Send messages to subagents with tell

[onechat] / README.rst

diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index 4bda34e7a09b06332c4726c6f047f31d7ce16cd4..3819e25bea5188c4a229be908f85415aec4b1508 100644 (file)
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -88,6 +88,19 @@ login`` and ``onechat probe`` refuse to start until it stops.
 The agent runs commands with bash as the user in its working directory,
 with no sandbox. It has the rights of the user, also on the token file.
 
 The agent runs commands with bash as the user in its working directory,
 with no sandbox. It has the rights of the user, also on the token file.
 

+When the user asks for it, the agent starts subagents for long tasks.
+Each subagent has a name, such as ``GreenOtter``, and runs in the
+background while the agent answers other messages. It gets the view of
+the agent and its task, and it runs its tools as the agent does, in
+``agent/subagents/NAME/work``. A task in a repository gives the path of
+the repository. The steps of a subagent go to its own log in
+``agent/subagents/NAME``, not to the chat, and its final reply comes
+back to the agent as one message that starts with ``[NAME]``. The agent
+can send a subagent more messages: a running subagent reads them between
+its tool calls, and a finished one goes on from its log, and its reply
+comes back in the same way. Each model call of a subagent has the name
+in the ``agent`` field of ``agent/usage.jsonl``.
+

 ``agent/config.json`` holds the settings of the agent. The first start
 writes it with the defaults and a random ID. Do not change the ID: the
 prompt cache key comes from it.
 ``agent/config.json`` holds the settings of the agent. The first start
 writes it with the defaults and a random ID. Do not change the ID: the
 prompt cache key comes from it.


@@ -131,11 +144,14 @@ new messages, so it needs no open port.
 
 The bot reads only the private chat of the owner and ignores all other
 updates. Each text message goes to the agent as a user message, and the
 
 The bot reads only the private chat of the owner and ignores all other
 updates. Each text message goes to the agent as a user message, and the

-line ``/stop`` interrupts the running turn. The bot sends the replies as
-plain text, in parts of at most 4096 characters, and each error as a
-short message. It shows the typing action while a turn runs. It does not
-send the tool calls. It sends each message that the user types in the
-terminal client, with the mark ``[terminal]``.
+line ``/stop`` interrupts the running turn. The bot sends the replies in
+parts of at most 4096 characters, with their Markdown as Telegram
+formats: bold, italic, strikethrough, code, code blocks, links, and
+headings as bold text. When Telegram refuses the formats of a part, the
+bot sends the part again as plain text. Each error goes as a short
+message in plain text. It shows the typing action while a turn runs. It
+does not send the tool calls. It sends each message that the user types
+in the terminal client, with the mark ``[terminal]``.

 
 ``agent/telegram-offset.json`` holds the ID of the next update. The bot
 moves it past an update only after the message is durable in the log, so
 
 ``agent/telegram-offset.json`` holds the ID of the next update. The bot
 moves it past an update only after the message is durable in the log, so


@@ -200,3 +216,6 @@ Format and check all files:
    bin/format
    bin/check
    nix flake check
    bin/format
    bin/check
    nix flake check

+
+``bin/check`` and ``nix build`` run a short replay of the synthetic log.
+``nix flake check`` also runs the full replay of 100,000 messages.