/ouroboros:help
Full reference guide for Ouroboros power users.
Usage
ooo help
/ouroboros:help
What Is Ouroboros?
Ouroboros is a requirement crystallization engine for AI workflows. It transforms vague ideas into validated specifications through:
- Socratic Interview - Exposes hidden assumptions
- Seed Generation - Creates immutable specifications
- PAL Routing - Auto-escalates/descends model complexity
- Lateral Thinking - 5 personas to break stagnation
- 3-Stage Evaluation - Mechanical > Semantic > Consensus
All Commands
Core Commands
| Command | Purpose | Mode |
|---|
ooo | Welcome + quick start | Plugin |
ooo interview | Socratic requirement clarification | Plugin |
ooo seed | Generate validated seed spec | Plugin |
ooo run | Execute seed workflow | MCP |
ooo evaluate | 3-stage verification | MCP |
ooo unstuck | 5 lateral thinking personas | Plugin |
ooo status | Session status + drift check | MCP |
ooo setup | Installation wizard | Plugin |
ooo welcome | First-touch welcome guide | Plugin |
ooo tutorial | Interactive hands-on learning | Plugin |
ooo help | This reference guide | Plugin |
ooo pm | PM-focused interview + PRD generation | MCP |
ooo qa | General-purpose QA verdict for any artifact | Plugin |
ooo cancel | Cancel stuck or orphaned executions | CLI |
ooo update | Check for updates + upgrade to latest | Plugin |
ooo brownfield | Scan and manage brownfield repo defaults | MCP |
ooo publish | Publish Seed as GitHub Issues for teams | Plugin |
Evolutionary Loop
| Command | Purpose | Mode |
|---|
ooo evolve | Start/monitor evolutionary development loop | MCP |
ooo ralph | Self-referential loop until verified ("don't stop") | Plugin + MCP |
Plugin = Works immediately after ooo setup. MCP = Requires ooo setup (Python >= 3.12 auto-detected). Run setup once to unlock all features.
Natural Language Triggers
| Phrase | Triggers |
|---|
| "interview me", "clarify requirements", "socratic interview" | ooo interview |
| "crystallize", "generate seed", "create seed", "freeze requirements" | ooo seed |
| "ouroboros run", "execute seed", "run seed", "run workflow" | ooo run |
| "evaluate this", "3-stage check", "verify execution" | ooo evaluate |
| "think sideways", "i'm stuck", "break through", "lateral thinking" | ooo unstuck |
| "am I drifting?", "drift check", "session status" | ooo status |
Utility Triggers
| Phrase | Triggers |
|---|
| "write prd", "pm interview", "product requirements", "create prd" | ooo pm |
| "qa check", "quality check" | ooo qa |
| "cancel execution", "stop job", "kill stuck", "abort execution" | ooo cancel |
| "update ouroboros", "upgrade ouroboros" | ooo update |
| "brownfield defaults", "brownfield scan" | ooo brownfield |
| "publish to github", "create issues from seed", "seed to issues" | ooo publish |
Loop Triggers
| Phrase | Triggers |
|---|
| "ralph", "don't stop", "must complete", "until it works", "keep going" | ooo ralph |
| "evolve", "evolutionary loop", "iterate until converged" | ooo evolve |
Available Skills
Core Skills
| Skill | Purpose | Mode |
|---|
/ouroboros:welcome | First-touch welcome experience | Plugin |
/ouroboros:interview | Socratic requirement clarification | Plugin |
/ouroboros:seed | Generate validated seed spec | Plugin |
/ouroboros:run | Execute seed workflow | MCP |
/ouroboros:evaluate | 3-stage verification | MCP |
/ouroboros:unstuck | 5 lateral thinking personas | Plugin |
/ouroboros:status | Session status + drift check | MCP |
/ouroboros:setup | Installation wizard | Plugin |
/ouroboros:tutorial | Interactive hands-on learning | Plugin |
/ouroboros:help | This guide | Plugin |
/ouroboros:pm | PM-focused interview + PRD generation | MCP |
/ouroboros:qa | General-purpose QA verdict for any artifact | Plugin |
/ouroboros:cancel | Cancel stuck or orphaned executions | CLI |
/ouroboros:update | Check for updates + upgrade to latest | Plugin |
/ouroboros:brownfield | Scan and manage brownfield repo defaults | MCP |
/ouroboros:publish | Publish Seed as GitHub Issues for teams | Plugin |
Loop Skills
| Skill | Purpose | Best For |
|---|
/ouroboros:ralph | Self-referential loop until verified | "Don't stop", must complete |
/ouroboros:evolve | Evolutionary ontology refinement | Spec iteration until convergence |
Available Agents
| Agent | Purpose |
|---|
ouroboros:socratic-interviewer | Exposes hidden assumptions through questioning |
ouroboros:ontologist | Finds root problems vs symptoms |
ouroboros:seed-architect | Crystallizes requirements into seed specs |
ouroboros:evaluator | Three-stage verification |
ouroboros:contrarian | "Are we solving the wrong problem?" |
ouroboros:hacker | "Make it work first, elegance later" |
ouroboros:simplifier | "Cut scope to absolute minimum" |
ouroboros:researcher | "Stop coding, start investigating" |
ouroboros:architect | "Question the foundation, redesign if needed" |
Setup
After installing Ouroboros, run ooo setup once to register the MCP server. This connects your runtime backend to the Ouroboros Python core and unlocks all features.
ooo setup # One-time setup (~1 minute)
