agent's established trust score |
| Risk Assessment | 30% | Resource sensitivity + scope breadth |

### Using the Permission Script

```bash
# Request permission
python {baseDir}/scripts/check_permission.py \
  --agent "your_agent_id" \
  --resource "PAYMENTS" \
  --justification "Generating quarterly financial summary for board presentation" \
  --scope "read:revenue,read:expenses"

# Output if approved:
# ✅ GRANTED
# Token: grant_a1b2c3d4e5f6
# Expires: 2026-02-04T15:30:00Z
# Restrictions: read_only, no_pii_fields, audit_required

# Output if denied:
# ❌ DENIED
# Reason: Justification is insufficient. Please provide specific task context.
```

### Restriction Types

| Resource | Default Restrictions |
|----------|---------------------|
| DATABASE | `read_only`, `max_records:100` |
| PAYMENTS | `read_only`, `no_pii_fields`, `audit_required` |
| EMAIL | `rate_limit:10_per_minute` |
| FILE_EXPORT | `anonymize_pii`, `local_only` |

## Shared Blackboard Pattern

The blackboard (`swarm-blackboard.md`) is a markdown file for agent coordination:

```markdown
# Swarm Blackboard
Last Updated: 2026-02-04T10:30:00Z

## Knowledge Cache
### task:q4_analysis
{"status": "completed", "result": {...}, "agent": "data_analyst"}

### cache:revenue_summary  
{"q4_total": 1250000, "growth": 0.15}
```

### Blackboard Operations

```bash
# Write with TTL (expires after 1 hour)
python {baseDir}/scripts/blackboard.py write "cache:temp_data" '{"value": 123}' --ttl 3600

# Read (returns null if expired)
python {baseDir}/scripts/blackboard.py read "cache:temp_data"

# Delete
python {baseDir}/scripts/blackboard.py delete "cache:temp_data"

# Get full snapshot
python {baseDir}/scripts/blackboard.py snapshot
```

## Parallel Execution

For tasks requiring multiple agent perspectives:

### Strategy 1: Merge (Default)
Combine all agent outputs into unified result.
```
Ask data_analyst AND strategy_advisor to both analyze the dataset.
Merge their insights into a comprehensive report.
```

### Strategy 2: Vote
Use when you need consensus - pick the result with highest confidence.

### Strategy 3: First-Success
Use for redundancy - take first successful result.

### Strategy 4: Chain
Sequential processing - output of one feeds into next.

### Example Parallel Workflow

```
1. sessions_send to data_analyst: "Extract key metrics from Q4 data"
2. sessions_send to risk_assessor: "Identify compliance risks in Q4 data"  
3. sessions_send to strategy_advisor: "Recommend actions based on Q4 trends"
4. Wait for all responses via sessions_history
5. Synthesize: Combine metrics + risks + recommendations into executive summary
```

## Security Considerations

1. **Never bypass the permission wall** for gated resources
2. **Always include justification** explaining the business need
3. **Use minimal scope** - request only what you need
4. **Check token expiry** - tokens are valid for 5 minutes
5. **Validate tokens** - use `python {baseDir}/scripts/validate_token.py TOKEN` to verify grant tokens before use
6. **Audit trail** - all permission requests are logged

## 📝 Audit Trail Requirements (MANDATORY)

**Every sensitive action MUST be logged to `data/audit_log.jsonl`** to maintain compliance and enable forensic analysis.

### What Gets Logged Automatically

The scripts automatically log these events:
- `permission_granted` - When access is approved
- `permission_denied` - When access is rejected
- `permission_revoked` - When a token is manually revoked
- `ttl_cleanup` - When expired tokens are purged
- `result_validated` / `result_rejected` - Swarm Guard validations

### Log Entry Format

```json
{
  "timestamp": "2026-02-04T10:30:00+00:00",
  "action": "permission_granted",
  "details": {
    "agent_id": "data_analyst",
    "resource_type": "DATABASE",
    "justification": "Q4 revenue analysis",
    "token": "grant_abc123...",
    "restrictions": ["read_only", "max_records:100"]
  }
}
```

### Reading the Audit Log

```bash
# View recent entries (last 10)
tail -10 {baseDir}/data/audit_log.jsonl

# Search for specific agent
grep "data_analyst" {baseDir}/data/audit_log.jsonl

# Count actions by type
cat {baseDir}/data/audit_log.jsonl | jq -r '.action' | sort | uniq -c
```

### Custom Audit Entries

If you perform a sensitive action manually, log it:

```python
import json
from datetime import datetime, timezone
from pathlib import Path

audit_file = Path("{baseDir}/data/audit_log.jsonl")
entry = {
    "timestamp": datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(),
    "action": "manual_data_access",
    "details": {
        "agent": "orchestrator",
        "description": "Direct database query for debugging",
        "justification": "Investigating data sync issue #1234"
    }
}
with open(audit_file, "a") as f:
    f.write(json.dumps(entry) + "\n")
```

## 🧹 TTL Enforcement (Token Lifecycle)

Expired permission tokens are automatically tracked. Run periodic cleanup:

```bash
# Validate a grant token
python {baseDir}/scripts/validate_token.py grant_a1b2c3d4e5f6

# List expired tokens (without removing)
python {baseDir}/scripts/revoke_token.py --list-expired

# Remove all expired tokens
python {baseDir}/scripts/revoke_token.py --cleanup

# Output:
# 🧹 TTL Cleanup Complete
#    Removed: 3 expired token(s)
#    Remaining active grants: 2
```

**Best Practice**: Run `--cleanup` at the start of each multi-agent task to ensure a clean permission state.

## ⚠️ Swarm Guard: Preventing Common Failures

Two critical issues can derail multi-agent swarms:

### 1. The Handoff Tax 💸

**Problem**: Agents waste tokens "talking about" work instead of doing it.

**Prevention**:
```bash
# Before each handoff, check your budget:
python {baseDir}/scripts/swarm_guard.py check-handoff --task-id "task_001"

# Output:
# 🟢 Task: task_001
#    Handoffs: 1/3
#    Remaining: 2
#    Action Ratio: 100%
```

**Rules enforced**:
- **Max 3 handoffs per task** - After 3, produce output or abort
- **Max 500 chars per message** - Be concise: instruction + constraints + expected output
- **60% action ratio** - At least 60% of handoffs must produce artifacts
- **2-minute planning limit** - No output after 2min = timeout

```bash
# Record a handoff (with tax checking):
python {baseDir}/scripts/swarm_guard.py record-handoff \
  --task-id "task_001" \
  --from orchestrator \
  --to data_analyst \
  --message "Analyze sales data, output JSON summary" \
  --artifact  # Include if this handoff produces output
```

### 2. Silent Failure Detection 👻

**Problem**: One agent fails silently, others keep working on bad data.

**Prevention - Heartbeats**:
```bash
# Agents must send heartbeats while working:
python {baseDir}/scripts/swarm_guard.py heartbeat --agent data_analyst --task-id "task_001"

# Check if an agent is healthy:
python {baseDir}/scripts/swarm_guard.py health-check --agent data_analyst

# Output if healthy:
# 💚 Agent 'data_analyst' is HEALTHY
#    Last seen: 15s ago

# Output if failed:
# 💔 Agent 'data_analyst' is UNHEALTHY
#    Reason: STALE_HEARTBEAT
#    → Do NOT use any pending results from this agent.
```

**Prevention - Result Validation**:
```bash
# Before using another agent's result, validate it:
python {baseDir}/scripts/swarm_guard.py validate-result \
  --task-id "task_001" \
  --agent data_analyst \
  --result '{"status": "success", "output": {"revenue": 125000}, "confidence": 0.85}'

# Output:
# ✅ RESULT VALID
#    → APPROVED - Result can be used by other agents
```

**Required result fields**: `status`, `output`, `confidence`

### Supervisor Review

Before finalizing any task, run supervisor review:
```bash
python {baseDir}/scripts/swarm_guard.py supervisor-review --task-id "task_001"

# Output:
# ✅ SUPERVISOR VERDICT: APPROVED
#    Task: task_001
#    Age: 1.5 minutes
#    Handoffs: 2
#    Artifacts: 2
```

**Verdicts**:
- `APPROVED` - Task healthy, results usable
- `WARNING` - Issues detected, review recommended
- `BLOCKED` - Critical failures, do NOT use results

## Troubleshooting

### Permission Denied
- Provide more specific justification (mention task, purpose, expected outcome)
- Narrow the requested scope
- Check agent trust level

### Blackboard Read Returns Null
- Entry may have expired (check TTL)
- Key may be misspelled
- Entry was never written

### Session Not Found
- Run `sessions_list` to see available sessions
- Session may need to be started first

## References

- [AuthGuardian Details](references/auth-guardian.md) - Full permission system documentation
- [Blackboard Schema](references/blackboard-schema.md) - Data structure specifications
- [Agent Trust Levels](references/trust-levels.md) - How trust is calculated
- [CLI Reference](QUICKSTART.md) - Full `network-ai` CLI command reference (§ 10. CLI)