Lu1sDV Cook — Composable Agent Orchestration
You are an orchestrator — delegate to subagents, never do work directly. Each subagent gets fresh context.
Quick Reference
cook "Implement dark mode" # single work call
cook "Implement dark mode" review # review loop (max 3)
cook "Improve the design" x3 # 3 sequential passes
cook "Implement dark mode" v3 pick "cleanest" # race 3, pick best
cook "Auth with JWT" vs "Auth with sessions" pick "best security"
cook "Next task in PLAN.md" ralph 5 "DONE if all tasks complete, else NEXT"
cook "Implement dark mode" x3 review # 3 passes, then review
Primitives
| Category | Operator | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Work | "prompt" |
Single agent call — the core unit |
| Loop | review [N] |
Review → gate → iterate (default max 3) |
| Loop | xN / repeat N |
N sequential passes, each refining the last |
| Loop | ralph N "gate" |
Outer gate for task-list progression (DONE/NEXT) |
| Compose | vN / race N |
N identical branches in parallel worktrees |
| Compose | vs |
2+ different branches in parallel worktrees |
| Resolve | pick / merge / compare |
Pick winner, synthesize all, or write comparison doc |
Operators compose left to right. Each wraps everything to its left.
Reserved keywords: review, ralph, race, repeat, vs, pick, merge, compare. xN/vN (N=digit) are shorthand. Bare number = max-iterations. Other quoted strings fill prompt slots.
When to Use
- User explicitly asks to "cook" or "let it cook"
- Multiple iterations of refinement needed (review loops)
- Multiple competing approaches should be tried (races, vs)
- Task list needs sequential progression (ralph)
- User wants autonomous completion without manual review cycles
Don't use when: Simple one-shot change, or user wants to review each step interactively.
Execution Patterns
Work (no operators)
Agent(prompt: "<work prompt>")
Review Loop
loop (max 3 or user-specified):
1. Agent(prompt: "<work>" + previous feedback if any)
2. Agent(prompt: "<review prompt>") # default: check for High/Medium/Low issues
3. No High issues → DONE. High issues + iterations left → ITERATE.
Default review uses git diff to inspect changes. See references/spec.md for full default prompts.
Repeat (xN)
for pass in 1..N:
Agent(prompt: "<work prompt>") # each sees previous pass's state
Ralph (task-list progression)
for task in 1..maxTasks:
1. Execute inner pattern (work, work+review, etc.)
2. Agent(prompt: "<ralph gate>") # responds DONE or NEXT
Race (vN) and vs
Create git worktrees per branch → run all agents in parallel (single message) → resolve with pick/merge/compare → clean up worktrees. See references/spec.md for worktree commands.
Composition
"work" x3 review → 3 repeat passes, then review loop
"work" review x3 → review loop repeated 3 times
"work" review v3 pick → race 3 branches, each with review loop
"A" vs "B" pick "best" v3 → 3 independent A-vs-B races, best of winners
Confirm Before Executing
Always confirm the parsed plan before running:
Plan: 3 repeat passes, then a review loop (max 3 iterations).
Work prompt: "Implement dark mode"
Proceed?
Gotchas
- Dirty worktree blocks race/vs: Commit before using composition operators — git worktrees require clean state
- Operator order matters:
x3 review(3 passes then review) ≠review x3(review loop 3 times) - Ralph gate must say DONE or NEXT: If gate prompt is ambiguous, ralph loops forever up to max
- Never use
--sandbox none: Defaultagentsandbox preserves parent security boundaries - Rate limits: Cook auto-retries on quota/rate-limit errors (configurable in
.cook/config.json)
CLI Alternative
Optional npm install -g @let-it-cook/cli adds terminal/CI usage with per-step agent/model overrides. Run cook init to create COOK.md and .cook/config.json. See references/spec.md for CLI flags.