Herdr Team Lead Skill

Process steps in order. Do not skip ahead.

Before any finish with enrolled work, reconcile the whole fleet under references/supervision.md. Continue observation or persist an authorized pause or handoff covering every active assignment. Keep user attention visible under references/attention.md.

Follow rules/agent-team-operation.md for round constraints.

Each command resolves CP to the local or home plugin. Repeat its resolver in every call. Prose skills/... paths are relative to that root.

References:

skills/herdr-teamlead/references/herdr.md
skills/herdr-teamlead/references/round-flow.md
skills/herdr-teamlead/references/round-setup.md
skills/herdr-teamlead/references/task-ledger.md
skills/herdr-teamlead/references/retrospectives.md
skills/herdr-teamlead/references/working-memory.md
skills/herdr-teamlead/references/attention.md
skills/herdr-teamlead/references/supervision.md
skills/herdr-teamlead/references/assignment-reasoning.md
skills/herdr-teamlead/references/specialists.md
skills/herdr-teamlead/state-schema.md

Step 1 — Determine the Mode

For catch-up or saved attention, follow references/attention.md. For lesson curation, saved lead context, or a lead handoff, follow references/working-memory.md. Use the recorded state override or default; these commands need no live Herdr. Finish here after the requested operation. They grant no new task authority.

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/teamlead.sh" catch-up [--state <state-file>]

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/teamlead.sh" memory-show [--state <state-file>] [--id <stow-id>]

Read all attention pages before claiming completeness. Use the referenced owner commands for recording, resolution, lessons, and a new stow. Non-zero requires reporting its diagnostic; never fabricate missing history.

For saved retrospective requests, use the recorded state override or default. Read saved notes; report their date, coverage, conclusions, and path. Finish here.

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/teamlead.sh" retro-list [--state <state-file>] [--task <task-id>] [--since <ISO-time>]

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/teamlead.sh" retro-show [--state <state-file>] [--id <retro-id>] [--task <task-id>]

Both emit JSON; non-zero requires reporting the diagnostic. retro-show defaults to latest. For other requests, read HERDR_ENV before running scripts.

• Unset or empty — this skill does not apply. Say so and do the task directly, without roster calls, briefs, provisioning, reports, or simulated worker roles. Finish here.
• Set, with a team task or new retrospective — proceed immediately to Step 2.
• Set, with a single edit, question, lookup, or existing-code review — do it directly. Finish here.

Step 2 — Verify Herdr and the Roster

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/roster.sh"

Emits the caller and live workers with kind, pane, and state.

• Exit 0, agents present — proceed to Step 3.
• Exit 0, empty roster — report unnamed panes from herdr agent list and the correcting herdr agent rename <pane-id> <name> command. Finish here.
• Exit 1 or 2 — report the diagnostic verbatim and finish here.

Record staffing gaps under references/round-setup.md. Leave unused specialist profiles unlaunched. Never duplicate targets or fold verification onto a contributor. Start workers in YOLO mode under references/model-tiers.md; preserve it on relaunch. Verify live permission flags before dispatch, including existing workers.

Step 3 — Verify Authority for the Repo

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/verify-authority.sh" <owner/repo>

Record the emitted namespace ownership evidence using Step 3 of references/round-setup.md. For a non-owned repo, reuse explicit per-action operator permission; absent permission, remain read-only or finish here. On non-zero, report the diagnostic and finish here.

Record task authorization and permitted actions under the round-setup reference. Create or resume the stable ledger under references/task-ledger.md; record its absolute path before dispatch. Apply the round-setup accepted-behavior, resume and supervision binding requirements. Proceed immediately to Step 4.

Step 4 — Measure Headroom

Run references/retrospectives.md on resume, before planning, or for an explicit retrospective request. For an explicit request, complete a new retrospective and finish here; otherwise continue below.

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/teamlead.sh" measure

Emits and saves headroom, windows, state, tier_billing, and failed_agents. Busy workers are skipped. Unmeasured billing stays unknown. Report failed measurements and obtain their readings before relying on those seats.

Usage and --trace contracts:

skills/herdr-teamlead/references/round-setup.md

Proceed immediately to Step 5 once the required readings are available.

Step 5 — Plan the Roles

Choose the responsibilities needed next under references/specialists.md. Supply its requirements file for specialized work. Keep the developer reserved through early fixes; schedule consultation and verification as the task needs them.

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/teamlead.sh" plan \
  --roles <role[,role...]> [--requirements <requirements.json>] \
  [--exclude <role>=<agent>[,<agent>...]]... \
  [--round <role>=<round-type>] [--round-context <evidence.json>] \
  --task <task-id> [--fix-round <N>] [--correction-plan <id> --work <work.json>]

Emits the role plan without worker contact. On exit 1, resolve the diagnostic before continuing. Apply the Step 5 constraints in references/round-setup.md: exclude contributors from verification, reserve the developer through early fixes, preserve task identity and fix count, and reuse recorded correction bounds. Tier and qualification contracts:

skills/herdr-teamlead/references/model-tiers.md
skills/herdr-teamlead/references/dispatch-recovery.md

--preview-tiers authorizes no dispatch. Save the plan and rationale. Proceed immediately to Step 6.

Step 6 — Build the Review Package

For reviewer/tester briefs, run from a checkout holding the recorded commits:

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/review-package.sh" \
  <recorded-base-sha> <pushed-head-sha> <round-reports-dir>/review-<base7>..<head7>.diff

Apply the Step 6 base, range, and rebuild requirements in references/round-setup.md. Success prints the absolute review-package path; set it as REVIEW_PACKAGE. On non-zero, fix the diagnostic and retry before composing verification briefs. Other roles need no package. Proceed immediately to Step 7.

Step 7 — Compose the Briefs

Resolve policy paths through the Step 7 reference first. Write its outputs in shared within {"shared": {...}, "roles": {"<role>": {...}}} and run:

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/compose-briefs.sh" \
  "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/templates" \
  <values.json> <round-reports-dir>

Emits common and role-brief paths. On non-zero, fix the diagnostic before dispatch. Validates composition inputs and review evidence before writing. Use a fresh absolute report path per role and attempt.

Follow references/round-setup.md Step 7 for shared and role-specific values, authority, review evidence and brief completeness. Proceed immediately to Step 8.

Step 8 — Provision the Worktrees

Run once per writing worker and every worktree named in a brief:

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/provision-worktree.sh" \
  <shared-checkout> <branch> <worktree-path> [base-ref]

Emits path, branch, base, and created|attached|already-provisioned. On any non-zero exit, fix the diagnostic and retry. Never dispatch a missing worktree. Read-only consultations need none. Clean up after merge per rules/agent-worktree-isolation.md. Proceed immediately to Step 9.

Step 9 — Label the Layout

Optional, once per team; skip an already named sidebar.

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/label-workspaces.sh" \
  <lead-label> [<agent>=<workspace-id>]...

Emits per-target renamed|unchanged|failed; exit 3 names partial failures. Report label failures and continue. Proceed immediately to Step 10.

Step 10 — Dispatch the Briefs

Complete the retrospective reference's cadence and transition checks before live dispatch. Apply rechecks coverage before worker input. Dry runs prove no coverage.

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/teamlead.sh" apply \
  --assignments <plan-file> \
  --brief <role>=<path> [--brief <role>=<path>]... \
  --report <role>=<report> [--report <role>=<report>]... \
  --common <path-to-COMMON.md> --task <task-id> \
  [--fix-round <N>] [--retain-context | --retain-specialist | --no-clear] \
  [--correction-plan <id> --work <work.json>] [--dispatch-id <stable-id>]

Emits dispatch JSON under state-schema.md. Supply each role's fresh absolute report path from its brief. Apply enrolls before input; unknown sends remain observation obligations. Classify every brief against Step 3's authorization before sending it. Append the dispatch outcome to the task ledger; applied proves dispatch only.

Apply the recovery reference's Dispatch context requirements before sending. Preserve task identity and cumulative fix count. Retained fixes dispatch developer alone. Warm consultations use the recovery reference's --retain-specialist path. Reconcile unknown outcomes before retrying. Reuse existing correction authorization within its bounds.

Follow the Dispatch Results contract in references/round-flow.md for busy, uncertain, failed, and dry-run outcomes. Preserve all already enrolled work.

Dispatch references:

skills/herdr-teamlead/references/dispatch-recovery.md
skills/herdr-teamlead/references/model-tiers.md

Proceed to Step 11.

Step 11 — Observe the Fleet

Run the bounded foreground watcher for all enrolled assignments:

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/teamlead.sh" supervision-watch [--state <state-file>]

Retain and await its real execution handle. The JSON result gives reason, through, and durable events; a quiet deadline completes only that checkpoint. For each event or pending recheck, verify report delivery:

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/wait-report.sh" --once <agent-name> <report-path>

The checkpoint emits delivery JSON; exit 2 emits only stderr. Exit 0 confirms delivery, 1 remains pending, 3 confirms blocked, 4 lacks confirmed delivery, and 5 proves terminal refusal. Read delivered reports in full. Preserve the blocked/refusal and native-recovery paths in the following references; never re-dispatch over uncertainty or automatically retry a provider refusal.

skills/herdr-teamlead/references/supervision.md
skills/herdr-teamlead/references/dispatch-recovery.md

Save a consultation's successful delivery receipt and record assess-specialist under references/specialists.md before retiring its enrollment.

Record each outcome in the task ledger and user-facing obligations in the attention queue. Acknowledge only handled event IDs through the saved snapshot; schedule pending rechecks. Resolve enrollment only after recording its assessed outcome, separately from assignment acceptance and task completion. Complete due retrospectives between checkpoints without interrupting workers. Resume the fleet watch while any observation obligation remains; one blocked worker never hides another worker's report. Proceed to Step 12 when the required reports are delivered or their unavailability and recovery are recorded.

Step 12 — Gate the Round

Read every report file in full, including a report whose worker exited cleanly. A ## BLOCKED section can sit under a report that otherwise reads as finished. Classify each finding blocking or advisory per rules/review-severity.md. Record assignment acceptance or outstanding work in the task ledger against the inspected report and artifact evidence. Record the task's gate decision separately; a worker finishing its brief never completes the whole task. Assess correction scope and bug evidence under references/assignment-reasoning.md. Persist user-facing obligations under references/attention.md before presenting them; record an actual answer or resolution separately from showing the item.

After accepting a consultation, return to Step 4 for the next needed responsibility. For an investigation-only task, use the knowledge gate below.

For an investigation-only task, assess every assigned report against the requested knowledge deliverable. Resolve blocking findings through the same bounded and judge paths below. Once its criteria hold, present the findings and preserve open user decisions; proceed to Step 21 if a task worktree needs cleanup, otherwise Step 22. No implementation or release is inferred from the diagnostic result.

• Any blocking finding — apply the round-flow reference's Blocking Gate contract and rules/agent-team-operation.md Fix Loops. Return to Step 4 for an authorized correction or Step 13 for a required judge ruling.
• Advisory findings only — record them in the round log and fold them into the next round that is already happening. Never spend a round on a lone advisory.

Apply the release gate in this reference; obtain broad independent reviewer and tester passes against the current pushed tip before release:

skills/herdr-teamlead/references/round-flow.md

With its release criteria met, proceed immediately to Step 13.

Step 13 — Compose the Judge Brief

Optional. Triggers and the ruling contract are in skills/herdr-teamlead/references/round-flow.md "The Judge" (a bot disagreement inside Step 20 returns here first). No trigger — proceed to Step 20.

Compose the brief from templates/brief-judge.md through Step 7: the dispute, both positions with report paths, the governing rule, the tree. Skip Step 8 for the read-only judge. Proceed immediately to Step 14.

Step 14 — Re-measure the Shared Window

Re-run Step 4's measure under its outcome contract. Resolve any unreadable judge window before planning. Pass the fresh snapshot to Step 15; never reuse the earlier reading as affordability proof. Proceed immediately to Step 15.

Step 15 — Plan the Judge Seat

Plan the pinned judge against Step 14's fresh snapshot:

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/teamlead.sh" plan \
  --roles judge --snapshot <step-14-measure-output> --task <task-id>

Exit 0 names the judge worker; proceed immediately to Step 16. On non-zero, report the diagnostic and finish here. Never substitute a judge, lower its tier, or hand-write an assignment to bypass the refusal.

Step 16 — Start the Judge Worker on Its Pinned Tier

For an existing judge worker, proceed to Step 17 with a clearing dispatch. For an empty shell pane, complete retrospective checks for the start and run:

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/start-judge-worker.sh" \
  <step-15-plan-file> <pane> [claude|codex|grok] --task <task-id> [--state <state-file>]

Starts the pinned judge and verifies launch argv. The header owns the contract.

• Exit 0 — proceed immediately to Step 17 with --no-clear.
• Any non-zero — report the diagnostic and finish here without briefing the worker or overriding its tier.

Step 17 — Dispatch the Judge

Use Step 15's plan under Step 10's dispatch contract:

CP=.tessl/plugins/jbaruch/coding-policy; [ -d "$CP" ] || CP="$HOME/$CP"
bash "$CP/skills/herdr-teamlead/teamlead.sh" apply \
  --assignments <plan-file> \
  --brief judge=<round>-judge.md --report judge=<absolute-report-path> \
  --common <path-to-COMMON.md> \
  --task <task-id> [--no-clear]

Step 10's outcomes govern. Use --no-clear only for the worker just started in Step 16; an existing judge receives the default cleared relaunch with retrospective coverage. Apply verifies the live tier before input. Proceed immediately to Step 18.

Step 18 — Wait for the Ruling

Run Step 11's fleet observation loop, including the judge named by Step 15. Proceed immediately to Step 19 once its report lands; keep other enrollments under observation.

Step 19 — Act on the Ruling

Apply the Ruling Outcomes contract in references/round-flow.md. Investigation rulings return to Step 12's knowledge gate. Implementation rulings route unchanged-branch rulings to verified release or renewed verification, branch-changing rulings to the counted correction path, and a blocked ruling to its saved operator question. Only the operator overrides a ruling. Continue immediately to the step named by that outcome.

Step 20 — Release the Pull Request

The release is one more assignment, never a prompt into the developer's existing context. Return to Step 7 with the role release for the developer's agent (template templates/brief-release.md, the same WORKTREE and BRANCH, a fresh REPORT), run Step 8 (it reports already-provisioned), dispatch through Step 10 so the context is cleared and the brief is fresh, and wait on the report in Step 11. A source-changing release finding returns to Step 12 for the next counted developer assignment. The worker merges after all gates pass. Proceed immediately to Step 21 only after verifying its reported release against the live VCS and release gates. Record that evidence in the task ledger.

Step 21 — Clean Up the Worktree

Fast-forward the shared checkout, remove the worktree, and delete the branch per rules/agent-worktree-isolation.md. Proceed immediately to Step 22.

Step 22 — Log the Round

Finalize the task ledger with the round outcome and remaining obligations. Mark the task completed only after its acceptance criteria and required release and cleanup obligations are verified. Preserve the ledger for resume and standup. Preserve retrospective notes and link them from the ledger. Save current progress through the attention owner and stow the lead's handoff under the working-memory reference. Reconcile supervision before ending the turn. Report outstanding attention first, followed by the outcome and saved paths. Finish here.

For the daily standup, use Skill(skill: "herdr-standup").