v0.16.0 to v0.18.0

- Read before delegating work, diagnosing a slow/stuck/failed/timed-out

- emanation, or reclaiming on a hunch. Routes daemon call shape, task context,

- settings, backend support, inspection, compaction, and cleanup procedures.

- version: 0.16.0

- last_changed_at: 2026-09-08T00:00:00Z

- - src/lingtai/tools/daemon/manual/reference/inspection/SKILL.md

- Keep this as a short router. Put backend recipes, artifact forensics,

- inspection cadence, ledger diagnosis, and cleanup detail in the nested

- references; keep links and settings anchors stable.

- `daemon` dispatches disposable subagents (emanations) with isolated sessions and

- bounded tools. Read this manual before the first call. Put the complete

- objective, authority, safety boundary, collaboration rules, and deliverable in

- each task's `task`; `tools` grants capability only. The daemon is not a durable

- persona or hidden memory store: leave reviewable work in files and use run

- artifacts for follow-up.

-

- ## Routing table

-

- | Need / keywords | Read |

- |---|---|

- | First use, safe call shape, task authority, settings, completion, or compact | This router, then the relevant section below |

- | `backend="lingtai"`; built-in/in-process backend; preset, skills, MCP, or `finish` behavior | `reference/cli-backends/reference/backends/lingtai/SKILL.md` directly; no generic CLI page is required |

- | External CLI backend, alias, resume, `backend_options`, native MCP/config, or installed `--help` | `reference/cli-backends/SKILL.md`, then its per-backend page |

- | `list`/`check` cadence, stall, reminder, or intervention | `reference/inspection/SKILL.md` |

- | Run artifacts, events, transcripts, token records, or SIGTERM/143 | `reference/forensics/SKILL.md` |

- | Dispatch-ledger warnings or runtime identity mismatch | `reference/dispatch-ledger/SKILL.md` |

- | Reclaim, footprint, consent-gated cleanup, or deletion boundary | `reference/cleanup/SKILL.md` |

- | Shell async events or shell-side supervision | `shell-manual` |

- | Programmatic use, CLI/help, or scripts/CI | `lingtai-agent daemon --help` |

-

- The built-in route is intentionally separate from the generic CLI route. The

- external page remains the owner of detailed CLI support, alias/resume behavior,

- MCP/config injection, reserved flags, auth hygiene, and per-backend discovery.

-

- ## Call shape and action choice

-

- Every call uses the closed LTP-v2 envelope. `input` contains only the selected

- action's fields; `reasoning` is required; root `summarize` is optional and is

- not action input. The optional root `summarize` boolean replaces the former flat `summary` field. An action's other fields are rejected before the engine runs.

-

- | Action | Example | Effect |

- |---|---|---|

- | `emanate` | `daemon(action="emanate", input={"tasks": [{"task": "...", "tools": ["file"]}]}, reasoning="...")` | dispatches |

- | `list` | `daemon(action="list", input={"status": "running"}, reasoning="...")` | read-only |

- | `ask` | `daemon(action="ask", input={"id": "run-id", "message": "..."}, reasoning="...")` | follow-up |

- | `check` | `daemon(action="check", input={"id": "run-id"}, reasoning="...")` | read-only |

- | `settings` | `daemon(action="settings", input={}, reasoning="inspect daemon settings")` | read-only |

- | `reclaim` | `daemon(action="reclaim", input={}, reasoning="stop confirmed work")` | cancels |

- | `manual` | `daemon(action="manual", input={}, reasoning="read procedures")` | read-only |

- `manual` is directly callable and reaches no daemon engine. An `emanate` returns

- ids and a batch `group_id`; use each id/run id for inspection and audit. `list`, `check`, `settings`, and `manual` are read-only; `emanate`, `ask`, and `reclaim`

- are side-effectful. The terminal distinctions are fixed and cannot be inferred

- from a field borrowed from another action.

- ## First dispatch: task context and boundaries

- Each `tasks[]` item requires `task` and `tools`.

- - **`task`** is the complete parent-controlled objective, authority, constraints,

- safety posture, collaboration rules, tool-use policy, and deliverable. The

- removed `system_prompt` field has no alias; put its instruction here.

- - **`tools`** grants technical capability, not permission beyond `task`. Parent

- MCP tools are not inherited. Guarded calls still pass the normal executor and

- call-guard path.

- - **`skills`** is an optional list of skill directories or `SKILL.md` paths.

- Relative paths use the parent working directory; runtime injects a compact

- frontmatter catalog and the worker reads selected skills when relevant.

- - **`mcp`** is an optional list of complete one-run stdio/http registrations.

- Names and shape remain visible while secret `env`/`headers` are redacted.

- LingTai mounts task-scoped clients; exposed tool names must be unique. External

- CLIs mount only transports documented in the backend reference.

- - **`plugin`** is an optional plugin directory or search-root list. A manifest

- becomes compact prompt context and merges its skills/MCP; missing or unreadable

- paths resolve to nothing.

- - **`task_files`** is an optional `{path, label?, role?}` UTF-8 text list under

- the parent working directory. Dispatch validates containment, encoding, and

- size, then snapshots bytes into the immutable store; the worker gets metadata

- and snapshot paths, never mutable originals or contents. A bad entry rejects

- the whole batch.

- - **`preset`** is an optional authorized `.json`/`.jsonc` path from

- `system(action="presets")`; use the full returned path. Omission inherits the

- parent's regular tools; MCP still needs explicit task registrations. An

- unauthorized preset is refused before loading or scheduling.

- - **`prompt`** is LingTai-only and is the first ordinary user message. Blank or

- omitted means exactly `Begin the assigned daemon task.`; external CLIs reject

- it and use `task` as their prompt.

- - **`backend_options`** is CLI-only passthrough: booleans emit flags, scalars

- values, lists repeat flags, false/null omit them, and reserved `env` supplies

- string environment overrides. Unsafe or harness-owned keys fail preflight;

- options apply at `emanate`, not `ask`. Run the installed CLI's `--help` first.

- ### Per-task `context_token_limit`

- This is a provider-compaction threshold, not a daemon context or window setting.

- For native-provider support, resolved-window ownership, and failure behavior, use

- the built-in LingTai child route in the table above. External CLI backends ignore

- this field.

- ## Backend choice and support

- `lingtai` is the default in-process backend. `claude-p` (alias `claude-code`),

- Codex, OpenCode, Qwen Code, and Kimi Code have source-backed native

- `daemon_common` checkpoint/completion paths as documented in the CLI reference.

- MiMo Code, Oh-My-Pi, Cursor, and DeepSeek retain prompt-catalog-only

- MCP/completion status; prompt text does not grant native tools. Hidden

- interactive Claude is for legacy stored runs, not new selection. Do not invent

- a fallback for an unsupported native path.

- Before relying on an external CLI, inspect its installed `--help`. `tools` in

- the task is ignored by external CLIs; `prompt` is LingTai-only. CLI backend

- support, aliases, resume limits, reserved options, auth, and native MCP

- boundaries belong to `reference/cli-backends/SKILL.md` and its child pages.

- Success is exactly `{"settings": [...]}` with row fields `key`, `current`,

- `default`, `configurable`, and `comment`. This action has no set/reset input and

- writes no files, environment, launcher state, or run. `configurable: true` means

- an owner procedure exists; it grants no mutation authority. A serialization/read

- failure returns `SETTINGS_UNAVAILABLE`, never partial rows.

- Anchor: `daemon-manual#max-turns`. Current value and application belong to

- `daemon.settings`; precedence and setup details belong to the Contract. Per-call

- `emanate.max_turns` may choose a smaller positive value for one batch.

- Anchor: `daemon-manual#manager-pool-size`. Current value and application belong

- to `daemon.settings`; precedence and rebuild details belong to the Contract.

- Anchor: `daemon-manual#system-prompt-budget-chars`. Current value and

- application belong to `daemon.settings`; prompt-budget behavior belongs to the

- Contract. SHOW does not mutate it.

- Anchor: `daemon-manual#timeout`. Current value and application belong to

- `daemon.settings`; precedence and failure behavior belong to the Contract.

- Per-call `emanate.timeout` is a one-batch override, not a settings mutation.

-

- ## Progress, inspection, and follow-up

-

- Every terminal outcome (`done`, `failed`, `cancelled`, `timeout`) is

- push-notified exactly once. Do not poll for "is it done". After notification,

- call `check` and open the durable `result.txt`/error path for full output;

- previews and notification text are bounded. `list` is a bounded ledger sweep,

- not a lifetime folder scan. `check` accepts a live id or exact historical run

- id and returns state, events, paths, and an artifact manifest. Read inspection

- before declaring a stall or reclaiming on a hunch.

-

- For large batches, use `group_id` for logical audit but each run id for filesystem

- identity. A Task Card is conditional on the dispatch handoff: use it only when

- Telegram is connected and a card exists; daemon itself creates no watcher.

-

- ## Compact and completion boundaries

-

- Every LingTai daemon receives intrinsic `compact`; external CLIs do not. Its

- `action` is required: `manual` is read-only, while `run` is a repeatable

- non-terminal reset. Call `compact(action="run", _reason="...")` as the sole

- assistant-batch tool call with a complete self-contained handoff. Never call the

- unavailable parent `system.summarize`.

-

- MCP-capable backends also receive built-in `daemon_common`. Call its

- `checkpoint` at useful nonterminal boundaries; it is not chat, cancellation,

- preemption, or completion. Before ending, call `finish` exactly once. Only

- `finish(status="done")` permits terminal success. Background-and-wait is

- invalid: run validation synchronously with an adequate explicit timeout and

- inspect the result in the same run. Missing/invalid completion is a failure;

- inspect durable artifacts before assuming anything was lost.

-

- ## Safety, Shell events, and footprint

-

- Keep the parent task's authorization and privacy boundary authoritative. Do not

- use daemon for durable identity, automatic recursion, or hidden context. A

- selected daemon `shell` has a private `<run>/shell-jobs` namespace and no parent

- notification store; read `shell-manual` for async + poll supervision. Do not

- reclaim on a hunch: it terminates work in flight but keeps run folders as

- evidence. There is no automatic cleanup.

-

- Inspection, forensics, dispatch-ledger, cleanup, shell-event, programmatic-use,

- and no-deletion routes remain available through the references above. Never

- permit deletion, global configuration/install changes, account/provider changes,

- or cleanup outside an authorized scope.

-

- ## Programmatic use / CLI

-

- For scripts and CI, the reusable boundary is

- `lingtai.services.daemon.DaemonService(state_root)`. It owns daemon artifacts

- under that existing caller-chosen directory and never constructs an Agent. A

- native LingTai task must carry its preset path directly; this mode never reads

- or requires `init.json`:

-

- ```python

- from lingtai.services.daemon import DaemonService

-

- service = DaemonService("/absolute/path/to/daemon-state")

- result = service.emanate([{

- "task": "Do the bounded task and leave reviewable artifacts.",

- "tools": ["file"],

- "preset": "/absolute/path/to/preset.json",

- }])

- snapshot = service.check(result["ids"][0])

- ```

-

- The CLI is only a driver over that object. Its state root and existing task

- payload are sufficient; there is no preview confirmation or Agent-directory

- compatibility path:

- ```text

- lingtai-agent daemon emanate --state-root /absolute/state --tasks tasks.json

- lingtai-agent daemon check em-1234 --state-root /absolute/state

- ```

- Use `lingtai-agent daemon --help` for exact options. External CLI backends keep

- the engine's existing no-preset mechanics; the direct-preset requirement is for

- native `lingtai` work.

- ## Maintenance

- Keep this file a router. Put backend command recipes and reserved flags in the

- per-backend references; keep inspection, forensics, ledger, shell, and cleanup

- procedures there. Keep the action and settings anchors stable as deeper owners

- move.