Tick Multi-Agent Coordination

Tick Multi-Agent Coordination

Coordinate work across human and AI agents using structured Markdown files. Users interact naturally with you, and you maintain tasks transparently in TICK.md.

Installation

Prerequisites: The Tick CLI and MCP server should already be installed and configured by your environment.

First time setup? See INSTALL.md for editor-specific installation instructions.

Safety Boundaries

• Ask for explicit user approval before editing editor MCP config files.
• Ask for explicit user approval before running any command that pushes to remote git (tick sync --push or git push).
• If user approval is not explicit, use read-only/status commands and explain what write action is pending.

Quick Check:

# Verify CLI is available
tick --version

# Check if TICK.md exists in project
ls TICK.md

# If not, initialize
tick init

Core Concept

Tick Protocol = Git-based task coordination via TICK.md files

• Human-readable: Standard Markdown with YAML
• Machine-parseable: Structured for tools
• Git-backed: Full version control and audit trail
• Local-first: No cloud required

Quick Start

Check if Tick is initialized

ls TICK.md

If not initialized

tick init

Get current status

tick status

Common Workflows

1. User Asks You to Do Something

User: "Can you refactor the authentication system?"

Your Actions:

# 1. Create task
tick add "Refactor authentication system" --priority high --tags backend,security

# 2. Register yourself (first time only)
tick agent register @your-name --type bot --roles "engineer,refactoring"

# 3. Claim the task
tick claim TASK-XXX @your-name

# 4. Work on it (do the actual work)

# 5. Add progress comments
tick comment TASK-XXX @your-name --note "Analyzing current auth flow"
tick comment TASK-XXX @your-name --note "Refactored to use JWT tokens"

# 6. Mark complete
tick done TASK-XXX @your-name

2. User Asks About Project Status

User: "What tasks are we working on?"

# Get comprehensive status
tick status

# Or filter and list tasks
tick list --status in_progress
tick list --claimed-by @bot-name

Summarize the output naturally for the user.

3. Coordination with Other Agents

User: "Have the other agents finished their tasks?"

# Check overall status
tick status

# List agents and their work
tick agent list --verbose

# Validate the project
tick validate

4. Breaking Down Complex Work

User: "Build a user dashboard with charts and data export"

Your Actions:

# Create parent task
tick add "Build user dashboard" --priority high --tags frontend

# Create subtasks with dependencies
tick add "Design dashboard layout" --priority high --tags frontend,design
tick add "Implement data charts" --priority medium --tags frontend,charts --depends-on TASK-XXX
tick add "Add CSV export" --priority low --tags frontend,export --depends-on TASK-XXX

# Visualize dependencies
tick graph

Command Reference

Project Management

tick init                          # Initialize new project
tick status                        # View project overview
tick list                          # List tasks with filters
tick graph                         # Visualize dependencies
tick watch                         # Monitor changes in real-time
tick validate                      # Check for errors
tick sync --pull                   # Pull latest changes
# tick sync --push                 # Only with explicit user approval

Task Operations

tick add "Task title" \
  --priority high \                # urgent|high|medium|low
  --tags backend,api \             # Comma-separated tags
  --assigned-to @agent \           # Assign to agent
  --depends-on TASK-001 \          # Dependencies
  --estimated-hours 4              # Time estimate

tick claim TASK-001 @agent         # Claim task (sets in_progress)
tick release TASK-001 @agent       # Release task (back to todo)
tick done TASK-001 @agent          # Complete task
tick reopen TASK-001 @agent        # Reopen completed task
tick delete TASK-001               # Delete a task
tick comment TASK-001 @agent \     # Add note
  --note "Progress update"
tick edit TASK-001 \               # Direct field edit
  --title "New title" \
  --priority high \
  --status in_progress

Corrections & Recovery

tick reopen TASK-001 @agent        # Reopen completed task
tick reopen TASK-001 @agent \      # Reopen and re-block dependents
  --re-block

tick delete TASK-001               # Delete task, cleans up deps
tick delete TASK-001 --force       # Delete even if has dependents

tick edit TASK-001 --title "X"     # Change title
tick edit TASK-001 --priority high # Change priority
tick edit TASK-001 --status todo   # Change status directly
tick edit TASK-001 --tags a,b,c    # Replace tags
tick edit TASK-001 --add-tag new   # Add tag
tick edit TASK-001 --remove-tag old # Remove tag
tick edit TASK-001 \               # Edit dependencies
  --depends-on TASK-002,TASK-003

tick undo                          # Undo last tick operation
tick undo --dry-run                # Preview what would be undone

Bulk Operations

tick import tasks.yaml             # Import tasks from YAML file
tick import - < tasks.yaml         # Import from stdin
tick import tasks.yaml --dry-run   # Preview import

tick batch start                   # Begin batch mode (no auto-commit)
tick batch status                  # Check batch status
tick batch commit                  # Commit all batched changes
tick batch abort                   # Discard batched changes

Advanced Task Listing

tick list                          # All tasks, grouped by status
tick list --status blocked         # Only blocked tasks
tick list --priority urgent        # High-priority tasks
tick list --assigned-to @alice     # Tasks for specific agent
tick list --tag backend            # Tasks with tag
tick list --json                   # JSON output for scripts

Dependency Visualization

tick graph                         # ASCII dependency tree
tick graph --format mermaid        # Mermaid flowchart
tick graph --show-done             # Include completed tasks

Real-time Monitoring

tick watch                         # Watch for changes
tick watch --interval 10           # Custom polling interval
tick watch --filter in_progress    # Only show specific status

Agent Management

tick agent register @name \        # Register new agent
  --type bot \                     # human|bot
  --roles "dev,qa" \               # Comma-separated roles
  --status idle                    # working|idle|offline

tick agent list                    # List all agents
tick agent list --verbose          # Detailed info
tick agent list --type bot         # Filter by type
tick agent list --status working   # Filter by status

MCP Tools (Alternative to CLI)

If using Model Context Protocol, use these tools instead of CLI commands:

Status and Inspection

• tick_status - Get project status (agents, tasks, progress)
• tick_validate - Validate TICK.md structure
• tick_agent_list - List agents with optional filters

Task Management

• tick_add - Create new task
• tick_claim - Claim task for agent
• tick_release - Release claimed task
• tick_done - Complete task (auto-unblocks dependents)
• tick_comment - Add note to task

Corrections & Recovery

• tick_reopen - Reopen completed task
• tick_delete - Delete a task
• tick_edit - Direct field edit (bypasses state machine)
• tick_undo - Undo last tick operation

Agent Operations

• tick_agent_register - Register new agent

MCP Example:

// Create task via MCP
await tick_add({
  title: "Refactor authentication",
  priority: "high",
  tags: ["backend", "security"],
  assignedTo: "@bot-name"
})

// Claim it
await tick_claim({
  taskId: "TASK-023",
  agent: "@bot-name"
})

Best Practices

1. Natural Conversation First

✅ Good: User says "refactor the auth", you create task automatically ❌ Bad: Making user explicitly create tasks

2. Always Use Your Agent Name

Register once:

tick agent register @your-bot-name --type bot --roles "engineer"

Then use consistently:

tick claim TASK-001 @your-bot-name
tick done TASK-001 @your-bot-name

3. Provide Context in Comments

# ✅ Good - explains what and why
tick comment TASK-005 @bot --note "Switched from REST to GraphQL for better type safety and reduced over-fetching"

# ❌ Bad - too vague
tick comment TASK-005 @bot --note "Updated API"

4. Break Down Large Tasks

Create subtasks with dependencies:

tick add "Set up CI/CD pipeline" --priority high
tick add "Configure GitHub Actions" --depends-on TASK-010
tick add "Add deployment scripts" --depends-on TASK-011
tick add "Set up staging environment" --depends-on TASK-011

5. Check Status Before Claiming

# Make sure task exists and isn't claimed
tick status

# Then claim
tick claim TASK-XXX @your-name

Understanding TICK.md Structure

The file has three sections:

1. Frontmatter (YAML): Project metadata
2. Agents Table (Markdown): Who's working on what
3. Task Blocks (YAML + Markdown): Individual tasks with history

Example:

---
project: my-app
schema_version: "1.0"
next_id: 5
---

# Agents

| Name | Type | Roles | Status | Working On |
|------|------|-------|--------|------------|
| @alice | human | owner | working | TASK-003 |
| @bot | bot | engineer | idle | - |

# Tasks

\```yaml
id: TASK-001
title: Build authentication
status: done
priority: high
claimed_by: null
# ... more fields
history:
  - ts: 2026-02-07T10:00:00Z
    who: @bot
    action: created
  - ts: 2026-02-07T14:00:00Z
    who: @bot
    action: done
\```

Implemented JWT-based authentication with token refresh...

Advanced Features

Automatic Dependency Unblocking

When you complete a task, dependent tasks automatically unblock:

# TASK-002 depends on TASK-001
# TASK-002 status: blocked

tick done TASK-001 @bot
# TASK-002 automatically changes to: todo

Circular Dependency Detection

Validation catches circular dependencies:

tick validate
# Error: Circular dependency detected: TASK-001 → TASK-002 → TASK-003 → TASK-001

Smart Commit Messages

# Only run with explicit user approval
tick sync --push
# Automatically generates: "feat: complete TASK-001, TASK-002; update TASK-003"

Reopening Completed Tasks

If a task was marked done prematurely:

tick reopen TASK-001 @bot
# Sets status back to in_progress, records in history

tick reopen TASK-001 @bot --re-block
# Also re-blocks any tasks that depend on this one

Fixing Mistakes

# Undo the last tick operation
tick undo

# Preview what would be undone first
tick undo --dry-run

# Direct field edits (bypasses state machine)
tick edit TASK-001 --status todo --priority urgent

Batch Operations

For multiple changes without individual commits:

tick batch start
# Now make multiple changes...
tick add "Task 1" --priority high
tick add "Task 2" --priority medium
tick claim TASK-001 @bot
# ...
tick batch commit   # Single commit for all changes
# Or: tick batch abort  # Discard all changes

Real-time Monitoring

tick watch
# [10:23:45] ✓ Added: TASK-015 - Implement user search
# [10:24:12] 🔒 TASK-015 claimed by @bot
# [10:26:33] ⟳ TASK-015: in_progress → done

Quick Reference Card

Workflow:      init → add → claim → work → comment → done → sync
Essential:     status | add | claim | done | list | graph
Corrections:   reopen | delete | edit | undo
Bulk:          import | batch start/commit/abort
Coordination:  agent register | agent list | validate | watch
Git:           sync --pull | sync --push (explicit user approval required)

Key Reminders

1. Users interact with YOU, not with Tick directly
2. YOU maintain the TICK.md transparently
3. Dashboard is for inspection, not primary interaction
4. Always use your agent name consistently
5. Comment frequently to show progress
6. Validate before syncing
7. Check status before claiming
8. Break down complex work into subtasks

Resources

• GitHub: https://github.com/your-org/tick-md
• Documentation: https://tick-md.dev/docs
• CLI npm: https://npmjs.com/package/tick-md
• MCP Server npm: https://npmjs.com/package/tick-mcp-server

License

MIT