agent-relay 2.3.13 → 2.4.0

package/packages/sdk/src/workflows/runner.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,3409 @@
+/**
+ * WorkflowRunner — parses relay.yaml, validates config, resolves templates,
+ * executes steps (sequential/parallel/DAG), runs verification checks,
+ * persists state to DB, and supports pause/resume/abort with retries.
+ */
+
+import { spawn as cpSpawn } from 'node:child_process';
+import { randomBytes } from 'node:crypto';
+import { createWriteStream, existsSync, mkdirSync, readFileSync, renameSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import type { WriteStream } from 'node:fs';
+import { readFile, writeFile, mkdir } from 'node:fs/promises';
+import path from 'node:path';
+
+import { parse as parseYaml } from 'yaml';
+import { stripAnsi as stripAnsiFn } from '../pty.js';
+
+import {
+  loadCustomSteps,
+  resolveAllCustomSteps,
+  validateCustomStepsUsage,
+  CustomStepsParseError,
+  CustomStepResolutionError,
+} from './custom-steps.js';
+import { InMemoryWorkflowDb } from './memory-db.js';
+import type {
+  AgentCli,
+  AgentDefinition,
+  AgentPreset,
+  DryRunReport,
+  DryRunWave,
+  ErrorHandlingConfig,
+  IdleNudgeConfig,
+  PreflightCheck,
+  RelayYamlConfig,
+  SwarmPattern,
+  VerificationCheck,
+  WorkflowDefinition,
+  WorkflowRunRow,
+  WorkflowRunStatus,
+  WorkflowStep,
+  WorkflowStepRow,
+  WorkflowStepStatus,
+} from './types.js';
+import { WorkflowTrajectory, type StepOutcome } from './trajectory.js';
+
+// ── AgentRelay SDK imports ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+// Import from sub-paths to avoid pulling in the full @relaycast/sdk dependency.
+import { AgentRelay } from '../relay.js';
+import type { Agent, AgentRelayOptions } from '../relay.js';
+import { RelayCast, RelayError, type AgentClient } from '@relaycast/sdk';
+
+// ── DB adapter interface ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+/** Minimal DB adapter so the runner is not coupled to a specific driver. */
+export interface WorkflowDb {
+  insertRun(run: WorkflowRunRow): Promise<void>;
+  updateRun(id: string, patch: Partial<WorkflowRunRow>): Promise<void>;
+  getRun(id: string): Promise<WorkflowRunRow | null>;
+
+  insertStep(step: WorkflowStepRow): Promise<void>;
+  updateStep(id: string, patch: Partial<WorkflowStepRow>): Promise<void>;
+  getStepsByRunId(runId: string): Promise<WorkflowStepRow[]>;
+}
+
+// ── Events ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+export type WorkflowEvent =
+  | { type: 'run:started'; runId: string }
+  | { type: 'run:completed'; runId: string }
+  | { type: 'run:failed'; runId: string; error: string }
+  | { type: 'run:cancelled'; runId: string }
+  | { type: 'step:started'; runId: string; stepName: string }
+  | { type: 'step:completed'; runId: string; stepName: string; output?: string }
+  | { type: 'step:failed'; runId: string; stepName: string; error: string }
+  | { type: 'step:skipped'; runId: string; stepName: string }
+  | { type: 'step:retrying'; runId: string; stepName: string; attempt: number }
+  | { type: 'step:nudged'; runId: string; stepName: string; nudgeCount: number }
+  | { type: 'step:force-released'; runId: string; stepName: string };
+
+export type WorkflowEventListener = (event: WorkflowEvent) => void;
+
+// ── Runner options ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+export interface WorkflowRunnerOptions {
+  db?: WorkflowDb;
+  workspaceId?: string;
+  relay?: AgentRelayOptions;
+  cwd?: string;
+  summaryDir?: string;
+}
+
+// ── Variable context for template resolution ────────────────────────────────
+
+export interface VariableContext {
+  [key: string]: string | number | boolean | undefined;
+}
+
+// ── Internal step state ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+interface StepState {
+  row: WorkflowStepRow;
+  agent?: Agent;
+}
+
+// ── WorkflowRunner ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+export class WorkflowRunner {
+  private readonly db: WorkflowDb;
+  private readonly workspaceId: string;
+  private readonly relayOptions: AgentRelayOptions;
+  private readonly cwd: string;
+  private readonly summaryDir: string;
+
+  /** @internal exposed for CLI signal-handler shutdown only */
+  relay?: AgentRelay;
+  private relaycast?: RelayCast;
+  private relaycastAgent?: AgentClient;
+  private relayApiKey?: string;
+  private relayApiKeyAutoCreated = false;
+  private channel?: string;
+  private trajectory?: WorkflowTrajectory;
+  private abortController?: AbortController;
+  private paused = false;
+  private pauseResolver?: () => void;
+  private listeners: WorkflowEventListener[] = [];
+
+  /** Current config for the active run, so spawnAndWait can access swarm config. */
+  private currentConfig?: RelayYamlConfig;
+  /** Current run ID for event emission from spawnAndWait context. */
+  private currentRunId?: string;
+  /** Live Agent handles keyed by name, for hub-mediated nudging. */
+  private readonly activeAgentHandles = new Map<string, Agent>();
+
+  // PTY-based output capture: accumulate terminal output per-agent
+  private readonly ptyOutputBuffers = new Map<string, string[]>();
+  private readonly ptyListeners = new Map<string, (chunk: string) => void>();
+  private readonly ptyLogStreams = new Map<string, WriteStream>();
+  /** Path to workers.json so `agents:kill` can find workflow-spawned agents */
+  private readonly workersPath: string;
+  /** In-memory tracking of active workers to avoid race conditions on workers.json */
+  private readonly activeWorkers = new Map<
+    string,
+    { cli: string; task: string; spawnedAt: number; pid?: number; logFile: string }
+  >();
+  /** Mutex for serializing workers.json file access */
+  private workersFileLock: Promise<void> = Promise.resolve();
+  /** Timestamp when the current workflow run started, for elapsed-time logging. */
+  private runStartTime?: number;
+  /** Unsubscribe handle for broker stderr listener wired during a run. */
+  private unsubBrokerStderr?: () => void;
+  /** Tracks last idle log time per agent to debounce idle warnings (30s multiples). */
+  private readonly lastIdleLog = new Map<string, number>();
+  /** Tracks last logged activity type per agent to avoid duplicate status lines. */
+  private readonly lastActivity = new Map<string, string>();
+
+  constructor(options: WorkflowRunnerOptions = {}) {
+    this.db = options.db ?? new InMemoryWorkflowDb();
+    this.workspaceId = options.workspaceId ?? 'local';
+    this.relayOptions = options.relay ?? {};
+    this.cwd = options.cwd ?? process.cwd();
+    this.summaryDir = options.summaryDir ?? path.join(this.cwd, '.relay', 'summaries');
+    this.workersPath = path.join(this.cwd, '.agent-relay', 'team', 'workers.json');
+  }
+
+  // ── Progress logging ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  /** Log a progress message with elapsed time since run start. */
+  private log(msg: string): void {
+    const elapsed = this.runStartTime ? Math.round((Date.now() - this.runStartTime) / 1000) : 0;
+    const mins = Math.floor(elapsed / 60);
+    const secs = elapsed % 60;
+    const ts =
+      mins > 0
+        ? `${String(mins).padStart(2, '0')}:${String(secs).padStart(2, '0')}`
+        : `00:${String(secs).padStart(2, '0')}`;
+    console.log(`[workflow ${ts}] ${msg}`);
+  }
+
+  // ── Relaycast auto-provisioning ────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  /**
+   * Ensure a Relaycast workspace API key is available for the broker.
+   * Resolution order:
+   *   1. RELAY_API_KEY environment variable (explicit override)
+   *   2. Auto-create a fresh workspace via the Relaycast API
+   *
+   * Each workflow run gets its own isolated workspace — no caching, no sharing.
+   */
+  private async ensureRelaycastApiKey(channel: string): Promise<void> {
+    if (this.relayApiKey) return;
+
+    // Explicit override from relayOptions or environment takes priority.
+    const envKey = this.relayOptions.env?.RELAY_API_KEY ?? process.env.RELAY_API_KEY;
+    if (envKey) {
+      this.relayApiKey = envKey;
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // Always create a fresh workspace — each run gets full isolation.
+    const workspaceName = `relay-${channel}-${randomBytes(4).toString('hex')}`;
+    const baseUrl =
+      this.relayOptions.env?.RELAYCAST_BASE_URL ??
+      process.env.RELAYCAST_BASE_URL ??
+      'https://api.relaycast.dev';
+    const res = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/v1/workspaces`, {
+      method: 'POST',
+      headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+      body: JSON.stringify({ name: workspaceName }),
+    });
+
+    if (!res.ok) {
+      throw new Error(`Failed to auto-create Relaycast workspace: ${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
+    }
+
+    const body = (await res.json()) as Record<string, any>;
+    const data = (body.data ?? body) as Record<string, any>;
+    const apiKey = data.api_key as string;
+
+    if (!apiKey) {
+      throw new Error('Relaycast workspace response missing api_key');
+    }
+
+    this.relayApiKey = apiKey;
+    this.relayApiKeyAutoCreated = true;
+  }
+
+  private getRelayEnv(): NodeJS.ProcessEnv | undefined {
+    if (!this.relayApiKey) {
+      return this.relayOptions.env;
+    }
+
+    return {
+      ...(this.relayOptions.env ?? process.env),
+      RELAY_API_KEY: this.relayApiKey,
+    };
+  }
+
+  private getRelaycastBaseUrl(): string {
+    return (
+      this.relayOptions.env?.RELAYCAST_BASE_URL ??
+      process.env.RELAYCAST_BASE_URL ??
+      'https://api.relaycast.dev'
+    );
+  }
+
+  private getRelaycastClient(): RelayCast {
+    if (!this.relayApiKey) {
+      throw new Error('No Relaycast API key available');
+    }
+    if (!this.relaycast) {
+      this.relaycast = new RelayCast({
+        apiKey: this.relayApiKey,
+        baseUrl: this.getRelaycastBaseUrl(),
+      });
+    }
+    return this.relaycast;
+  }
+
+  private async ensureRelaycastRunnerAgent(): Promise<AgentClient> {
+    if (this.relaycastAgent) return this.relaycastAgent;
+
+    const rc = this.getRelaycastClient();
+    let registration;
+    try {
+      registration = await rc.agents.register({ name: 'WorkflowRunner', type: 'agent' });
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (err instanceof RelayError && err.code === 'name_conflict') {
+        registration = await rc.agents.register({
+          name: `WorkflowRunner-${randomBytes(4).toString('hex')}`,
+          type: 'agent',
+        });
+      } else {
+        throw err;
+      }
+    }
+
+    this.relaycastAgent = rc.as(registration.token);
+    return this.relaycastAgent;
+  }
+
+  private async createAndJoinRelaycastChannel(channel: string, topic?: string): Promise<void> {
+    const agent = await this.ensureRelaycastRunnerAgent();
+    try {
+      await agent.channels.create({ name: channel, ...(topic ? { topic } : {}) });
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (!(err instanceof RelayError && err.code === 'name_conflict')) {
+        throw err;
+      }
+    }
+    await agent.channels.join(channel);
+  }
+
+  private async registerRelaycastExternalAgent(name: string, persona?: string): Promise<AgentClient | null> {
+    const rc = this.getRelaycastClient();
+    try {
+      const registration = await rc.agents.register({
+        name,
+        type: 'agent',
+        ...(persona ? { persona } : {}),
+      });
+      return rc.as(registration.token);
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (err instanceof RelayError && err.code === 'name_conflict') {
+        return null;
+      }
+      throw err;
+    }
+  }
+
+  private startRelaycastHeartbeat(agent: AgentClient, intervalMs = 30_000): () => void {
+    const beat = () => {
+      agent.heartbeat().catch(() => {});
+    };
+    const timer = setInterval(beat, intervalMs);
+    timer.unref();
+    beat();
+    return () => clearInterval(timer);
+  }
+
+  // ── Event subscription ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  on(listener: WorkflowEventListener): () => void {
+    this.listeners.push(listener);
+    return () => {
+      this.listeners = this.listeners.filter((l) => l !== listener);
+    };
+  }
+
+  private emit(event: WorkflowEvent): void {
+    for (const listener of this.listeners) {
+      listener(event);
+    }
+  }
+
+  // ── Parsing & validation ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  /** Parse a relay.yaml file from disk. */
+  async parseYamlFile(filePath: string): Promise<RelayYamlConfig> {
+    const absPath = path.resolve(this.cwd, filePath);
+    const raw = await readFile(absPath, 'utf-8');
+    return this.parseYamlString(raw, absPath);
+  }
+
+  /** Parse a relay.yaml string. */
+  parseYamlString(raw: string, source = '<string>'): RelayYamlConfig {
+    const parsed = parseYaml(raw);
+    this.validateConfig(parsed, source);
+    const config = parsed as RelayYamlConfig;
+    config.agents ??= [];
+    return config;
+  }
+
+  /** Validate a config object against the RelayYamlConfig shape. */
+  validateConfig(config: unknown, source = '<config>'): asserts config is RelayYamlConfig {
+    if (typeof config !== 'object' || config === null) {
+      throw new Error(`${source}: config must be a non-null object`);
+    }
+
+    const c = config as Record<string, unknown>;
+
+    if (typeof c.version !== 'string') {
+      throw new Error(`${source}: missing required field "version"`);
+    }
+    if (typeof c.name !== 'string') {
+      throw new Error(`${source}: missing required field "name"`);
+    }
+    if (typeof c.swarm !== 'object' || c.swarm === null) {
+      throw new Error(`${source}: missing required field "swarm"`);
+    }
+    const swarm = c.swarm as Record<string, unknown>;
+    if (typeof swarm.pattern !== 'string') {
+      throw new Error(`${source}: missing required field "swarm.pattern"`);
+    }
+    if (c.agents !== undefined && !Array.isArray(c.agents)) {
+      throw new Error(`${source}: "agents" must be an array when provided`);
+    }
+
+    for (const agent of c.agents ?? []) {
+      if (typeof agent !== 'object' || agent === null) {
+        throw new Error(`${source}: each agent must be an object`);
+      }
+      const a = agent as Record<string, unknown>;
+      if (typeof a.name !== 'string') {
+        throw new Error(`${source}: each agent must have a string "name"`);
+      }
+      if (typeof a.cli !== 'string') {
+        throw new Error(`${source}: each agent must have a string "cli"`);
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (c.workflows !== undefined) {
+      if (!Array.isArray(c.workflows)) {
+        throw new Error(`${source}: "workflows" must be an array`);
+      }
+      for (const wf of c.workflows) {
+        this.validateWorkflow(wf, (c.agents ?? []) as AgentDefinition[], source);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  // ── Dry-run simulation ──────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  /**
+   * Validate a workflow config and simulate execution waves without spawning agents.
+   * Returns a DryRunReport with DAG analysis, agent summary, and wave breakdown.
+   */
+  dryRun(config: RelayYamlConfig, workflowName?: string, vars?: VariableContext): DryRunReport {
+    const errors: string[] = [];
+    const warnings: string[] = [];
+
+    // 1. Validate config
+    let resolved: RelayYamlConfig;
+    try {
+      this.validateConfig(config);
+      resolved = vars ? this.resolveVariables(config, vars) : config;
+    } catch (err) {
+      errors.push(err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err));
+      return {
+        valid: false,
+        errors,
+        warnings,
+        name: (config as any)?.name ?? '<unknown>',
+        pattern: (config as any)?.swarm?.pattern ?? '<unknown>',
+        agents: [],
+        waves: [],
+        totalSteps: 0,
+        estimatedWaves: 0,
+      };
+    }
+
+    // 2. Find target workflow
+    const workflows = resolved.workflows ?? [];
+    const workflow = workflowName ? workflows.find((w) => w.name === workflowName) : workflows[0];
+
+    if (!workflow) {
+      errors.push(
+        workflowName ? `Workflow "${workflowName}" not found in config` : 'No workflows defined in config'
+      );
+      return {
+        valid: false,
+        errors,
+        warnings,
+        name: resolved.name,
+        description: resolved.description,
+        pattern: resolved.swarm.pattern,
+        agents: [],
+        waves: [],
+        totalSteps: 0,
+        estimatedWaves: 0,
+      };
+    }
+
+    // 3. Load and validate custom steps
+    let customSteps = new Map<string, import('./types.js').CustomStepDefinition>();
+    try {
+      customSteps = loadCustomSteps(this.cwd);
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (err instanceof CustomStepsParseError) {
+        errors.push(`Custom steps file error: ${err.issue}\n${err.suggestion}`);
+      } else {
+        errors.push(`Failed to load custom steps: ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}`);
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Validate custom step usage in workflow steps
+    const customStepValidation = validateCustomStepsUsage(workflow.steps, customSteps);
+    errors.push(...customStepValidation.errors);
+    warnings.push(...customStepValidation.warnings);
+
+    // Resolve custom steps for further validation
+    let resolvedSteps = workflow.steps;
+    if (customStepValidation.valid) {
+      try {
+        resolvedSteps = resolveAllCustomSteps(workflow.steps, customSteps);
+      } catch (err) {
+        if (err instanceof CustomStepResolutionError) {
+          errors.push(`${err.issue}\n${err.suggestion}`);
+        } else {
+          errors.push(`Failed to resolve custom steps: ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}`);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    // 4. Build agent map and validate step→agent references
+    const agentMap = new Map<string, AgentDefinition>();
+    for (const agent of resolved.agents) {
+      agentMap.set(agent.name, agent);
+    }
+
+    const stepAgentCounts = new Map<string, number>();
+    for (const step of resolvedSteps) {
+      // Only validate agent references for agent-type steps
+      if (step.agent) {
+        if (!agentMap.has(step.agent)) {
+          warnings.push(`Step "${step.name}" references unknown agent "${step.agent}"`);
+        }
+        stepAgentCounts.set(step.agent, (stepAgentCounts.get(step.agent) ?? 0) + 1);
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Validate cwd paths
+    for (const agent of resolved.agents) {
+      if (agent.cwd) {
+        const resolvedCwd = path.resolve(this.cwd, agent.cwd);
+        if (!existsSync(resolvedCwd)) {
+          warnings.push(
+            `Agent "${agent.name}" cwd "${agent.cwd}" resolves to "${resolvedCwd}" which does not exist`
+          );
+        }
+      }
+      if (agent.additionalPaths) {
+        for (const ap of agent.additionalPaths) {
+          const resolvedPath = path.resolve(this.cwd, ap);
+          if (!existsSync(resolvedPath)) {
+            warnings.push(
+              `Agent "${agent.name}" additionalPath "${ap}" resolves to "${resolvedPath}" which does not exist`
+            );
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Cycle detection via topological sort
+    const stepNames = new Set(resolvedSteps.map((s) => s.name));
+    const inDegree = new Map<string, number>();
+    const adjacency = new Map<string, string[]>();
+    for (const step of resolvedSteps) {
+      inDegree.set(step.name, 0);
+      adjacency.set(step.name, []);
+    }
+    for (const step of resolvedSteps) {
+      for (const dep of step.dependsOn ?? []) {
+        if (stepNames.has(dep)) {
+          adjacency.get(dep)!.push(step.name);
+          inDegree.set(step.name, (inDegree.get(step.name) ?? 0) + 1);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    const topoQueue: string[] = [];
+    for (const [name, deg] of inDegree) {
+      if (deg === 0) topoQueue.push(name);
+    }
+    let visited = 0;
+    while (topoQueue.length > 0) {
+      const node = topoQueue.shift()!;
+      visited++;
+      for (const neighbor of adjacency.get(node) ?? []) {
+        const newDeg = (inDegree.get(neighbor) ?? 1) - 1;
+        inDegree.set(neighbor, newDeg);
+        if (newDeg === 0) topoQueue.push(neighbor);
+      }
+    }
+    if (visited < resolvedSteps.length) {
+      errors.push(
+        'Dependency cycle detected in workflow steps. Check dependsOn references for circular dependencies.'
+      );
+    }
+
+    // Missing dependency references
+    for (const step of resolvedSteps) {
+      for (const dep of step.dependsOn ?? []) {
+        if (!stepNames.has(dep)) {
+          errors.push(`Step "${step.name}" depends on unknown step "${dep}"`);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Unreachable steps (steps that are never depended on and aren't root steps)
+    const dependedOn = new Set<string>();
+    for (const step of resolvedSteps) {
+      for (const dep of step.dependsOn ?? []) {
+        dependedOn.add(dep);
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Timeout warnings
+    for (const step of resolvedSteps) {
+      if (!step.timeoutMs) {
+        const agentDef = step.agent ? agentMap.get(step.agent) : undefined;
+        if (!agentDef?.constraints?.timeoutMs && !resolved.swarm.timeoutMs) {
+          warnings.push(
+            `Step "${step.name}" has no timeout configured (no step, agent, or swarm-level timeout)`
+          );
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Large dependency fan-in warning (decomposition guidance)
+    for (const step of resolvedSteps) {
+      if ((step.dependsOn?.length ?? 0) >= 5) {
+        warnings.push(
+          `Step "${step.name}" depends on ${step.dependsOn!.length} upstream steps. ` +
+            `Consider decomposing into smaller verification steps to reduce context size.`
+        );
+      }
+    }
+
+    // 4. Build agent summary
+    const agents = resolved.agents.map((a) => ({
+      name: a.name,
+      cli: a.cli,
+      role: a.role,
+      cwd: a.cwd,
+      stepCount: stepAgentCounts.get(a.name) ?? 0,
+    }));
+
+    // 5. Simulate execution waves
+    const waves: DryRunWave[] = [];
+    const completed = new Set<string>();
+    const allSteps = [...resolvedSteps];
+    let waveNum = 0;
+
+    while (completed.size < allSteps.length) {
+      const ready = allSteps.filter((step) => {
+        if (completed.has(step.name)) return false;
+        const deps = step.dependsOn ?? [];
+        return deps.every((dep) => completed.has(dep));
+      });
+
+      if (ready.length === 0) {
+        // Remaining steps are blocked — likely a cycle or unresolvable deps
+        const blocked = allSteps.filter((s) => !completed.has(s.name)).map((s) => s.name);
+        errors.push(`Blocked steps with unresolvable dependencies: ${blocked.join(', ')}`);
+        break;
+      }
+
+      waveNum++;
+      waves.push({
+        wave: waveNum,
+        steps: ready.map((s) => ({
+          name: s.name,
+          agent: s.agent,
+          dependsOn: s.dependsOn ?? [],
+        })),
+      });
+
+      for (const step of ready) {
+        completed.add(step.name);
+      }
+    }
+
+    // 6. Resource estimation
+    const peakConcurrency = Math.max(...waves.map((w) => w.steps.length), 0);
+    const totalAgentSteps = resolvedSteps.filter(
+      (s) => s.type !== 'deterministic' && s.type !== 'worktree'
+    ).length;
+
+    // 7. Check maxConcurrency against wave widths
+    const maxConcurrency = resolved.swarm.maxConcurrency;
+    if (maxConcurrency !== undefined) {
+      for (const wave of waves) {
+        if (wave.steps.length > maxConcurrency) {
+          warnings.push(
+            `Wave ${wave.wave} has ${wave.steps.length} parallel steps but maxConcurrency is ${maxConcurrency}`
+          );
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    return {
+      valid: errors.length === 0,
+      errors,
+      warnings,
+      name: workflow.name,
+      description: workflow.description ?? resolved.description,
+      pattern: resolved.swarm.pattern,
+      agents,
+      waves,
+      totalSteps: workflow.steps.length,
+      maxConcurrency,
+      estimatedWaves: waves.length,
+      estimatedPeakConcurrency: peakConcurrency,
+      estimatedTotalAgentSteps: totalAgentSteps,
+    };
+  }
+
+  private validateWorkflow(wf: unknown, agents: AgentDefinition[], source: string): void {
+    if (typeof wf !== 'object' || wf === null) {
+      throw new Error(`${source}: each workflow must be an object`);
+    }
+    const w = wf as Record<string, unknown>;
+    if (typeof w.name !== 'string') {
+      throw new Error(`${source}: each workflow must have a string "name"`);
+    }
+    if (!Array.isArray(w.steps) || w.steps.length === 0) {
+      throw new Error(`${source}: workflow "${w.name}" must have a non-empty "steps" array`);
+    }
+    for (const step of w.steps) {
+      if (typeof step !== 'object' || step === null) {
+        throw new Error(`${source}: each step must be an object`);
+      }
+      const s = step as Record<string, unknown>;
+      if (typeof s.name !== 'string') {
+        throw new Error(`${source}: each step must have a string "name" field`);
+      }
+
+      // Deterministic steps require type and command
+      if (s.type === 'deterministic') {
+        if (typeof s.command !== 'string') {
+          throw new Error(`${source}: deterministic step "${s.name}" must have a "command" field`);
+        }
+      } else {
+        // Agent steps (type undefined or 'agent') require agent and task
+        if (typeof s.agent !== 'string' || typeof s.task !== 'string') {
+          throw new Error(`${source}: agent step "${s.name}" must have "agent" and "task" string fields`);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Validate DAG: check for unknown dependencies and cycles
+    const stepNames = new Set((w.steps as WorkflowStep[]).map((s) => s.name));
+    for (const step of w.steps as WorkflowStep[]) {
+      if (step.dependsOn) {
+        for (const dep of step.dependsOn) {
+          if (!stepNames.has(dep)) {
+            throw new Error(`${source}: step "${step.name}" depends on unknown step "${dep}"`);
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    this.detectCycles(w.steps as WorkflowStep[], source, w.name as string);
+    this.detectLeadWorkerDeadlock(w.steps as WorkflowStep[], agents, source, w.name as string);
+
+    // Warn if non-interactive agent task is excessively large before interpolation
+    for (const step of w.steps as WorkflowStep[]) {
+      if (step.type === 'deterministic' || step.type === 'worktree') continue;
+      const agentDef = agents.find((a) => a.name === step.agent);
+      const isNonInteractive =
+        agentDef?.interactive === false || ['worker', 'reviewer', 'analyst'].includes(agentDef?.preset ?? '');
+      if (isNonInteractive && (step.task ?? '').length > 10_000) {
+        console.warn(
+          `[WorkflowRunner] Warning: non-interactive step "${step.name}" has a very large task (${step.task!.length} chars). ` +
+            `Consider pre-reading files in a deterministic step and injecting only the relevant excerpt.`
+        );
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  private detectCycles(steps: WorkflowStep[], source: string, workflowName: string): void {
+    const adj = new Map<string, string[]>();
+    for (const step of steps) {
+      adj.set(step.name, step.dependsOn ?? []);
+    }
+
+    const visited = new Set<string>();
+    const inStack = new Set<string>();
+
+    const dfs = (node: string): void => {
+      if (inStack.has(node)) {
+        throw new Error(
+          `${source}: workflow "${workflowName}" contains a dependency cycle involving "${node}"`
+        );
+      }
+      if (visited.has(node)) return;
+      inStack.add(node);
+      for (const dep of adj.get(node) ?? []) {
+        dfs(dep);
+      }
+      inStack.delete(node);
+      visited.add(node);
+    };
+
+    for (const step of steps) {
+      dfs(step.name);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private detectLeadWorkerDeadlock(
+    steps: WorkflowStep[],
+    agents: AgentDefinition[],
+    source: string,
+    workflowName: string
+  ): void {
+    // Build a map of step name → steps that depend on it
+    const downstreamOf = new Map<string, string[]>();
+    for (const step of steps) {
+      for (const dep of step.dependsOn ?? []) {
+        if (!downstreamOf.has(dep)) downstreamOf.set(dep, []);
+        downstreamOf.get(dep)!.push(step.name);
+      }
+    }
+
+    for (const step of steps) {
+      // Only check interactive agent steps (leads)
+      if (step.type === 'deterministic' || step.type === 'worktree') continue;
+      const agentDef = agents.find((a) => a.name === step.agent);
+      // Skip non-interactive agents — they can't wait for channel signals
+      if (
+        agentDef?.interactive === false ||
+        agentDef?.preset === 'worker' ||
+        agentDef?.preset === 'reviewer' ||
+        agentDef?.preset === 'analyst'
+      )
+        continue;
+
+      const downstream = downstreamOf.get(step.name) ?? [];
+      if (downstream.length === 0) continue;
+
+      // Check if the task mentions downstream step names in a "waiting" context
+      const task = step.task ?? '';
+      const waitingKeywords = /\b(wait|waiting|monitor|check inbox|check.*channel|DONE|_DONE|signal)\b/i;
+      if (!waitingKeywords.test(task)) continue;
+
+      // Check if any downstream step name appears in the task
+      const mentioned = downstream.filter((name) => task.includes(name));
+      if (mentioned.length > 0) {
+        throw new Error(
+          `${source}: workflow "${workflowName}" likely has a lead\u2194worker deadlock. ` +
+            `Step "${step.name}" (interactive lead) mentions downstream step(s) [${mentioned.join(', ')}] in its task ` +
+            `and appears to wait for their signals, but those steps can't start until "${step.name}" completes. ` +
+            `Fix: make workers depend on a shared upstream step (e.g. "context"), not on the lead step. ` +
+            `See tests/workflows/README.md rule #6.`
+        );
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  // ── Template variable resolution ────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  /** Resolve {{variable}} placeholders in all task strings. */
+  resolveVariables(config: RelayYamlConfig, vars: VariableContext): RelayYamlConfig {
+    const resolved = structuredClone(config);
+
+    for (const agent of resolved.agents) {
+      if (agent.task) {
+        agent.task = this.interpolate(agent.task, vars);
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (resolved.workflows) {
+      for (const wf of resolved.workflows) {
+        for (const step of wf.steps) {
+          // Resolve variables in task (agent steps) and command (deterministic steps)
+          if (step.task) {
+            step.task = this.interpolate(step.task, vars);
+          }
+          if (step.command) {
+            step.command = this.interpolate(step.command, vars);
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    return resolved;
+  }
+
+  private interpolate(template: string, vars: VariableContext): string {
+    return template.replace(/\{\{([\w][\w.\-]*)\}\}/g, (_match, key: string) => {
+      // Skip step-output placeholders — they are resolved at execution time by interpolateStepTask()
+      if (key.startsWith('steps.')) {
+        return _match;
+      }
+
+      // Resolve dot-path variables like steps.plan.output
+      const value = this.resolveDotPath(key, vars);
+      if (value === undefined) {
+        throw new Error(`Unresolved variable: {{${key}}}`);
+      }
+      return String(value);
+    });
+  }
+
+  private resolveDotPath(key: string, vars: VariableContext): string | number | boolean | undefined {
+    // Simple key — direct lookup
+    if (!key.includes('.')) {
+      return vars[key];
+    }
+
+    // Dot-path — walk into nested context
+    const parts = key.split('.');
+    let current: unknown = vars;
+    for (const part of parts) {
+      if (current === null || current === undefined || typeof current !== 'object') {
+        return undefined;
+      }
+      current = (current as Record<string, unknown>)[part];
+    }
+
+    if (current === undefined || current === null) {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+    if (typeof current === 'string' || typeof current === 'number' || typeof current === 'boolean') {
+      return current;
+    }
+    return String(current);
+  }
+
+  /** Build a nested context from completed step outputs for {{steps.X.output}} resolution. */
+  private buildStepOutputContext(stepStates: Map<string, StepState>, runId?: string): VariableContext {
+    const steps: Record<string, { output: string }> = {};
+    for (const [name, state] of stepStates) {
+      if (state.row.status === 'completed' && state.row.output !== undefined) {
+        steps[name] = { output: state.row.output };
+      } else if (state.row.status === 'completed' && runId) {
+        // Recover from persisted output on disk (e.g., after restart)
+        const persisted = this.loadStepOutput(runId, name);
+        if (persisted) {
+          state.row.output = persisted;
+          steps[name] = { output: persisted };
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    return { steps } as unknown as VariableContext;
+  }
+
+  /** Interpolate step-output variables, silently skipping unresolved ones (they may be user vars). */
+  private interpolateStepTask(template: string, context: VariableContext): string {
+    return template.replace(/\{\{(steps\.[\w\-]+\.output)\}\}/g, (_match, key: string) => {
+      const value = this.resolveDotPath(key, context);
+      if (value === undefined) {
+        // Leave unresolved — may not be an error if the template doesn't depend on prior steps
+        return _match;
+      }
+      return String(value);
+    });
+  }
+
+  // ── Execution ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  /** Execute a named workflow from a validated config. */
+  async execute(
+    config: RelayYamlConfig,
+    workflowName?: string,
+    vars?: VariableContext
+  ): Promise<WorkflowRunRow> {
+    const resolved = vars ? this.resolveVariables(config, vars) : config;
+    const workflows = resolved.workflows ?? [];
+
+    const workflow = workflowName ? workflows.find((w) => w.name === workflowName) : workflows[0];
+
+    if (!workflow) {
+      throw new Error(
+        workflowName ? `Workflow "${workflowName}" not found in config` : 'No workflows defined in config'
+      );
+    }
+
+    // Load and resolve custom step definitions
+    const customSteps = loadCustomSteps(this.cwd);
+    const resolvedSteps = resolveAllCustomSteps(workflow.steps, customSteps);
+    const resolvedWorkflow = { ...workflow, steps: resolvedSteps };
+
+    const runId = this.generateId();
+    const now = new Date().toISOString();
+
+    const run: WorkflowRunRow = {
+      id: runId,
+      workspaceId: this.workspaceId,
+      workflowName: resolvedWorkflow.name,
+      pattern: resolved.swarm.pattern,
+      status: 'pending',
+      config: resolved,
+      startedAt: now,
+      createdAt: now,
+      updatedAt: now,
+    };
+
+    await this.db.insertRun(run);
+
+    // Build step rows
+    const stepStates = new Map<string, StepState>();
+    for (const step of resolvedWorkflow.steps) {
+      // Handle agent, deterministic, and worktree steps
+      const isNonAgent = step.type === 'deterministic' || step.type === 'worktree';
+
+      const stepRow: WorkflowStepRow = {
+        id: this.generateId(),
+        runId,
+        stepName: step.name,
+        agentName: isNonAgent ? null : (step.agent ?? null),
+        stepType: isNonAgent ? (step.type as 'deterministic' | 'worktree') : 'agent',
+        status: 'pending',
+        task:
+          step.type === 'deterministic'
+            ? (step.command ?? '')
+            : step.type === 'worktree'
+              ? (step.branch ?? '')
+              : (step.task ?? ''),
+        dependsOn: step.dependsOn ?? [],
+        retryCount: 0,
+        createdAt: now,
+        updatedAt: now,
+      };
+      await this.db.insertStep(stepRow);
+      stepStates.set(step.name, { row: stepRow });
+    }
+
+    return this.runWorkflowCore({
+      run,
+      workflow: resolvedWorkflow,
+      config: resolved,
+      stepStates,
+      isResume: false,
+    });
+  }
+
+  /** Resume a previously paused or partially completed run. */
+  async resume(runId: string, vars?: VariableContext): Promise<WorkflowRunRow> {
+    const run = await this.db.getRun(runId);
+    if (!run) {
+      throw new Error(`Run "${runId}" not found`);
+    }
+
+    if (run.status !== 'running' && run.status !== 'failed') {
+      throw new Error(`Run "${runId}" is in status "${run.status}" and cannot be resumed`);
+    }
+
+    const config = vars ? this.resolveVariables(run.config, vars) : run.config;
+    const workflows = config.workflows ?? [];
+    const workflow = workflows.find((w) => w.name === run.workflowName);
+    if (!workflow) {
+      throw new Error(`Workflow "${run.workflowName}" not found in stored config`);
+    }
+
+    const existingSteps = await this.db.getStepsByRunId(runId);
+    const stepStates = new Map<string, StepState>();
+    for (const stepRow of existingSteps) {
+      stepStates.set(stepRow.stepName, { row: stepRow });
+    }
+
+    // Reset failed steps to pending for retry
+    for (const [, state] of stepStates) {
+      if (state.row.status === 'failed') {
+        state.row.status = 'pending';
+        state.row.error = undefined;
+        await this.db.updateStep(state.row.id, {
+          status: 'pending',
+          error: undefined,
+          updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+        });
+      }
+    }
+
+    return this.runWorkflowCore({
+      run,
+      workflow,
+      config,
+      stepStates,
+      isResume: true,
+    });
+  }
+
+  private async runWorkflowCore(input: {
+    run: WorkflowRunRow;
+    workflow: WorkflowDefinition;
+    config: RelayYamlConfig;
+    stepStates: Map<string, StepState>;
+    isResume: boolean;
+  }): Promise<WorkflowRunRow> {
+    const { run, workflow, config, stepStates, isResume } = input;
+    const runId = run.id;
+
+    // Start execution
+    this.abortController = new AbortController();
+    this.paused = false;
+    this.currentConfig = config;
+    this.currentRunId = runId;
+    this.runStartTime = Date.now();
+
+    this.log(`Starting workflow "${workflow.name}" (${workflow.steps.length} steps)`);
+
+    // Initialize trajectory recording
+    this.trajectory = new WorkflowTrajectory(config.trajectories, runId, this.cwd);
+
+    try {
+      await this.updateRunStatus(runId, 'running');
+      if (!isResume) {
+        this.emit({ type: 'run:started', runId });
+      }
+
+      const pendingCount = [...stepStates.values()].filter((s) => s.row.status === 'pending').length;
+      if (isResume) {
+        await this.trajectory.start(
+          workflow.name,
+          workflow.steps.length,
+          `Resumed run: ${pendingCount} pending steps of ${workflow.steps.length} total`,
+          config.description,
+          config.swarm.pattern
+        );
+      } else {
+        // Analyze DAG for trajectory context on first run
+        const dagInfo = this.analyzeDAG(workflow.steps);
+        await this.trajectory.start(
+          workflow.name,
+          workflow.steps.length,
+          dagInfo,
+          config.description,
+          config.swarm.pattern
+        );
+      }
+
+      const channel =
+        config.swarm.channel ??
+        `wf-${this.sanitizeChannelName(config.name || run.workflowName)}-${this.generateShortId()}`;
+      this.channel = channel;
+      if (!config.swarm.channel) {
+        config.swarm.channel = channel;
+        await this.db.updateRun(runId, { config });
+      }
+      this.log('Resolving Relaycast API key...');
+      await this.ensureRelaycastApiKey(channel);
+      this.log('API key resolved');
+      if (this.relayApiKeyAutoCreated && this.relayApiKey) {
+        this.log(`Workspace created — follow this run in Relaycast:`);
+        this.log(`  RELAY_API_KEY=${this.relayApiKey}`);
+        this.log(`  Observer: https://observer.relaycast.dev (paste key above)`);
+        this.log(`  Channel: ${channel}`);
+      }
+
+      this.log('Starting broker...');
+      // Include a short run ID suffix in the broker name so each workflow execution
+      // registers a unique identity in Relaycast. Without this, re-running in the same
+      // workspace hits a 409 conflict because the previous run's agent is still registered.
+      const brokerBaseName = path.basename(this.cwd) || 'workflow';
+      const brokerName = `${brokerBaseName}-${runId.slice(0, 8)}`;
+      this.relay = new AgentRelay({
+        ...this.relayOptions,
+        brokerName,
+        channels: [channel],
+        env: this.getRelayEnv(),
+        // Workflows spawn agents across multiple waves; each spawn requires a PTY +
+        // Relaycast registration. 60s is too tight when the broker is saturated with
+        // long-running PTY processes from earlier steps. 120s gives room to breathe.
+        requestTimeoutMs: this.relayOptions.requestTimeoutMs ?? 120_000,
+      });
+
+      // Wire PTY output dispatcher — routes chunks to per-agent listeners + activity logging
+      this.relay.onWorkerOutput = ({ name, chunk }) => {
+        const listener = this.ptyListeners.get(name);
+        if (listener) listener(chunk);
+
+        // Parse PTY output for high-signal activity
+        const stripped = WorkflowRunner.stripAnsi(chunk);
+        const shortName = name.replace(/-[a-f0-9]{6,}$/, '');
+        let activity: string | undefined;
+        if (/Read\(/.test(stripped)) {
+          // Extract filename — path may be truncated at chunk boundary so require
+          // at least a dir separator or 8+ chars to trust the basename.
+          const m = stripped.match(/Read\(\s*~?([^\s)"']{8,})/);
+          if (m) {
+            const base = path.basename(m[1]);
+            activity = base.length >= 3 ? `Reading ${base}` : 'Reading file...';
+          } else {
+            activity = 'Reading file...';
+          }
+        } else if (/Edit\(/.test(stripped)) {
+          const m = stripped.match(/Edit\(\s*~?([^\s)"']{8,})/);
+          if (m) {
+            const base = path.basename(m[1]);
+            activity = base.length >= 3 ? `Editing ${base}` : 'Editing file...';
+          } else {
+            activity = 'Editing file...';
+          }
+        } else if (/Bash\(/.test(stripped)) {
+          // Extract a short preview of the command
+          const m = stripped.match(/Bash\(\s*(.{1,40})/);
+          activity = m ? `Running: ${m[1].trim()}...` : 'Running command...';
+        } else if (/Explore\(/.test(stripped)) {
+          const m = stripped.match(/Explore\(\s*(.{1,50})/);
+          activity = m ? `Exploring: ${m[1].replace(/\).*/, '').trim()}` : 'Exploring codebase...';
+        } else if (/Task\(/.test(stripped)) {
+          activity = 'Running sub-agent...';
+        } else if (/Sublimating|Thinking|Coalescing|Cultivating/.test(stripped)) {
+          const m = stripped.match(/(\d+)s/);
+          activity = m ? `Thinking... (${m[1]}s)` : 'Thinking...';
+        }
+        if (activity && this.lastActivity.get(name) !== activity) {
+          this.lastActivity.set(name, activity);
+          this.log(`[${shortName}] ${activity}`);
+        }
+      };
+
+      // Wire relay event hooks for rich console logging
+      this.relay.onMessageReceived = (msg) => {
+        const body = msg.text.length > 120 ? msg.text.slice(0, 117) + '...' : msg.text;
+        const fromShort = msg.from.replace(/-[a-f0-9]{6,}$/, '');
+        const toShort = msg.to.replace(/-[a-f0-9]{6,}$/, '');
+        this.log(`[msg] ${fromShort} → ${toShort}: ${body}`);
+      };
+
+      this.relay.onAgentSpawned = (agent) => {
+        // Skip agents already managed by step execution
+        if (!this.activeAgentHandles.has(agent.name)) {
+          this.log(`[spawned] ${agent.name} (${agent.runtime})`);
+        }
+      };
+
+      this.relay.onAgentExited = (agent) => {
+        this.lastActivity.delete(agent.name);
+        this.lastIdleLog.delete(agent.name);
+        if (!this.activeAgentHandles.has(agent.name)) {
+          this.log(`[exited] ${agent.name} (code: ${agent.exitCode ?? '?'})`);
+        }
+      };
+
+      this.relay.onAgentIdle = ({ name, idleSecs }) => {
+        // Only log at 30s multiples to avoid watchdog spam
+        const bucket = Math.floor(idleSecs / 30) * 30;
+        if (bucket >= 30 && this.lastIdleLog.get(name) !== bucket) {
+          this.lastIdleLog.set(name, bucket);
+          const shortName = name.replace(/-[a-f0-9]{6,}$/, '');
+          this.log(`[idle] ${shortName} silent for ${bucket}s`);
+        }
+      };
+
+      this.relaycast = undefined;
+      this.relaycastAgent = undefined;
+
+      // Wire broker stderr to console for observability
+      this.unsubBrokerStderr = this.relay.onBrokerStderr((line: string) => {
+        console.log(`[broker] ${line}`);
+      });
+
+      this.log(`Creating channel: ${channel}...`);
+      if (isResume) {
+        await this.createAndJoinRelaycastChannel(channel);
+      } else {
+        await this.createAndJoinRelaycastChannel(channel, workflow.description);
+      }
+      this.log('Channel ready');
+
+      if (isResume) {
+        this.postToChannel(`Workflow **${workflow.name}** resumed — ${pendingCount} pending steps`);
+      } else {
+        this.postToChannel(
+          `Workflow **${workflow.name}** started — ${workflow.steps.length} steps, pattern: ${config.swarm.pattern}`
+        );
+      }
+
+      const agentMap = new Map<string, AgentDefinition>();
+      for (const agent of config.agents) {
+        agentMap.set(agent.name, agent);
+      }
+
+      // Run preflight checks before any steps (skip on resume)
+      if (!isResume && workflow.preflight?.length) {
+        await this.runPreflightChecks(workflow.preflight, runId);
+      }
+
+      // Pre-register all interactive agent steps with Relaycast before execution.
+      // This warms the broker's token cache so spawn_agent calls are instant cache
+      // hits rather than blocking on individual HTTP registrations per spawn.
+      // Agent names use the run ID prefix (deterministic) so we can predict them.
+      if (this.relay && !isResume) {
+        const agentPreflight = workflow.steps
+          .filter((s) => s.type !== 'deterministic' && s.type !== 'worktree' && s.agent)
+          .map((s) => {
+            const agentDef = agentMap.get(s.agent!);
+            return agentDef && agentDef.interactive !== false
+              ? { name: `${s.name}-${runId.slice(0, 8)}`, cli: agentDef.cli }
+              : null;
+          })
+          .filter((e): e is { name: string; cli: AgentCli } => e !== null);
+
+        if (agentPreflight.length > 0) {
+          this.log(`Pre-registering ${agentPreflight.length} agents with Relaycast...`);
+          await this.relay.preflightAgents(agentPreflight).catch((err: Error) => {
+            this.log(`[preflight-agents] warning: ${err.message} — continuing without pre-registration`);
+          });
+          this.log('Agent pre-registration complete');
+        }
+      }
+
+      this.log(`Executing ${workflow.steps.length} steps (pattern: ${config.swarm.pattern})`);
+      await this.executeSteps(workflow, stepStates, agentMap, config.errorHandling, runId);
+
+      const allCompleted = [...stepStates.values()].every(
+        (s) => s.row.status === 'completed' || s.row.status === 'skipped'
+      );
+
+      if (allCompleted) {
+        this.log('Workflow completed successfully');
+        await this.updateRunStatus(runId, 'completed');
+        this.emit({ type: 'run:completed', runId });
+
+        const outcomes = this.collectOutcomes(stepStates, workflow.steps);
+        const summary = this.trajectory.buildRunSummary(outcomes);
+        const confidence = this.trajectory.computeConfidence(outcomes);
+        await this.trajectory.complete(summary, confidence, {
+          learnings: this.trajectory.extractLearnings(outcomes),
+          challenges: this.trajectory.extractChallenges(outcomes),
+        });
+
+        this.postCompletionReport(workflow.name, outcomes, summary, confidence);
+        this.logRunSummary(workflow.name, outcomes, runId);
+      } else {
+        const failedStep = [...stepStates.values()].find((s) => s.row.status === 'failed');
+        const errorMsg = failedStep?.row.error ?? 'One or more steps failed';
+        await this.updateRunStatus(runId, 'failed', errorMsg);
+        this.emit({ type: 'run:failed', runId, error: errorMsg });
+
+        const outcomes = this.collectOutcomes(stepStates, workflow.steps);
+        this.postFailureReport(workflow.name, outcomes, errorMsg);
+        this.logRunSummary(workflow.name, outcomes, runId);
+        await this.trajectory.abandon(errorMsg);
+      }
+    } catch (err) {
+      const errorMsg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
+      const status: WorkflowRunStatus =
+        !isResume && this.abortController?.signal.aborted ? 'cancelled' : 'failed';
+      await this.updateRunStatus(runId, status, errorMsg);
+
+      if (status === 'cancelled') {
+        this.emit({ type: 'run:cancelled', runId });
+        this.postToChannel(`Workflow **${workflow.name}** cancelled`);
+        await this.trajectory.abandon('Cancelled by user');
+      } else {
+        this.emit({ type: 'run:failed', runId, error: errorMsg });
+        this.postToChannel(`Workflow failed: ${errorMsg}`);
+        await this.trajectory.abandon(errorMsg);
+      }
+    } finally {
+      for (const stream of this.ptyLogStreams.values()) stream.end();
+      this.ptyLogStreams.clear();
+      this.ptyOutputBuffers.clear();
+      this.ptyListeners.clear();
+
+      this.unsubBrokerStderr?.();
+      this.unsubBrokerStderr = undefined;
+
+      // Null out relay event hooks to prevent leaks
+      if (this.relay) {
+        this.relay.onMessageReceived = null;
+        this.relay.onAgentSpawned = null;
+        this.relay.onAgentExited = null;
+        this.relay.onAgentIdle = null;
+        this.relay.onWorkerOutput = null;
+      }
+      this.lastIdleLog.clear();
+      this.lastActivity.clear();
+
+      this.log('Shutting down broker...');
+      await this.relay?.shutdown();
+      this.relay = undefined;
+      this.runStartTime = undefined;
+      this.relaycast = undefined;
+      this.relaycastAgent = undefined;
+      this.channel = undefined;
+      this.trajectory = undefined;
+      this.abortController = undefined;
+      this.currentConfig = undefined;
+      this.currentRunId = undefined;
+      this.activeAgentHandles.clear();
+    }
+
+    const finalRun = await this.db.getRun(runId);
+    return finalRun ?? run;
+  }
+
+  /** Pause execution. Currently-running steps will finish but no new steps start. */
+  pause(): void {
+    this.paused = true;
+  }
+
+  /** Resume after a pause(). */
+  unpause(): void {
+    this.paused = false;
+    this.pauseResolver?.();
+    this.pauseResolver = undefined;
+  }
+
+  /** Abort the current run. Running agents are released. */
+  abort(): void {
+    // Unblock waitIfPaused() so the run loop can exit
+    this.pauseResolver?.();
+    this.pauseResolver = undefined;
+    this.abortController?.abort();
+  }
+
+  // ── Step execution engine ─────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  private async executeSteps(
+    workflow: WorkflowDefinition,
+    stepStates: Map<string, StepState>,
+    agentMap: Map<string, AgentDefinition>,
+    errorHandling: ErrorHandlingConfig | undefined,
+    runId: string
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    const rawStrategy = errorHandling?.strategy ?? workflow.onError ?? 'fail-fast';
+    // Map shorthand onError values to canonical strategy names.
+    // 'retry' maps to 'fail-fast' so downstream steps are properly skipped after retries exhaust.
+    const strategy =
+      rawStrategy === 'fail'
+        ? 'fail-fast'
+        : rawStrategy === 'skip'
+          ? 'continue'
+          : rawStrategy === 'retry'
+            ? 'fail-fast'
+            : rawStrategy;
+
+    // DAG-based execution: repeatedly find ready steps and run them in parallel
+    while (true) {
+      this.checkAborted();
+      await this.waitIfPaused();
+
+      const readySteps = this.findReadySteps(workflow.steps, stepStates);
+      if (readySteps.length === 0) {
+        // No steps ready — either all done or blocked
+        break;
+      }
+
+      // Begin a track chapter if multiple parallel steps are starting
+      if (readySteps.length > 1 && this.trajectory) {
+        const trackNames = readySteps.map((s) => s.name).join(', ');
+        await this.trajectory.beginTrack(trackNames);
+      }
+
+      // Stagger spawns when many steps are ready simultaneously.
+      // All agents still run concurrently once spawned — this only delays when
+      // each step's executeStep() begins, preventing Relaycast from receiving
+      // N simultaneous registration requests which causes spawn timeouts.
+      const STAGGER_THRESHOLD = 3;
+      const STAGGER_DELAY_MS = 2_000;
+      const results = await Promise.allSettled(
+        readySteps.map((step, i) => {
+          const delay = readySteps.length > STAGGER_THRESHOLD ? i * STAGGER_DELAY_MS : 0;
+          if (delay === 0) {
+            return this.executeStep(step, stepStates, agentMap, errorHandling, runId);
+          }
+          return new Promise<void>((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, delay)).then(() =>
+            this.executeStep(step, stepStates, agentMap, errorHandling, runId)
+          );
+        })
+      );
+
+      // Collect outcomes from this batch for convergence reflection
+      const batchOutcomes: StepOutcome[] = [];
+
+      for (let i = 0; i < results.length; i++) {
+        const result = results[i];
+        const step = readySteps[i];
+        const state = stepStates.get(step.name);
+
+        if (result.status === 'rejected') {
+          const error = result.reason instanceof Error ? result.reason.message : String(result.reason);
+          if (state && state.row.status !== 'failed') {
+            await this.markStepFailed(state, error, runId);
+          }
+
+          batchOutcomes.push({
+            name: step.name,
+            agent: step.agent ?? 'deterministic',
+            status: 'failed',
+            attempts: (state?.row.retryCount ?? 0) + 1,
+            error,
+          });
+
+          if (strategy === 'fail-fast') {
+            // Mark all pending downstream steps as skipped
+            await this.markDownstreamSkipped(step.name, workflow.steps, stepStates, runId);
+            throw new Error(`Step "${step.name}" failed: ${error}`);
+          }
+
+          if (strategy === 'continue') {
+            await this.markDownstreamSkipped(step.name, workflow.steps, stepStates, runId);
+          }
+        } else {
+          batchOutcomes.push({
+            name: step.name,
+            agent: step.agent ?? 'deterministic',
+            status: state?.row.status === 'completed' ? 'completed' : 'failed',
+            attempts: (state?.row.retryCount ?? 0) + 1,
+            output: state?.row.output,
+            verificationPassed: state?.row.status === 'completed' && step.verification !== undefined,
+          });
+        }
+      }
+
+      // Reflect at convergence when a parallel batch completes
+      if (readySteps.length > 1 && this.trajectory?.shouldReflectOnConverge()) {
+        const label = readySteps.map((s) => s.name).join(' + ');
+        // Find steps that this batch unblocks
+        const completedNames = new Set(
+          batchOutcomes.filter((o) => o.status === 'completed').map((o) => o.name)
+        );
+        const unblocked = workflow.steps
+          .filter((s) => s.dependsOn?.some((dep) => completedNames.has(dep)))
+          .filter((s) => {
+            const st = stepStates.get(s.name);
+            return st && st.row.status === 'pending';
+          })
+          .map((s) => s.name);
+
+        await this.trajectory.synthesizeAndReflect(
+          label,
+          batchOutcomes,
+          unblocked.length > 0 ? unblocked : undefined
+        );
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  private findReadySteps(steps: WorkflowStep[], stepStates: Map<string, StepState>): WorkflowStep[] {
+    return steps.filter((step) => {
+      const state = stepStates.get(step.name);
+      if (!state || state.row.status !== 'pending') return false;
+
+      const deps = step.dependsOn ?? [];
+      return deps.every((dep) => {
+        const depState = stepStates.get(dep);
+        return depState && (depState.row.status === 'completed' || depState.row.status === 'skipped');
+      });
+    });
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Execute preflight checks before any workflow steps.
+   * All checks must pass or the workflow fails immediately.
+   */
+  private async runPreflightChecks(checks: PreflightCheck[], runId: string): Promise<void> {
+    this.postToChannel(`Running ${checks.length} preflight check(s)...`);
+
+    for (const check of checks) {
+      this.checkAborted();
+
+      const description = check.description ?? check.command.slice(0, 50);
+      this.postToChannel(`**[preflight]** ${description}`);
+
+      try {
+        const output = await new Promise<string>((resolve, reject) => {
+          const child = cpSpawn('sh', ['-c', check.command], {
+            stdio: 'pipe',
+            cwd: this.cwd,
+            env: { ...process.env },
+          });
+
+          const stdoutChunks: string[] = [];
+          const stderrChunks: string[] = [];
+
+          // Wire abort signal
+          const abortSignal = this.abortController?.signal;
+          let abortHandler: (() => void) | undefined;
+          if (abortSignal && !abortSignal.aborted) {
+            abortHandler = () => {
+              child.kill('SIGTERM');
+            };
+            abortSignal.addEventListener('abort', abortHandler, { once: true });
+          }
+
+          // 30s timeout for preflight checks
+          const timer = setTimeout(() => {
+            child.kill('SIGTERM');
+            reject(new Error(`Preflight check timed out: ${description}`));
+          }, 30_000);
+
+          child.stdout?.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+            stdoutChunks.push(chunk.toString());
+          });
+
+          child.stderr?.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+            stderrChunks.push(chunk.toString());
+          });
+
+          child.on('close', (code) => {
+            clearTimeout(timer);
+            if (abortHandler && abortSignal) {
+              abortSignal.removeEventListener('abort', abortHandler);
+            }
+
+            if (abortSignal?.aborted) {
+              reject(new Error('Preflight check aborted'));
+              return;
+            }
+
+            // Non-zero exit code is a failure
+            if (code !== 0 && code !== null) {
+              const stderr = stderrChunks.join('');
+              reject(
+                new Error(`Preflight check failed (exit ${code})${stderr ? `: ${stderr.slice(0, 200)}` : ''}`)
+              );
+              return;
+            }
+
+            resolve(stdoutChunks.join(''));
+          });
+
+          child.on('error', (err) => {
+            clearTimeout(timer);
+            if (abortHandler && abortSignal) {
+              abortSignal.removeEventListener('abort', abortHandler);
+            }
+            reject(new Error(`Preflight check error: ${err.message}`));
+          });
+        });
+
+        // Check failIf condition
+        if (check.failIf) {
+          const trimmedOutput = output.trim();
+          if (check.failIf === 'non-empty' && trimmedOutput.length > 0) {
+            throw new Error(`Preflight failed: output is non-empty\n${trimmedOutput.slice(0, 200)}`);
+          }
+          if (check.failIf === 'empty' && trimmedOutput.length === 0) {
+            throw new Error('Preflight failed: output is empty');
+          }
+          // Treat as regex pattern
+          if (check.failIf !== 'non-empty' && check.failIf !== 'empty') {
+            const regex = new RegExp(check.failIf);
+            if (regex.test(output)) {
+              throw new Error(`Preflight failed: output matches pattern "${check.failIf}"`);
+            }
+          }
+        }
+
+        // Check successIf condition
+        if (check.successIf) {
+          const regex = new RegExp(check.successIf);
+          if (!regex.test(output)) {
+            throw new Error(`Preflight failed: output does not match required pattern "${check.successIf}"`);
+          }
+        }
+
+        this.postToChannel(`**[preflight]** ${description} — passed`);
+      } catch (err) {
+        const errorMsg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
+        this.postToChannel(`**[preflight]** ${description} — FAILED: ${errorMsg}`);
+        throw new Error(`Preflight check failed: ${errorMsg}`);
+      }
+    }
+
+    this.postToChannel('All preflight checks passed');
+  }
+
+  /** Check if a step is deterministic (shell command) vs agent (LLM-powered). */
+  private isDeterministicStep(step: WorkflowStep): boolean {
+    return step.type === 'deterministic';
+  }
+
+  /** Check if a step is a worktree (git worktree setup) step. */
+  private isWorktreeStep(step: WorkflowStep): boolean {
+    return step.type === 'worktree';
+  }
+
+  private async executeStep(
+    step: WorkflowStep,
+    stepStates: Map<string, StepState>,
+    agentMap: Map<string, AgentDefinition>,
+    errorHandling: ErrorHandlingConfig | undefined,
+    runId: string
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    // Branch: deterministic steps execute shell commands
+    if (this.isDeterministicStep(step)) {
+      return this.executeDeterministicStep(step, stepStates, runId);
+    }
+
+    // Branch: worktree steps set up git worktrees
+    if (this.isWorktreeStep(step)) {
+      return this.executeWorktreeStep(step, stepStates, runId);
+    }
+
+    // Agent step execution
+    return this.executeAgentStep(step, stepStates, agentMap, errorHandling, runId);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Execute a deterministic step (shell command).
+   * Fast, reliable, $0 LLM cost.
+   */
+  private async executeDeterministicStep(
+    step: WorkflowStep,
+    stepStates: Map<string, StepState>,
+    runId: string
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    const state = stepStates.get(step.name);
+    if (!state) throw new Error(`Step state not found: ${step.name}`);
+
+    this.checkAborted();
+
+    // Mark step as running
+    state.row.status = 'running';
+    state.row.startedAt = new Date().toISOString();
+    await this.db.updateStep(state.row.id, {
+      status: 'running',
+      startedAt: state.row.startedAt,
+      updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+    });
+    this.emit({ type: 'step:started', runId, stepName: step.name });
+    this.postToChannel(`**[${step.name}]** Started (deterministic)`);
+
+    // Resolve variables in the command (e.g., {{steps.plan.output}}, {{branch-name}})
+    const stepOutputContext = this.buildStepOutputContext(stepStates, runId);
+    let resolvedCommand = this.interpolateStepTask(step.command ?? '', stepOutputContext);
+
+    // Also resolve simple {{variable}} placeholders (already resolved in top-level config but safe to re-run)
+    resolvedCommand = resolvedCommand.replace(/\{\{([\w][\w.\-]*)\}\}/g, (_match, key: string) => {
+      if (key.startsWith('steps.')) return _match; // Already handled above
+      const value = this.resolveDotPath(key, stepOutputContext);
+      return value !== undefined ? String(value) : _match;
+    });
+
+    try {
+      const output = await new Promise<string>((resolve, reject) => {
+        const child = cpSpawn('sh', ['-c', resolvedCommand], {
+          stdio: 'pipe',
+          cwd: this.cwd,
+          env: { ...process.env },
+        });
+
+        const stdoutChunks: string[] = [];
+        const stderrChunks: string[] = [];
+
+        // Wire abort signal
+        const abortSignal = this.abortController?.signal;
+        let abortHandler: (() => void) | undefined;
+        if (abortSignal && !abortSignal.aborted) {
+          abortHandler = () => {
+            child.kill('SIGTERM');
+            setTimeout(() => child.kill('SIGKILL'), 5000);
+          };
+          abortSignal.addEventListener('abort', abortHandler, { once: true });
+        }
+
+        // Handle timeout
+        let timedOut = false;
+        let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined;
+        if (step.timeoutMs) {
+          timer = setTimeout(() => {
+            timedOut = true;
+            child.kill('SIGTERM');
+            setTimeout(() => child.kill('SIGKILL'), 5000);
+          }, step.timeoutMs);
+        }
+
+        child.stdout?.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+          stdoutChunks.push(chunk.toString());
+        });
+
+        child.stderr?.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+          stderrChunks.push(chunk.toString());
+        });
+
+        child.on('close', (code) => {
+          if (timer) clearTimeout(timer);
+          if (abortHandler && abortSignal) {
+            abortSignal.removeEventListener('abort', abortHandler);
+          }
+
+          if (abortSignal?.aborted) {
+            reject(new Error(`Step "${step.name}" aborted`));
+            return;
+          }
+
+          if (timedOut) {
+            reject(
+              new Error(`Step "${step.name}" timed out (no step timeout set, check global swarm.timeoutMs)`)
+            );
+            return;
+          }
+
+          const stdout = stdoutChunks.join('');
+          const stderr = stderrChunks.join('');
+
+          // Check exit code unless failOnError is explicitly false
+          const failOnError = step.failOnError !== false;
+          if (failOnError && code !== 0 && code !== null) {
+            reject(
+              new Error(`Command failed with exit code ${code}${stderr ? `: ${stderr.slice(0, 500)}` : ''}`)
+            );
+            return;
+          }
+
+          resolve(step.captureOutput !== false ? stdout : `Command completed (exit code ${code ?? 0})`);
+        });
+
+        child.on('error', (err) => {
+          if (timer) clearTimeout(timer);
+          if (abortHandler && abortSignal) {
+            abortSignal.removeEventListener('abort', abortHandler);
+          }
+          reject(new Error(`Failed to execute command: ${err.message}`));
+        });
+      });
+
+      // Mark completed
+      state.row.status = 'completed';
+      state.row.output = output;
+      state.row.completedAt = new Date().toISOString();
+      await this.db.updateStep(state.row.id, {
+        status: 'completed',
+        output,
+        completedAt: state.row.completedAt,
+        updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+      });
+
+      // Persist step output
+      await this.persistStepOutput(runId, step.name, output);
+
+      this.emit({ type: 'step:completed', runId, stepName: step.name, output });
+      this.postToChannel(
+        `**[${step.name}]** Completed (deterministic)\n${output.slice(0, 500)}${output.length > 500 ? '\n...(truncated)' : ''}`
+      );
+    } catch (err) {
+      const errorMsg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
+      this.postToChannel(`**[${step.name}]** Failed: ${errorMsg}`);
+      await this.markStepFailed(state, errorMsg, runId);
+      throw new Error(`Step "${step.name}" failed: ${errorMsg}`);
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Execute a worktree step (git worktree setup).
+   * Fast, reliable, $0 LLM cost.
+   * Outputs the worktree path for downstream steps to use.
+   */
+  private async executeWorktreeStep(
+    step: WorkflowStep,
+    stepStates: Map<string, StepState>,
+    runId: string
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    const state = stepStates.get(step.name);
+    if (!state) throw new Error(`Step state not found: ${step.name}`);
+
+    this.checkAborted();
+
+    // Mark step as running
+    state.row.status = 'running';
+    state.row.startedAt = new Date().toISOString();
+    await this.db.updateStep(state.row.id, {
+      status: 'running',
+      startedAt: state.row.startedAt,
+      updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+    });
+    this.emit({ type: 'step:started', runId, stepName: step.name });
+    this.postToChannel(`**[${step.name}]** Started (worktree setup)`);
+
+    // Resolve variables in branch name and path
+    const stepOutputContext = this.buildStepOutputContext(stepStates, runId);
+    const branch = this.interpolateStepTask(step.branch ?? '', stepOutputContext);
+    const baseBranch = step.baseBranch
+      ? this.interpolateStepTask(step.baseBranch, stepOutputContext)
+      : 'HEAD';
+    const worktreePath = step.path
+      ? this.interpolateStepTask(step.path, stepOutputContext)
+      : path.join('.worktrees', step.name);
+    const createBranch = step.createBranch !== false;
+
+    if (!branch) {
+      const errorMsg = 'Worktree step missing required "branch" field';
+      await this.markStepFailed(state, errorMsg, runId);
+      throw new Error(`Step "${step.name}" failed: ${errorMsg}`);
+    }
+
+    try {
+      // Build the git worktree command
+      // If createBranch is true and branch doesn't exist, use -b flag
+      const absoluteWorktreePath = path.resolve(this.cwd, worktreePath);
+
+      // First, check if the branch already exists
+      const checkBranchCmd = `git rev-parse --verify --quiet ${branch} 2>/dev/null`;
+      let branchExists = false;
+
+      await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+        const checkChild = cpSpawn('sh', ['-c', checkBranchCmd], {
+          stdio: 'pipe',
+          cwd: this.cwd,
+          env: { ...process.env },
+        });
+        checkChild.on('close', (code) => {
+          branchExists = code === 0;
+          resolve();
+        });
+        checkChild.on('error', () => resolve());
+      });
+
+      // Build appropriate worktree add command
+      let worktreeCmd: string;
+      if (branchExists) {
+        // Branch exists, just checkout into worktree
+        worktreeCmd = `git worktree add "${absoluteWorktreePath}" ${branch}`;
+      } else if (createBranch) {
+        // Create new branch from baseBranch
+        worktreeCmd = `git worktree add -b ${branch} "${absoluteWorktreePath}" ${baseBranch}`;
+      } else {
+        // Branch doesn't exist and we're not creating it
+        const errorMsg = `Branch "${branch}" does not exist and createBranch is false`;
+        await this.markStepFailed(state, errorMsg, runId);
+        throw new Error(`Step "${step.name}" failed: ${errorMsg}`);
+      }
+
+      const output = await new Promise<string>((resolve, reject) => {
+        const child = cpSpawn('sh', ['-c', worktreeCmd], {
+          stdio: 'pipe',
+          cwd: this.cwd,
+          env: { ...process.env },
+        });
+
+        const stdoutChunks: string[] = [];
+        const stderrChunks: string[] = [];
+
+        // Wire abort signal
+        const abortSignal = this.abortController?.signal;
+        let abortHandler: (() => void) | undefined;
+        if (abortSignal && !abortSignal.aborted) {
+          abortHandler = () => {
+            child.kill('SIGTERM');
+            setTimeout(() => child.kill('SIGKILL'), 5000);
+          };
+          abortSignal.addEventListener('abort', abortHandler, { once: true });
+        }
+
+        // Handle timeout
+        let timedOut = false;
+        let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined;
+        if (step.timeoutMs) {
+          timer = setTimeout(() => {
+            timedOut = true;
+            child.kill('SIGTERM');
+            setTimeout(() => child.kill('SIGKILL'), 5000);
+          }, step.timeoutMs);
+        }
+
+        child.stdout?.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+          stdoutChunks.push(chunk.toString());
+        });
+
+        child.stderr?.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+          stderrChunks.push(chunk.toString());
+        });
+
+        child.on('close', (code) => {
+          if (timer) clearTimeout(timer);
+          if (abortHandler && abortSignal) {
+            abortSignal.removeEventListener('abort', abortHandler);
+          }
+
+          if (abortSignal?.aborted) {
+            reject(new Error(`Step "${step.name}" aborted`));
+            return;
+          }
+
+          if (timedOut) {
+            reject(
+              new Error(`Step "${step.name}" timed out (no step timeout set, check global swarm.timeoutMs)`)
+            );
+            return;
+          }
+
+          const stderr = stderrChunks.join('');
+
+          if (code !== 0 && code !== null) {
+            reject(
+              new Error(
+                `git worktree add failed with exit code ${code}${stderr ? `: ${stderr.slice(0, 500)}` : ''}`
+              )
+            );
+            return;
+          }
+
+          // Output the worktree path for downstream steps
+          resolve(absoluteWorktreePath);
+        });
+
+        child.on('error', (err) => {
+          if (timer) clearTimeout(timer);
+          if (abortHandler && abortSignal) {
+            abortSignal.removeEventListener('abort', abortHandler);
+          }
+          reject(new Error(`Failed to execute git worktree command: ${err.message}`));
+        });
+      });
+
+      // Mark completed
+      state.row.status = 'completed';
+      state.row.output = output;
+      state.row.completedAt = new Date().toISOString();
+      await this.db.updateStep(state.row.id, {
+        status: 'completed',
+        output,
+        completedAt: state.row.completedAt,
+        updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+      });
+
+      // Persist step output
+      await this.persistStepOutput(runId, step.name, output);
+
+      this.emit({ type: 'step:completed', runId, stepName: step.name, output });
+      this.postToChannel(
+        `**[${step.name}]** Worktree created at: ${output}\n  Branch: ${branch}${!branchExists && createBranch ? ' (created)' : ''}`
+      );
+    } catch (err) {
+      const errorMsg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
+      this.postToChannel(`**[${step.name}]** Failed: ${errorMsg}`);
+      await this.markStepFailed(state, errorMsg, runId);
+      throw new Error(`Step "${step.name}" failed: ${errorMsg}`);
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Execute an agent step (LLM-powered).
+   */
+  private async executeAgentStep(
+    step: WorkflowStep,
+    stepStates: Map<string, StepState>,
+    agentMap: Map<string, AgentDefinition>,
+    errorHandling: ErrorHandlingConfig | undefined,
+    runId: string
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    const state = stepStates.get(step.name);
+    if (!state) throw new Error(`Step state not found: ${step.name}`);
+
+    const agentName = step.agent;
+    if (!agentName) {
+      throw new Error(`Step "${step.name}" is missing required "agent" field`);
+    }
+    const rawAgentDef = agentMap.get(agentName);
+    if (!rawAgentDef) {
+      throw new Error(`Agent "${agentName}" not found in config`);
+    }
+    const agentDef = WorkflowRunner.resolveAgentDef(rawAgentDef);
+
+    const maxRetries = step.retries ?? agentDef.constraints?.retries ?? errorHandling?.maxRetries ?? 0;
+    const retryDelay = errorHandling?.retryDelayMs ?? 1000;
+    const timeoutMs =
+      step.timeoutMs ?? agentDef.constraints?.timeoutMs ?? this.currentConfig?.swarm?.timeoutMs;
+
+    let lastError: string | undefined;
+
+    for (let attempt = 0; attempt <= maxRetries; attempt++) {
+      this.checkAborted();
+
+      if (attempt > 0) {
+        this.emit({ type: 'step:retrying', runId, stepName: step.name, attempt });
+        this.postToChannel(`**[${step.name}]** Retrying (attempt ${attempt + 1}/${maxRetries + 1})`);
+        state.row.retryCount = attempt;
+        await this.db.updateStep(state.row.id, {
+          retryCount: attempt,
+          updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+        });
+        await this.trajectory?.stepRetrying(step, attempt, maxRetries);
+        await this.delay(retryDelay);
+      }
+
+      try {
+        // Mark step as running
+        state.row.status = 'running';
+        state.row.startedAt = new Date().toISOString();
+        await this.db.updateStep(state.row.id, {
+          status: 'running',
+          startedAt: state.row.startedAt,
+          updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+        });
+        this.emit({ type: 'step:started', runId, stepName: step.name });
+        this.postToChannel(`**[${step.name}]** Started (agent: ${agentDef.name})`);
+        await this.trajectory?.stepStarted(step, agentDef.name);
+
+        // Resolve step-output variables (e.g. {{steps.plan.output}}) at execution time
+        const stepOutputContext = this.buildStepOutputContext(stepStates, runId);
+        let resolvedTask = this.interpolateStepTask(step.task ?? '', stepOutputContext);
+
+        // If this is an interactive agent, append awareness of non-interactive workers
+        // so the lead knows not to message them and to use step output chaining instead
+        if (agentDef.interactive !== false) {
+          const nonInteractiveInfo = this.buildNonInteractiveAwareness(agentMap, stepStates);
+          if (nonInteractiveInfo) {
+            resolvedTask += nonInteractiveInfo;
+          }
+        }
+
+        // Spawn agent via AgentRelay
+        this.log(`[${step.name}] Spawning agent "${agentDef.name}" (cli: ${agentDef.cli})`);
+        const resolvedStep = { ...step, task: resolvedTask };
+        const output = await this.spawnAndWait(agentDef, resolvedStep, timeoutMs);
+        this.log(`[${step.name}] Agent "${agentDef.name}" exited`);
+
+        // Run verification if configured
+        if (step.verification) {
+          this.runVerification(step.verification, output, step.name, resolvedTask);
+        }
+
+        // Mark completed
+        state.row.status = 'completed';
+        state.row.output = output;
+        state.row.completedAt = new Date().toISOString();
+        await this.db.updateStep(state.row.id, {
+          status: 'completed',
+          output,
+          completedAt: state.row.completedAt,
+          updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+        });
+
+        // Persist step output to disk so it survives restarts and is inspectable
+        await this.persistStepOutput(runId, step.name, output);
+
+        this.emit({ type: 'step:completed', runId, stepName: step.name, output });
+        this.postToChannel(
+          `**[${step.name}]** Completed\n${output.slice(0, 500)}${output.length > 500 ? '\n...(truncated)' : ''}`
+        );
+        await this.trajectory?.stepCompleted(step, output, attempt + 1);
+        return;
+      } catch (err) {
+        lastError = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
+      }
+    }
+
+    // All retries exhausted — record root-cause diagnosis and mark failed
+    const nonInteractive =
+      agentDef.interactive === false || ['worker', 'reviewer', 'analyst'].includes(agentDef.preset ?? '');
+    const verificationValue =
+      typeof step.verification === 'object' && 'value' in step.verification
+        ? String(step.verification.value)
+        : undefined;
+    await this.trajectory?.stepFailed(step, lastError ?? 'Unknown error', maxRetries + 1, maxRetries, {
+      agent: agentName,
+      nonInteractive,
+      verificationValue,
+    });
+    this.postToChannel(`**[${step.name}]** Failed: ${lastError ?? 'Unknown error'}`);
+    await this.markStepFailed(state, lastError ?? 'Unknown error', runId);
+    throw new Error(
+      `Step "${step.name}" failed after ${maxRetries} retries: ${lastError ?? 'Unknown error'}`
+    );
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Build the CLI command and arguments for a non-interactive agent execution.
+   * Each CLI has a specific flag for one-shot prompt mode.
+   */
+  static buildNonInteractiveCommand(
+    cli: AgentCli,
+    task: string,
+    extraArgs: string[] = []
+  ): { cmd: string; args: string[] } {
+    switch (cli) {
+      case 'claude':
+        // --dangerously-skip-permissions prevents any tool-use permission prompt
+        // from blocking the process when stdio is piped (no TTY available).
+        return { cmd: 'claude', args: ['-p', '--dangerously-skip-permissions', task, ...extraArgs] };
+      case 'codex':
+        return { cmd: 'codex', args: ['exec', task, ...extraArgs] };
+      case 'gemini':
+        return { cmd: 'gemini', args: ['-p', task, ...extraArgs] };
+      case 'opencode':
+        return { cmd: 'opencode', args: ['--prompt', task, ...extraArgs] };
+      case 'droid':
+        return { cmd: 'droid', args: ['exec', task, ...extraArgs] };
+      case 'aider':
+        return { cmd: 'aider', args: ['--message', task, '--yes-always', '--no-git', ...extraArgs] };
+      case 'goose':
+        return { cmd: 'goose', args: ['run', '--text', task, '--no-session', ...extraArgs] };
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Apply preset defaults to an agent definition.
+   * Explicit fields on the definition always win over preset-inferred defaults.
+   */
+  private static resolveAgentDef(def: AgentDefinition): AgentDefinition {
+    if (!def.preset) return def;
+    const nonInteractivePresets: AgentPreset[] = ['worker', 'reviewer', 'analyst'];
+    const defaults: Partial<AgentDefinition> = nonInteractivePresets.includes(def.preset)
+      ? { interactive: false }
+      : {};
+    // Explicit fields on the def always win
+    return { ...defaults, ...def } as AgentDefinition;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Returns a preset-specific prefix that is prepended to the non-interactive
+   * enforcement block in execNonInteractive.
+   */
+  /**
+   * Returns a prefix injected into the task prompt for non-interactive agents.
+   * Lead agents are always interactive (PTY), so they never reach execNonInteractive
+   * and there is no 'lead' case here.
+   */
+  private buildPresetInjection(preset: AgentPreset | undefined): string {
+    switch (preset) {
+      case 'worker':
+        return (
+          'You are a non-interactive worker agent. Produce clean, structured output to stdout.\n' +
+          'Do NOT use relay_spawn, add_agent, or any MCP tool to spawn sub-agents.\n' +
+          'Do NOT use relay_send or any Relaycast messaging tools — you have no relay connection.\n\n'
+        );
+      case 'reviewer':
+        return (
+          'You are a non-interactive reviewer agent. Read the specified files/artifacts and produce a clear verdict.\n' +
+          'Do NOT spawn sub-agents or use any Relaycast messaging tools.\n\n'
+        );
+      case 'analyst':
+        return (
+          'You are a non-interactive analyst agent. Read the specified code/files and write your findings.\n' +
+          'Do NOT spawn sub-agents or use any Relaycast messaging tools.\n\n'
+        );
+      default:
+        return '';
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Execute an agent as a non-interactive subprocess.
+   * No PTY, no relay messaging, no /exit injection. The process receives its task
+   * as a CLI argument and stdout is captured as the step output.
+   */
+  private async execNonInteractive(
+    agentDef: AgentDefinition,
+    step: WorkflowStep,
+    timeoutMs?: number
+  ): Promise<string> {
+    const agentName = `${step.name}-${this.generateShortId()}`;
+    const modelArgs = agentDef.constraints?.model ? ['--model', agentDef.constraints.model] : [];
+
+    // Append strict deliverable enforcement — non-interactive agents MUST produce
+    // clear, structured output since there's no opportunity for follow-up or clarification.
+    const presetPrefix = this.buildPresetInjection(agentDef.preset);
+    const taskWithDeliverable =
+      presetPrefix +
+      step.task +
+      '\n\n---\n' +
+      'IMPORTANT: You are running as a non-interactive subprocess. ' +
+      'Do NOT call relay_spawn, add_agent, or any MCP tool to spawn or manage other agents.\n\n' +
+      'CRITICAL REQUIREMENT — YOU MUST FOLLOW THIS EXACTLY:\n' +
+      'You are running in non-interactive mode. There is NO opportunity for follow-up, ' +
+      'clarification, or additional input. Your stdout output is your ONLY deliverable.\n\n' +
+      'You MUST:\n' +
+      '1. Complete the ENTIRE task in a single pass — no partial work, no "I\'ll continue later"\n' +
+      '2. Print your COMPLETE deliverable to stdout — this is the ONLY output that will be captured\n' +
+      '3. Be thorough and self-contained — another agent will consume your output with zero context about your process\n' +
+      '4. End with a clear summary of what was accomplished and any artifacts produced\n\n' +
+      'DO NOT:\n' +
+      '- Ask questions or request clarification (there is no one to answer)\n' +
+      '- Output partial results expecting a follow-up (there will be none)\n' +
+      '- Skip steps or leave work incomplete\n' +
+      '- Output only status messages without the actual deliverable content';
+
+    const { cmd, args } = WorkflowRunner.buildNonInteractiveCommand(
+      agentDef.cli,
+      taskWithDeliverable,
+      modelArgs
+    );
+
+    // Open a log file for dashboard observability
+    const logsDir = this.getWorkerLogsDir();
+    const logPath = path.join(logsDir, `${agentName}.log`);
+    const logStream = createWriteStream(logPath, { flags: 'a' });
+
+    // Register in workers.json with interactive: false metadata
+    this.registerWorker(agentName, agentDef.cli, step.task ?? '', undefined, false);
+
+    // Register agent in Relaycast for observability
+    let stopHeartbeat: (() => void) | undefined;
+    if (this.relayApiKey) {
+      const agentClient = await this.registerRelaycastExternalAgent(
+        agentName,
+        `Non-interactive workflow agent for step "${step.name}" (${agentDef.cli})`
+      ).catch((err) => {
+        console.warn(`[WorkflowRunner] Failed to register ${agentName} in Relaycast:`, err?.message ?? err);
+        return null;
+      });
+      if (agentClient) {
+        stopHeartbeat = this.startRelaycastHeartbeat(agentClient);
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Post assignment notification (no task content — task arrives via direct broker injection)
+    this.postToChannel(`**[${step.name}]** Assigned to \`${agentName}\` (non-interactive)`);
+
+    const stdoutChunks: string[] = [];
+    const stderrChunks: string[] = [];
+
+    try {
+      const output = await new Promise<string>((resolve, reject) => {
+        const child = cpSpawn(cmd, args, {
+          stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
+          cwd: agentDef.cwd ? path.resolve(this.cwd, agentDef.cwd) : this.cwd,
+          env: this.getRelayEnv() ?? { ...process.env },
+        });
+
+        // Update workers.json with PID now that we have it
+        this.registerWorker(agentName, agentDef.cli, step.task ?? '', child.pid, false);
+
+        // Wire abort signal so runner.abort() kills the child process
+        const abortSignal = this.abortController?.signal;
+        let abortHandler: (() => void) | undefined;
+        if (abortSignal && !abortSignal.aborted) {
+          abortHandler = () => {
+            child.kill('SIGTERM');
+            setTimeout(() => child.kill('SIGKILL'), 5000);
+          };
+          abortSignal.addEventListener('abort', abortHandler, { once: true });
+        }
+
+        // Heartbeat so a slow non-interactive agent doesn't look frozen.
+        // Each tick shows the last substantive line received — gives insight
+        // without flooding the log with raw model output.
+        const startedAt = Date.now();
+        let lastHeartbeatLine = '';
+        const heartbeat = setInterval(() => {
+          const elapsed = Math.round((Date.now() - startedAt) / 1000);
+          const suffix = lastHeartbeatLine ? ` — ${lastHeartbeatLine.slice(0, 80)}` : '';
+          this.log(`[${step.name}] still running (${elapsed}s)${suffix}`);
+          lastHeartbeatLine = '';
+        }, 30_000);
+
+        child.stdout?.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+          const text = chunk.toString();
+          stdoutChunks.push(text);
+          logStream.write(text);
+          // Track last substantive line for the next heartbeat
+          const line =
+            text
+              .split('\n')
+              .map((l) => l.trim())
+              .filter(Boolean)
+              .at(-1) ?? '';
+          if (line) lastHeartbeatLine = line;
+        });
+
+        child.stderr?.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+          const text = chunk.toString();
+          stderrChunks.push(text);
+          logStream.write(`[stderr] ${text}`);
+        });
+
+        // Handle timeout
+        let timedOut = false;
+        let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined;
+        if (timeoutMs) {
+          timer = setTimeout(() => {
+            timedOut = true;
+            child.kill('SIGTERM');
+            // Give process time to clean up, then force kill
+            setTimeout(() => child.kill('SIGKILL'), 5000);
+          }, timeoutMs);
+        }
+
+        child.on('close', (code) => {
+          clearInterval(heartbeat);
+          if (timer) clearTimeout(timer);
+          if (abortHandler && abortSignal) {
+            abortSignal.removeEventListener('abort', abortHandler);
+          }
+          const stdout = stdoutChunks.join('');
+
+          if (abortSignal?.aborted) {
+            reject(new Error(`Step "${step.name}" aborted`));
+            return;
+          }
+
+          if (timedOut) {
+            reject(new Error(`Step "${step.name}" timed out after ${timeoutMs ?? 'unknown'}ms`));
+            return;
+          }
+
+          if (code !== 0 && code !== null) {
+            const stderr = stderrChunks.join('');
+            reject(
+              new Error(
+                `Step "${step.name}" exited with code ${code}${stderr ? `: ${stderr.slice(0, 500)}` : ''}`
+              )
+            );
+            return;
+          }
+
+          resolve(stdout);
+        });
+
+        child.on('error', (err) => {
+          clearInterval(heartbeat);
+          if (timer) clearTimeout(timer);
+          if (abortHandler && abortSignal) {
+            abortSignal.removeEventListener('abort', abortHandler);
+          }
+          reject(new Error(`Failed to spawn ${cmd}: ${err.message}`));
+        });
+      });
+
+      return output;
+    } finally {
+      stopHeartbeat?.();
+      logStream.end();
+      this.unregisterWorker(agentName);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private async spawnAndWait(
+    agentDef: AgentDefinition,
+    step: WorkflowStep,
+    timeoutMs?: number
+  ): Promise<string> {
+    // Branch: non-interactive agents run as simple subprocesses
+    if (agentDef.interactive === false) {
+      return this.execNonInteractive(agentDef, step, timeoutMs);
+    }
+
+    if (!this.relay) {
+      throw new Error('AgentRelay not initialized');
+    }
+
+    // Deterministic name: step name + first 8 chars of run ID.
+    // This matches the names pre-registered in preflightAgents(), so the broker
+    // hits its token cache instantly instead of making a fresh Relaycast HTTP call.
+    // On retry the broker may suffix a UUID (409 conflict) — that's fine, the agent
+    // still works, just without the cache benefit.
+    let agentName = `${step.name}-${(this.currentRunId ?? this.generateShortId()).slice(0, 8)}`;
+
+    // Only inject delegation guidance for lead/coordinator agents, not spokes/workers.
+    // In non-hub patterns (pipeline, dag, etc.) every agent is autonomous so they all get it.
+    const role = agentDef.role?.toLowerCase() ?? '';
+    const nameLC = agentDef.name.toLowerCase();
+    const isHub =
+      WorkflowRunner.HUB_ROLES.has(nameLC) || [...WorkflowRunner.HUB_ROLES].some((r) => role.includes(r));
+    const pattern = this.currentConfig?.swarm.pattern;
+    const isHubPattern = pattern && WorkflowRunner.HUB_PATTERNS.has(pattern);
+    const delegationGuidance =
+      isHub || !isHubPattern ? this.buildDelegationGuidance(agentDef.cli, timeoutMs) : '';
+
+    // Non-claude CLIs (codex, gemini, etc.) don't auto-register with Relaycast
+    // via the MCP system prompt the way claude does. Inject an explicit preamble
+    // so they call register() before any other relay tool.
+    const relayRegistrationNote = this.buildRelayRegistrationNote(agentDef.cli, agentName);
+
+    const taskWithExit =
+      step.task +
+      (relayRegistrationNote ? '\n\n' + relayRegistrationNote : '') +
+      (delegationGuidance ? '\n\n' + delegationGuidance + '\n' : '') +
+      '\n\n---\n' +
+      'IMPORTANT: When you have fully completed this task, you MUST self-terminate by either: ' +
+      '(a) calling remove_agent(name: "<your-agent-name>", reason: "task completed") — preferred, or ' +
+      '(b) outputting the exact text "/exit" on its own line as a fallback. ' +
+      'Do not wait for further input — terminate immediately after finishing. ' +
+      'Do NOT spawn sub-agents unless the task explicitly requires it.';
+
+    // Register PTY output listener before spawning so we capture everything
+    this.ptyOutputBuffers.set(agentName, []);
+
+    // Open a log file so `agents:logs <name>` works for workflow-spawned agents
+    const logsDir = this.getWorkerLogsDir();
+    const logStream = createWriteStream(path.join(logsDir, `${agentName}.log`), { flags: 'a' });
+    this.ptyLogStreams.set(agentName, logStream);
+
+    this.ptyListeners.set(agentName, (chunk: string) => {
+      const stripped = WorkflowRunner.stripAnsi(chunk);
+      this.ptyOutputBuffers.get(agentName)?.push(stripped);
+      // Write raw output (with ANSI codes) to log file so dashboard's
+      // XTermLogViewer can render colors/formatting natively via xterm.js
+      logStream.write(chunk);
+    });
+
+    const agentChannels = this.channel ? [this.channel] : agentDef.channels;
+
+    let agent: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof this.relay.spawnPty>>;
+    let exitResult: string = 'unknown';
+    let stopHeartbeat: (() => void) | undefined;
+    let ptyChunks: string[] = [];
+
+    try {
+      agent = await this.relay.spawnPty({
+        name: agentName,
+        cli: agentDef.cli,
+        model: agentDef.constraints?.model,
+        args: [],
+        channels: agentChannels,
+        task: taskWithExit,
+        idleThresholdSecs: agentDef.constraints?.idleThresholdSecs,
+        cwd: agentDef.cwd ? path.resolve(this.cwd, agentDef.cwd) : undefined,
+      });
+
+      // Re-key PTY maps if broker assigned a different name than requested
+      if (agent.name !== agentName) {
+        const oldName = agentName;
+        this.ptyOutputBuffers.set(agent.name, this.ptyOutputBuffers.get(oldName) ?? []);
+        this.ptyOutputBuffers.delete(oldName);
+
+        // Close old log stream and rename the file to match the new agent name
+        const oldLogPath = path.join(logsDir, `${oldName}.log`);
+        const newLogPath = path.join(logsDir, `${agent.name}.log`);
+        const oldLogStream = this.ptyLogStreams.get(oldName);
+        if (oldLogStream) {
+          oldLogStream.end();
+          this.ptyLogStreams.delete(oldName);
+          try {
+            renameSync(oldLogPath, newLogPath);
+          } catch {
+            // File may not exist yet if no output was written
+          }
+        }
+
+        // Open new log stream with the correct name
+        const newLogStream = createWriteStream(newLogPath, { flags: 'a' });
+        this.ptyLogStreams.set(agent.name, newLogStream);
+
+        // Update listener to use the new log stream
+        const oldListener = this.ptyListeners.get(oldName);
+        if (oldListener) {
+          this.ptyListeners.delete(oldName);
+          this.ptyListeners.set(agent.name, (chunk: string) => {
+            const stripped = WorkflowRunner.stripAnsi(chunk);
+            this.ptyOutputBuffers.get(agent.name)?.push(stripped);
+            newLogStream.write(chunk);
+          });
+        }
+
+        agentName = agent.name;
+      }
+
+      // Register in workers.json so `agents:kill` can find this agent
+      let workerPid: number | undefined;
+      try {
+        const rawAgents = await this.relay!.listAgentsRaw();
+        workerPid = rawAgents.find((a) => a.name === agentName)?.pid ?? undefined;
+      } catch {
+        // Best-effort PID lookup
+      }
+      this.registerWorker(agentName, agentDef.cli, step.task ?? '', workerPid);
+
+      // Register the spawned agent in Relaycast for observability + start heartbeat
+      if (this.relayApiKey) {
+        const agentClient = await this.registerRelaycastExternalAgent(
+          agent.name,
+          `Workflow agent for step "${step.name}" (${agentDef.cli})`
+        ).catch((err) => {
+          console.warn(
+            `[WorkflowRunner] Failed to register ${agent.name} in Relaycast:`,
+            err?.message ?? err
+          );
+          return null;
+        });
+
+        // Keep the agent online in the dashboard while it's working
+        if (agentClient) {
+          stopHeartbeat = this.startRelaycastHeartbeat(agentClient);
+        }
+      }
+
+      // Invite the spawned agent to the workflow channel
+      if (this.channel && this.relayApiKey) {
+        const channelAgent = await this.ensureRelaycastRunnerAgent().catch(() => null);
+        await channelAgent?.channels.invite(this.channel, agent.name).catch(() => {});
+      }
+
+      // Post assignment notification (no task content — task arrives via direct broker injection)
+      this.postToChannel(`**[${step.name}]** Assigned to \`${agent.name}\``);
+
+      // Register agent handle for hub-mediated nudging
+      this.activeAgentHandles.set(agentName, agent);
+
+      // Wait for agent to exit, with idle nudging if configured
+      exitResult = await this.waitForExitWithIdleNudging(agent, agentDef, step, timeoutMs);
+
+      // Stop heartbeat now that agent has exited
+      stopHeartbeat?.();
+
+      if (exitResult === 'timeout') {
+        // Safety net: check if the verification file exists before giving up.
+        // The agent may have completed work but failed to /exit.
+        if (step.verification?.type === 'file_exists') {
+          const verifyPath = path.resolve(this.cwd, step.verification.value);
+          if (existsSync(verifyPath)) {
+            this.postToChannel(`**[${step.name}]** Agent idle after completing work — releasing`);
+            await agent.release();
+            // Fall through to read output below
+          } else {
+            await agent.release();
+            throw new Error(`Step "${step.name}" timed out after ${timeoutMs ?? 'unknown'}ms`);
+          }
+        } else {
+          await agent.release();
+          throw new Error(`Step "${step.name}" timed out after ${timeoutMs ?? 'unknown'}ms`);
+        }
+      }
+    } finally {
+      // Snapshot PTY chunks before cleanup — we need them for output reading below
+      ptyChunks = this.ptyOutputBuffers.get(agentName) ?? [];
+
+      // Always clean up PTY resources — prevents fd leaks if spawnPty or waitForExit throws
+      stopHeartbeat?.();
+      this.activeAgentHandles.delete(agentName);
+      this.ptyOutputBuffers.delete(agentName);
+      this.ptyListeners.delete(agentName);
+      const stream = this.ptyLogStreams.get(agentName);
+      if (stream) {
+        stream.end();
+        this.ptyLogStreams.delete(agentName);
+      }
+      this.unregisterWorker(agentName);
+    }
+
+    let output: string;
+    if (ptyChunks.length > 0) {
+      output = ptyChunks.join('');
+    } else {
+      // Legacy fallback: summary file
+      const summaryPath = path.join(this.summaryDir, `${step.name}.md`);
+      output = existsSync(summaryPath)
+        ? await readFile(summaryPath, 'utf-8')
+        : exitResult === 'timeout'
+          ? 'Agent completed (released after idle timeout)'
+          : exitResult === 'released'
+            ? 'Agent completed (force-released after idle nudging)'
+            : `Agent exited (${exitResult})`;
+    }
+
+    return output;
+  }
+
+  // ── Idle nudging ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  /** Patterns where a hub agent coordinates spoke agents. */
+  private static readonly HUB_PATTERNS = new Set<string>([
+    'fan-out',
+    'hub-spoke',
+    'hierarchical',
+    'map-reduce',
+    'scatter-gather',
+    'supervisor',
+    'saga',
+    'auction',
+  ]);
+
+  /** Roles that indicate a coordinator/lead agent (eligible for delegation guidance). */
+  private static readonly HUB_ROLES = new Set([
+    'lead',
+    'hub',
+    'coordinator',
+    'supervisor',
+    'orchestrator',
+    'auctioneer',
+  ]);
+
+  /**
+   * Wait for agent exit with idle detection and nudging.
+   * If no idle nudge config is set, falls through to simple waitForExit.
+   */
+  private async waitForExitWithIdleNudging(
+    agent: Agent,
+    agentDef: AgentDefinition,
+    step: WorkflowStep,
+    timeoutMs?: number
+  ): Promise<'exited' | 'timeout' | 'released'> {
+    const nudgeConfig = this.currentConfig?.swarm.idleNudge;
+    if (!nudgeConfig) {
+      // No nudge config — backward compatible simple wait
+      return agent.waitForExit(timeoutMs);
+    }
+
+    const nudgeAfterMs = nudgeConfig.nudgeAfterMs ?? 120_000;
+    const escalateAfterMs = nudgeConfig.escalateAfterMs ?? 120_000;
+    const maxNudges = nudgeConfig.maxNudges ?? 1;
+
+    let nudgeCount = 0;
+    const startTime = Date.now();
+
+    while (true) {
+      // Calculate remaining time from overall timeout
+      const elapsed = Date.now() - startTime;
+      const remaining = timeoutMs ? timeoutMs - elapsed : undefined;
+      if (remaining !== undefined && remaining <= 0) {
+        return 'timeout';
+      }
+
+      // nudgeAfterMs = how long to wait before nudging (first interval).
+      // escalateAfterMs = how long to wait between subsequent nudges.
+      //
+      // We wait for exit, not for idle. The broker's idle_threshold_secs is
+      // only 30s by default, so racing waitForExit vs waitForIdle would nudge
+      // after 30s of PTY silence regardless of nudgeAfterMs. Instead, we give
+      // the agent the full nudgeAfterMs window to finish before nudging.
+      const windowMs = nudgeCount === 0 ? nudgeAfterMs : escalateAfterMs;
+      const waitMs = remaining !== undefined ? Math.min(windowMs, remaining) : windowMs;
+
+      const exitResult = await agent.waitForExit(waitMs);
+
+      if (exitResult !== 'timeout') {
+        // Agent actually exited or was released — done
+        return exitResult;
+      }
+
+      // Agent is still running after the window expired.
+      if (remaining !== undefined && Date.now() - startTime >= remaining) {
+        return 'timeout';
+      }
+
+      // Nudge if we haven't exhausted the limit
+      if (nudgeCount < maxNudges) {
+        await this.nudgeIdleAgent(agent, agentDef, step);
+        nudgeCount++;
+        this.postToChannel(`**[${step.name}]** Agent \`${agent.name}\` idle — nudge #${nudgeCount} sent`);
+        this.emit({ type: 'step:nudged', runId: this.currentRunId ?? '', stepName: step.name, nudgeCount });
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      // Exhausted nudges — force-release
+      this.postToChannel(
+        `**[${step.name}]** Agent \`${agent.name}\` still idle after ${nudgeCount} nudge(s) — force-releasing`
+      );
+      this.emit({ type: 'step:force-released', runId: this.currentRunId ?? '', stepName: step.name });
+      await agent.release();
+      return 'released';
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Send a nudge to an idle agent. Uses hub-mediated nudge for hub patterns,
+   * or direct system injection otherwise.
+   */
+  private async nudgeIdleAgent(agent: Agent, agentDef: AgentDefinition, step: WorkflowStep): Promise<void> {
+    const hubAgent = this.resolveHubForNudge(agentDef);
+
+    if (hubAgent) {
+      // Hub-mediated: tell the hub to check on the idle agent
+      try {
+        await hubAgent.sendMessage({
+          to: agent.name,
+          text: `Agent ${agent.name} appears idle on step "${step.name}". Check on them and remind them to /exit when done.`,
+        });
+        return; // Hub nudge succeeded
+      } catch {
+        // Fall through to direct nudge
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Direct system injection via human handle
+    if (this.relay) {
+      const human = this.relay.human({ name: 'workflow-runner' });
+      await human
+        .sendMessage({
+          to: agent.name,
+          text: "You appear idle. If you've completed your task, output /exit. If still working, continue.",
+        })
+        .catch(() => {
+          // Non-critical — don't break workflow
+        });
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Find the hub agent for hub-mediated nudging.
+   * Returns the hub's live Agent handle if this is a hub pattern and the idle agent is not the hub.
+   */
+  private resolveHubForNudge(idleAgentDef: AgentDefinition): Agent | undefined {
+    const pattern = this.currentConfig?.swarm.pattern;
+    if (!pattern || !WorkflowRunner.HUB_PATTERNS.has(pattern)) {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+
+    // Find an interactive agent with a hub-like role
+    const agents = this.currentConfig?.agents ?? [];
+
+    for (const agentDef of agents) {
+      // Skip non-interactive and the idle agent itself
+      if (agentDef.interactive === false) continue;
+      if (agentDef.name === idleAgentDef.name) continue;
+
+      const role = agentDef.role?.toLowerCase() ?? '';
+      const nameLC = agentDef.name.toLowerCase();
+
+      if (
+        WorkflowRunner.HUB_ROLES.has(nameLC) ||
+        [...WorkflowRunner.HUB_ROLES].some((r) => role.includes(r))
+      ) {
+        // Found a hub candidate — check if we have a live handle
+        const handle = this.activeAgentHandles.get(agentDef.name);
+        if (handle) return handle;
+      }
+    }
+
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  // ── Verification ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  private runVerification(
+    check: VerificationCheck,
+    output: string,
+    stepName: string,
+    injectedTaskText?: string
+  ): void {
+    switch (check.type) {
+      case 'output_contains': {
+        // Guard against false positives: the PTY captures the injected task text
+        // verbatim, so if the verification token appears in the task itself the
+        // check would pass immediately without the agent doing any real work.
+        // When the task contains the token, require a SECOND occurrence — one
+        // from the task injection and one from the agent's actual response.
+        const token = check.value;
+        const taskHasToken = injectedTaskText ? injectedTaskText.includes(token) : false;
+        if (taskHasToken) {
+          const first = output.indexOf(token);
+          const hasSecond = first !== -1 && output.includes(token, first + token.length);
+          if (!hasSecond) {
+            throw new Error(
+              `Verification failed for "${stepName}": output does not contain "${token}" ` +
+                `(token found only in task injection — agent must output it explicitly)`
+            );
+          }
+        } else if (!output.includes(token)) {
+          throw new Error(`Verification failed for "${stepName}": output does not contain "${token}"`);
+        }
+        break;
+      }
+
+      case 'exit_code':
+        // exit_code verification is implicitly satisfied if the agent exited successfully
+        break;
+
+      case 'file_exists':
+        if (!existsSync(path.resolve(this.cwd, check.value))) {
+          throw new Error(`Verification failed for "${stepName}": file "${check.value}" does not exist`);
+        }
+        break;
+
+      case 'custom':
+        // Custom verifications are evaluated by callers; no-op here
+        break;
+    }
+  }
+
+  // ── State helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  private async updateRunStatus(runId: string, status: WorkflowRunStatus, error?: string): Promise<void> {
+    const patch: Partial<WorkflowRunRow> = {
+      status,
+      updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+    };
+    if (status === 'completed' || status === 'failed' || status === 'cancelled') {
+      patch.completedAt = new Date().toISOString();
+    }
+    if (error) {
+      patch.error = error;
+    }
+    await this.db.updateRun(runId, patch);
+  }
+
+  private async markStepFailed(state: StepState, error: string, runId: string): Promise<void> {
+    state.row.status = 'failed';
+    state.row.error = error;
+    state.row.completedAt = new Date().toISOString();
+    await this.db.updateStep(state.row.id, {
+      status: 'failed',
+      error,
+      completedAt: state.row.completedAt,
+      updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+    });
+    this.emit({ type: 'step:failed', runId, stepName: state.row.stepName, error });
+  }
+
+  private async markDownstreamSkipped(
+    failedStepName: string,
+    allSteps: WorkflowStep[],
+    stepStates: Map<string, StepState>,
+    runId: string
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    const queue = [failedStepName];
+    const visited = new Set<string>();
+
+    while (queue.length > 0) {
+      const current = queue.shift()!;
+      if (visited.has(current)) continue;
+      visited.add(current);
+
+      for (const step of allSteps) {
+        if (step.dependsOn?.includes(current)) {
+          const state = stepStates.get(step.name);
+          if (state && state.row.status === 'pending') {
+            state.row.status = 'skipped';
+            await this.db.updateStep(state.row.id, {
+              status: 'skipped',
+              updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+            });
+            this.emit({ type: 'step:skipped', runId, stepName: step.name });
+            this.postToChannel(`**[${step.name}]** Skipped — upstream dependency "${current}" failed`);
+            await this.trajectory?.stepSkipped(step, `Upstream dependency "${current}" failed`);
+            await this.trajectory?.decide(
+              `Whether to skip ${step.name}`,
+              'skip',
+              `Upstream dependency "${current}" failed`
+            );
+            queue.push(step.name);
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  // ── Control flow helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  private checkAborted(): void {
+    if (this.abortController?.signal.aborted) {
+      throw new Error('Workflow aborted');
+    }
+  }
+
+  private async waitIfPaused(): Promise<void> {
+    if (!this.paused) return;
+    await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+      this.pauseResolver = resolve;
+    });
+  }
+
+  private delay(ms: number): Promise<void> {
+    return new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
+  }
+
+  // ── Channel messaging ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  /**
+   * Build a metadata note about non-interactive workers for inclusion in interactive agent tasks.
+   * Returns undefined if there are no non-interactive agents.
+   */
+  private buildNonInteractiveAwareness(
+    agentMap: Map<string, AgentDefinition>,
+    stepStates: Map<string, StepState>
+  ): string | undefined {
+    const nonInteractive = [...agentMap.values()].filter((a) => a.interactive === false);
+    if (nonInteractive.length === 0) return undefined;
+
+    // Map agent names to their step names so the lead knows exact {{steps.X.output}} references
+    const agentToSteps = new Map<string, string[]>();
+    for (const [stepName, state] of stepStates) {
+      const agentName = state.row.agentName;
+      if (!agentName) continue; // Skip deterministic steps
+      if (!agentToSteps.has(agentName)) agentToSteps.set(agentName, []);
+      agentToSteps.get(agentName)!.push(stepName);
+    }
+
+    const lines = nonInteractive.map((a) => {
+      const steps = agentToSteps.get(a.name) ?? [];
+      const stepRefs = steps.map((s) => `{{steps.${s}.output}}`).join(', ');
+      return `- ${a.name} (${a.cli}) — will return output when complete${stepRefs ? `. Access via: ${stepRefs}` : ''}`;
+    });
+    return (
+      '\n\n---\n' +
+      'Note: The following agents are non-interactive workers and cannot receive messages:\n' +
+      lines.join('\n') +
+      '\n' +
+      'Do NOT attempt to message these agents. Use the {{steps.<name>.output}} references above to access their results.'
+    );
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Build guidance that encourages agents to autonomously delegate subtasks
+   * to helper agents when work is too complex for a single pass.
+   */
+  /**
+   * Returns a relay registration preamble for CLIs that don't auto-call
+   * `register` via the MCP system prompt (everyone except claude).
+   *
+   * Claude reads the Relaycast system prompt and registers on its own.
+   * Codex, gemini, etc. have the MCP server configured with the workspace
+   * key, but they won't call `register` unless explicitly told to.
+   */
+  private buildRelayRegistrationNote(cli: string, agentName: string): string {
+    if (cli === 'claude') return '';
+    return (
+      '---\n' +
+      'RELAY SETUP — do this FIRST before any other relay tool:\n' +
+      `1. Call: register(name="${agentName}")\n` +
+      '   This authenticates you in the Relaycast workspace.\n' +
+      '   ALL relay tools (relay_send, relay_inbox, post_message, etc.) require\n' +
+      '   registration first — they will fail with "Not registered" otherwise.\n' +
+      `2. Your agent name is "${agentName}" — use this exact name when registering.`
+    );
+  }
+
+  private buildDelegationGuidance(cli: string, timeoutMs?: number): string {
+    const timeoutNote = timeoutMs
+      ? `You have approximately ${Math.round(timeoutMs / 60000)} minutes before this step times out. ` +
+        'Plan accordingly — delegate early if the work is substantial.\n\n'
+      : '';
+
+    // Option 2 (sub-agents via Task tool) is only available in Claude
+    const subAgentOption =
+      cli === 'claude'
+        ? 'Option 2 — Use built-in sub-agents (Task tool) for research or scoped work:\n' +
+          '  - Good for exploring code, reading files, or making targeted changes\n' +
+          '  - Can run multiple sub-agents in parallel\n\n'
+        : '';
+
+    return (
+      '---\n' +
+      'AUTONOMOUS DELEGATION — READ THIS BEFORE STARTING:\n' +
+      timeoutNote +
+      'Before diving in, assess whether this task is too large or complex for a single agent. ' +
+      'If it involves multiple independent subtasks, touches many files, or could take a long time, ' +
+      'you should break it down and delegate to helper agents to avoid timeouts.\n\n' +
+      'Option 1 — Spawn relay agents (for real parallel coding work):\n' +
+      '  - relay_spawn(name="helper-1", cli="claude", task="Specific subtask description")\n' +
+      '  - Coordinate via relay_send(to="helper-1", message="...")\n' +
+      '  - Check on them with relay_inbox()\n' +
+      '  - Clean up when done: relay_release(name="helper-1")\n\n' +
+      subAgentOption +
+      'Guidelines:\n' +
+      '- You are the lead — delegate but stay in control, track progress, integrate results\n' +
+      '- Give each helper a clear, self-contained task with enough context to work independently\n' +
+      "- For simple or quick work, just do it yourself — don't over-delegate\n" +
+      '- Always release spawned relay agents when their work is complete\n' +
+      '- When spawning non-claude agents (codex, gemini, etc.), prepend to their task:\n' +
+      '  "RELAY SETUP: First call register(name=\'<exact-agent-name>\') before any other relay tool."'
+    );
+  }
+
+  /** Post a message to the workflow channel. Fire-and-forget — never throws or blocks. */
+  private postToChannel(text: string): void {
+    if (!this.relayApiKey || !this.channel) return;
+    this.ensureRelaycastRunnerAgent()
+      .then((agent) => agent.send(this.channel!, text))
+      .catch(() => {
+        // Non-critical — don't break workflow execution
+      });
+  }
+
+  /** Post a rich completion report to the channel. */
+  private postCompletionReport(
+    workflowName: string,
+    outcomes: StepOutcome[],
+    summary: string,
+    confidence: number
+  ): void {
+    const completed = outcomes.filter((o) => o.status === 'completed');
+    const skipped = outcomes.filter((o) => o.status === 'skipped');
+    const retried = outcomes.filter((o) => o.attempts > 1);
+
+    const lines: string[] = [
+      `## Workflow **${workflowName}** — Complete`,
+      '',
+      summary,
+      `Confidence: ${Math.round(confidence * 100)}%`,
+      '',
+      '### Steps',
+      ...completed.map(
+        (o) =>
+          `- **${o.name}** (${o.agent}) — passed${o.verificationPassed ? ' (verified)' : ''}${o.attempts > 1 ? ` after ${o.attempts} attempts` : ''}`
+      ),
+      ...skipped.map((o) => `- **${o.name}** — skipped`),
+    ];
+
+    if (retried.length > 0) {
+      lines.push('', '### Retries');
+      for (const o of retried) {
+        lines.push(`- ${o.name}: ${o.attempts} attempts`);
+      }
+    }
+
+    this.postToChannel(lines.join('\n'));
+  }
+
+  /** Post a failure report to the channel. */
+  private postFailureReport(workflowName: string, outcomes: StepOutcome[], errorMsg: string): void {
+    const completed = outcomes.filter((o) => o.status === 'completed');
+    const failed = outcomes.filter((o) => o.status === 'failed');
+    const skipped = outcomes.filter((o) => o.status === 'skipped');
+
+    const lines: string[] = [
+      `## Workflow **${workflowName}** — Failed`,
+      '',
+      `${completed.length}/${outcomes.length} steps passed. Error: ${errorMsg}`,
+      '',
+      '### Steps',
+      ...completed.map((o) => `- **${o.name}** (${o.agent}) — passed`),
+      ...failed.map((o) => `- **${o.name}** (${o.agent}) — FAILED: ${o.error ?? 'unknown'}`),
+      ...skipped.map((o) => `- **${o.name}** — skipped`),
+    ];
+
+    this.postToChannel(lines.join('\n'));
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Log a human-readable run summary to the console after completion or failure.
+   * Extracts the last meaningful lines from each step's raw PTY output.
+   */
+  private logRunSummary(workflowName: string, outcomes: StepOutcome[], runId: string): void {
+    const completed = outcomes.filter((o) => o.status === 'completed');
+    const failed = outcomes.filter((o) => o.status === 'failed');
+    const skipped = outcomes.filter((o) => o.status === 'skipped');
+
+    console.log('');
+    console.log('━'.repeat(70));
+    console.log(`  Workflow "${workflowName}" — ${failed.length === 0 ? 'COMPLETED' : 'FAILED'}`);
+    console.log(`  ${completed.length} passed, ${failed.length} failed, ${skipped.length} skipped`);
+    console.log('━'.repeat(70));
+
+    for (const outcome of outcomes) {
+      const icon = outcome.status === 'completed' ? '✓' : outcome.status === 'failed' ? '✗' : '⊘';
+      const retryNote = outcome.attempts > 1 ? ` (${outcome.attempts} attempts)` : '';
+      console.log(`  ${icon} ${outcome.name} [${outcome.agent}]${retryNote}`);
+
+      if (outcome.error) {
+        console.log(`    Error: ${outcome.error}`);
+      }
+
+      // Extract last meaningful lines from raw PTY output
+      if (outcome.output) {
+        const excerpt = this.extractOutputExcerpt(outcome.output);
+        if (excerpt) {
+          for (const line of excerpt.split('\n')) {
+            console.log(`    ${line}`);
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Point to detailed output files
+    const outputDir = this.getStepOutputDir(runId);
+    const logsDir = path.join(this.cwd, '.agent-relay', 'team', 'worker-logs');
+    console.log('');
+    console.log(`  Step output: ${outputDir}`);
+    console.log(`  Agent logs:  ${logsDir}`);
+    console.log('━'.repeat(70));
+    console.log('');
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Extract a useful excerpt from raw PTY output.
+   * Looks for the agent's final text output (ignoring ANSI, system prompts, tool calls).
+   */
+  private extractOutputExcerpt(rawOutput: string): string {
+    const stripped = WorkflowRunner.stripAnsi(rawOutput);
+
+    // Split into lines, filter out noise
+    const lines = stripped.split('\n').filter((line) => {
+      const trimmed = line.trim();
+      if (!trimmed) return false;
+      // Skip system/UI chrome
+      if (trimmed.startsWith('╭') || trimmed.startsWith('╰') || trimmed.startsWith('│')) return false;
+      if (trimmed.startsWith('─')) return false;
+      if (trimmed.startsWith('❯') || trimmed.startsWith('⏵')) return false;
+      if (trimmed.startsWith('<system-reminder>') || trimmed.startsWith('</system-reminder>')) return false;
+      if (/^\[?workflow\s/.test(trimmed)) return false;
+      // Skip tool invocations
+      if (/^(Read|Edit|Bash|Glob|Grep|Task|Explore|Write)\(/.test(trimmed)) return false;
+      // Skip thinking indicators
+      if (/^[·✳✻✽⏺]?\s*Sublimating/.test(trimmed)) return false;
+      // Skip very short lines (likely UI fragments)
+      if (trimmed.length < 10) return false;
+      return true;
+    });
+
+    if (lines.length === 0) return '';
+
+    // Take the last few meaningful lines (agent's final words)
+    const tail = lines.slice(-5);
+    const excerpt = tail.map((l) => l.trim().slice(0, 120)).join('\n');
+    return excerpt.length > 0 ? `...\n${excerpt}` : '';
+  }
+
+  // ── Trajectory helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  /** Analyze DAG structure for trajectory context. */
+  private analyzeDAG(steps: WorkflowStep[]): string {
+    const roots = steps.filter((s) => !s.dependsOn?.length);
+    const withDeps = steps.filter((s) => s.dependsOn?.length);
+
+    const parts = [`Parsed ${steps.length} steps`];
+    if (roots.length > 1) {
+      parts.push(`${roots.length} parallel tracks`);
+    }
+    if (withDeps.length > 0) {
+      parts.push(`${withDeps.length} dependent steps`);
+    }
+    parts.push('DAG validated, no cycles');
+    return parts.join(', ');
+  }
+
+  /** Collect step outcomes for trajectory synthesis. */
+  private collectOutcomes(stepStates: Map<string, StepState>, steps?: WorkflowStep[]): StepOutcome[] {
+    const stepsWithVerification = new Set(steps?.filter((s) => s.verification).map((s) => s.name) ?? []);
+    const outcomes: StepOutcome[] = [];
+    for (const [name, state] of stepStates) {
+      outcomes.push({
+        name,
+        agent: state.row.agentName ?? 'deterministic',
+        status:
+          state.row.status === 'completed'
+            ? 'completed'
+            : state.row.status === 'skipped'
+              ? 'skipped'
+              : 'failed',
+        attempts: state.row.retryCount + 1,
+        output: state.row.output,
+        error: state.row.error,
+        verificationPassed: state.row.status === 'completed' && stepsWithVerification.has(name),
+      });
+    }
+    return outcomes;
+  }
+
+  // ── ID generation ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+  private generateId(): string {
+    return randomBytes(12).toString('hex');
+  }
+
+  private generateShortId(): string {
+    return randomBytes(4).toString('hex');
+  }
+
+  /** Strip ANSI escape codes from terminal output — delegates to pty.ts canonical regex. */
+  private static stripAnsi(text: string): string {
+    return stripAnsiFn(text);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Strip TUI chrome from PTY-captured output before posting to a channel.
+   * Removes: ANSI codes, unicode spinner/thinking characters, cursor-movement
+   * artifacts, and collapses runs of blank lines to a single blank line.
+   * The raw (ANSI-stripped) output is still written to disk for step chaining.
+   */
+  private static scrubForChannel(text: string): string {
+    // Strip system-reminder blocks (closed or unclosed)
+    const withoutSystemReminders = text
+      .replace(/<system-reminder>[\s\S]*?<\/system-reminder>/giu, '')
+      .replace(/<system-reminder>[\s\S]*/giu, '');
+
+    // Normalize CRLF and bare \r before stripping ANSI — PTY output often
+    // contains \r\r\n which leaves stray \r after stripping that confuse line splitting.
+    const normalized = withoutSystemReminders.replace(/\r\n/g, '\n').replace(/\r/g, '\n');
+    const ansiStripped = stripAnsiFn(normalized);
+
+    // Unicode spinner / ornament characters used by Claude TUI animations.
+    // Includes block-element chars (▗▖▘▝) used in the Claude Code header bar.
+    const SPINNER =
+      '\\u2756\\u2738\\u2739\\u273a\\u273b\\u273c\\u273d\\u2731\\u2732\\u2733\\u2734\\u2735\\u2736\\u2737\\u2743\\u2745\\u2746\\u25d6\\u25d7\\u25d8\\u25d9\\u2022\\u25cf\\u25cb\\u25a0\\u25a1\\u25b6\\u25c0\\u23f5\\u23f6\\u23f7\\u23f8\\u23f9\\u25e2\\u25e3\\u25e4\\u25e5\\u2597\\u2596\\u2598\\u259d\\u2bc8\\u2bc7\\u2bc5\\u2bc6\\u00b7' +
+      '\\u2590\\u258c\\u2588\\u2584\\u2580\\u259a\\u259e'; // additional block elements
+    const spinnerRe = new RegExp(`[${SPINNER}]`, 'gu');
+    const spinnerClassRe = new RegExp(`^[\\s${SPINNER}]*$`, 'u');
+
+    // Line-level filters
+    const boxDrawingOnlyRe = /^[\s\u2500-\u257f\u2580-\u259f\u25a0-\u25ff\-_=~]{3,}$/u;
+    // Broker internal log lines: "2026-02-26T12:45:12.123Z  INFO agent_relay_broker::..."
+    const brokerLogRe = /^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}\.\d+Z\s+(?:INFO|WARN|ERROR|DEBUG)\s/u;
+    const claudeHeaderRe =
+      /^(?:[\s\u2580-\u259f✢*·▗▖▘▝]+\s*)?(?:Claude\s+Code(?:\s+v?[\d.]+)?|(?:Sonnet|Haiku|Opus)\s*[\d.]+|claude-(?:sonnet|haiku|opus)-[\w.-]+|Running\s+on\s+claude)/iu;
+    // TUI directory breadcrumb lines (e.g. "  ~/Projects/agent-workforce/relay-...")
+    const dirBreadcrumbRe = /^\s*~[\\/]/u;
+    const uiHintRe =
+      /\b(?:Press\s+up\s+to\s+edit|tab\s+to\s+queue|bypass\s+permissions|esc\s+to\s+interrupt)\b/iu;
+    // Any spinner-prefixed word ending in … — catches all Claude thinking animations
+    // regardless of the specific word used (Thinking, Cascading, Flibbertigibbeting, etc.)
+    const thinkingLineRe = new RegExp(`^[\\s${SPINNER}]*\\s*\\w[\\w\\s]*\\u2026\\s*$`, 'u');
+    const cursorOnlyRe = /^[\s❯⎿›»◀▶←→↑↓⟨⟩⟪⟫·]+$/u;
+    const slashCommandRe = /^\/\w+\s*$/u;
+    const mcpJsonKvRe =
+      /^\s*"(?:type|method|params|result|id|jsonrpc|tool|name|arguments|content|role|metadata)"\s*:/u;
+    const meaningfulContentRe = /[a-zA-Z0-9]/u;
+
+    const countJsonDepth = (line: string): number => {
+      let depth = 0;
+      for (const ch of line) {
+        if (ch === '{' || ch === '[') depth += 1;
+        if (ch === '}' || ch === ']') depth -= 1;
+      }
+      return depth;
+    };
+
+    const lines = ansiStripped.split('\n');
+    const meaningful: string[] = [];
+    let jsonDepth = 0;
+
+    for (const line of lines) {
+      const trimmed = line.trim();
+
+      if (jsonDepth > 0) {
+        jsonDepth += countJsonDepth(line);
+        if (jsonDepth <= 0) jsonDepth = 0;
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      if (trimmed.length === 0) continue;
+
+      if (trimmed.startsWith('{') || /^\[\s*\{/.test(trimmed)) {
+        jsonDepth = Math.max(countJsonDepth(line), 0);
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      if (mcpJsonKvRe.test(line)) continue;
+      if (spinnerClassRe.test(trimmed)) continue;
+      if (boxDrawingOnlyRe.test(trimmed)) continue;
+      if (brokerLogRe.test(trimmed)) continue;
+      if (claudeHeaderRe.test(trimmed)) continue;
+      if (dirBreadcrumbRe.test(trimmed)) continue;
+      if (uiHintRe.test(trimmed)) continue;
+      if (thinkingLineRe.test(trimmed)) continue;
+      if (cursorOnlyRe.test(trimmed)) continue;
+      if (slashCommandRe.test(trimmed)) continue;
+      if (!meaningfulContentRe.test(trimmed)) continue;
+
+      // Drop TUI animation frame fragments: lines where stripping spinners and
+      // whitespace leaves ≤ 3 alphanumeric characters (e.g. "F", "l  b", "i  g").
+      const alphanum = trimmed.replace(spinnerRe, '').replace(/\s+/g, '');
+      if (alphanum.replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/g, '').length <= 3) continue;
+
+      meaningful.push(line);
+    }
+
+    return meaningful
+      .join('\n')
+      .replace(/\n{3,}/g, '\n\n')
+      .trim();
+  }
+
+  /** Sanitize a workflow name into a valid channel name. */
+  private sanitizeChannelName(name: string): string {
+    return name
+      .toLowerCase()
+      .replace(/[^a-z0-9-]/g, '-')
+      .replace(/-+/g, '-')
+      .slice(0, 32);
+  }
+
+  /** Directory for persisted step outputs: .agent-relay/step-outputs/{runId}/ */
+  private getStepOutputDir(runId: string): string {
+    return path.join(this.cwd, '.agent-relay', 'step-outputs', runId);
+  }
+
+  /** Persist step output to disk and post full output as a channel message. */
+  private async persistStepOutput(runId: string, stepName: string, output: string): Promise<void> {
+    // 1. Write to disk
+    try {
+      const dir = this.getStepOutputDir(runId);
+      mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true });
+      const cleaned = WorkflowRunner.stripAnsi(output);
+      await writeFile(path.join(dir, `${stepName}.md`), cleaned);
+    } catch {
+      // Non-critical
+    }
+
+    // 2. Post scrubbed output as a single channel message (most recent tail only)
+    const scrubbed = WorkflowRunner.scrubForChannel(output);
+    if (scrubbed.length === 0) {
+      this.postToChannel(`**[${stepName}]** Step completed — output written to disk`);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const maxMsg = 2000;
+    const preview = scrubbed.length > maxMsg ? scrubbed.slice(-maxMsg) : scrubbed;
+    this.postToChannel(`**[${stepName}] Output:**\n\`\`\`\n${preview}\n\`\`\``);
+  }
+
+  /** Load persisted step output from disk. */
+  private loadStepOutput(runId: string, stepName: string): string | undefined {
+    try {
+      const filePath = path.join(this.getStepOutputDir(runId), `${stepName}.md`);
+      if (!existsSync(filePath)) return undefined;
+      return readFileSync(filePath, 'utf-8');
+    } catch {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+  }
+
+  /** Get or create the worker logs directory (.agent-relay/team/worker-logs) */
+  private getWorkerLogsDir(): string {
+    const logsDir = path.join(this.cwd, '.agent-relay', 'team', 'worker-logs');
+    mkdirSync(logsDir, { recursive: true });
+    return logsDir;
+  }
+
+  /** Register a spawned agent in workers.json so `agents:kill` can find it. */
+  private registerWorker(
+    agentName: string,
+    cli: string,
+    task: string,
+    pid?: number,
+    interactive = true
+  ): void {
+    // Track in memory first (no race condition)
+    const workerEntry = {
+      cli,
+      task: task.slice(0, 500),
+      spawnedAt: Date.now(),
+      pid,
+      interactive,
+      logFile: path.join(this.getWorkerLogsDir(), `${agentName}.log`),
+    };
+    this.activeWorkers.set(agentName, workerEntry);
+
+    // Serialize file writes with mutex to prevent race conditions
+    this.workersFileLock = this.workersFileLock.then(() => {
+      try {
+        mkdirSync(path.dirname(this.workersPath), { recursive: true });
+        // Filter out any existing entry with the same name before adding
+        const existing = this.readWorkers().filter((w) => w.name !== agentName);
+        existing.push({ name: agentName, ...workerEntry });
+        this.writeWorkers(existing);
+      } catch {
+        // Non-critical — don't fail the workflow if workers.json can't be written
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
+  /** Remove a spawned agent from workers.json after it exits. */
+  private unregisterWorker(agentName: string): void {
+    // Remove from in-memory tracking first
+    this.activeWorkers.delete(agentName);
+
+    // Serialize file writes with mutex to prevent race conditions
+    this.workersFileLock = this.workersFileLock.then(() => {
+      try {
+        const existing = this.readWorkers();
+        const filtered = existing.filter((w) => w.name !== agentName);
+        this.writeWorkers(filtered);
+      } catch {
+        // Non-critical
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
+  private readWorkers(): Array<Record<string, unknown>> {
+    try {
+      if (!existsSync(this.workersPath)) return [];
+      const raw = JSON.parse(readFileSync(this.workersPath, 'utf-8'));
+      return Array.isArray(raw?.workers) ? raw.workers : [];
+    } catch {
+      return [];
+    }
+  }
+
+  private writeWorkers(workers: Array<Record<string, unknown>>): void {
+    writeFileSync(this.workersPath, JSON.stringify({ workers }, null, 2));
+  }
+}