Aep Design

Executor Abstraction

A reusable abstraction for running implementation work in an isolated workspace, independent of which agent host (Claude Code, Codex) or which mechanism (native background subagents, background sessions, native subagents, exec workers, tmux, dynamic workflows) is available. Lifecycle skills speak one vocabulary of operations; this skill maps each operation to a concrete recipe per mode.

Native-first: Claude Code launches use a native in-process background subagent (native-bg-subagent, the default) or — where the claude --bg flag exists — native background sessions (claude-bg); Codex launches use native subagents (codex-subagent) or headless exec workers (codex-exec). tmux+cmux is the `legacy` mode — selected only by explicit pin (git config aep.executor-backend tmux) or on generic hosts. Every mode runs its worker in an AEP-created git worktree at .feature-workspaces/<ws>.

`claude-team` removed (2026-06): the agent-teams spawn path fails silently

on Claude Code ≥ 2.1.x (truncated launch command in a detached tmux pane; roster

still shows the worker "active"). Replaced by native-bg-subagent + a mandatory

post-spawn liveness probe. See docs/decisions/remove-claude-team.md.

This skill is both a utility library and a standalone skill:

• As a library: /aep-launch, /aep-build, and /aep-autopilot reference its

references/ files for detection, mode selection, and per-operation recipes.

• As a standalone skill: Invoke directly to detect the current host and

report which mode would be selected (useful when debugging "why did it pick X").

---

Why This Exists

The control plane (/aep-dispatch scoring, the .dev-workflow/signals/ protocol) is host-independent. The coupling lived in the execution plane — historically a claude process hosted in tmux, presented through cmux. This abstraction isolates that coupling so the same workflow runs under Claude Code or the Codex desktop app/CLI, using each host's native parallel-agent machinery, with tmux as a pinned fallback rather than a default.

See `docs/decisions/native-first-executor.md` (and the earlier `host-agnostic-executor.md`) for the decision records.

---

How Other Skills Use This

Cross-skill reference path

After sync with the aep- prefix, the references are at:

.claude/skills/aep-executor/references/backends.md       # detection, selection, cross-mode protocols
.claude/skills/aep-executor/references/claude-native.md  # native-bg-subagent, claude-bg recipes
.claude/skills/aep-executor/references/codex-native.md   # codex-subagent, codex-exec recipes + role TOMLs
.claude/skills/aep-executor/references/tmux-session.md   # legacy recipes

Read backends.md first, then the recipe file for the selected mode.

---

The Operation Contract

Every consumer speaks these verbs. The recipe files supply the implementation per mode.

`monitor()` is already abstract. Progress is reported through signal files

at phase boundaries regardless of the executor. Native push channels

(SendMessage, send_input) are an acceleration layer — the signal files remain

the durable, host-agnostic source of truth.

---

The Modes (summary)

Read references/backends.md for the detection recipe, the full selection order, the driver × backend compatibility matrix, the human-gate protocol, and orphan re-adoption.

---

Reference Files

---

Standalone Usage

Invoked directly, this skill reports what would happen:

1. Run the detection recipe from references/backends.md. 2. Print: host (claude/codex/generic), executor commands, native capabilities (BG_AVAILABLE, MULTI_AGENT_AVAILABLE), pin, tmux/cmux presence, orchestrator lifetime, and the selected mode with the reason. 3. If the user asked "why not workflow / why not tmux", explain the opt-in/pin gates. (There is no agent-teams mode — claude-team was removed; see docs/decisions/remove-claude-team.md.)

This does not spawn anything — it is a dry-run of detect().

---

Design Decisions

Why native-first, tmux demoted:

• Claude Code's native in-process background subagent (Agent tool,

run_in_background, no team) gives each story its own context window, re-activation steering (SendMessage(to: agentId)), task-output visibility (TaskOutput), and auto-notify on completion — without tmux, cmux, or the agent-teams machinery (whose spawn path is broken; see remove-claude-team.md). Native background sessions (claude --bg/attach/logs/stop/respawn), where the flag exists, add an OS-bound option for cron drivers. Codex multi_agent gives push steering (send_input) and a native approval overlay in both the CLI and the desktop app.

Why AEP still owns the worktree:

• Host-managed worktrees pin their paths (.claude/worktrees/,

$CODEX_HOME/worktrees) and hide them from the orchestrator's monitor() path. AEP's git worktree add .feature-workspaces/<ws> keeps the location stable and main-visible; native workers are pointed at it by process cwd (enforced) or prompt contract (no hooks — see backends.md).

Why the single `legacy` pin exists (a narrow exception to "no pins"):

• Detection can't distinguish "tmux is installed" from "the user wants the

tmux+cmux workflow". Since native modes now outrank tmux on Claude Code, the users who _prefer_ cmux's clickable tabs need one explicit lever: git config aep.executor-backend tmux (or "…with tmux"). Everything else remains automatic.

Why session-bound vs OS-bound is a first-class axis:

• native-bg-subagents and Codex subagents die with their parent session; bg

sessions, exec workers, and tmux sessions don't. An orchestrator's periodic driver (long-lived /loop vs cron one-shots) therefore constrains the mode — the compatibility matrix in backends.md makes that explicit, and orphan re-adoption (via the real-liveness probe, not roster membership) makes lead restarts non-fatal.

Why human gates are hub-and-spoke (main agent as the console):

• The human shouldn't have to chase worker surfaces. Every mode records the

gate in needs-human.md; the question flows to the main agent, which asks the human and relays the answer. Steerable modes deliver the answer by push (block-in-place); batch/pull modes (native-bg-subagent, workflow, headless, codex-exec, claude-bg) use gate-and-park — the worker commits WIP, returns cleanly, and is resumed into the same worktree with the answer. Parking is cheap because all worker state lives in the worktree + .dev-workflow/, never only in agent context. Direct surfaces (TaskOutput, attach, threads) remain optional conveniences.

Why autopilot needs a steerable, driver-compatible mode:

• nudge() presupposes a worker you can reach mid-flight. workflow and

headless collapse a build into one autonomous unit with no mid-stage surface — autopilot does not drive them (the workflow is its own orchestrator; gate-and-park still gives both a human-gate path through the main agent that launched them). All other modes are steerable — native-bg-subagent via SendMessage(to: agentId) + feedback.md, claude-bg degraded to pull-based nudging.

---

Next Step

After detecting/spawning, control returns to the calling skill:

• /aep-launch → the bootstrap was the spawn prompt (native modes) or sent over

tmux (legacy), then /aep-build runs in the workspace

• /aep-autopilot → resumes its tick loop
• /aep-dispatch → completes the handoff

Executor Backends

Detection, mode selection, and the cross-backend protocols that make /aep-launch, /aep-build, /aep-autopilot, and /aep-wrap host-agnostic. Read this before spawning or steering any workspace agent. Per-operation recipes live in three sibling files:

---

Table of Contents

1. The Mode Matrix 2. Detection 3. Mode Selection 4. Driver × Backend Compatibility 5. Common Recipes (all modes) 6. The Human-Gate Protocol 7. Mode: workflow (dynamic-workflow fan-out) 8. Orphan Re-adoption 9. The Worktree-Context Constraint 10. Legacy B1–B4 Mapping

---

The Mode Matrix

Native modes come first; tmux is the explicit-pin / generic-host fallback. Lifetime is the axis that matters for orchestration: _session-bound_ workers (native-bg-subagents, Codex subagents) die with the orchestrator session; _OS-bound_ workers (bg sessions, exec processes, tmux sessions) survive it.

`claude-team` was removed (2026-06). On Claude Code ≥ 2.1.x the agent-teams

spawn path fails silently: the teams runtime pastes the long

claude … --agent-id <name>@<team> --settings '<big JSON>' launch command into

a detached claude-swarm-<pid> tmux pane, the --settings JSON is **truncated

mid-string and never submitted**, so no worker process ever starts — yet the

team roster still lists the member as "active". A live team also **poisons

teamless background spawns** (they auto-route through the same broken tmux

backend). native-bg-subagent replaces it as the Claude Code default. See

docs/decisions/remove-claude-team.md.

Announce the selection. Before spawning, state which mode and why — e.g. "Claude Code → native-bg-subagent: in-process background subagent (Agent tool, run_in_background, no team); pull-steer via feedback.md; verified live by the post-spawn liveness probe."

`native-bg-subagent` success signature. A working spawn returns a

bare-hex `agentId` (e.g. adfb6cb206155a92e) with a JSONL output_file,

not an @<team> id. It is non-blocking and auto-notifies on completion.

(A foreground in-process subagent also works but blocks the orchestrator turn.)

Pre-spawn: if any team is active, TeamDelete it first — a live team

re-routes teamless spawns into the broken agent-teams tmux backend.

---

Detection

detect() resolves the host, its two executor commands, the native capabilities, any explicit pin, and the presentation surface.

# --- HOST + executor commands ---
#   $EXECUTOR       interactive session (stays alive — legacy/tmux, evaluator panes)
#   $EXECUTOR_EXEC  headless one-shot   (runs the given prompt to completion, exits)
if [ -n "$CLAUDECODE" ]; then
  HOST=claude
  EXECUTOR="claude --dangerously-skip-permissions"            # interactive; NO -p
  EXECUTOR_EXEC="claude -p --dangerously-skip-permissions"    # -p/--print = non-interactive
  READY_GREP='❯'
elif command -v codex >/dev/null 2>&1 && { [ -n "$CODEX_HOME" ] || env | grep -q '^CODEX_'; }; then
  HOST=codex
  EXECUTOR="codex --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox"
  EXECUTOR_EXEC="codex exec --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox"
  READY_GREP=''
else
  HOST=generic
  EXECUTOR="${AEP_EXECUTOR:-}"; EXECUTOR_EXEC="${AEP_EXECUTOR_EXEC:-$EXECUTOR}"; READY_GREP=''
fi
[ -z "$EXECUTOR" ] && { echo "executor unresolved — set \$AEP_EXECUTOR or run under Claude Code / Codex"; }

# --- NATIVE CAPABILITIES ---
# NOTE: agent-teams (the old TEAMS_AVAILABLE / CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS
# gate) is NO LONGER consulted — claude-team was removed (silent spawn failure;
# see the mode-matrix note). Do not select a mode from the teams flag alone.
BG_AVAILABLE=$([ "$HOST" = claude ] && claude --help 2>/dev/null | grep -q -- '--bg' && echo yes || echo no)
# ^ On Claude Code ≥ 2.1.x the one-shot `claude --bg` spawn flag was REMOVED
#   (background agents are now the interactive `claude agents` view, not a
#   scriptable flag). On such builds BG_AVAILABLE=no and claude-bg is skipped —
#   the Claude Code default is native-bg-subagent (session-bound). If you need an
#   OS-bound Claude worker for a cron/launchd driver and `--bg` is gone, that
#   driver is unsupported on Claude Code — use Codex codex-exec or a long-lived
#   in-session goal/loop driver instead.
MULTI_AGENT_AVAILABLE=$([ "$HOST" = codex ] && codex features list 2>/dev/null | grep -q 'multi_agent.*true' && echo yes || echo no)
WORKFLOW_CAPABLE=$([ "$HOST" = claude ] && echo yes || echo no)   # the host agent knows it has the Workflow tool

# --- EXPLICIT PIN (the single manual lever besides "…with workflow") ---
PIN=$(git config --get aep.executor-backend 2>/dev/null || true)   # e.g. "tmux"

# --- PRESENTATION (for legacy mode): cmux needs a reachable CLI + a target pane,
#     NOT $CMUX_SOCKET (the CLI drives cmux over its socket even when unset) ---
CMUX="$(command -v cmux || echo /Applications/cmux.app/Contents/Resources/bin/cmux)"
if [ -x "$CMUX" ] && { "$CMUX" tree 2>/dev/null | grep -q '◀ here' || [ -n "$CMUX_PANE_ID" ]; }; then
  PRESENT=cmux
elif command -v tmux >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  PRESENT=tmux
else
  PRESENT=none
fi

Correct CLI invocations (verified against Claude Code 2.1.161+ / Codex 0.130.0):

>

| | interactive session → $EXECUTOR | headless one-shot → $EXECUTOR_EXEC |

| ---------- | -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |

| claude | claude --dangerously-skip-permissions | claude -p --dangerously-skip-permissions |

| codex | codex --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox | codex exec --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox |

>

--rc is not a real Claude Code flag. Codex's full-bypass flag is

--dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox (no --yolo / --full-auto).

Orchestrator lifetime is not shell-probable — the agent knows it. You are _long-lived_ when you're an interactive session or a /loop-driven session (Claude Code) or a living Codex main thread (desktop or interactive CLI). You are _ephemeral_ when this invocation is a cron/launchd-spawned one-shot (e.g. a scheduled codex exec autopilot tick). Session-bound modes require a long-lived orchestrator.

---

Mode Selection

Apply in order; first match wins. workflow is the only natural-language opt-in; legacy is the only pin.

workflow            IF user explicitly opted in ("…with workflow") AND WORKFLOW_CAPABLE
legacy              IF PIN == tmux, or user said "…with tmux"
native-bg-subagent  ELIF HOST == claude AND orchestrator is long-lived   # default on Claude Code
claude-bg           ELIF HOST == claude AND BG_AVAILABLE                  # OS-bound (cron); only if `claude --bg` exists
codex-subagent      ELIF HOST == codex AND MULTI_AGENT_AVAILABLE AND orchestrator is a living main thread
codex-exec          ELIF HOST == codex
legacy              ELIF PRESENT == cmux or PRESENT == tmux               (generic hosts)
headless            ELSE

Behavior change (2026-06): `claude-team` removed. The agent-teams spawn path fails silently on Claude Code ≥ 2.1.x (see the mode-matrix note), so it is no longer selectable. The Claude Code default is now native-bg-subagent (Agent tool, run_in_background, no team). The teams env flag is ignored. There is no "…with agent team" opt-in — the backend is broken, not merely de-prioritized.

Behavior change vs v1.x: Claude Code with tmux installed no longer auto-selects tmux — native modes win. Users who want the tmux+cmux workflow back pin it: git config aep.executor-backend tmux.

Post-spawn liveness probe is mandatory (never trust a flag or roster).

Selecting a mode does NOT mean its spawn worked. After ANY spawn, before

declaring the worker "running", run the probe in

Post-Spawn Liveness Probe. On failure, tear the

dead spawn down and auto-fall-back to `native-bg-subagent`.

---

Driver × Backend Compatibility

An orchestrator (notably /aep-autopilot) is driven either by a long-lived session or by a cron/launchd scheduler that starts a fresh session per tick. The long-lived class has two in-session variants — the goal driver (/goal, native on both hosts, the autopilot default, self-terminating per layer) and the fixed-interval loop driver (/loop; a living Codex main thread ticking in-thread). Both are equally compatible with every steerable mode. Session-bound workers cannot outlive their parent, so:

A consumer that needs steering (autopilot) must pick a mode compatible with its driver: on Claude Code, /goal (or /loop) + native-bg-subagent (or claude-bg where --bg exists); on Codex, in-thread /goal (or manual ticks)

• codex-subagent, or cron ticks

• codex-exec. The goal driver is in-session only — it cannot drive a

fresh-session-per-tick scheduler, so the cron/launchd row is always the /loop/codex exec path.

---

Common Recipes (all modes)

Worktree creation — always AEP-owned, before any spawn

# Resolve $BASE (integration branch) — see git-ref "Integration Branch" (override → develop → main)
BASE=$(git config --get aep.integration-branch 2>/dev/null || true)
[ -z "$BASE" ] && { git show-ref --verify --quiet refs/heads/develop \
  || git show-ref --verify --quiet refs/remotes/origin/develop; } && BASE=develop
BASE=${BASE:-main}

mkdir -p .feature-workspaces
git worktree add -b feat/<ws> .feature-workspaces/<ws> "$BASE"

Every mode points its worker at this directory. OS-bound modes bind by process cwd (enforced); session-bound native modes bind by prompt contract (AEP's no-hooks decision: rely on model capability + skill instructions — do not install WorktreeCreate hooks or redirect host-managed worktree paths).

monitor(ws) — host-independent, never changes

cat .feature-workspaces/<ws>/.dev-workflow/signals/status.json
ls  .feature-workspaces/<ws>/.dev-workflow/signals/ready-for-review.flag 2>/dev/null
ls  .feature-workspaces/<ws>/.dev-workflow/signals/needs-human.md 2>/dev/null

Mid-flight feedback is written the same way for every mode (push channels are an acceleration layer, not a replacement — the file is the durable record):

cat >> .feature-workspaces/<ws>/.dev-workflow/signals/feedback.md <<'EOF'
## <date> <time>
Priority: high
<feedback>
EOF

Worktree removal — teardown() tail, all modes

# (mode-specific session/agent teardown first — see the recipe files)
git worktree remove .feature-workspaces/<ws> \
  || git worktree remove --force .feature-workspaces/<ws>
git worktree prune

Post-Spawn Liveness Probe

Run after EVERY spawn, before declaring the worker "running". A spawn call returning, a flag being set, or a roster/state entry saying "active" is NOT evidence the worker started. (The removed claude-team mode failed exactly here: the launch command was truncated in a tmux pane and never submitted, yet the team roster still showed the member "active" — a silently dead worktree the autopilot only flagged 30+ minutes later.)

A worker is live only if BOTH hold within N seconds (default 90):

1. Process / agent exists — a real worker is running:

• native-bg-subagent: the bg agent appears in TaskList AND its spawn returned

a bare-hex `agentId` with a JSONL output_file (not an @<team> id)

• claude-bg: claude agents --json shows the session running
• codex-subagent: list_agents shows <agent_id>
• codex-exec: the codex exec PID is alive
• legacy: pane_current_command is claude (not zsh) — a zsh pane means the

launch command never submitted 2. Worktree shows activity — .dev-workflow/signals/status.json was written OR git -C .feature-workspaces/<ws> diff --stat is non-empty.

bash .claude/skills/aep-executor/scripts/spawn-liveness-probe.sh <ws> <agent_id> [N]
# exit 0 = live; exit 1 = dead spawn (probe failed)

On probe failure (dead spawn):

1. Tear down the dead remnant — kill the stuck pane/process, and if a team got created during the attempt, TeamDelete it (a live team poisons the fallback). 2. Do not mark the story failed and do not leave the worktree for the autopilot to time-out on later. 3. Auto-fall-back to `native-bg-subagent` (Agent tool, run_in_background, no team) into the existing worktree, then probe again. native-bg-subagent is the terminal fallback — if it also fails the probe, only then escalate.

This contract is what /aep-launch Step 4 and the autopilot orphan/stuck checks both consume — "roster/state says active" is never accepted as liveness.

check(prompt, schema) — cheap, context-isolated analysis

Run a read-only analysis prompt in a throwaway, cheap-model agent and return its structured JSON. The point is context isolation: the verbose reading (state file + every workspace signals/, gh pr view, …) happens in the cheap agent's own context — only the small JSON result crosses back. The check never reads workspace code (signals only).

Claude Code — Haiku subagent:

Agent/Task tool: model haiku; tools Read, Bash, Glob;
prompt: <the analysis prompt; OUTPUT ONLY the JSON in `schema`>

Codex — `codex exec` cheap one-shot:

codex exec -m gpt-5.4-mini -c model_reasoning_effort=low \
  -C "$PWD" --skip-git-repo-check --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox \
  --output-schema /tmp/aep-check.schema.json -o /tmp/aep-check.out.json \
  "<the analysis prompt>" < /dev/null
jq . /tmp/aep-check.out.json

Result schema (the CHECK → ACT contract):

{
  "summary": "string — one-line human-readable status",
  "state_written": true,
  "actions": [
    {
      "type": "nudge | wrap | launch | escalate | design",
      "workspace": "string | null",
      "story_id": "string | null",
      "message": "string | null — exact text for a nudge",
      "reason": "string | null — for escalate/design"
    }
  ]
}

---

The Human-Gate Protocol

A worker mid-build can hit a decision only the human can make (design ambiguity, eval non-convergence, Phase 11.5 manual QA). The record is host-agnostic; the transport is per-mode — but the canonical human console is the main agent (hub-and-spoke): the worker's question flows back to the orchestrator, the orchestrator asks the human (AskUserQuestion / plain text in the main session), and relays the answer to the worker. The human never _has_ to visit a worker's surface; per-mode direct interaction (TaskOutput, claude attach, Codex thread, tmux attach) is an optional convenience.

The record (always, every mode): the worker appends to .dev-workflow/signals/needs-human.md and sets "blocked_on": "human" in status.json:

## <ISO8601> — <phase>

**Question:** <the decision needed, with the options considered>
**Context:** <why the worker can't decide autonomously>

Two gate styles. The worker's behavior after recording the gate depends on whether its mode has a push channel back into it:

• Block-in-place (steerable modes — codex-subagent, legacy):

the worker raises the gate, keeps doing whatever doesn't depend on the answer, and waits. The answer arrives on the mode's push transport.

• Gate-and-park (batch/pull modes — native-bg-subagent, workflow, headless,

codex-exec, and claude-bg): there is no push channel into a running worker, so the worker parks: commit WIP (or leave the tree clean), update status.json (blocked_on: "human", current phase), then end its run cleanly. The orchestrator detects the gate, gets the human's answer, and resumes a worker into the same worktree — the same recipe as orphan re-adoption, with the answer prepended: "The human decided: <answer>. Run bash .dev-workflow/init.sh to recover state, mark the needs-human entry resolved, then continue the /aep-build flow." Parking is cheap because all state lives in the worktree + .dev-workflow/, not in the agent's context.

The transport (per mode):

Resolution: after acting on the answer, the worker appends resolved: <summary> under its entry and clears blocked_on. The autopilot escalation queue consumes the same file — an unresolved needs-human.md entry becomes an escalation whose expected_human_action is "answer in the main session" plus the mode-specific relay recipe above. A parked workspace counts as waiting, not stuck and not failed.

---

Mode: workflow (dynamic-workflow fan-out)

This mode is the narrow use of dynamic workflows — running one dispatched

build wave as a fan-out. For the general dynamic-workflow pattern catalog

(classify-route, fan-out/synthesize, adversarial verify, generate-filter,

tournament, loop-until-done) and the judgment of _when a task warrants a workflow

at all_, see `/aep-workflow`.

Claude Code's Workflow tool builds a whole dispatched wave as one deterministic fan-out: one build agent per locked story, each with per-agent worktree isolation, with /aep-dispatch authoring the script (the "…with workflow" path bypasses /aep-launch). With hub-and-spoke gating this is a complete backend, not just a fire-and-forget batch: gates park and return to the main agent for confirmation, then gated stories resume.

// sketch — one agent per story; gates surface in the structured result.
// `stories` is the dispatched wave: { change, worktree, bootstrap } per item.
const BUILD_RESULT = {
  type: "object",
  properties: {
    status: { enum: ["completed", "gated", "failed"] },
    question: { type: "string" }, // set when status == "gated" (mirror of needs-human.md)
    summary: { type: "string" },
  },
  required: ["status"],
};
const results = await pipeline(
  stories,
  (s) =>
    agent(
      `You operate EXCLUSIVELY in ${s.worktree}. Run /aep-build for OpenSpec change ${s.change}. ${s.bootstrap}
       If you hit a decision only the human can make: append it to .dev-workflow/signals/needs-human.md,
       set blocked_on:"human" in status.json, commit WIP, and RETURN status "gated" with the question —
       do not guess and do not wait.`,
      { phase: "Build", schema: BUILD_RESULT },
    ),
  (built, s) =>
    built.status === "completed"
      ? agent(`Adversarially verify the build for ${s.change} in ${s.worktree}.`, {
          phase: "Verify",
          schema: BUILD_RESULT,
        })
      : built,
);
return results;

Gate handling (main agent, after the workflow returns): collect status: "gated" items, ask the human each question (AskUserQuestion), then resume each gated story into its existing worktree — either a continuation workflow over the gated subset or individual re-launches — with the recovery bootstrap + the answer ("The human decided: <answer>…"). Workflow resumeFromRunId makes the continuation cheap (completed agents return from cache). Mid-stage there is still no push nudge — steering happens at stage boundaries and through gates.

monitor() is unchanged (the build agents still write signals); progress is also visible in the /workflows view. Autopilot does not drive this mode — the workflow is its own orchestrator; its gates surface to the main agent that authored it.

AEP-created worktrees vs isolation: 'worktree': prefer creating the

.feature-workspaces/<ws> worktrees first (launch guardrails apply) and

passing the path in the prompt, so monitor()/wrap paths stay standard. The

Workflow tool's own isolation: 'worktree' puts agents in host-managed

paths — acceptable for ad-hoc batches, but then signals live outside

.feature-workspaces/ and /aep-wrap does not apply.

---

Orphan Re-adoption

Session-bound workers (native-bg-subagents, Codex subagents) die when the orchestrator session dies, but their work does not — it lives in the worktree and .dev-workflow/. When an orchestrator (re)starts and finds state claiming an active workspace, decide orphan-vs-live by the real-liveness probe, never by roster/state membership (a roster can show a never-started worker as "active" — the claude-team failure mode). Treat as an orphan when the Post-Spawn Liveness Probe fails — the agent process is gone (TaskList / list_agents / claude agents empty) or the worktree shows no activity:

1. Treat it as an orphan, not a failure — do not mark the story failed. 2. Read signals/status.json for the last known phase. 3. Re-launch a worker into the existing worktree with the current mode's spawn recipe and a recovery bootstrap: "Run bash .dev-workflow/init.sh to recover state, read .dev-workflow/signals/feedback.md, then continue the /aep-build flow from the current phase." 4. Record the new agent_id in orchestrator state.

This is why worker progress must always flow through signals + commits, never live only in an agent's context.

---

The Worktree-Context Constraint

Every spawned worker and evaluator MUST be bound to the workspace worktree — by process cwd (claude-bg, codex-exec, legacy, evaluator execs) or by prompt contract (native-bg-subagent, codex-subagent, headless).

This is not optional. The autopilot orchestrator boundary forbids spawning a reviewer/agent "from main" precisely because such an agent lacks the workspace's files, git state, and eval history. Binding the spawned agent to the worktree gives it exactly that context, so the boundary's intent is satisfied under every mode. The gen/eval separation (generator ≠ evaluator) and the rule that the main session never reads workspace code both still hold — only the spawn mechanism changes.

Codex caveat: spawn_agent has no cwd parameter, so the codex-subagent binding is a directory contract hardened by the aep-builder role's developer_instructions (see codex-native.md). The contract stays inside the workspace-write sandbox because .feature-workspaces/ is under the project root. Hard enforcement is available via codex-exec.

---

Legacy B1–B4 Mapping

For readers of v1.2–v1.5 docs and ADRs:

New in v1.6: claude-bg, codex-exec, the human-gate protocol, and orphan re-adoption. See docs/decisions/native-first-executor.md.

Removed 2026-06: claude-team (silent agent-teams spawn failure) — replaced by `native-bg-subagent` as the Claude Code default, plus the mandatory Post-Spawn Liveness Probe. See docs/decisions/remove-claude-team.md.

Claude Code Native Backends — native-bg-subagent & claude-bg

Per-operation recipes for the two Claude Code native modes. Both replace tmux — and the removed `claude-team` — with capabilities built into Claude Code; neither requires tmux, cmux, agent teams, or any hook. Detection and selection live in backends.md — read that first, including the mandatory Post-Spawn Liveness Probe.

`claude-team` was removed (2026-06). On Claude Code ≥ 2.1.x the agent-teams

spawn path fails silently — the launch command is truncated in a detached

claude-swarm-<pid> tmux pane and never submitted, so no worker starts, yet the

team roster still reports the member "active". A live team also **poisons

teamless background spawns** (they re-route through the same broken backend).

native-bg-subagent is the replacement default. See

docs/decisions/remove-claude-team.md.

---

Mode: native-bg-subagent (Claude Code default)

A native in-process background subagent: the Agent tool with run_in_background: true, no `team_name`, spawned while no team is active. It runs asynchronously in the orchestrator session, is non-blocking, and auto-notifies on completion. This is the Claude Code default — it needs no tmux, no agent-teams flag, and no --bg CLI flag.

Success signature (how to know the spawn actually worked)

A working spawn returns a bare-hex `agentId` (e.g. adfb6cb206155a92e) with a JSONL output_file — not an @<team> id. Record that agentId as the workspace agent_id. Then run the [Post-Spawn Liveness Probe](backends.md#post-spawn-liveness-probe) before declaring the worker running.

Prerequisite: no active team

# A live agent-teams team re-routes EVEN teamless background spawns through the
# broken agent-teams tmux backend. If a team exists, shut its members down and
# TeamDelete it BEFORE spawning.
list_agents / TaskList → if a team "aep" exists: shutdown members, then TeamDelete

spawn(ws, branch, bootstrap_prompt)

The worktree is created by AEP first (common recipe in backends.md). Then spawn a background subagent with the Agent tool — no `team_name`:

Agent tool:
  run_in_background: true
  # NO team_name — a team (active or newly created) routes through the broken backend
  prompt: |
    You operate EXCLUSIVELY in <abs-repo-path>/.feature-workspaces/<ws>
    on branch feat/<ws>. cd there first; never edit files outside it.
    <bootstrap_prompt>                # the /aep-build bootstrap, incl. Prior Lessons
    Report progress through .dev-workflow/signals/status.json at phase
    boundaries. If you hit a decision only the human can make, follow the
    human-gate protocol: append to .dev-workflow/signals/needs-human.md,
    set "blocked_on": "human" in status.json, commit WIP, and end your run.

Capture the returned bare-hex `agentId` + output_file → state agent_id. The worktree binding is a prompt contract (AEP's no-hooks decision). Then run the liveness probe; on failure follow the re-dispatch-on-failure contract (since this mode is itself the terminal fallback, a probe failure here escalates).

nudge(ws, msg)

SendMessage(to: <agentId>, message: <msg>)   # continues the background subagent

SendMessage re-activates a previously spawned background subagent with the message. Always also append the same text to signals/feedback.md (the file is the durable, host-agnostic record the worker reads at phase boundaries). If the agent is unreachable / already exited, fall back to the hard-stuck path below.

Hard-stuck (no progress ≥ 6 ticks): TaskStop <agentId>, then re-spawn into the worktree with a recovery prompt — the worktree and .dev-workflow/ carry all state:

Agent tool: run_in_background: true, no team_name, prompt:
  "Run bash .dev-workflow/init.sh to recover state, read
   .dev-workflow/signals/feedback.md, then continue the /aep-build flow from the
   current phase."   # record the NEW agentId in state

liveness(ws)

TaskList                                     # is <agentId> still running?
git -C .feature-workspaces/<ws> diff --stat  # host-independent corroboration

Apply the Post-Spawn Liveness Probe: the agent must exist in TaskList AND the worktree must show activity. Never accept "state says active" as liveness. A TaskList-absent agent with worktree progress is an orphan (session restarted) → re-adopt per backends.md.

present(ws)

TaskOutput <agentId>     # the JSONL output_file — recent worker output

Plus signals/status.json + the PR. There is no live pane; this mode is a background worker surfaced through its task output and signals.

gate(ws) — human gate (gate-and-park)

There is no guaranteed push channel into a mid-run background subagent, so the worker parks: append to needs-human.md + blocked_on: human, commit WIP, end the run cleanly. The orchestrator detects the gate on its next tick, asks the human in the main session (hub-and-spoke), and re-spawns a bg subagent into the same worktree with the answer + recovery bootstrap:

Agent tool: run_in_background: true, no team_name, prompt:
  "The human decided: <answer>. Run bash .dev-workflow/init.sh to recover state,
   mark the needs-human entry resolved, clear blocked_on, and continue the
   /aep-build flow."   # record the new agentId

spawn_evaluator(ws, role)

The background subagent spawns a foreground Task subagent in its own context (one level — a subagent may spawn one subagent) with the evaluator prompt; it inherits the worktree via the prompt contract. The evaluator prompt (from aep-gen-eval/references/agent-contracts.md) is the spawn prompt. Poll for eval-response-<N>.md as a sanity check.

teardown(ws)

TaskStop <agentId> 2>/dev/null || true    # stop the bg subagent if still running
# then the common worktree removal from backends.md

---

Mode: claude-bg

One native background session per story. claude --bg starts a full Claude instance detached from the current session; it is OS-bound — it survives lead restarts and is attachable from any terminal. This is the only Claude Code mode that survives a cron/launchd fresh-session-per-tick driver (see the driver × backend matrix in backends.md).

`--bg` availability (verify per build). On Claude Code ≥ 2.1.x the one-shot

claude --bg spawn flag was removed — claude agents is now an interactive

_agent view_, not a scriptable one-shot spawn. The capability probe below gates

this mode: when --bg is absent, BG_AVAILABLE=no and detection skips

claude-bg, leaving native-bg-subagent (session-bound) as the Claude Code

default. If a build re-introduces a scriptable background-spawn flag, update the

spawn recipe here accordingly.

Capability probe

claude --help 2>/dev/null | grep -q -- '--bg' && echo "claude-bg available"

spawn(ws, branch, bootstrap_prompt)

The process cwd is the isolation — this mode hard-binds the worker to the worktree, no prompt contract needed:

cd .feature-workspaces/<ws> && claude --bg --dangerously-skip-permissions "<bootstrap_prompt>"
# capture the printed session id → state agent_id; then run the liveness probe
cd - >/dev/null

Record the session id in orchestrator state (agent_id). List/inspect at any time:

claude agents --json          # all background sessions + status
claude logs <id> | tail -40   # recent output

nudge(ws, msg) — degraded (pull)

Background sessions take no push input mid-turn. Two-tier nudge:

1. Normal: append to signals/feedback.md (workers read it at phase boundaries — the existing protocol). 2. Hard-stuck (no progress ≥ 6 ticks): stop and respawn with a recovery prompt — the worktree and .dev-workflow/ carry all state:

   claude stop <id>
   cd .feature-workspaces/<ws> && claude --bg --dangerously-skip-permissions \
     "Run bash .dev-workflow/init.sh to recover state, read .dev-workflow/signals/feedback.md, then continue the /aep-build flow from the current phase."
   cd - >/dev/null   # record the NEW session id in state

liveness(ws)

claude agents --json | jq '.[] | select(.id=="<id>")'   # running / exited
claude logs <id> | tail -5                              # output still moving?
git -C .feature-workspaces/<ws> diff --stat             # corroboration

Apply the Post-Spawn Liveness Probe: process exists AND worktree shows activity — never roster/state alone.

present(ws)

claude attach <id>     # interactive attach — the native replacement for tmux attach

gate(ws) — human gate (gate-and-park)

There is no push channel into a running bg session, so the worker parks: append to needs-human.md + blocked_on: human, commit WIP, end the run cleanly. The orchestrator detects the gate on its next tick, asks the human in the main session (hub-and-spoke — the human does not need to attach), and relays the answer by resuming the worker:

# Resume the same session with the answer (preferred — context intact):
claude -r <agent_id> --bg --dangerously-skip-permissions \
  "The human decided: <answer>. Mark the needs-human entry resolved, clear blocked_on, and continue the /aep-build flow."
# Fallback (session not resumable): respawn in the worktree with the recovery bootstrap + answer.
# Record the (new) session id as agent_id.

Optional direct surface: while the worker is running, claude attach <id> also works (a blocking permission prompt holds the session and attach surfaces it) — a convenience, not the protocol.

spawn_evaluator(ws, role)

The bg session is a full Claude instance running in the worktree — it spawns a foreground Task subagent with the evaluator prompt.

teardown(ws)

claude stop <id> 2>/dev/null || true
claude rm <id>   2>/dev/null || true    # remove from the agents list (transcript kept)
# then the common worktree removal from backends.md

Codex Native Backends — codex-subagent & codex-exec

Per-operation recipes for the two Codex modes. Both apply to the Codex CLI and the Codex desktop app — they share the same Rust runtime, and multi_agent is stable and on by default from runtime 0.130.0 (no app-side toggle). Detection and selection live in backends.md — read that first.

---

The worktree reality (read before choosing)

spawn_agent has no cwd/worktree parameter — subagents share the parent's workspace and sandbox. The Codex app's own "Worktree" environment pins worktrees under $CODEX_HOME/worktrees (path not configurable). So for AEP's invariant — worktree at .feature-workspaces/<ws> — the binding under codex-subagent is a directory contract (prompt + role instructions), not enforcement.

Why the contract is safe in practice: with the parent thread rooted at the repo and workspace-write sandboxing, the writable boundary is the project root — .feature-workspaces/<ws> is inside it, and so is the linked worktree's git metadata (.git/worktrees/...). The worker can do all its git work in the worktree without leaving the sandbox. When the user demands _hard_ cwd enforcement, use codex-exec instead (the process cwd is the worktree).

Custom agent roles (ship with the project)

Commit these to the project's .codex/agents/ — they are project-scoped, so both the CLI and the desktop app discover them in any checkout or worktree.

.codex/agents/aep-builder.toml:

name = "aep-builder"
description = "AEP workspace builder — implements one story inside its assigned git worktree"
developer_instructions = """
You are an AEP workspace builder. Your FIRST action is to cd into the absolute
worktree path given in your prompt (under .feature-workspaces/), then VERIFY it:
`git rev-parse --show-toplevel` MUST be under .feature-workspaces/ and the branch
MUST be feat/<ws> (not the integration branch). If not, do NOT proceed in the
main checkout — run the /aep-build Phase 0 worktree guard to self-heal (it cd's
into or creates the worktree). `spawn_agent` shares the parent's cwd, so this is
the soft binding the Phase 0 guard backstops — never create feat/<ws> in the main
checkout. You operate EXCLUSIVELY inside that directory on its feat/<ws> branch.
Never edit the main checkout or any other worktree. Report progress through
.dev-workflow/signals/status.json at phase boundaries; read
.dev-workflow/signals/feedback.md at phase starts. If you hit a decision only
the human can make, append it to .dev-workflow/signals/needs-human.md and set
"blocked_on": "human" in status.json, then ask the parent thread.
"""

.codex/agents/aep-evaluator.toml:

name = "aep-evaluator"
description = "AEP evaluator — scores a workspace build against its criteria, never fixes"
developer_instructions = """
You are an AEP EVALUATOR. You work inside the worktree directory given in your
prompt. Read evaluator-criteria.md, the eval-request, the OpenSpec change, and
the git diff against the integration branch. Score honestly per the criteria;
apply hard failure thresholds strictly; never modify code and never modify
verification_steps. Write your findings to
.dev-workflow/signals/eval-response-<N>.md and update pass/fail fields in
.dev-workflow/feature-verification.json, then stop.
"""

---

Mode: codex-subagent

One native subagent per story, spawned from the orchestrator's living main thread (desktop thread or interactive CLI session). Session-bound: subagents die with the parent thread, so this mode requires the orchestrator itself to be long-lived (see the driver × backend matrix in backends.md).

Concurrency: agents.max_threads (config.toml, default 6) caps concurrent subagents — effective WIP limit is min(concurrency_limit, max_threads).

spawn(ws, branch, bootstrap_prompt)

AEP creates the worktree first (common recipe in backends.md), then:

spawn_agent(
  agent_type: "aep-builder",
  message: "Worktree: <abs-repo-path>/.feature-workspaces/<ws> (branch feat/<ws>).
            <bootstrap_prompt>"
)
# record the returned agent id → state agent_id

nudge(ws, msg)

send_input(agent: <agent_id>, message: <msg>)

Also append to signals/feedback.md (durable record).

liveness(ws)

list_agents                                      # thread status
git -C .feature-workspaces/<ws> diff --stat      # corroboration

present(ws)

• CLI: /agent switches between agent threads — tell the human which

thread id belongs to <ws>.

• Desktop app: threads run side by side; subagent diff stats appear in the

composer and each subagent has a stable identicon. The human clicks into the thread to watch or steer.

gate(ws) — human gate (block-in-place, hub-and-spoke)

Two native channels, plus the file. In both, the parent thread (main agent) is the human's console — the human answers there; opening the worker thread directly is optional:

• Approvals (sandbox/permission requests): surface natively in the active

thread labeled with the source thread — CLI: press o to open that thread and approve; app: contextual permission prompt, click into the owning thread.

• Non-approval decisions (design ambiguity, eval non-convergence): worker

appends to needs-human.md + blocked_on: human and asks the parent thread; the parent asks the human in the main conversation and relays the answer via send_input(<id>, "<answer>").

spawn_evaluator(ws, role)

Use a bounded headless one-shot with enforced worktree cwd — review is exactly the "bounded analysis" case codex exec is reserved for:

codex exec --cd "<abs>/.feature-workspaces/<ws>" \
  --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox \
  "<evaluator prompt from agent-contracts.md, customized with the workspace paths>" < /dev/null

The prompt is the spawn — no sleep, no send step, no pane to kill. The exec returns when eval-response-<N>.md is written.

teardown(ws)

close_agent(agent: <agent_id>)      # if still running
# then the common worktree removal from backends.md

---

Mode: codex-exec

One headless `codex exec` process per story, cwd hard-bound to the worktree. OS-bound: workers survive the orchestrator session, and a _fresh_ session can steer them via codex exec resume. This is the Codex mode for cron/launchd-driven autopilot (each tick is a new codex exec session that cannot see another session's subagents) and for users who demand enforced isolation.

spawn(ws, branch, bootstrap_prompt)

nohup codex exec --cd ".feature-workspaces/<ws>" \
  --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox \
  "<bootstrap_prompt>" < /dev/null > ".feature-workspaces/<ws>/.dev-workflow/worker.log" 2>&1 &
# Recover the session id from the worker log / `codex exec resume --last`
# bookkeeping and record it → state agent_id

nudge(ws, msg)

codex exec resume <session-id> --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox \
  "<msg>" < /dev/null

resume continues the worker's own session with the new instruction — this is the OS-bound steering channel; it works from any later orchestrator session. Also append to signals/feedback.md.

liveness(ws)

cat .feature-workspaces/<ws>/.dev-workflow/signals/status.json   # primary signal
git -C .feature-workspaces/<ws> diff --stat                      # corroboration
tail -5 .feature-workspaces/<ws>/.dev-workflow/worker.log        # process output

present(ws) / gate(ws) — gate-and-park

Headless — review via signals + the PR. For a gate the worker parks: write needs-human.md + blocked_on: human, commit WIP, finish the run. The orchestrator asks the human in the main session and relays the answer:

codex exec resume <session-id> --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox \
  "The human decided: <answer>. Mark the needs-human entry resolved, clear blocked_on, and continue the /aep-build flow." < /dev/null

spawn_evaluator(ws, role)

Same as codex-subagent: codex exec --cd <worktree> with the evaluator prompt.

teardown(ws)

The exec process exits on its own when the build completes; nothing to kill. Then the common worktree removal from backends.md.

---

Dogfood / post-deploy validation (Codex)

Host-aware dogfood (dogfood_method()) for Codex resolves by mode, per `dogfood-validation.md`:

• codex-subagent (desktop, GPT-5.4 multimodal): use the **native in-app

browser + computer-use** to drive the app and capture screenshots (computer-use is desktop-only). Fallback: the Playwright skill, then agent-browser CLI.

• codex-exec (headless): write and run a Playwright script (no computer-use

off the desktop app). Fallback: agent-browser CLI → API/curl checks.

Screenshots feed the multimodal evaluator's Visual Design dimension (aep-gen-eval/references/scoring-framework.md). Full selection + target_url() resolution live in dogfood-validation.md.

Host-aware E2E / Dogfood Validation — e2e_tool(target_type) & target_url()

Dogfood/validation picks the right native tool per target type and host, both locally (pre-merge, /aep-build Phase 6) and on staging/production (post-deploy). This closes gap G4b: until now Phase 6 ran only against localhost and only if agent-browser happened to be installed (else the whole phase was skipped), and there was no post-deploy validation at all.

e2e_tool(target_type) generalizes the original web-only dogfood_method() to cover web / mobile / desktop / cli targets (adding webwright, agent-device, and a bash CLI track); dogfood_method() is kept as a := e2e_tool('web') wrapper for back-compat. The project-local e2e-test skill ships a self-contained projection of this matrix in its tool-selection.md (generated by /aep-e2e-skill-scaffolding) — keep the two in sync.

Detection reuses executor.detect() for HOST + mode — read `backends.md` first. The functions here add a method layer on top of that: which validation tool to drive (e2e_tool()) and which URL to point it at (target_url()). All methods emit one unified report format so the downstream classifier is host-agnostic.

---

Table of Contents

1. `e2e_tool(target_type)` — target × host × preference selection 2. `target_url(env)` — URL resolution 3. Unified report format 4. Config block 5. Post-deploy worker & boundary (v1.8.0) 6. Cross-references

---

e2e_tool(target_type) — target × host × preference selection

executor.detect() resolves HOST + mode; this adds a tool probe on top, now generalized over a target type (web | mobile | desktop | cli) so the same selector covers browser, mobile, desktop, and CLI e2e. Each host uses its native capability first and degrades only when that is unavailable. dogfood_method() is preserved as a thin wrapper (:= e2e_tool('web')) so existing callers — /aep-build Phase 6 and the autopilot post-merge guard — are unchanged.

e2e_tool(target_type):              # target_type ∈ {web, mobile, desktop, cli}; default web
  resolve HOST + mode via executor.detect()
  pref = topology.routing.e2e.tool.<target_type>            # optional pin; unset or 'auto' = NO pin
  if target_type == web and (pref unset or pref == 'auto'):
    pref = topology.routing.dogfood.method                  # legacy back-compat alias of e2e.tool.web
  if pref and pref != 'auto': return pref if healthy(pref) else "degrade"   # 'auto' is not a tool

  if target_type == web:
    if HOST == claude:
      if agent_browser_healthy():  return "agent-browser"     # /agent-browser:dogfood
      elif webwright_available():  return "webwright"
      else:                        return "degrade"           # non-UI → API/curl; UI → human-eval
    if HOST == codex:
      if mode == codex-subagent and computer_use_enabled:     # desktop app
                                   return "codex-native"      # in-app browser + computer-use
      elif playwright_available(): return "playwright-script" # GPT-5.4 writes + runs it
      elif agent_browser_healthy(): return "agent-browser"    # CLI fallback
      else:                        return "degrade"           # API checks
    # generic host
    if playwright_available():     return "playwright-script"
    elif agent_browser_healthy():  return "agent-browser"
    else:                          return "degrade"

  if target_type == mobile:
    if agent_device_healthy():     return "agent-device"      # iOS / Android native
    else:                          return "degrade"           # API/contract checks only

  if target_type == desktop:
    if HOST == codex and computer_use_enabled:
                                   return "codex-native"      # in-app + computer-use
    elif agent_browser_healthy():  return "agent-browser"     # Electron via CDP
    else:                          return "degrade"

  if target_type == cli:
    if bash_available():           return "bash"              # run the built binary; assert exit code/stdout/fs.
                                                              #   at EXEC: if the binary won't build/run, mark SKIP → Tier-1
    else:                          return "degrade"           # no shell (≈never)

dogfood_method() := e2e_tool('web')   # back-compat wrapper — Phase 6 / post-merge-guard unchanged

Why web splits multiple ways. Computer-use and the in-app (Atlas) browser

are desktop-only; codex exec (headless) has neither, so it writes and

runs a Playwright script (GPT-5.4 does this natively) and falls back to the

agent-browser CLI, then to API/curl. webwright is a Claude-side web

alternative when agent-browser is unavailable. Mobile and desktop are

distinct target tracks — a journey declares its target: and the selector

routes accordingly.

Health probes

Each tool has a smoke test; a failed probe drops to the next fallback (never a hard FAIL). Definitions are self-contained here (no external reference doc needed):

agent_browser_healthy() { command -v agent-browser >/dev/null 2>&1 && agent-browser navigate about:blank >/tmp/ab-smoke.log 2>&1; }
playwright_available()  { command -v npx >/dev/null 2>&1 && npx --no-install playwright --version >/dev/null 2>&1; }
webwright_available()   { command -v webwright >/dev/null 2>&1 && webwright --version >/dev/null 2>&1; }
agent_device_healthy()  { command -v agent-device >/dev/null 2>&1 && agent-device doctor >/tmp/ad-smoke.log 2>&1; }
bash_available()        { command -v bash >/dev/null 2>&1; }   # ~always true; gates the cli track (run the built binary)
# codex-native: not a CLI probe — available only on Codex desktop with computer-use enabled.

Target-type detection

A journey's target: front-matter is authoritative. When absent, infer from the stack: native-uniwind/React Native/Expo → mobile; tauri/electrobun/Electron → desktop; no web frontend — a CLI entrypoint (bin in package.json, Go cmd/*/main.go, Python console_scripts/[project.scripts]) or a pure library/package (exports only) → cli; a web frontend → web.

---

target_url(env) — URL resolution

target_url(env):                 # env ∈ {local, staging, production}
  if env == local:               # unchanged from current Phase 6
    source .dev-workflow/ports.env → return $BASE_URL
  else:
    u = topology.routing.deploy_targets.<env>_url   # product-context.yaml
    if u: return u                                  # config first
    else: return <CI/deploy step output URL>        # fallback CI (e.g. preview URL)

• `env=local` — source .dev-workflow/ports.env, return $BASE_URL (the

Phase 6 status quo; ports.env is written by the workspace-setup hook).

• `env=staging|production` — read

topology.routing.deploy_targets.<env>_url first; if unset, read the URL the CI/deploy step printed (e.g. a Vercel/Netlify preview URL or deploy output).

`target_url` is web-only. It returns an HTTP URL, which suits web (and

the Electron/CDP desktop path that loads a URL). Mobile (agent-device),

native-bundle desktop, and cli have no URL target. CLI's bash track

runs the built binary directly (no URL) — invoke it as a user would and

assert exit code / stdout / filesystem effects; run it pre-merge/local.

Mobile/native-desktop need a build artifact (.ipa/.apk/app bundle), which

post-deploy doesn't model yet, so run those pre-merge/local against a

simulator/emulator; post-deploy validation stays web-oriented until a per-target

artifact resolver exists.

---

Unified report format

Every method — /agent-browser:dogfood, codex-native, playwright-script, the degrade paths — emits the same severity / category / repro structure as /agent-browser:dogfood, so the downstream classifier never branches on host. Reports are written to .dev-workflow/dogfood-<feature>.md (local) or the post-deploy report path (staging/prod), one entry per finding:

## <finding title>

**Severity:** blocker | major | minor
**Category:** UX | logic | visual | edge-case | accessibility | performance
**Repro:** <ordered steps to reproduce against the target URL>
**Observed:** <what happened> **Expected:** <what should happen>
**Evidence:** <screenshot path / log excerpt>

On issue → route per topology.routing.dogfood.on_issue (default create_story): the report is ingested by the `dogfood_report` adapter (product-context/_shared/references/telemetry-ingestion.md → Dogfood-report adapter), which parses each ## finding into a normalized record → the /aep-reflect Step 2 classifier → a bug/refinement story in product-context.yaml → dispatch (the G6 self-feeding loop). Set escalate instead to surface to the human rather than auto-filing.

The report path is the contract. Whatever the trigger — local Phase 6, the

post-deploy post-merge guard, or a standalone / ad-hoc dogfood — write the

unified report to .dev-workflow/dogfood-*.md. That is what makes the finding

ingestible: /aep-watch's dogfood_report source (or the guard's Path 1) picks

it up on its next pass and runs it through the adapter above. A dogfood that

only prints findings to chat (never writing the report file) is a dead end —

nothing can auto-file it. Auto-creation still obeys the confirmation policy

(full_auto / watch.auto_create); only bug / refinement auto-file, while

calibration / discovery / opportunity-shift / process surface to a human.

Hard service regressions (health signals) are a separate path — they go

through the autopilot post-merge guard's revert policy, not this story-filing

path. Dogfood finds UX/functional issues and files stories; the guard finds

service regressions and decides rollback.

---

Config block

Added under topology.routing in product-context.yaml:

topology:
  routing:
    deploy_targets:
      staging_url: "https://staging.example.com" # optional; missing → fallback CI
      production_url: "https://example.com"
    e2e:
      tool:
        web: auto # auto | agent-browser | playwright | webwright | codex-native
        mobile: auto # auto | agent-device
        desktop: auto # auto | codex-native | agent-browser
        cli: auto # auto | bash
    dogfood:
      method: auto # auto | agent-browser | codex-native | playwright (alias of e2e.tool.web)
      post_deploy_env: staging # staging | production | none
      on_issue: create_story # create_story | escalate

• `e2e.tool.{web,mobile,desktop,cli}` — per-target pin; auto (default) defers

to e2e_tool(target_type). An explicit value pins the tool (still subject to its health probe — a pinned-but-unhealthy tool degrades).

• `method` — back-compat alias of e2e.tool.web; auto defers to

dogfood_method() (= e2e_tool('web')). Parallels the aep.executor-backend pin.

• `post_deploy_env` — which environment the post-deploy step validates;

none disables post-deploy dogfood.

• `on_issue` — create_story (default) or escalate.

---

Post-deploy worker & boundary (v1.8.0)

When the post-deploy step needs a worker to run validation (e.g. a Codex headless Playwright run, or a Claude /agent-browser:dogfood pass), it is spawned as `native-bg-subagent` and confirmed live by the mandatory post-spawn liveness probe before being treated as running — never trust a flag or roster (see `backends.md` → Post-Spawn Liveness Probe).

Screenshots captured by any method feed each host's multimodal evaluator: Claude evaluates natively; Codex is confirmed multimodal (GPT-5.4). This keeps the visual judgment in-host rather than crossing back to the orchestrator.

The orchestrator boundary holds. The post-deploy step reads reports and signals and runs CLIs (gh, deploy tooling, target_url resolution) — it never reads workspace code. The validation worker is bound to its worktree (or runs against the deployed URL); the main session stays at arm's length, consistent with the autopilot orchestrator boundary.

---

Cross-references

• `backends.md` — executor.detect() (HOST + mode), the

native-bg-subagent default, and the Post-Spawn Liveness Probe.

• agentic-development-workflow/build/SKILL.md Phase 6 — local (pre-merge)

dogfood; calls dogfood_method() with env=local instead of skipping when agent-browser is absent.

• patterns/autopilot/references/post-merge-guard.md — the post-deploy step

invokes target_url(staging|production) + dogfood_method() after merge + deploy; hard regressions go through the guard's revert policy.

• product-context/reflect (/aep-reflect) — the host-agnostic classifier that

turns a unified dogfood report into a bug/refinement story.

Legacy Backend — tmux Session (+ optional cmux tab)

Per-operation recipes for the legacy mode: a long-lived interactive executor session hosted in tmux, optionally presented through a cmux review tab. This was the v1.x default for Claude Code (backends B1/B2); it is now selected only when the user pins it explicitly (git config aep.executor-backend tmux or "…with tmux") or on a generic host where tmux is the only session mechanism available. Detection and selection live in backends.md.

OS-bound: tmux sessions survive the orchestrator session and work under both the long-lived and cron driver models.

---

spawn(ws, branch, bootstrap_prompt)

The worktree is created by AEP first (common recipe in backends.md). Then:

$EXECUTOR is the interactive session command from detect() — bare

claude --dangerously-skip-permissions / generic session command, never

-p / codex exec. Guard first:

[ -z "$EXECUTOR" ] && { echo "run detect() — \$EXECUTOR unset"; exit 1; }

so an unset executor aborts loudly instead of launching a bare login shell.

With cmux available (legacy+cmux): spawn the tmux session only; the cmux review tab is attached _after_ the bootstrap is sent (attaching a surface focuses the tmux composer and blocks external send-keys).

tmux new-session -d -s <ws> -c .feature-workspaces/<ws> "$EXECUTOR"

Without cmux:

tmux new-session -d -s <ws> -c .feature-workspaces/<ws> "$EXECUTOR"
echo "Workspace running in tmux session '<ws>'. Watch it live with: tmux attach -t <ws>"

Readiness + bootstrap send. Wait for the agent to initialize, then send the prompt. The readiness signal is executor-specific ($READY_GREP from detect()); the send uses -l so a multi-line prompt is entered literally and a single trailing Enter submits it (a bare send-keys "$PROMPT" Enter would let embedded newlines submit the prompt line-by-line):

if [ -n "$READY_GREP" ]; then
  for _ in $(seq 1 12); do
    tmux capture-pane -t <ws>:0 -p -S -5 | grep -q "$READY_GREP" && break; sleep 2
  done
else
  sleep 8           # no readiness glyph configured — give the composer time to come up
fi
tmux send-keys -t <ws>:0.0 -l -- "$bootstrap_prompt"   # literal text (handles multi-line)
tmux send-keys -t <ws>:0.0 Enter                       # one submit

Attach the cmux review tab (AFTER the bootstrap). Open the tab as a sibling in the pane that holds the orchestrator's own tab — never cmux new-workspace (that makes a separate top-level workspace) and never a bare cmux new-surface (it defaults to an unset $CMUX_WORKSPACE_ID). Resolve the pane from cmux tree (the orchestrator's tab is marked ◀ here), falling back to the surface env vars when we're inside one:

# $CMUX is the CLI path resolved in detect(). Run this only when PRESENT == cmux.
read -r WS PANE < <("$CMUX" tree 2>/dev/null | awk '
  /workspace workspace:/ {for (i=1;i<=NF;i++) if ($i ~ /^workspace:/) ws=$i}
  /pane pane:/           {for (i=1;i<=NF;i++) if ($i ~ /^pane:/)      pane=$i}
  /◀ here/               {print ws, pane; exit}')
: "${WS:=$CMUX_WORKSPACE_ID}" "${PANE:=$CMUX_PANE_ID}"
if [ -n "$PANE" ]; then                                  # a target pane exists
  SREF=$("$CMUX" new-surface --type terminal --workspace "$WS" --pane "$PANE" --focus true \
         | grep -oE 'surface:[0-9]+' | head -1)
  "$CMUX" send --surface "$SREF" "tmux attach -t <ws>"$'\n'   # trailing newline submits
  "$CMUX" rename-tab --surface "$SREF" "<ws>"
else                                                     # reachable but no pane → tmux-only
  echo "cmux reachable but no target pane — watch with: tmux attach -t <ws>"
fi

The cmux fallback ladder

cmux is a convenience, never a requirement. Nothing functional depends on it; it is purely the human's clickable live-view tab.

cmux tab attachable → clickable review tab (sibling of the orchestrator's tab), live view
tmux present        → same session + monitor loop; `tmux attach` to watch

"cmux tab attachable" = the cmux CLI is reachable and a target pane resolves (cmux tree shows ◀ here, or $CMUX_PANE_ID is set) — it does not require $CMUX_SOCKET. Reachable-but-no-pane degrades to tmux-only; losing cmux costs only the tab UI. Skills must gate every cmux call on detection and never abort merely because cmux is absent.

---

nudge(ws, msg)

# -l sends the message literally (handles multi-line nudges); a separate Enter submits once.
tmux send-keys -t <ws>:0.0 -l -- "<msg>"
tmux send-keys -t <ws>:0.0 Enter

---

liveness(ws)

# Session activity: capture the pane and compare to the last hash
tmux capture-pane -t <ws>:0.0 -p -S -20
# Host-independent fallback / corroboration: uncommitted work in the worktree
git -C .feature-workspaces/<ws> diff --stat

---

present(ws)

---

gate(ws) — human gate

Worker appends to signals/needs-human.md + sets "blocked_on": "human" in status.json (the host-agnostic protocol). The orchestrator surfaces it: "workspace <ws> needs a decision — tmux attach -t <ws>, answer in the session (or write to signals/feedback.md), detach."

---

spawn_evaluator(ws, role)

The generator spawns the evaluator in a bottom tmux pane (eval-protocol Context A):

# Split current tmux window vertically (top=generator, bottom=evaluator). The evaluator
# needs to read files and write eval-response, so it runs the INTERACTIVE executor.
tmux split-window -v -c "$(pwd)" "${EXECUTOR:-claude --dangerously-skip-permissions}"
tmux select-pane -t :.0            # return focus to the generator pane

sleep 10
tmux send-keys -t :.1 -l -- "$EVAL_PROMPT"    # evaluator prompt from agent-contracts.md
tmux send-keys -t :.1 Enter

while [ ! -f .dev-workflow/signals/eval-response-<N>.md ]; do sleep 15; done
tmux kill-pane -t :.1

Use tmux split-window, not cmux split — the generator runs inside tmux

but was not spawned by cmux, so it cannot use cmux socket commands. Under

cmux the attached surface displays both panes automatically.

---

teardown(ws)

tmux kill-session -t <ws> 2>/dev/null || true
# then the common worktree removal from backends.md