Crank Skill

Quick Ref: Autonomous epic execution. Loops /implement on all issues until DONE. Output: closed issues + final vibe.

YOU MUST EXECUTE THIS WORKFLOW. Do not just describe it.

Autonomous execution: implement all issues until the epic is DONE.

Requires: bd CLI (beads) for issue tracking, OR in-session TaskList for task-based tracking.

Global Iteration Limit

MAX_EPIC_ITERATIONS = 50 (hard limit across entire epic)

This prevents infinite loops on circular dependencies or cascading failures.

Why 50?

• Typical epic: 5-10 issues
• With retries: ~5 iterations per issue max
• 50 = safe upper bound (10 issues × 5 retries)

Completion Enforcement (The Sisyphus Rule)

THE SISYPHUS RULE: Not done until explicitly DONE.

After each task, output completion marker:

• <promise>DONE</promise> - Epic truly complete, all issues closed
• <promise>BLOCKED</promise> - Cannot proceed (with reason)
• <promise>PARTIAL</promise> - Incomplete (with remaining items)

Never claim completion without the marker.

Execution Steps

Given /crank [epic-id]:

Step 1: Identify the Epic

If epic ID provided: Use it directly. Do NOT ask for confirmation.

If no epic ID: Discover it:

bd list --type epic --status open 2>/dev/null | head -5

If bd not available, look for a plan:

ls -lt .agents/plans/ 2>/dev/null | head -3

If multiple epics found, ask user which one.

Step 1a: Initialize Iteration Counter

# Initialize crank tracking in epic notes
bd update <epic-id> --append-notes "CRANK_START: iteration=0 at $(date -Iseconds)" 2>/dev/null

Track in memory: iteration=0

Step 2: Get Epic Details

bd show <epic-id> 2>/dev/null

Or read the plan document if using file-based tracking.

Step 3: List Ready Issues

Find issues that can be worked on (no blockers):

bd ready 2>/dev/null

Or parse the plan document for Wave 1 issues.

Or use TaskList tool if using in-session task tracking.

Step 3a: Pre-flight Check - Issues Exist

Verify there are issues to work on:

If 0 ready issues found:

STOP and return error:
  "No ready issues found for this epic. Either:
   - All issues are blocked (check dependencies)
   - Epic has no child issues (run /plan first)
   - All issues already completed"

Do NOT proceed with empty issue list - this produces false "epic complete" status.

Step 4: Execute Each Issue (with iteration tracking)

BEFORE each issue:

# Increment and check iteration counter
iteration=$((iteration + 1))
bd update <epic-id> --append-notes "CRANK_ITERATION: $iteration at $(date -Iseconds)" 2>/dev/null

# CHECK GLOBAL LIMIT
if [[ $iteration -ge 50 ]]; then
    echo "<promise>BLOCKED</promise>"
    echo "Global iteration limit (50) reached. Remaining issues:"
    bd children <epic-id> --status open 2>/dev/null
    # STOP - do not continue
fi

FOR EACH ready issue, USE THE SKILL TOOL:

Tool: Skill
Parameters:
  skill: "agentops:implement"
  args: "<issue-id>"

Wait for implement to complete before moving to next issue.

Check for BLOCKED/PARTIAL markers from implement:

• If <promise>BLOCKED</promise> returned → record blocker, try next issue
• If <promise>PARTIAL</promise> returned → record remaining, try next issue
• If <promise>DONE</promise> returned → continue normally

Step 5: Track Progress (No Per-Issue Vibe)

After implement completes:

1. Update issue status:

bd update <issue-id> --status closed 2>/dev/null

Or use TaskUpdate to mark task completed.

2. Track changed files in memory or use TaskCreate to note them.

Note: Skip per-issue vibe - validation is batched at the end to save context.

Step 6: Check for More Work

After completing an issue:

1. Check if new issues are now unblocked (use bd ready or TaskList)
2. If yes, return to Step 4
3. If no more issues after 3 retry attempts, proceed to Step 7
4. Max retries: If issues remain blocked after 3 checks, escalate: "Epic blocked - cannot unblock remaining issues"

Step 7: Final Batched Validation

When all issues complete, run ONE comprehensive vibe on recent changes:

# Get list of changed files from recent commits
git diff --name-only HEAD~10 2>/dev/null | sort -u

Run vibe on recent changes:

Tool: Skill
Parameters:
  skill: "agentops:vibe"
  args: "recent"

If CRITICAL issues found:

1. Fix them
2. Re-run vibe on affected files
3. Only proceed to completion when clean

Step 8: Report Completion

Tell the user:

1. Epic ID and title
2. Number of issues completed
3. Total iterations used (of 50 max)
4. Final vibe results
5. Suggest running /post-mortem to extract learnings

Output completion marker:

<promise>DONE</promise>
Epic: <epic-id>
Issues completed: N
Iterations: M/50

If stopped early:

<promise>BLOCKED</promise>
Reason: <global limit reached | unresolvable blockers>
Issues remaining: N
Iterations: M/50

The FIRE Loop

Crank follows FIRE for each issue:

Phase	Action
FIND	bd ready - get unblocked issues
IGNITE	/implement <issue> - do the work
REAP	/vibe - validate the work
ESCALATE	Fix issues or mark blocked

Loop until all issues are CLOSED.

Key Rules

• If epic ID given, USE IT - don't ask for confirmation
• One issue at a time - implement → close → next
• Batch validation at end - ONE vibe at the end saves context
• Fix CRITICAL before completion - address findings before reporting done
• Loop until done - don't stop until all issues closed
• Autonomous execution - minimize human prompts
• Respect iteration limit - STOP at 50 iterations (hard limit)
• Output completion markers - DONE, BLOCKED, or PARTIAL (required)

Without Beads

If bd CLI not available:

1. Use the plan document as the source of truth
2. Track completed issues by checking git commits
3. Mark issues done by noting in the plan document