observer · diff
git:20260814.c0c7690 to git:20260814.0a7c6b9
7 added, 3 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: observer
- description: The passive observation sub-skill for workflow-architect. Loaded silently,
- it stays dormant until a trigger phrase activates it. On activation, it scans the
- current session context to infer the user's workflow from what actually happened.
+ description: Monitor a session passively to infer the user's workflow from what
+ actually happened, staying dormant until a trigger phrase activates observation
+ for workflow-architect.
license: MIT
compatibility: Hermes Agent — uses session_search and context scanning
metadata:
tags: workflow, observation, discovery, passive
spec-version: '1.0'
---
# Observer — Passive Workflow Discovery
This is the **passive observation mode** of workflow-architect. Unlike the
interviewer, which asks questions, the observer *watches and infers*.
## How It Works
1. The observer loads silently via `/workflow-architect passive`
2. It does nothing until a trigger phrase is detected
3. On trigger, it scans the current session's message history using a
structured inference prompt
4. The output is a workflow state model (same structure as the interviewer
produces), which feeds into the bundle-builder sub-skill
## Trigger Phrases
The observer activates when the user says any of these:
- "catalog my workflow"
- "what's my workflow"
- "analyze my process"
- "figure out what I do"
- "work it out from what I just did"
If none of these are detected in the user's message, the observer remains
dormant. Do not announce its presence — the user may not remember loading
it in passive mode.
## Activation Protocol
When a trigger phrase is detected:
1. **Check session depth.** Count substantive user messages (excluding
greetings, meta-comments about the agent, and one-word replies). If
fewer than 5 substantive messages, respond:
```
"I don't have enough session context to work with yet. I've seen about
[N] substantive turns, and I need more to find reliable patterns.
Try active interrogation mode instead: /workflow-architect"
```
2. **If enough context exists, run inference.** Use the following structured
prompt against the session context. You may use session_search or browser
console to review the session transcript if needed.
```
You are analyzing a session transcript to extract workflow patterns.
Look at the user's messages and your responses. Identify:
1. ENTRY PATTERNS — How did the session start? What was the user's
first request? Was it a check-in, a specific task, a question?
2. PHASES — Where did the session shift focus? What triggered each
shift? (A new request, a status check, a tool output?)
3. BRANCHING — Were there decision points where the user could have
gone in different directions? What determined the direction taken?
4. TOOLS — What tools did the user reach for? What commands did they
ask you to run? What contexts did they reference?
5. PAIN POINTS — Were there moments of friction? (Repeated corrections,
stops-and-restarts, "no, not that" type corrections)
6. EXIT — How did the session end (or approach ending)? Was it a
natural completion, an interruption, or something else?
Return your findings as a structured JSON document matching the
workflow-architect state model format.
```
3. **If the session context is available via session_search**, also pull
the 2-3 most recent related sessions for cross-session pattern detection.
A single session may not reveal the full workflow; multiple sessions do.
4. **Present findings to the user:**
```
"I looked through this session (and [N] recent related sessions) and
found some patterns in how you work:
[Summary of inferred workflow, similar to interviewer's convergence summary]
Does this look right? If yes, I'll generate a bundle. If not, tell me
what I got wrong — or switch to active mode for a more thorough conversation."
```
5. If the user confirms, load `skills/bundle-builder/SKILL.md` and follow
its instructions to generate the output bundle.
## Limitations
- **Single-session bias:** One session may not represent your full workflow.
The observer does its best work with multiple sessions of context.
- **Action-inference gap:** The observer only sees what *happened*, not
what you *intended* or *considered and rejected*. Active interrogation
captures richer intentional data.
- **Silent mode:** The observer does not announce itself when loading.
This is intentional — passive mode is meant to be invisible until triggered.
+
+ ## When not to use
+
+ Do not use this skill for interactive discovery (load the interviewer instead), or when the session context is too thin to infer reliable patterns — active interrogation is more effective there. It is for passively observing an existing session only.