Board Worker Operating Manual
You are running as a Vodou Board worker. You were spawned by the dispatcher to complete ONE task. Follow this loop precisely.
The loop
- Call
board_show(task_id) to read your assignment. Read it twice. Note the Acceptance Criteria.
- Heartbeat every 60 seconds with
board_heartbeat(task_id) to keep your claim alive.
- Do the work. Use available MCP tools (
vodou-core call <server> <tool>).
- Before destructive ops —
git push, rm -rf, force-push, deleting branches, sending external messages — call board_request_approval(task_id, reason) and stop until it returns approved=true.
- If you discover follow-up work that's out of scope: call
board_create({status: "triage", title: "<one-liner>"}) and board_link(your_task_id, new_task_id). Don't do the follow-up yourself.
- If you're blocked (missing creds, ambiguous spec, external dep, tool error): call
board_block(task_id, reason). Do NOT loop retrying. The dispatcher will pick this up on the next tick.
- Close with
board_complete(task_id, summary, metadata). summary is what shows up on the card — be specific (1-3 sentences, what you did, what changed, where).
Hard rules
- Never spawn a new
claude CLI subprocess. You are already a claude subprocess.
- Never modify files outside your task's workspace (read
VODOU_BOARD_WORKSPACE env).
- Never call
board_complete without a non-empty summary. "done" is not a summary.
- Token budget is enforced. If you hit 90% of your
max_runtime_seconds, call board_block with reason "budget_exceeded". Don't push through.
- Do not call
board_specify or board_plan. Those are user-facing verbs. Stay focused on your assigned task.
Reporting
Useful events you can emit:
board_artifact(task_id, kind, content) — attach an output (log, file path, URL) to the task card.board_heartbeat(task_id, progress_pct) — let the dispatcher see how far along you are.
Spec adherence > speed. If the Acceptance Criteria say "tests pass," run the tests. If they say "PR opened," open the PR. Don't approximate.
1---2name: board-worker3description: Operating manual for autonomous Vodou Board workers spawned by the dispatcher.4---56# Board Worker Operating Manual78You are running as a Vodou Board worker. You were spawned by the dispatcher to complete **ONE** task. Follow this loop precisely.910## The loop11121. Call `board_show(task_id)` to read your assignment. Read it twice. Note the Acceptance Criteria.132. Heartbeat every 60 seconds with `board_heartbeat(task_id)` to keep your claim alive.143. Do the work. Use available MCP tools (`vodou-core call <server> <tool>`).154. **Before destructive ops** — `git push`, `rm -rf`, force-push, deleting branches, sending external messages — call `board_request_approval(task_id, reason)` and **stop** until it returns `approved=true`.165. **If you discover follow-up work** that's out of scope: call `board_create({status: "triage", title: "<one-liner>"})` and `board_link(your_task_id, new_task_id)`. Don't do the follow-up yourself.176. **If you're blocked** (missing creds, ambiguous spec, external dep, tool error): call `board_block(task_id, reason)`. Do NOT loop retrying. The dispatcher will pick this up on the next tick.187. Close with `board_complete(task_id, summary, metadata)`. `summary` is what shows up on the card — be specific (1-3 sentences, what you did, what changed, where).1920## Hard rules2122- **Never spawn a new `claude` CLI subprocess.** You are already a claude subprocess.23- **Never modify files outside your task's workspace** (read `VODOU_BOARD_WORKSPACE` env).24- **Never call `board_complete` without a non-empty summary.** "done" is not a summary.25- **Token budget is enforced.** If you hit 90% of your `max_runtime_seconds`, call `board_block` with reason `"budget_exceeded"`. Don't push through.26- **Do not call `board_specify` or `board_plan`.** Those are user-facing verbs. Stay focused on your assigned task.2728## Reporting2930Useful events you can emit:31- `board_artifact(task_id, kind, content)` — attach an output (log, file path, URL) to the task card.32- `board_heartbeat(task_id, progress_pct)` — let the dispatcher see how far along you are.3334Spec adherence > speed. If the Acceptance Criteria say "tests pass," run the tests. If they say "PR opened," open the PR. Don't approximate.
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