modbender Lobster
Contribute: Source code & PRs welcome at github.com/guwidoe/lobster-skill
Workflow runtime for AI agents — typed pipelines with approval gates.
CLI Location
# Set alias (adjust path to your install location)
LOBSTER="node /home/molt/clawd/tools/lobster/bin/lobster.js"
# Or install globally: npm install -g @clawdbot/lobster
# Then use: lobster '<pipeline>'
Quick Reference
# Run pipeline (human mode - pretty output)
$LOBSTER '<pipeline>'
# Run pipeline (tool mode - JSON envelope for integration)
$LOBSTER run --mode tool '<pipeline>'
# Run workflow file
$LOBSTER run path/to/workflow.lobster
# Resume after approval
$LOBSTER resume --token "<token>" --approve yes|no
# List commands/workflows
$LOBSTER commands.list
$LOBSTER workflows.list
Core Commands
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
exec --json --shell "cmd" |
Run shell, parse stdout as JSON |
where 'field=value' |
Filter objects |
pick field1,field2 |
Project fields |
head --n 5 |
Take first N items |
sort --key field --desc |
Sort items |
groupBy --key field |
Group by key |
dedupe --key field |
Remove duplicates |
map --wrap key |
Transform items |
template --text "{{field}}" |
Render templates |
approve --prompt "ok?" |
Halt for approval |
diff.last --key "mykey" |
Compare to last run (stateful) |
state.get key / state.set key |
Read/write persistent state |
json / table |
Render output |
Built-in Workflows
# Monitor PR for changes (stateful - remembers last state)
$LOBSTER "workflows.run --name github.pr.monitor --args-json '{\"repo\":\"owner/repo\",\"pr\":123}'"
# Monitor PR and emit message only on change
$LOBSTER "workflows.run --name github.pr.monitor.notify --args-json '{\"repo\":\"owner/repo\",\"pr\":123}'"
Approval Flow (Tool Mode)
When a pipeline hits approve, it returns:
{
"status": "needs_approval",
"requiresApproval": {
"prompt": "Send 3 emails?",
"items": [...],
"resumeToken": "eyJ..."
}
}
To continue:
$LOBSTER resume --token "eyJ..." --approve yes
Example Pipelines
# List recent PRs, filter merged, show as table
$LOBSTER 'exec --json --shell "gh pr list --repo owner/repo --json number,title,state --limit 20" | where "state=MERGED" | table'
# Get data, require approval, then process
$LOBSTER run --mode tool 'exec --json --shell "echo [{\"id\":1},{\"id\":2}]" | approve --prompt "Process these?" | pick id | json'
# Diff against last run (only emit on change)
$LOBSTER 'exec --json --shell "gh pr view 123 --repo o/r --json state,title" | diff.last --key "pr:o/r#123" | json'
Workflow Files (.lobster)
YAML/JSON files with steps, conditions, and approval gates:
name: pr-review-reminder
steps:
- id: fetch
command: gh pr list --repo ${repo} --json number,title,reviewDecision
- id: filter
command: jq '[.[] | select(.reviewDecision == "")]'
stdin: $fetch.stdout
- id: notify
command: echo "PRs needing review:" && cat
stdin: $filter.stdout
approval: required
Run: $LOBSTER run workflow.lobster --args-json '{"repo":"owner/repo"}'
Clawdbot Integration
Lobster can call Clawdbot tools via clawd.invoke:
$LOBSTER 'clawd.invoke --tool message --action send --args-json "{\"target\":\"123\",\"message\":\"hello\"}"'
Requires CLAWD_URL and CLAWD_TOKEN environment variables.
State Directory
Lobster stores state in ~/.lobster/state/ by default. Override with LOBSTER_STATE_DIR.