Multica Autopilots

Quick start

Autopilots are durable automations. Read before mutating:

multica autopilot list --output json
multica autopilot get <autopilot-id> --output json
multica autopilot runs <autopilot-id> --output json

Do not run trigger, delete, trigger-delete, or trigger-rotate-url to test. Those are real side effects.

Core model

An autopilot is not an agent. It is a rule that dispatches work to an agent, or to a squad's leader agent.

The chain is: trigger fires (schedule, webhook, or manual) -> autopilot_run row -> execution_mode decides output -> assignee readiness check -> issue/task execution -> run status sync. Webhooks have a durable admission step in front: HTTP ingress stores a queued webhook_delivery, synchronously creates or reuses its idempotent run, and returns 200 with status=accepted|skipped plus run_id; a database-leased worker then resumes accepted runs and owns recoverable issue/task dispatch.

Execution modes:

• create_issue creates a Multica issue, making the run visible as issue state.
• run_only creates an agent task directly. No issue is created; any durable report location has to come from other task context or instructions.

issue-title-template only supports {{date}}. Do not invent {{trigger_id}}, {{branch}}, or other variables.

CLI

multica autopilot list --output json
multica autopilot get <autopilot-id> --output json
multica autopilot create --title "<title>" --description "<task prompt>" --agent <agent-name-or-id> --mode create_issue|run_only --output json
multica autopilot update <autopilot-id> --status active|paused --output json
multica autopilot runs <autopilot-id> --output json
multica autopilot trigger-add <autopilot-id> --kind schedule --cron "0 9 * * *" --timezone Asia/Shanghai --output json
multica autopilot trigger-add <autopilot-id> --kind webhook --label "ci" --output json
multica autopilot trigger <autopilot-id> --output json
multica autopilot trigger-rotate-url <autopilot-id> <trigger-id> --yes --output json

Use trigger only when the user explicitly asks for a manual run. Use trigger-rotate-url only when rotating a webhook URL; the old URL stops being valid.

autopilot get redacts webhook_token, webhook_path, and webhook_url by default while reporting whether a token exists and its non-sensitive hint. Only add --show-secrets when the user explicitly asks to retrieve the live webhook credential; the command warns on stderr. Do not paste webhook tokens or signing material into comments, logs, docs, or PRs.

Debugging

For "why didn't it run":

1. multica autopilot get <id> --output json — status, mode, assignee, triggers.
2. multica autopilot runs <id> --output json — run status and failure reason.
3. If assigned to a squad, inspect the squad: multica squad get <squad-id> --output json; execution goes to the leader.
4. Inspect the target agent/runtime: multica agent get <agent-id> --output json and multica runtime list --output json.
5. For webhooks, inspect delivery status: queued means the worker has not completed dispatch; failed carries the worker error. A provider retry with the same X-GitHub-Delivery / Idempotency-Key reuses the original delivery.
6. For create_issue, inspect the created issue if the run records one.

Side effects

These mutate durable state or start work: create, update, delete, trigger add/update/delete/rotate, trigger, and webhook calls to /api/webhooks/autopilots/{token}.

More source-backed details: references/autopilots-source-map.md.