# Ultrawork

> Parallel execution engine for high-throughput task completion — ground context, set acceptance criteria, fan out independent work via the Agent tool, and close with lightweight evidence. Triggers: "ultrawork", "ulw", "parallel execution", "run tasks in parallel".

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

---


> Ported from oh-my-codex `ultrawork`. OMX runtime conventions (`$macro` invocation,
> `omx` CLI, `.omx/` state directory) are replaced with WorkBuddy idioms
> (Skill tool, Agent tool, task list, `.workbuddy/memory`).

<Purpose>
Ultrawork is a parallel execution discipline for high-throughput task completion. It is a
component, not a standalone persistence or verification mode: it provides parallelism,
context discipline, and smart delegation guidance, but not durable goal tracking, Team's
coordinated multi-worker lifecycle, Ralph's legacy persistence loop, architect sign-off, or
long-running completion guarantees.
</Purpose>

<Use_When>
- Multiple independent tasks can run simultaneously.
- User says "ulw", "ultrawork", or explicitly wants parallel execution.
- A task benefits from concurrent execution plus lightweight evidence before wrap-up.
- You need a direct-tool lane plus optional background evidence lanes without entering Team
  or a durable goal workflow.
</Use_When>

<Do_Not_Use_When>
- Task needs durable goal tracking, ledger checkpoints, or resume across stories — invoke the
  `ultragoal` skill instead.
- Task needs coordinated workers, shared task state, or long-running parallel execution —
  spawn teammates via the Agent tool (the `team` pattern) instead.
- Task requires a full autonomous pipeline — invoke the `autopilot` skill (default loop:
  `deep-interview` -> `ralplan` -> `ultragoal`, with Agent-tool teammates only when needed).
- Task intentionally requires the legacy persistent single-owner completion/verification loop —
  invoke the `ralph` skill explicitly; do not present it as the default durable path.
- There is only one sequential task with no parallelism opportunity — execute directly, use
  `ultragoal` for durable tracking, or delegate a single bounded task to an Agent.
- The request is still in plan-consensus mode — keep planning artifacts in `ralplan` until
  execution is explicitly authorized.
</Do_Not_Use_When>

<Why_This_Exists>
Sequential task execution wastes time when tasks are independent. Ultrawork keeps the
execution branch fast while tightening the protocol: gather enough context first, define
pass/fail acceptance criteria before editing, decide deliberately between local execution and
delegation, and finish with evidence rather than vibes.
</Why_This_Exists>

<Execution_Policy>
- Gather enough context before implementation. Start with the task intent, desired outcome,
  constraints, likely touchpoints, and any uncertainty that would change the execution path.
- If uncertainty is still material after a quick repo read, do a focused evidence pass first
  instead of immediately editing.
- Define pass/fail acceptance criteria before launching execution lanes. Include the command,
  artifact, or manual check that will prove success.
- Prefer direct tool work when the task is small, coupled, or blocked on immediate local
  context. Delegate only when the work is independent enough to benefit from parallel execution.
- When useful, run a direct-tool lane and one or more background evidence lanes at the same
  time. Evidence lanes can cover docs, tests, regression mapping, or bounded repo analysis.
- Fire independent Agent calls simultaneously — never serialize independent work.
- Read `references/agent-tiers.md` before first delegation for agent/role selection guidance.
- Auto-delegate a `researcher` Agent when official docs, version-aware framework guidance, best
  practices, or external dependency behavior materially affect task correctness; treat it as an
  evidence lane, not a replacement primary workflow.
- Use `run_in_background: true` for operations over ~30 seconds (installs, builds, tests).
- Run quick commands (git status, file reads, simple checks) in the foreground.
- Apply the shared workflow guidance: outcome-first framing, concise visible updates for
  speculative/blocked lanes, local overrides for the active workflow branch, evidence-backed
  validation, explicit stop rules, and continuation of clear safe execution branches instead of
  restarting or re-asking.
- If the user says `continue`, continue the active workflow branch rather than restarting
  discovery or re-asking settled questions.
</Execution_Policy>

<Steps>
1. **Read agent reference**: Load `references/agent-tiers.md` for tier/role selection.
2. **Context + certainty check**:
   - State the task intent in one sentence.
   - List the constraints and unknowns that could invalidate a quick fix.
   - If confidence is low, explore first and narrow the task before editing.
3. **Define acceptance criteria before execution**:
   - What must be true at the end?
   - Which command or artifact proves it?
   - Which manual QA check is required, if any?
   - Record these in the task list (TaskCreate/TaskUpdate) or a short note in
     `.workbuddy/memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md`.
4. **Classify the work by dependency shape**:
   - Independent tasks -> parallel lanes (spawn multiple Agents in one message).
   - Shared-file or prerequisite-heavy tasks -> local execution or staged lanes.
5. **Choose self vs delegate deliberately**:
   - Work locally when the next step depends on immediate repo context, shared files, or tight
     iteration.
   - Delegate when the task slice is bounded, independent, and materially improves throughput.
6. **Run execution lanes**:
   - Direct-tool lane for immediate implementation or verification work.
   - Background evidence lanes for tests, docs, repo analysis, or regression checks.
7. **Run dependent tasks sequentially**: Wait for prerequisites before launching dependent work.
8. **Close with lightweight evidence**:
   - Build/typecheck passes when relevant.
   - Affected tests pass.
   - Manual QA notes are recorded when the task needs a human-visible or behavior-level check.
   - No new errors introduced.
</Steps>

<Tool_Usage>
- Use LOW-tier delegation (a fast Agent) for simple lookups and bounded evidence gathering.
- Use STANDARD-tier delegation for standard implementation and regression work.
- Use THOROUGH-tier delegation for complex analysis, architectural review, or risky multi-file
  changes.
- Prefer a direct-tool lane when the immediate next step is blocked on local context.
- Prefer background evidence lanes when you can learn something useful in parallel with
  implementation.
- Use `run_in_background: true` for package installs, builds, and test suites.
- Use foreground execution for quick status checks and file operations.
- Track lifecycle with TaskCreate/TaskUpdate (task list) and append progress notes to
  `.workbuddy/memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md`. Never shell out to `omx`.

<Examples>
<Good>
Two-track execution with acceptance criteria up front:
```
Acceptance criteria:
- `npm run build` passes
- `node --test dist/scripts/__tests__/native-hook.test.js` passes
- Manual QA: verify `ultrawork` activation still points to the session state file

Direct-tool lane:
- update `skills/ultrawork/SKILL.md`

Background evidence lane:
- spawn a test-engineer Agent for this scoped task
```
Why good: Context is grounded first, acceptance criteria are explicit, and the direct-tool lane
runs alongside a bounded evidence lane.
</Good>

<Good>
Correct use of self-vs-delegate judgment:
```
Shared-file edit across `src/scripts/native-hook.ts` and its test -> keep implementation local.
Independent regression mapping for keyword-detector coverage -> delegate to a test-engineer Agent.
```
Why good: Shared-file work stays local; independent evidence work fans out.
</Good>

<Bad>
Parallelizing before the task is grounded:
```
spawn an executor Agent for this scoped task
spawn a test-engineer Agent for this scoped task
```
Why bad: No context snapshot, no pass/fail target, and delegation starts before the work is
shaped.
</Bad>

<Bad>
Claiming success without evidence or manual QA:
```
Made the changes. Ultrawork should be updated now.
```
Why bad: No verification output, no acceptance evidence, and no manual QA note when the behavior
is user-visible.
</Bad>
</Examples>

<Escalation_And_Stop_Conditions>
- When ultrawork is invoked directly, apply lightweight verification only — build/typecheck
  passes when relevant, affected tests pass, and manual QA notes are captured when needed.
- Ultrawork does not own persistence, durable ledgers, architect verification, deslop, full QA,
  or the full verified-completion promise. Do not claim those guarantees from direct ultrawork
  alone.
- Escalate to `ultragoal` when the work needs durable goal state, story checkpoints, or resume
  across implementation steps.
- Escalate to the `team` pattern (Agent-tool teammates) when the work needs coordinated workers,
  shared task state, or durable multi-worker lifecycle control.
- Escalate to explicitly requested `ralph` only for the supported legacy single-owner
  persistence/verification fallback.
- If a task fails repeatedly across retries, report the issue rather than retrying indefinitely.
- Escalate to the user when tasks have unclear dependencies, conflicting requirements, or a
  materially branching acceptance target.
</Escalation_And_Stop_Conditions>

<Final_Checklist>
- [ ] Task intent and constraints were grounded before editing
- [ ] Pass/fail acceptance criteria were stated before execution
- [ ] Parallel lanes were used only for independent work
- [ ] Build/typecheck passes when relevant
- [ ] Affected tests pass
- [ ] Manual QA notes recorded when behavior is user-visible
- [ ] No new errors introduced
- [ ] Completion claim stays inside ultrawork's lightweight-verification boundary
</Final_Checklist>

<Advanced>
## Relationship to Other Modes

```
ultrawork (this skill)
 \-- provides: in-session parallel execution discipline + lightweight evidence

ultragoal (durable goal execution)
 \-- owns: goal ledger, checkpoints, resume across stories, final gate discipline
 \-- may use: Agent-tool teammates for parallel lanes when a story benefits from them

team (coordinated parallel execution via the Agent tool)
 \-- owns: multiple teammates, shared task state, handoff coordination, lifecycle control
 \-- can return: checkpoint-ready evidence to an Ultragoal leader

autopilot (strict autonomous delivery loop)
 \-- default flow: deep-interview -> ralplan -> ultragoal -> code-review -> ultraqa
 \-- may use: Agent-tool teammates only when an Ultragoal story needs parallel execution

ralph (supported legacy explicit fallback)
 \-- owns: single-owner persistence loop + architect verification when intentionally selected
```

Ultrawork is the parallelism and execution-discipline layer. Ultragoal is the current default
durable goal/ledger follow-up. The `team` pattern (Agent-tool teammates) is the coordinated
parallel runtime, often nested under an Ultragoal story when durable work needs multiple lanes.
Autopilot orchestrates the full default lifecycle through deep-interview, ralplan, ultragoal,
code-review, and ultraqa. Ralph remains active as an explicit legacy fallback for persistent
single-owner verification, but it is not the recommended default durable path.
</Advanced>