- name
- main-agent-supervisor
- description
- Supervise a main agent so it defaults to execution, suppresses obvious permission loops, and escalates to the user only for true approvals or critical ambiguity. Use when designing, running, or auditing a reviewer/gatekeeper/coaching layer for agent replies, approval policy, escalation logic, anti-stuck behavior, or supervisor-style chat/output filtering.
Main Agent Supervisor
This skill is for a supervisor layer over a main agent, not a generic task tracker.
Goal
Prevent the main agent from getting stuck on obvious decisions while still preserving real human control for risky or ambiguous actions.
Core design
Use a four-part model:
- Classifier
- Decide whether a pending ask/action is: - AUTO - CONFIRM - ESCALATE
- Pre-send gate
- Before the main agent sends a user-visible reply, ask: - Is this asking for an obvious decision? - Is there a safe default? - Is the agent permission-looping? - If yes, suppress the question and continue execution.
- Triage / watchdog
- Borrowing from claude-code-supervisor, classify agent state into: - FINE - NEEDS_NUDGE - STUCK - DONE - ESCALATE - Use a lightweight pre-filter for obvious cases before invoking heavier review.
- Task-state tracking for large tasks
- Borrowing from task-supervisor, keep simple checkpoint files for long tasks. - Track: - started time - status - completed steps - last updated - current blocker / next step
Use this policy
AUTO
Proceed without bothering the user when all are true:
- internal / local action
- reversible or low-risk
- no external send/publish
- no payment / secret / production change
- user intent is already clear
- there is one reasonable default
CONFIRM
Ask the user when any are true:
- external send/publish
- destructive / irreversible action
- money / orders / account changes
- production/live-system changes
- privacy / compliance / legal sensitivity
ESCALATE
Ask only when blocked after reasonable retries or when multiple materially different paths exist.
Reply-shaping rules
When the main agent drafts a question, rewrite it if:
- it is merely asking permission for an AUTO action
- it asks for a trivial preference that has a safe default
- it proposes extra scope that is obviously worth trying and reversible
Preferred rewrite:
- state the chosen default
- continue execution
- mention assumptions briefly if needed
For larger tasks, pair this with a task-state file instead of ad-hoc check-in messages. That preserves progress visibility without interrupting the user for obvious decisions.
Best current pattern
For this workspace, the best practical setup is:
- escalation classifier as the core policy
- pre-send gate as enforcement
- triage/watchdog for stuck detection
- task-state files for large tasks
- passive reviewer/audit log for tuning
References
Read these when needed:
references/design.md— recommended architecture and message flowreferences/comparison.md— what existing public skills cover vs what they missreferences/implementation.md— workspace-specific OpenClaw implementation plan