@controllerai/cli 0.2.20 → 0.2.22

package/skills/controllerai-node-config/SKILL.md

@@ -1,32 +1,122 @@
 ---
 name: controllerai-node-config
-description: Discover and configure Controller AI workflow action nodes, dynamic properties, connections, optional fields, output types and graph wiring. Use when assembling or repairing a concrete step in a flow.
+description: Discover, add, connect, configure, wire, and verify Controller AI workflow nodes. Use when adding an action, choosing a component, binding an account, setting props (static, optional, option-backed or dynamic), wiring nodes, resolving an output type, or fixing a node that is not ready.
 ---
+<!-- generated from .claude/skills by cli/scripts/render-skills.mjs; edit the source -->
 
-# Workflow nodes
+# Node configuration
 
-A node is a step in a flow: a ready integration action, native data/file/AI action, or a control-flow construct. Its component defines properties, required authorization and output shape. The saved node is an instance configured for this workflow.
+## Use this when
 
-## Discover by capability
+- A flow needs an action from an app or a native service, and the node has to be found, added, bound to an account, configured and wired.
+- A node reports missing connection, missing or disabled required props, pending selectors, or an unresolved output type.
 
-Use `integration_search` and `integration_action_list` to search for the intended action, then inspect the exact integration slug and action key. Integration display names are not component identities. For native storage use `registry_data`; for generated files inspect native file actions; for web research inspect available search actions and connections.
+Computed values and conditions belong to `controllerai-expressions`; Router, If/Else, loops and subflows to `controllerai-flow-control`; Ask AI provider, model and typed output to `controllerai-ai-nodes`; tests and execution evidence to `controllerai-runs`.
 
-`integration_action_get` describes static properties. Some actions add dependent properties after a type, object, sheet or other selector is chosen. Saved connection status indicates an available binding; a successful representative provider request is the evidence it still works.
+## How it works
 
-## Configure in dependency order
+A **node** is a configured instance of a **component**: an integration action, a native data, file or AI action, or a control node. The component defines the props, whether an account is required, and the output shape. A node becomes usable in stages: component, connection, props in dependency order, then wiring and a concrete output type for whatever reads it downstream; each stage has its own readiness signal, so configure it as a sequence, not as one batch of property writes.
 
-1. Add the action to the intended flow using its returned exact key. Name the node after its purpose or produced value.
-2. Bind a required connection. Use `connection_connect_url` only when the user needs to connect an account; never request provider credentials in chat.
-3. Set selectors first, reload properties with `node_prop_list`, then read the resulting schema.
-4. Enable optional fields before setting them. Omission and an enabled empty value can have different effects, especially for updates.
-5. Set literal properties with `value`; use `js` for computed values. Read `expr_context` for expected types and available inputs.
-6. Wire the source output channel to the destination. Use returned output/port IDs; “main” and “error” are distinct channels.
-7. Inspect `node_status` and `node_get`, test the step or complete flow, then verify the saved output type and downstream mapping.
+**Connections** are the authorized accounts of an integration. A saved active connection proves a binding exists, not that the provider still accepts it; a representative request proves that. Changing a node's connection invalidates every connection-scoped option: re-fetch and re-verify them.
 
-Use the supported initial configuration batch when creating a node: `node_add` accepts its name, connection, upstream wiring, optional fields and a `props` map together. Direct values are literals; an advanced entry such as `"name": {"valueJs": "flow.name"}` compiles a typed expression. Put selectors such as `dataType` first so dependent fields exist. Inspect the returned `propsReadback` and readiness, then fix only rejected or missing fields. This avoids one call per property when repeating a proven CRUD pattern. Use flow scaffolds for loops and return mappings where they fit.
+**Props** come in kinds: static values; optional props that exist in the catalog and appear once enabled; option-backed props whose values come from static lists or a provider lookup; reload selectors (`reloadProps: true`) that change the schema of later props; and expression-capable props that take a dynamic value. Options are resolved in prop order: an earlier single-choice selector gates later lookups. `optionsAvailability` reports `available`, `blocked_upstream` with `blockedBy`, or `dynamic_upstream`; when the field is absent, availability is unknown, not available.
 
-A static output contract should remain stable after a run. A dynamic action may learn its output shape from a representative test; re-read its output/context before authoring downstream fields. Do not overwrite a known contract with an unrelated inferred schema just to remove a warning.
+**Readiness** (the node status read) reports distinct blockers: `missingConnection`, `missingRequiredProps`, `disabledRequiredProps` (the selector that activates them is named in `blockedBy` and `next`), `pendingReloadProps`, an unset subflow target or an invalid static option, and `dynamicSelectorNotes` (non-blocking: dependents still reflect the last concrete selection). `readyForExpressions` means the connection and the required and reload props are complete; `readyForRun` means it can execute; `readyForDownstreamExpressions` additionally means the output type is concrete. Readiness does not check wiring. `outputTypeStatus` is `concrete`, `unresolved` or `none` (a sink or control node has no output); an unresolved integration output is learned from a representative run, a supported output selector or a declared sample, and adoption changes only that node, so two instances of a generic component can learn different shapes. `next` is diagnostic guidance phrased as a CLI step: apply it through the current surface and its policy rather than executing it blindly.
 
-Use `controllerai-flow-control` for branches/loops and `controllerai-ai-nodes` for AI output configuration. Layout once after a group of structural changes.
+## Rules
 
-Detailed property-setting examples: [command reference](references/command-reference.md). Readiness and dynamic-property behavior: [prop reference](references/prop-and-readiness.md).
+1. **Use the exact component the discovery returned** (`nodeSlug` and full `key`); never infer a key from a display name, and never swap in a similar integration or a raw HTTP request (`registry_http-http-request`) because a connection is missing. A user's mention of an endpoint is context, not a request to hand-roll the call.
+2. **Add a node without a connection when no account exists.** `missingConnection: true` is a valid handoff state; get the user's authorization and bind the exact new connection ID afterwards. Never ask for a provider credential in chat.
+3. **Configure in dependency order and read back after every write.** Set reload selectors before their dependents, re-read props after each selector or connection change, and treat a write as done only after readback plus `node status`.
+4. **Write only props that exist.** Materialized props and catalog optionals are writable; a name absent from both is an error. Setting a catalog optional enables it automatically; do not enable first. If that write then fails, the prop stays enabled: disable it and re-read.
+5. **Repair in place.** Keep the node ID, wiring, conditions and references, because downstream bindings and subflow mappings point at that ID. Replace a node only when the requested component itself changes; then reconnect and revalidate every dependent.
+6. **Keep value and label together for option-backed props.** Labels are how providers that do not index opaque IDs are searched and how values are verified. Outside `dynamic_upstream`, a value that is not in the advertised options fails closed.
+7. **Wire before writing an expression that reads upstream data**, and use branch connections for Router and If/Else outputs.
+8. **Never fabricate an output schema.** Resolve the type with a representative run, a supported output selector, or a documented provider sample declared as unverified; preserve a static contract instead of overwriting it with an inferred one.
+9. **Update Data writes every enabled field that resolves to a value.** A field that resolves to nothing is left out, but an enabled field that resolves to null or empty text overwrites the stored value, so disable fields you enabled by accident and inspect the resolved values before running.
+
+## Recipes
+
+### Find the component
+
+```bash
+cai integration actions "<capability>" --json
+cai integration action --integration <nodeSlug> --key <key> --json
+```
+
+Narrow a broad result with `cai integration search "<integration>" --actions --json`, then `cai integration actions "<action>" --integration <nodeSlug> --json`. Read `required`, `remoteOptions` and `reloadProps` before adding: they decide the configuration order.
+
+### Resolve the account
+
+```bash
+cai connection list --integration <nodeSlug> --json
+```
+
+One active connection: use its ID. Several: follow the user's stated preference, otherwise ask which account. None: add the node without a connection and hand off.
+
+Get the authorization link with `cai connection connect <nodeSlug> --no-open` and share it right away rather than waiting on `--wait`. After the user confirms, list connections again and bind the new ID.
+
+```bash
+cai node set-connection <nodeId> --connection <connectionId> --json
+cai node status <nodeId> --json
+```
+
+### Add the node
+
+```bash
+cai node add --flow <flowId> --node <nodeSlug> --key <key> --name "<data this node produces>" --connection <connectionId> --after <upstreamNodeId> --json
+```
+
+Name the node after its purpose or the value it produces. Omit flags that do not apply. `--after` wires the upstream node's main output (or `--output error`) at creation, which later expressions need. Initial `--props` may carry only inspected static values, and `--enable-prop <name...>` is for optionals confirmed by the metadata. Never pass a remote option, a reload selector with its dependents, or a prop that has not materialized at creation. Capture the returned `nodeId`, then inspect `propsReadback` and `readiness` in the result and fix only rejected or missing fields.
+
+### Follow readiness
+
+```bash
+cai node status <nodeId> --json
+cai node props <nodeId> --json
+```
+
+Clear blockers in this order: connection; required reload selectors; newly revealed required props; static and option-backed props; wiring an expression needs; expressions; output type. Use `next` as the guide for the next step. After a concrete selector or connection change, re-read props: fields appear, disappear or reset. `cai node reload <nodeId> --json` re-resolves dependents without re-setting a selector; when a materialized selector is unset it returns `reconcileSkipped: "unset_selector"` and preserves the dependents.
+
+### Set a prop
+
+```bash
+cai node set <nodeId> --prop <exactName> --value '<literal-or-json>' --json
+cai node optional-props <nodeId> --json
+cai node options <nodeId> --prop <exactName> --query "<specific label>" --json
+cai node set <nodeId> --prop <exactName> --value '<returned value>' --label '<returned label>' --json
+cai node disable-prop <nodeId> --prop <exactName>
+```
+
+Multi-select takes a JSON array of returned values and one `--label` per value in the same order. `node options` continues a provider page with `--prev-context '<context JSON>'` and previews under uncommitted earlier values with repeatable `--for '<earlierProp>=<value>'` (valid JSON is typed, bare text stays a string). When options are `blocked_upstream`, the error names the selector and prints the exact command to run first. For `dynamic_upstream`, no list exists: write a known exact ID with `--value` plus `--label`, or an expression with `--js`.
+
+For a component whose dependent props exist only after a concrete selection, materialize a template first: set one concrete value, re-read props and configure the revealed dependents, then switch the selector to an expression. The dependents persist from that last concrete selection; starting dynamic leaves them absent. For dynamic values, load `controllerai-expressions`.
+
+### Wire
+
+```bash
+cai node connect --flow <flowId> --from <sourceNodeId> --to <targetNodeId> --output main --json
+```
+
+`--output error` is only for the automatic error path. Router and If/Else outputs use branch connections from `controllerai-flow-control`.
+
+### Resolve the output type
+
+```bash
+cai run node <nodeId> --inputs '<json>' --json
+cai node declare-output <nodeId> --sample-file - --json
+```
+
+`--inputs` and `--sample-file` also take a file path; `--sample-file -` reads the documented response from stdin.
+
+Prefer the representative run: the completed execution is checked for ownership and terminal state, then its output shape is adopted for that node. Inspect `outputTypeAdoption` in the run result: `no_observed_output` on a data-producing action means the run returned nothing reusable, so rerun it with inputs that return data only when a downstream binding needs the type and the additional real action is authorized; on a sink or control node it is the expected result. `error` means stop and surface it. Declare a documented sample (an object or a non-empty array of items) when the action is unavailable, unsafe or declined; it stays unverified until the first real run. A node test with a wired input is an isolated check; upstream expressions are verified only by running the containing flow. Adoption is node-local: a discovery run on a scratch node never types the node in the flow. Read `controllerai-runs` for discovery.
+
+## Verify
+
+`node status` shows no blockers for the requested readiness level, every written prop reads back with the intended value and label, the wiring matches the flow, and the output type is concrete before downstream fields are bound. Expression context (`cai expr context <nodeId> --prop <prop> --json`) lists the upstream binding you expect.
+
+## Report
+
+The component and connection used, which props were set and which remain for the user (a missing authorization above all), and whether the output type was verified by a run or only declared.
+
+Read [references/prop-and-readiness.md](references/prop-and-readiness.md) when a prop is dynamic, option-backed, expression-capable, or unexpectedly absent, or when a status field needs its exact meaning.

package/skills/controllerai-node-config/references/prop-and-readiness.md

@@ -1,112 +1,62 @@
+<!-- generated from .claude/skills by cli/scripts/render-skills.mjs; edit the source -->
 # Prop and readiness reference
 
-## What `cai node status` means
-
-The JSON response reports:
+## What `cai node status` reports
 
 - `missingConnection`: an authenticated component has no account bound.
 - `missingRequiredProps`: materialized required props without a value.
-- `disabledRequiredProps`: required props currently disabled by an activating selector. When that selector can be resolved, its blocker names the selector; when it is next, `next` gives the exact `cai node set` command.
+- `disabledRequiredProps`: names of required props currently disabled by an activating selector. `blockedBy` and `next` name that selector.
 - `pendingReloadProps`: selectors that must be set before dependent props are trustworthy.
-- `dynamicSelectorNotes`: reload selectors holding dynamic values whose dependents were not re-resolved. These notes do not block readiness, so inspect them even when the node reads ready.
-- `outputTypeStatus`: `concrete`, `unresolved`, or `none`. Connection-port wrappers never count as a concrete process output.
-- `readyForExpressions`: connection and required/reload props are complete. The source still must be wired before its binding appears in expression context.
-- `readyForRun`: connection and required/reload props are complete; running may be the step that discovers a concrete output type.
-- `readyForDownstreamExpressions`: the node is runnable and its actual process output type is concrete enough for downstream field bindings.
-- `next`: the canonical next diagnostic command.
-
-Follow `next`, then read status again. Do not treat `readyForRun` as proof that downstream fields are typed; require `readyForDownstreamExpressions` for that.
-
-For an existing node with a missing connection, a browser handoff alone is not enough. After the user connects, list the compatible accounts, bind the chosen ID, and re-read status:
-
-```bash
-cai connection connect <nodeSlug>
-cai connection list --node <nodeSlug> --json
-cai node set-connection <nodeId> --connection <connectionId> --json
-cai node status <nodeId> --json
-```
-
-MCP: replace `cai connection connect` with `connection_connect_url { nodeSlug }`; the other calls map directly.
+- `dynamicSelectorNotes`: reload selectors holding dynamic values whose dependents were not re-resolved. Non-blocking; read them even when the node is ready.
+- `outputTypeStatus`: `concrete`, `unresolved` or `none`. Connection-port wrappers never count as a concrete process output.
+- `readyForExpressions`: connection and required/reload props complete. The source still has to be wired before its binding appears in expression context.
+- `readyForRun`: runnable; the run may be what discovers the output type.
+- `readyForDownstreamExpressions`: runnable and the process output type is concrete enough for downstream field bindings. Require this, not `readyForRun`, before binding downstream fields.
+- `next`: diagnostic guidance for the next step, phrased as a CLI command; apply it through the current surface and its policy.
 
 ## Prop channels
 
-Use `cai node set`; it selects the persisted shape from live metadata.
+`cai node set` picks the channel from live metadata; the readback shows it as a decompiled view:
 
-| Intent | Command input | Persisted channel |
+| Intent | Input | Readback view |
 | --- | --- | --- |
-| Static text, JSON text, scalar, object, or list | `--value` | `value` |
-| Dynamic text, JSON text, or custom data | `--js` | `valueJs` |
-| Dynamic non-text prop with expression mode | `--js` | `expressionValueJs` |
+| Static text, JSON text, scalar, or (where the prop allows it) object or list | `--value` | `value` |
+| Dynamic text, JSON text or custom data | `--js` | `valueJs` |
+| Dynamic non-text prop in expression mode | `--js` | `expressionValueJs` |
 
-MCP: both `cai node set` and `cai expr set` use `node_prop_set`; pass exactly one of `value`, `js`, or `rawExpressionJson`.
+A custom-data prop takes only a string, a finite number or a boolean as a literal. A compiled literal may have no decompiled view at all.
 
-Do not force a channel with internal fields. `cai node set` and `cai expr set` compile first and verify the actual channel after writing.
+Never force a channel through internal fields. The expression setters compile before writing (a raw tree is validated by the backend), and every setter verifies the actual channel in the readback.
 
 ## Option-backed props
 
-Static options are declared in component/prop metadata. Remote options require current connection and earlier prop values.
+Static options are declared in the component metadata. Remote options need the current connection and the earlier prop values. When dependency metadata is present, each option-bearing prop reports:
 
-When dependency metadata is available, each option-bearing prop reports:
+- `available`: no earlier selector blocks the lookup (a connection or provider failure can still stop it).
+- `blocked_upstream` with `blockedBy`: an earlier single-choice selector is unset. Follow the error's exact command first.
+- `dynamic_upstream`: an earlier single-choice selector holds an expression, so no concrete option list exists. Write a known exact ID with its display label, or an expression. This is the only case that skips membership validation; it still needs prop metadata and verified readback.
 
-- `available`: no earlier selector blocks option resolution; connection or provider failures can still stop the lookup.
-- `blocked_upstream` with `blockedBy`: an earlier single `DROPDOWN` selector is unset.
-- `dynamic_upstream`: an earlier single `DROPDOWN` selector is dynamic, so no concrete option list exists.
+Older backends and responses without a dependency catalog omit these fields; absence means unknown.
 
-The backend computes this in prop order. Older backends, and current responses without a dependency catalog, omit these fields; do not interpret absence as `available`.
+Pass the value and the label from the same live option. Many providers search labels rather than opaque IDs, so a copied ID without its label may be impossible to re-verify. Multi-select takes an ordered array of values and an aligned array of labels; the readback shows `{value, label}` records.
 
 ```bash
 cai node options <nodeId> --prop <name> --query "<specific search>" --json
-cai node set <nodeId> --prop <name> --value '<option.value>' --label '<option.label>' --json
-```
-
-Pass the value and label from the same live option. Remote providers often search labels rather than opaque values, so omitting `--label` can make a valid copied ID impossible to re-verify. For multi-select, pass a JSON array of returned values plus one `--label` argument per value in matching order. The write constructs the required array of `{value,label}` records for read-back/UI compatibility.
-
-Continue a provider page with the opaque context printed by the previous call:
-
-```bash
 cai node options <nodeId> --prop <name> --prev-context '<context JSON>' --json
-```
-
-Preview options under uncommitted earlier values with repeatable overrides; valid JSON becomes a typed literal and bare text remains a string:
-
-```bash
 cai node options <nodeId> --prop <name> --for '<selector>=<value>' --for '<other>=true' --json
+cai node set <nodeId> --prop <name> --value '<option.value>' --label '<option.label>' --json
 ```
 
-For `blocked_upstream`, follow the error's exact command for `blockedBy`. For `dynamic_upstream`, `node options` returns no list; `node set --value '<exact-id>'` deliberately stores a known literal without provider membership validation and prints a note. Add `--label '<display label>'` when the prop is label-bearing, or use `node set --js '<expression>'`. For an advertised option set outside that state, a missing prop row, a failed or empty advertised remote-options lookup, or a value absent from advertised options fails closed.
-
 ## Reload selectors
 
-A prop with `reloadProps:true` changes the downstream prop schema. Set it statically, wait for the mutation, and immediately re-read:
-
-```bash
-cai node set <nodeId> --prop <selector> --value '<value>' --json
-cai node props <nodeId> --json
-cai node status <nodeId> --json
-```
-
-Use `cai node reload <nodeId> --json` to re-resolve current values explicitly instead of re-setting a selector. If any materialized reload selector is unset, the command returns `reconcileSkipped: "unset_selector"` and a note; that skipped path updates metadata without reconciling or deleting materialized dependent props.
-
-Do not batch dependent values into stale metadata. A provider, model family, spreadsheet, database, or action selector commonly triggers this behavior.
-
-For a component whose dependent schema exists only after a concrete upstream selection, materialize a template before going dynamic:
+A prop with `reloadProps: true` changes the schema of later props. Set it, then immediately re-read props and status. Provider, model family, spreadsheet, database and action selectors commonly behave this way; never batch their dependents against stale metadata.
 
-1. Set the selector to one concrete value.
-2. Re-read props and configure or record the revealed dependents.
-3. Switch the selector to a dynamic value with `--js`.
+A prop reload re-resolves current values without re-setting a selector. If a materialized reload selector is unset, it returns `reconcileSkipped: "unset_selector"` and preserves the materialized dependents instead of reconciling them.
 
-The dependent props persist from the last concrete selection. Starting with a dynamic selector leaves them absent, and neither the dynamic write nor an explicit reload can materialize them until the selector has held a concrete value once.
+For a component whose dependent schema exists only after a concrete selection: set one concrete value, re-read and configure the revealed dependents, then switch the selector to an expression. The dependents persist from the last concrete selection; starting dynamic leaves them absent, and neither the dynamic write nor a reload materializes them.
 
 ## Output type
 
-An unresolved output blocks trustworthy downstream field expressions. Resolve it by one of:
-
-- Set the component's supported output/data type selector.
-- Run the configured node with representative inputs.
-- Probe an action with `cai run discover` only when its real-world side effects are acceptable.
-
-After the run, read `cai node status` and `cai expr context` again. Do not infer fields from an example response alone if the platform did not adopt a concrete type.
-
-Completed node and flow runs pass the exact node-execution ID back for ownership, workflow, node, component-snapshot, and terminal-status checks before deriving the persisted output shape; callers never supply the type name. Adoption updates only that non-static node, so separate instances of generic components such as HTTP can learn different schemas. Inspect `outputTypeAdoption`/`outputTypeAdoptions` in the run result. If it reports `no_observed_output`, use a representative input that returns data and rerun. If it reports `error`, stop and surface that error rather than inventing a schema.
+Resolve an unresolved output by setting the component's supported output or data-type selector, by running the configured node with representative inputs, or by declaring a documented provider sample as unverified. A discovery run (`controllerai-runs`) probes a component that is not in the graph on a scratch node: it deletes that node afterwards, keeps the scratch flow for reuse, and never types a node in the real flow.
 
-MCP: `run_node` and `run_flow` take `inputs` inline and `waitSeconds` from 0 through 120.
+A completed run passes its exact node-execution ID back for ownership, workflow, node, component-snapshot and terminal-state checks, then the persisted output shape is adopted for that non-static node only. Read `outputTypeAdoption` (or `outputTypeAdoptions`) in the run result: `no_observed_output` means the run produced no reusable output, which is expected for a sink or control node and, for a data-producing action, a reason to rerun with representative data only when a downstream binding needs the type; `error` means stop and surface it. After adoption, re-read `node status` and the expression context. An example response alone never establishes a type.

package/skills/controllerai-runs/SKILL.md

@@ -1,41 +1,98 @@
 ---
 name: controllerai-runs
-description: Test and debug Controller AI workflows, flows and nodes using execution history, inputs, resolved configuration, ports, output values and record effects. Use to prove a build works or investigate a failed or suspicious result.
+description: Run Controller AI nodes and flows and read execution evidence: inputs, resolved configs, outputs, ports, skips, warnings and output-type adoption. Use when proving a build works, investigating a failed or green-but-wrong run, resolving a dynamic output type, or checking what an expression produced at runtime.
 ---
+<!-- generated from .claude/skills by cli/scripts/render-skills.mjs; edit the source -->
 
-# Prove workflow behavior
+# Runs
 
-Execution tools show what the platform actually ran: inputs, node configuration, output values, selected ports, skips and errors. Use them to verify contracts and effects, not just a green status.
+## Use this when
 
-## Select the right test
+- A node or flow was just built or changed and needs proof with real values.
+- A run failed, or finished green with empty, partial or wrong data.
+- A dynamic node's output type is unknown and downstream expressions cannot be written.
 
-- Test a **node** to establish its configuration, provider connection or output shape. Node tests use development state.
-- Run a **flow** to verify connected steps and the return contract. Choose development or the published live version explicitly.
-- Test an **agent conversation** to verify its tool choice and file handling, then correlate workflow calls with their executions.
-- Replay a **trigger sample** into development to verify event-to-flow mapping before enabling live behavior.
+Expression authoring belongs to `controllerai-expressions`, branch and loop structure to `controllerai-flow-control`, trigger replay to `controllerai-triggers`.
 
-Development and live use different data stores, but development provider actions can still perform real external operations. Test within the user's authorized scope and use synthetic data where appropriate.
+## How it works
 
-## Run and inspect
+**A run is real.** Node runs always execute on development; flow runs execute on development by default or, explicitly, on the published live version. Both call the real providers: messages send, records change, usage is spent. Development isolation covers the workflow data store only.
 
-Inspect required inputs, pass explicit representative values, and capture the returned execution ID. MCP runs support a bounded wait. A timeout or running status means inspect that execution later; it does not mean repeat the operation.
+**Running resolves types.** A dynamic integration node gets its output type from one completed representative run (`outputTypeAdoption`), and every downstream expression depends on that type. When the user declines to run a consequential action, the fallback is a declared output contract built from the provider's documented response; it is marked `declared (unverified)` and the first real completed run verifies it.
 
-Start with the compact execution summary or tree. Drill into a failing, skipped or suspicious node to inspect its received inputs, resolved config and output. Check the expected port before moving downstream. Compare an actual returned value with the promised flow contract.
+**Three scopes.** A node run isolates the node's own configuration and does not execute wired upstream nodes; `runScope.endToEndValidationRequired` is computed from the wiring before the run and says that upstream-derived values need a containing-flow check, while `resolvedConfigs` shows what they actually were. A flow run executes the wiring and proves `inputs.<name>` expressions and the return contract. A discovery run creates a scratch node from a component that is not in the graph inside a reusable scratch flow, executes it and deletes the node (the flow stays), only to learn what it returns; it types nothing in the real flow.
 
-For data changes, query the affected records on the same environment. For files, verify the returned artifact and contents. For direct provider actions, verify the provider result or intended external state rather than expecting a workflow ID.
+**Inputs are keyed by ID.** `run inputs` lists the exact input IDs a node or flow reads. A flow lists every declared input with a `used` flag: supply the used ones (an omitted used input falls back to its saved test value), and values for unused inputs are accepted and ignored. An isolated node run must receive every referenced `flowInputs[].id` or it fails before executing with `ISOLATED_FLOW_CONTEXT_REQUIRED`. Explicit `null`, `""`, `false` and `0` are supplied values; dates are plain ISO-8601 text.
 
-## Diagnose common failures
+**The evidence.** `status` and `errorMessage`; `skipReason` (`only_when_false`, `upstream_skipped`); `runScope`; `resolvedConfigs`, where a null entry on a dynamic prop that the contract did not intend is a silent expression failure on an otherwise green run, and each entry's `resolutionWarnings` (an explicit `[]` means the resolver reported nothing; the value still has to match the contract); the output shape and values; and the adoption result, `outputTypeAdoption` on a node run or `outputTypeAdoptions` on a flow run, where `adopted` or `already_typed` lets the node status converge, `no_observed_output` means the run returned no reusable shape, and each entry's `adoptedNodeIds` must be empty or name only its own node.
 
-| Symptom | Inspect next |
-| --- | --- |
-| Missing required config | Selector choice, refreshed props, enabled fields and literal/expression mode |
-| Unknown field/binding | Node expression context, exact connection output and current input binding |
-| Empty query | Record environment, field key, optional-filter handling and matching semantics |
-| Provider authentication failure | Connection identity and provider error code; saved active status is not a fresh credential test |
-| Green run but no useful output | Return-node mappings, skipped branches and resolved empty values |
-| Mutation result too large or uncertain | Download/reference receipt and exact current target state before retrying |
-| Graph changed unexpectedly | Saved-state history and current node/edge identities; do not replace a newer graph with a cached copy |
+**Outcomes.** A run ends `completed`, `completed_with_error` (a handled error path, the expected result when testing continue-on-error), `failed` or `cancelled`; it can also stop `paused` waiting on something, or still be running when the wait ends. The CLI polls until a terminal status, a pause or its `--timeout` (milliseconds); a non-success result exits non-zero and carries the execution ID and last snapshot in `error.detail`. A running or paused status means inspect that execution later, never dispatch the run again.
 
-Fix the cause and rerun the affected scenario. Broaden tests when the fix changes shared behavior. Keep failed-run evidence with a clear distinction between historical failures and the final verified result.
+## Rules
 
-Commands: [reference](references/command-reference.md). Execution details: [debugging](references/debugging.md).
+1. **Mitigate, do not refuse.** Before a send, delete, charge or people-affecting run, say what will really happen and agree a safe target: the user's own address or channel, a record created for the test, a person the user names. Reuse authorization the task already gave; ask only for what it did not cover.
+2. **A declined run is declared, not skipped.** Declare the output from the provider's documented response, say it is unverified, and name the first real run as the verification step.
+3. **Smallest scope first, then the containing flow.** A node run proves configuration; only a flow run proves upstream-derived values and the return value.
+4. **Green is not proof, and red is not always failure.** Read resolved configs, outputs, ports and skips; a `completed` run with empty or null output is a failure until the values are read and explained, a null dynamic config the contract did not intend is a failure even when the status is green, and a run that matched the scenario's expected status, outputs and effects passed even when that status is `completed_with_error`. `0` and `false` are values.
+5. **Find the first divergence, not the last error.** Walk the execution tree, classify each node as completed, failed, skipped on purpose, skipped unexpectedly or absent; later failures are usually consequences.
+6. **Verify the effect where it lives.** Data writes: query the same store. Files: open the artifact. Provider actions: the provider's result, not the execution ID.
+7. **Never let a stalled run become a duplicate.** Inspect the returned execution; rerun only after it reached a terminal state and the cause is understood.
+8. **Adoption stays on the tested node.** Stop if `adoptedNodeIds` names a sibling, and re-read `node status` and downstream expression contexts after a type is adopted.
+
+## Recipes
+
+### Prepare inputs and run
+
+```bash
+cai run inputs <nodeId> --json
+cai run inputs <flowId> --flow --json
+cai run node <nodeId> --inputs <values.json> --json
+cai run flow <flowId> --inputs <values.json> --json
+```
+
+`--inputs` takes inline JSON, a file path or `-` for stdin; the value is a flat map of input ID to value. `--timeout <ms>` bounds the wait.
+
+### Declare an output the user will not run yet
+
+```bash
+cai node declare-output <nodeId> --sample-file <shape.json>
+```
+
+The sample is a representative response object (or a non-empty array of them) taken from the provider's API reference.
+
+### Discover what a component returns
+
+```bash
+cai run discover --node <nodeSlug> --key <componentKey> --connection <connectionId|none> --props '<json>' --json
+```
+
+`--connection` is required (`none` for a component without auth); `--enable <prop>` enables optional props first; `--keep` retains the scratch node only when the user wants it.
+Discovery calls the real action and spends usage. Never probe a destructive action just to learn its output: agree a safe target or declare the shape instead. Prefer testing a configured node: discovery returns `observedOutputType`, `nodeExecution`, `workflowExecutionId`, `scratchFlowId` and `nodeDeleted`, the full execution stays readable by ID, and the real node in the flow still has to be typed by its own run or a declaration.
+With `--keep` the scratch node stays as well.
+
+### Verify the published version
+
+```bash
+cai run flow <flowId> --inputs <values.json> --target live --confirm-live --json
+```
+
+When the user authorized live verification and named a safe target, run the published flow once under supervision instead of waiting for a real trigger event. It fires real actions and spends usage. Where the design calls for it, a safe-audience harness (an If/Else on `isLiveVersion` whose false branch targets the developer and whose true branch targets the real audience) protects development runs; the live run is still a real send, and adding that harness is a design change to agree, not a test step.
+
+### Read the execution
+
+```bash
+cai exec tree <workflowExecutionId> --limit 50 --json
+cai exec get <workflowExecutionId> --json
+cai exec flow <flowExecutionId> --json
+cai exec node <nodeExecutionId> --full --json
+```
+
+Page the tree with the returned `nextCursor` (`--cursor`) and narrow a large run with repeatable `--status` or an exact `--flow <flowId>`. The tree locates the first unexpected status; the full node execution holds the resolved configuration and the untruncated output. Read [references/debugging.md](references/debugging.md) for the fault-isolation order and the symptom table.
+
+## Verify
+
+The run exercised the changed path with credible values; the first unexpected node, if any, was identified from the tree; every dynamic config resolved to the intended value and `resolutionWarnings` were read; the output shape and values match what downstream expects; skips are intentional and error paths accounted for; a flow run reached the scenario's expected status, outputs and effects after isolated fixes; the stored or external effect was checked where it lives; and any declared contract is still marked unverified in the report.
+
+## Report
+
+What ran and on which version, the execution IDs, what each run proved, what is declared but unverified, and what remains untested and why.

package/skills/controllerai-runs/references/debugging.md

@@ -1,17 +1,16 @@
+<!-- generated from .claude/skills by cli/scripts/render-skills.mjs; edit the source -->
 # Execution debugging
 
 Use this order; it avoids changing a downstream node when the defect is upstream.
 
-## 1. Confirm rail and graph
+## 1. Confirm the version and the graph
 
 ```bash
 cai workflow status --json
 cai flow get <flowId> --json
 ```
 
-Node runs use development. Flow runs default to development; `cai run flow <flowId> --target live --confirm-live` runs the published version. Trigger replay also defaults to development and uses the same flags for live. Every rail can call real providers and create external effects.
-
-MCP: `run_flow` takes `waitSeconds` and may return before the execution is terminal.
+Node runs use development. Flow runs use development unless the published version was selected explicitly. Every run can call real providers.
 
 ## 2. Find the first divergence
 
@@ -19,9 +18,7 @@ MCP: `run_flow` takes `waitSeconds` and may return before the execution is termi
 cai exec tree <workflowExecutionId> --limit 50 --json
 ```
 
-Follow `nextCursor` with `--cursor`, and use repeatable `--status` or `--flow <flowId>` when the
-run is large. Classify each node as completed, failed, skipped intentionally, skipped unexpectedly,
-or absent. The first divergence is usually the cause; later failures are often consequences.
+Follow `nextCursor` with `--cursor`; use repeatable `--status` or an exact `--flow <flowId>` on a large run. Classify each node as completed, completed with a handled error, failed, cancelled, paused, skipped on purpose (`only_when_false`), skipped unexpectedly (`upstream_skipped` behind a failure or a wrong branch), or absent. The first divergence is usually the cause; later failures are consequences.
 
 ## 3. Inspect the node boundary
 
@@ -29,29 +26,34 @@ or absent. The first divergence is usually the cause; later failures are often c
 cai exec node <nodeExecutionId> --full --json
 ```
 
-Check:
+In order:
 
-1. Resolved configs: did each expression resolve, and to the correct type/value?
-2. Output: did the component return the promised shape and value?
-3. Status/error: did the provider or engine reject the call?
-4. Upstream execution rows and wiring: did every expected producer run and connect to this node?
+1. Resolved configs: did each expression resolve, and to the right type and value? A null entry on a dynamic prop that the contract did not intend is the failure even when the node is green; read each entry's `resolutionWarnings`.
+2. Port: did the node select the branch or output the test expected?
+3. Output: did the component return the promised shape and values? Compare a flow's return with its declared outputs.
+4. Status and error: did the provider or the engine reject the call?
+5. Upstream rows and wiring: did every expected producer run and connect to this node?
 
-## 4. Fix by category
+## 4. Fix by symptom
 
-| Evidence | Likely surface |
+| Symptom | Inspect next |
 | --- | --- |
-| Missing/wrong input | Wiring, branch connection, or test input ID |
-| Null dynamic config | Expression binding, field path, or missing source value |
-| Invalid option/account | Node connection or dependency-ordered props |
+| Missing or wrong input | Wiring, branch connection, or the test input ID |
+| Null dynamic config | Expression binding, field path, or a missing source value |
+| Invalid option or account | Node connection, dependency-ordered props, or a stale option |
 | Provider error | Integration configuration, credentials, quota, or payload |
 | Green node, wrong output | Component choice, output contract, or prompt |
-| Unexpected skip | only-when, branch condition/order, or upstream failure |
+| Unexpected skip | Guard, branch condition or order, or an upstream failure |
+| Empty record query | Store (development versus live), field key, optional-filter semantics |
+| Provider authentication failure | Connection identity and the provider's error; an active status is not a fresh credential test |
+| Return value empty | Return node bindings, skipped branches, or resolved empty values |
 
-Re-read metadata/context before editing. Then rerun the smallest failed scope and finally the full flow.
+Re-read metadata and contexts before editing. Rerun the smallest failed scope, then the full flow.
 
 ## 5. Avoid false confidence
 
 - A compile pass does not prove runtime data exists.
-- A node pass does not prove downstream mapping: `run node` does not execute wired upstream nodes. Require `run flow` for any `inputs.<name>` expression.
-- A dev pass does not prove live data or live release state.
-- A top-level completed status does not prove every intended branch ran.
+- A node pass does not prove downstream mapping: a node run does not execute wired upstream nodes.
+- A development pass does not prove live data or the live release state.
+- A top-level completed status does not prove every intended branch ran, and a loop's success does not prove every iteration.
+- Keep the evidence of failed runs and separate it clearly from the final verified result; broaden the test when a fix changes shared behavior.