Kickoff

Kickoff — background agent for a feature

The user provides a feature description (e.g. "add batch retry logic") and optionally additional context. Delegate to the crosslink kickoff run CLI command which handles worktree creation, agent prompt generation, and tmux session launch.

Arguments

The user may pass these flags after the feature description:

• --verify <level>: Controls post-implementation verification depth.
  • local (default): Local tests + self-review checklist only.
  • ci: Push branch, open draft PR, wait for CI to pass, fix failures.
  • thorough: Everything in ci plus a structured adversarial self-review.
• --issue <id>: Use an existing crosslink issue instead of creating a new one.
• --container <runtime>: Use docker or podman instead of local tmux. Default: none.
• --model <model>: LLM model to use. Default: opus.
• --timeout <duration>: Max runtime (e.g. 1h, 30m). Default: 1h.
• All other text is the feature description.

Parsing: Split arguments on whitespace. Extract recognized --flag value pairs. Everything remaining is the feature description.

Steps

1. Validate prerequisites: Check that tmux and claude are available (for local mode). If --verify ci or --verify thorough, check that gh is available. If missing, tell the user what to install and stop.

2. Build the crosslink kickoff command: Map parsed arguments to CLI flags:

   crosslink kickoff run "<feature description>" \
     --verify <level> \
     --container <runtime> \
     --model <model> \
     --timeout <duration>
   

   Add --issue <id> if the user specified one. Add --dry-run if the user asked for a dry run.

3. Run the command: Execute crosslink kickoff run with all flags. The CLI handles:

   • Creating the feature branch and worktree
   • Creating or assigning the crosslink issue
   • Initializing the agent identity
   • Detecting project conventions
   • Building the self-contained KICKOFF.md prompt
   • Launching the tmux session (or container)

4. Report: The CLI prints the summary. Relay it to the user. Remind them to:

   • Approve trust: tmux attach -t <session-name>
   • Check status: crosslink kickoff status <agent-id> or invoke the check skill on <session-name>

Constraints

• Never force-push or delete branches.
• Do not push the branch to a remote from this skill. (The child agent handles pushing when --verify ci or --verify thorough.)
• All prompt building and agent lifecycle is handled by crosslink kickoff run.
• If a tmux session with the same name already exists, the CLI appends a random suffix automatically.