Herdr

name: herdr-runtime-self-control description: >- Agent self-coordination runtime primitives for herdr-style agent loops: pause and resume sibling agents, inspect lifecycle/health state, and escalate to a human. Only activates when the runtime is explicitly enabled via HERDR_ENV (or MIMOFAN_RUNTIME_ENV); otherwise it is inert and never advertised to the model.

herdr runtime self-control

This skill gives the agent a small, explicit vocabulary for coordinating its own runtime when it is operating inside a herdr-style agent loop (multiple sibling agents / a supervisor runtime). It is gated behind an environment variable so that it is only ever offered in runtimes that actually support the underlying control plane — in every other deployment it stays completely inert.

Activation guard

The skill is loaded only when one of these environment variables is set to a non-empty value:

• HERDR_ENV
• MIMOFAN_RUNTIME_ENV

If neither is set, herdr_skill_if_enabled() returns None and the runtime never sees this skill. See crates/tui/src/skills/herdr.rs.

Primitive commands

Use these as explicit instructions to the runtime control plane. Prefer the most narrow primitive that accomplishes the goal.

pause_agent <agent_id>

Suspend a sibling agent's scheduled work without terminating it. Use when one agent's output would conflict with another in flight, or when you need a stable snapshot of shared state before proceeding.

• Arguments: agent_id — the identifier of the sibling agent (e.g. a worker handle, task id, or slot name).
• Effect: the agent stops picking up new turns; already-running synchronous work may finish or be checkpointed by the runtime.
• Resume with resume_agent.

resume_agent <agent_id>

Resume a previously paused sibling agent. Use once the conflicting condition is resolved.

lifecycle_state [<agent_id>]

Query the runtime for lifecycle/health state of an agent (or the whole loop when agent_id is omitted). Reports one of: idle, running, paused, blocked, terminated, plus last-error / last-heartbeat if tracked.

• Use this before pause_agent / resume_agent to confirm current state rather than assuming it.

escalate_to_human <summary>

Hand control back to the human operator with a short, decision-ready summary: what is blocked, the options considered, and the specific decision needed. Use when:

• the task is ambiguous and the cost of guessing is high,
• a sibling agent is stuck in a blocked state that the loop cannot resolve,
• or a safety/permission boundary would be crossed by continuing autonomously.

Keep <summary> under ~280 characters; include the concrete question, not just context.

Operating rules

1. Prefer inspection over action. Call lifecycle_state before pausing or resuming so you act on real state, not assumptions.
2. Pause narrowly, resume promptly. Only pause the specific agent that conflicts; resume it as soon as the condition clears so throughput recovers.
3. Escalate early on safety. When autonomy would cross a permission or safety boundary, escalate_to_human instead of guessing.
4. Never assume the guard is on. If you are unsure whether the runtime is herdr-enabled, check for the guard; the skill will simply be unavailable otherwise.