tickmarkr 1.37.0 → 1.40.0

package/skills/tickmarkr-loop/SKILL.md

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Use this for any spec that `tickmarkr compile` accepts. It is SDD-agnostic: use
 When working in a multi-agent terminal environment, decide your role before starting:
 
 - **Orchestrator:** your session was started to execute the mission. Rename your own tab/pane ORCHESTRATOR and run the loop below.
-- **Supervisor with a live orchestrator:** do not start a second run. Relay the mission to the existing orchestrator with a verified send, then supervise it as OVERSEER.
+- **Supervisor with a live orchestrator:** do not start a second run. Relay the mission to the existing orchestrator with a [verified handoff](#verified-handoffs-agent-to-agent-messaging), then supervise it as OVERSEER.
 - **Primary session without an orchestrator:** rename your own tab OVERSEER, spawn one child orchestration session with `--permission-mode bypassPermissions`, label its tab ORCHESTRATOR, give it the mission and these rules verbatim, then supervise it. Do not drive a duplicate single-tier run yourself.
 
 Outside a multi-agent terminal environment, run the loop directly.
@@ -29,9 +29,30 @@ Outside a multi-agent terminal environment, run the loop directly.
 
 Proceed through the loop without seeking routine confirmation. Stop only for a blocked agent interaction, a genuinely unresolved stalled task, or a designed human gate. Diagnose from the journal and available evidence before escalating; if a harness defect is fixed and verified, resume the run.
 
+## Binary preflight (before compile or run)
+
+Before `tickmarkr compile` or `tickmarkr run`, compare the installed binary against the repository's `package.json` version:
+
+1. Run `tickmarkr version` (one line, machine-parseable).
+2. Read the `version` field from the repository's `package.json`.
+3. If the binary is **older on major.minor** than the repo (e.g. binary `1.36.x` vs repo `1.38.x`), **stop immediately** and tell the operator to update the global install (`npm i -g tickmarkr@latest`) or link the repo binary. Do not compile, plan, or run on hope.
+
+A stale binary silently skips daemon gates shipped in newer releases — the v1.38 run exposed this when a global `1.36.0` binary missed the daemon tip-verify gate entirely (OBS-38). Preflight failure is always stop-and-report; never proceed-and-hope.
+
+## Verified handoffs (agent-to-agent messaging)
+
+When relaying missions between agents in a multi-agent terminal, **never use bare send-text** (`herdr agent send` / pane send-text) — it writes text without pressing Enter, so handoffs sit unsubmitted (OBS-39).
+
+Use one of:
+
+- `herdr pane run <pane> "<message>"` — text plus Enter in the target shell
+- `herdr notification show "<message>"` — OS-level delivery for the operator
+
+After sending, **confirm delivery** by reading the target pane and verifying the message landed (input empty, agent status `working`, or notification acknowledged). Never report "briefed" or "relayed" without read-back confirmation.
+
 ## The loop
 
-1. **Prepare** — start from the requested spec. Check `git status`, confirm no tickmarkr run is active, and work from a non-main branch.
+1. **Prepare** — start from the requested spec. Run the [binary preflight](#binary-preflight-before-compile-or-run). Check `git status`, confirm no tickmarkr run is active, and work from a non-main branch.
 2. **Compile** — run `tickmarkr compile <spec>`. Correct compilation errors in the spec, never in the generated graph.
 3. **Plan** — run `tickmarkr plan`. Review the routing table, capability-floor warnings, and every human gate, including work that each gate blocks.
 4. **Run** — run `tickmarkr run`. Watch the run journal for its terminal event rather than repeatedly polling agents. Resolve blocked interactions in the agent session; do not turn them into proxy questions.