Resume the subagents that a restart cut

[onechat] / README.rst

diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index c9aaaeeb4e1b59fa0e4ac307118508f7d7c4010f..7712c0ec5a8ce05dfee6836587403dbf34e02fdd 100644 (file)
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -78,16 +78,38 @@ Start the daemon, and then the client in another terminal:
 The daemon owns the root agent in ``agent/`` in the data directory and
 listens on the Unix socket ``onechat.sock`` there. In the client, each
 line is a message to the agent, the line ``/stop`` interrupts the
 The daemon owns the root agent in ``agent/`` in the data directory and
 listens on the Unix socket ``onechat.sock`` there. In the client, each
 line is a message to the agent, the line ``/stop`` interrupts the

-running turn, and Ctrl-D ends the client. The client shows the replies,
-the tool calls, and the first lines of each tool result as they happen.
-It also shows each message that the user sends from another client, with
-the client as a mark, such as ``[telegram] text``. The daemon is the
-only process that uses the token file while it runs, so ``onechat
-login`` and ``onechat probe`` refuse to start until it stops.
+running turn, the line ``/stop NAME`` stops the subagent NAME, and
+Ctrl-D ends the client. The client shows the replies, the tool calls,
+and the first lines of each tool result as they happen. It also shows
+each message that the user sends from another client, with the client as
+a mark, such as ``[telegram] text``. When a subagent starts, the client
+shows ``[NAME] started``, and it shows the whole report of the subagent,
+which starts with ``[NAME]``, but not the tool calls of the subagent.
+The daemon is the only process that uses the token file while it runs,
+so ``onechat 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. When the user stops a subagent, the chat
+gets a note, and the report of the subagent is logged, but it starts no
+turn. Each model call of a subagent has the name in the ``agent`` field
+of ``agent/usage.jsonl``. ``agent/work.json`` holds the names of the
+running subagents. A subagent that runs when the daemon stops goes on at
+the next start: the chat gets the note that the daemon restarted, and
+the subagent gets the same note and goes on from its log.
+

 ``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.


@@ -130,15 +152,18 @@ new messages, so it needs no open port.
    {"token": "123456:ABC-token-from-BotFather", "owner": 123456789}
 
 The bot reads only the private chat of the owner and ignores all other
    {"token": "123456:ABC-token-from-BotFather", "owner": 123456789}
 
 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 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]``.
+updates. Each text message goes to the agent as a user message, the line
+``/stop`` interrupts the running turn, and the line ``/stop NAME`` stops
+the subagent NAME. 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.
+For a subagent it sends only ``[NAME] started`` and ``[NAME] finished``,
+``[NAME] stopped``, or ``[NAME] failed``, because the reply of the agent
+carries the content of the report. 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


@@ -203,3 +228,6 @@ 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.