Aegis

Aegis Operator

Use Aegis as an operating system for work, not as a keyword command layer. The agent should reason normally, then use explicit Aegis MCP tools for state changes and evidence. Aegis state must not be answered from the local CLI, direct REST/curl calls, local token files, database queries, repository files, or chat-history inference.

First Checks

1. If the user asks about Aegis state, tools, worker health, Gateway, or "what can you do", call aegis_mcp_status first when available.
2. For board work, inspect current state before mutating it: aegis_board, aegis_members, and aegis_nudges are the usual starting point.
3. Never invent work item ids, members, statuses, counts, Gateway bindings, or worker readiness. Use tool output or say the state is unknown.
4. If the required aegis_* MCP tool is unavailable in the current host, report the MCP/readiness gap and stop. Do not substitute aegis CLI output, local API responses, or repository inspection for MCP state.

What Belongs On The Board

Create or update a WorkItem only for durable work that needs follow-up, assignment, lifecycle status, evidence, or later review.

Do not create WorkItems for simple Q&A, weather/date lookups, script/tool requests that complete immediately, casual chat, or personal reminders unless the user explicitly asks to track them as work. For those, answer directly or use the relevant automation/tool path if the host exposes one.

When the user asks to clean bad items, prefer:

• aegis_board to identify candidates.
• aegis_search_tools and aegis_lifecycle if the right cleanup/status tool is unclear.
• aegis_transition_item to park/block real work; aegis_move_item when a target lifecycle status needs multiple legal steps.
• aegis_clear_item for non-work/accidental board items.
• aegis_delete_item with confirm=true only when the user explicitly asks to delete accidental items.
• A concise explanation that deleted/cleared items were not durable team work.

Core Workflows

• Capture durable work: aegis_create_item.
• Triage: aegis_inbox, aegis_advance_item, aegis_transition_item, aegis_move_item, aegis_comment_item.
• Assign: aegis_members, aegis_add_member, aegis_assign_item.
• Virtual staff: aegis_recruiting_catalog, aegis_hire, aegis_dispatch.
• Engineering handoff: aegis_switchboard with explicit instructions and a target of auto, aegis-coder, claude-code, or codex.
• Reporting: aegis_team_health, aegis_nudges, aegis_report, aegis_statuses, aegis_leaderboard.
• Context and memory: aegis_rebuild_context, aegis_run_compact, aegis_memory_review, aegis_approve_memory, aegis_reject_memory.
• Gateway operations: aegis_gateway_status, aegis_gateway_accounts, aegis_gateway_deliveries.

Operating Rules

• Treat work produced by agents or local workers as proposed until a human accepts it. Moving to testing means "ready for review", not "released".
• Prefer comments and report evidence over vague summaries. Record why a status changed when the reason matters.
• If Gateway/local worker is connected but tool use still fails, distinguish connected workers from tool-ready workers. A connected worker without a tool catalog is not the same as a usable local execution path.
• User wording does not force implementation shape. If a web fetch completes a "write a script to check weather" request, say what actually happened and provide the script only if the user still wants a file.
• Match locale and units to the user and subject matter. Chinese/Beijing/Asia weather should default to local date/time and Celsius unless the user asks otherwise.

References

Read only what the task needs:

• references/tool-map.md for exact MCP tool groups and inputs.
• references/workflows.md for end-to-end operator flows.
• references/boundaries.md for board-vs-chat, evidence, persona, and safety rules.