Research
Run parallel background sub-agents via the Task tool when native teams or spawn_agent are unavailable, with concrete spawn and poll patterns for council-style work.
Overview
research (agentops) is an agent skill most often used in Build (also Ship) that documents Task-based background agent spawning as a fallback when native team orchestration is unavailable.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/boshu2/agentops --skill researchWhat is this skill?
- Fallback when neither Codex sub-agents nor Claude native teams (TeamCreate, spawn_agent) are detected
- Spawn pattern: Task(run_in_background=true) with parallel Task calls in the same message
- Council judge templates writing verdicts to .agents/council/*.md as the only output channel
- Documents limitations: no messaging, no debate mode, no retry, lossy TaskStop shutdown
- Includes swarm-oriented background task guidance beyond single-judge flows
- Documented limitation list of 5 constraints on background Task mode
Adoption & trust: 860 installs on skills.sh; 384 GitHub stars; 0/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You need parallel reviewer or swarm agents but your runtime lacks TeamCreate and spawn_agent, leaving only opaque background Task calls.
Who is it for?
Advanced solo builders on Claude Code–class setups orchestrating council or swarm reviews via Task(run_in_background=true) only.
Skip if: Builders who already have native agent teams with messaging, or anyone needing interactive debate or graceful cooperative shutdown between agents.
When should I use this skill?
Task tool is available but TeamCreate and spawn_agent are not; you need council judges or swarm-style background agents with run_in_background=true.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You spawn documented background Task agents with known task_ids, parallel council judges writing markdown verdicts, and clear limits so you do not assume messaging or retry semantics you do not have.
- Parallel background Task spawns with task_ids
- Council verdict markdown files under .agents/council/
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
AgentOps research skill documents the last-resort orchestration path for Claude-style Task backgrounds, which belongs on the Build agent-tooling shelf. agent-tooling is where you wire how agents spawn, poll, and write verdicts; this skill is explicit fallback procedural knowledge for that wiring.
Where it fits
Stand up two background judges for auth design packets when only Task backgrounds are exposed.
Run error-path and completeness judges in parallel before merge, collecting .agents/council verdict files.
Prototype a swarm of single-output workers that cannot coordinate mid-flight but fan out analysis jobs.
How it compares
Orchestration playbook for the Task tool—not a user-research or web-research skill despite the slug name.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is research (agentops) for?
Developers shipping agentic workflows who must fall back to background Task spawning because native team APIs are missing in their detected environment.
When should I use research (agentops)?
During Build when wiring agent-tooling for parallel judges, and in Ship review when you want offline verdict files—after confirming Task is available but TeamCreate and spawn_agent are not.
Is research (agentops) safe to install?
It instructs agents to write under .agents/council and spawn sub-agents; review the Security Audits panel on this page and scope filesystem permissions before enabling background tasks.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Research
# Backend: Background Tasks (Fallback) Concrete tool calls for spawning agents using `Task(run_in_background=true)`. This is the **last-resort fallback** when neither Codex sub-agents nor Claude native teams are available. **When detected:** `Task` tool is available but `TeamCreate` and `spawn_agent` are not. **Limitations:** - Fire-and-forget — no messaging, no redirect, no scope adjustment - No inter-agent communication - No debate mode (R2 requires messaging) - No retry (must re-spawn from scratch) - No graceful shutdown (only `TaskStop`, which is lossy) --- ## Spawn: Background Agents Spawn agents with `Task(run_in_background=true)`. Each call returns a `task_id` for later polling. ### Council Judges ``` Task( subagent_type="general-purpose", run_in_background=true, prompt="You are judge-1.\n\nYour perspective: Correctness & Completeness\n\n<PACKET>\n...\n</PACKET>\n\nWrite your verdict to .agents/council/2026-02-17-auth-judge-1.md\nThis is your ONLY output channel — there is no messaging.", description="Council judge-1" ) # Returns: task_id="abc-123" Task( subagent_type="general-purpose", run_in_background=true, prompt="You are judge-error-paths.\n\nYour perspective: Error Paths & Edge Cases\n\n<PACKET>...</PACKET>\n\nWrite your verdict to .agents/council/2026-02-17-auth-judge-error-paths.md", description="Council judge-error-paths" ) # Returns: task_id="def-456" ``` Both `Task` calls go in the **same message** — they run in parallel. ### Swarm Workers ``` Task( subagent_type="general-purpose", run_in_background=true, prompt="You are worker-3.\n\nYour Assignment: Task #3: Add password hashing\n...\n\nWrite result to .agents/swarm/results/3.json\nDo NOT run git add/commit/push.", description="Swarm worker-3" ) ``` ### Research Explorers ``` Task( subagent_type="Explore", run_in_background=true, prompt="Thoroughly investigate: authentication patterns...\n\nWrite findings to .agents/research/2026-02-17-auth.md", description="Research explorer" ) ``` --- ## Wait: Poll for Completion Background tasks have no messaging. Poll with `TaskOutput`. ``` TaskOutput(task_id="abc-123", block=true, timeout=120000) TaskOutput(task_id="def-456", block=true, timeout=120000) ``` **Or non-blocking check:** ``` TaskOutput(task_id="abc-123", block=false, timeout=5000) ``` **After `TaskOutput` returns**, verify the agent wrote its result file: ``` Read(".agents/council/2026-02-17-auth-judge-1.md") ``` **Timeout behavior:** If `timeout` expires, `TaskOutput` returns with a timeout status — the agent may still be running. **Recovery:** 1. Check result file — agent may have written it but not finished cleanly 2. If result file exists → use it, `TaskStop` the agent 3. If no result file → agent failed silently. For council: proceed with N-1 verdicts, note in report. For swarm: add task back to retry queue, re-spawn a fresh agent. 4. Never assume `TaskOutput` completion means the result file was written — always verify **Fallback:** If background tasks fail despite detection, fall back to inline mode. See `backend-inline.md`. --- ## No Messaging Background tasks cannot receive messages. This means: - **No debate R2** — judges get one round only - **No retry** — if validation fails, re-spawn a new agent from scratch - **No scope adjustment** — the prompt is final at spawn time --- ## Cleanup Background tasks self-terminate when done. For stuck tasks: ``` TaskStop(task_id="abc-123") ``` This is lossy — partial work may be lost. --- ## Key Rules 1. **Filesystem is the only communication channel** — agents write files, lead reads files 2. **No messaging = no debate** — `--debate` is unavailable with this backend 3. **No retry = must re-spawn** — failed agents get a fresh `Task` call, not a message 4. **Always check result files** — `TaskOutput` completion doesn't guarantee the agent wrote its file 5. **Prefer native teams** — this backend is strictly inferior; use it only as last resort