# Board Worker

> Operating manual for autonomous Vodou Board workers spawned by the dispatcher.

- Skill: `vodouai/board-worker` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add vodouai/board-worker`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/vodouai/board-worker/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: VodouAI (https://skillmd.com/u/vodouai)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/vodouai/board-worker

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# 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

1. Call `board_show(task_id)` to read your assignment. Read it twice. Note the Acceptance Criteria.
2. Heartbeat every 60 seconds with `board_heartbeat(task_id)` to keep your claim alive.
3. Do the work. Use available MCP tools (`vodou-core call <server> <tool>`).
4. **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`.
5. **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.
6. **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.
7. 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.