agent-orchestrator/docs/cli

AO CLI Foundation

This page is the running decision log for the Agent Orchestrator CLI. Keep new
CLI decisions here as the command surface grows.

Current State

This branch implements the daemon-control foundation. AO now has a Go/Cobra
ao binary that can start, inspect, diagnose, and stop the local backend daemon
end to end.

What works now:

• ao start starts the daemon in the background and waits for /readyz.
• ao status and ao status --json report stopped, stale, unhealthy,
  not-ready, or ready daemon state.
• ao stop gracefully stops the daemon using the PID in running.json.
• ao daemon is the hidden internal daemon entrypoint used by ao start.
• ao doctor checks config, data dir, SQLite migrations, daemon state, and
  local tool availability for git, tmux, and zellij.
• ao completion generates shell completions for bash, zsh, fish, and
  powershell.
• ao version and ao --version print build metadata.
• go run . still works as a compatibility wrapper around internal/daemon.Run.

Manual smoke test:

cd backend
go build -o /tmp/ao ./cmd/ao

tmp=$(mktemp -d)
export AO_RUN_FILE="$tmp/running.json"
export AO_DATA_DIR="$tmp/data"
export AO_PORT=3037

/tmp/ao status --json
/tmp/ao doctor
/tmp/ao start
/tmp/ao status --json
/tmp/ao stop
/tmp/ao status --json

What is intentionally not implemented yet:

• ao project ...
• ao spawn
• ao session ...
• ao send
• ao events ...

Next steps:

1. Add /api/v1/projects on the daemon over a small project service.
2. Implement ao project list/add/show/remove.
3. Wire production Session Manager dependencies: project-backed repo resolver,
   tmux/zellij runtime registry, first agent adapter, and AgentMessenger.
4. Add /api/v1/sessions, then implement ao spawn, ao session ..., and
   ao send.
5. Add /events SSE and durable event-list reads, then implement
   ao events tail/list.

Decision

AO will use a single Go CLI binary built with
Cobra.

The CLI is a thin client for the Go daemon. It should not call SQLite, runtime
adapters, agent adapters, workspace adapters, or SCM integrations directly. It
should start, discover, inspect, and command the daemon through the loopback API
and the existing running.json handshake.

Initial rules:

• The binary name is ao.
• ao daemon is the hidden/internal entrypoint for the long-running daemon.
• User-facing commands call the daemon over loopback after reading
  running.json.
• Commands that mutate core AO state go through HTTP API routes, not direct
  stores.
• Commands support predictable text output first and --json where automation
  is likely.
• Do not introduce Viper in the foundation. Start with explicit flags and a
  small config/client layer, then add config loading once the shape is real.

References

These projects inform the direction, but AO should keep its own command surface
smaller at first.

Project	CLI stack	What to take
Gastown	Go + Cobra, with Charmbracelet packages for richer terminal UI	Simple cmd/<binary>/main.go delegating to internal command construction. Useful confirmation that Cobra is the right default for this size of Go CLI.
GitHub CLI	Go + Cobra	Command factories, explicit IO streams, JSON output, and testable command construction.
Docker CLI	Go + Cobra	Daemon/client split, command groups, signal handling, and plugin-aware CLI layout.
kubectl	Go + Cobra	Large command tree patterns and IO abstractions. It is a useful ceiling, not a shape to copy now.
Tailscale CLI	Go + ffcli	Useful daemon-backed product model: a CLI talks to a local daemon. Do not copy the framework choice.

The old AO TypeScript CLI is a product/workflow reference only. We should not
port its implementation because it mixes CLI, storage, runtime, and project
logic in-process. The rewrite needs the CLI to sit outside the core daemon.

Current Legacy CLI Inventory

Inventory source: installed ao binary at version 0.9.2, plus the old
packages/cli/src/program.ts and packages/cli/src/commands/*.ts files.

Count:

• 25 public top-level commands, excluding Commander-generated help.
• 26 visible top-level commands if generated help is counted.
• 64 explicit public command nodes when nested subcommands are counted.
• 1 hidden internal command: completion __complete.
• No aliases are registered in the old Commander source.

Top-level commands:

Command	Legacy purpose	Foundation decision
start	Start orchestrator agent and dashboard	Keep, but redefine as daemon start.
stop	Stop orchestrator agent and dashboard	Keep, daemon stop.
status	Show all sessions and project/session health	Keep, daemon and session status.
spawn	Spawn a single agent session	Keep after session API exists.
batch-spawn	Spawn many sessions	Defer.
session	Manage sessions	Keep a smaller subset after session API exists.
send	Send a message to a session	Keep after messaging API exists.
acknowledge	Agent self-reporting hook	Defer or replace with internal API.
report	Agent workflow transition hook	Defer or replace with internal API.
review-check	Trigger agents from review comments	Defer.
review	Manage AO-local reviewer runs	Defer.
dashboard	Start web dashboard	Defer to Electron/frontend lane.
open	Open terminal/dashboard	Defer.
verify	Verify issue after staging check	Defer.
doctor	Run install/env/runtime checks	Keep.
update	Upgrade AO	Defer to packaging/release lane.
setup	Configure integrations	Defer.
plugin	Plugin marketplace/install flow	Defer.
notify	Notification test commands	Defer.
project	Manage registered projects	Keep after project API exists.
migrate-storage	Legacy storage migration	Drop for rewrite unless a real migration appears.
completion	Generate shell completions	Keep.
events	Query activity event log	Keep a small tail/list surface after event API exists.
config	Read/write old global config	Defer. Avoid until config shape is stable.
config-help	Print old config schema	Drop.

Nested legacy commands:

Parent	Subcommands
session	ls, attach, kill, cleanup, claim-pr, restore, remap
review	run, execute, send, list
setup	dashboard, desktop, webhook, slack, discord, composio, composio-slack, composio-discord, composio-discord-bot, composio-mail, openclaw
plugin	list, search, create, install, update, uninstall
project	ls, add, rm, set-default
events	list, search, stats
config	set, get
notify	test
completion	zsh, hidden __complete

Initial Command Surface

The first CLI should make AO installable, startable, inspectable, and stoppable
before trying to recreate the old product surface.

Foundation Commands

These are the first commands to implement.

Command	Purpose	Notes
ao start	Start the daemon, wait for /readyz, and print PID/port.	Reads the same config env as the daemon. Should be idempotent when an existing healthy daemon is already running.
ao stop	Stop the running daemon.	Reads running.json, sends graceful termination, waits for run-file removal, and reports stale/dead daemon state clearly.
ao status	Show daemon status and, once APIs exist, project/session summary.	First version can show run-file, process liveness, /healthz, /readyz, uptime, and port. Add --json; add --watch once useful.
ao daemon	Hidden internal daemon entrypoint.	This replaces the current direct go run . daemon entrypoint once main.go is extracted into internal/daemon.
ao doctor	Diagnose the local environment.	Start with daemon/run-file/port checks, required binaries, config dir/data dir permissions, and runtime availability.
ao completion	Generate shell completions.	Cobra can support bash, zsh, fish, and powershell.
ao version	Print CLI and build metadata.	Implement as both ao version and Cobra's --version flag.

This gives a useful first release even before project/session mutation routes are
complete.

First Core Application Commands

These are the next commands once daemon HTTP routes expose the needed managers.

Command	Purpose	Depends on
ao project list	List registered projects.	Project API. Alias ls is acceptable for old muscle memory.
ao project add <path-or-url>	Register a project.	Project API and project identity rules.
ao project show <id>	Inspect project config and health.	Project API.
ao project remove <id>	Archive/remove a project.	Project API. Alias rm is acceptable.
ao spawn [issue]	Spawn one coding-agent session.	Session Manager HTTP route, tracker lookup, workspace/runtime/agent adapters.
ao session list	List sessions across projects or one project.	Session API. Alias ls is acceptable.
ao session show <session>	Show one session with lifecycle, PR, CI, runtime, and paths.	Session API.
ao session attach <session>	Attach to the runtime terminal.	Runtime API or direct terminal attach contract exposed by daemon.
ao session kill <session>	Kill a session and clean up safely.	Session Manager Kill.
ao session restore <session>	Restore a terminated/crashed session.	Session Manager Restore.
ao send <session> [message...]	Send instructions to a running session.	AgentMessenger route.
ao events tail	Follow daemon activity events.	SSE/CDC API.
ao events list	List recent activity events.	Event read API.

This is the smallest surface that covers the core product loop:

1. Register a repo.
2. Start AO.
3. Spawn work.
4. Inspect work.
5. Intervene in work.
6. Stop AO.

Explicit Deferrals

Do not include these in the CLI foundation:

• batch-spawn: valuable, but it multiplies error handling before single-spawn
  semantics are stable.
• dashboard and open: frontend/Electron should own the primary dashboard
  launch path first.
• review, review-check, and verify: useful workflow automation, but not
  required to run core AO.
• setup, plugin, and notify: integration/plugin surface should come after
  the daemon API and config model settle.
• update: belongs with distribution and release packaging.
• config and config-help: wait for a stable Go config model. Avoid copying
  the old TypeScript global config behavior.
• migrate-storage: old storage migration is not part of the rewrite unless a
  concrete migration requirement appears.
• acknowledge and report: these are agent self-reporting hooks. Prefer a
  daemon/internal protocol before exposing them as durable user CLI commands.

Implementation Plan

1. Add Cobra to backend/go.mod.
2. Move current daemon startup from backend/main.go into
   backend/internal/daemon.Run(ctx, opts).
3. Add backend/cmd/ao/main.go as the only user binary entrypoint.
4. Add backend/internal/cli for command construction, IO streams, process
   launching, run-file discovery, loopback HTTP client, and output formatting.
5. Implement ao daemon first so the current daemon behavior is preserved.
6. Implement ao start, ao stop, and ao status around running.json and
   /healthz//readyz.
7. Add ao doctor, ao completion, and ao version.
8. Add command tests using Cobra command construction with fake IO, fake process
   runner, and fake daemon client. Keep daemon integration tests in the daemon
   packages.

Suggested package layout:

backend/
  cmd/
    ao/
      main.go
  internal/
    cli/
      root.go
      start.go
      stop.go
      status.go
      doctor.go
      completion.go
      version.go
      client.go
      output.go
      process.go
    daemon/
      daemon.go

Acceptance criteria for the foundation:

• go run ./cmd/ao daemon behaves like today's go run ..
• go run ./cmd/ao start starts the daemon and waits until /readyz returns
  ready.
• go run ./cmd/ao status --json works when the daemon is running, stopped, and
  stale.
• go run ./cmd/ao stop gracefully stops the daemon and removes running.json.
• go test ./..., go vet ./..., and go test -race ./... pass.

Implementation Readiness

This section records what the CLI can connect to in the current codebase and
what still needs to be built. Inventory date: 2026-05-31 on main at
0672dbb.

Implemented Foundation

The daemon-control foundation now exists in backend/cmd/ao and
backend/internal/cli.

Implemented commands:

• ao daemon hidden/internal daemon entrypoint.
• ao start starts the daemon, waits for /readyz, and supports --json,
  --timeout, and --log-file.
• ao stop stops the daemon from running.json, removes stale run-files, and
  supports --json and --timeout.
• ao status reports stopped/stale/unhealthy/not-ready/ready states and
  supports --json.
• ao doctor checks config, data dir, SQLite open/migrations, daemon state, and
  local tool availability for git, tmux, and zellij.
• ao completion generates bash, zsh, fish, and powershell
  completions.
• ao version prints build metadata.

The old backend/main.go remains as a compatibility wrapper around
internal/daemon.Run, so go run . still starts the daemon while scripts move
to go run ./cmd/ao ....

Already Implemented and Directly Usable by the CLI

These pieces are available now and are enough to build the daemon-management
part of the CLI.

Area	Existing code	CLI use
Daemon config	backend/internal/config loads AO_PORT, AO_REQUEST_TIMEOUT, AO_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT, AO_RUN_FILE, and AO_DATA_DIR. Host is fixed to 127.0.0.1.	ao start, ao daemon, ao status, and ao doctor can share the same config resolution.
HTTP server lifecycle	backend/internal/httpd.Server binds loopback, writes running.json, serves until context cancellation, then removes running.json.	ao daemon can preserve today's daemon behavior after extraction into internal/daemon.
Health probes	GET /healthz and GET /readyz.	ao start can wait for readiness; ao status and ao doctor can check daemon health.
Run-file handshake	backend/internal/runfile reads, writes, removes, and stale-checks running.json.	ao status can discover PID/port; ao stop can find the process; ao start can detect an already-running daemon.
Durable store	backend/internal/storage/sqlite opens SQLite, runs goose migrations, uses WAL, stores projects/sessions/PR/check/comment rows, and reads change_log.	Not directly called by user CLI commands, but confirms the daemon has a durable backend once APIs expose it.
CDC substrate	backend/internal/cdc poller and broadcaster exist; daemon starts the poller with startCDC.	Future ao events tail can build on this once an SSE/API transport exists.
Lifecycle manager	backend/internal/lifecycle is implemented and currently wired in daemon startup.	Session/status APIs can use it; CLI must wait for HTTP routes rather than calling it directly.
Reaper timer	backend/internal/observe/reaper exists and is wired.	Runtime liveness will be available once runtime registry wiring exists.

Implemented Internally but Not Reachable by CLI Yet

These are real backend components, but the CLI cannot responsibly use them until
they are wired into the daemon and exposed through HTTP.

Area	Existing code	Missing before CLI can use it
Project persistence	sqlite.Store has UpsertProject, GetProject, ListProjects, and ArchiveProject.	Project domain/service layer, project ID/path/origin validation, and /api/v1/projects routes.
Session Manager	backend/internal/session.Manager implements Spawn, Kill, Restore, List, Get, Send, and Cleanup.	Production daemon wiring with real runtime, agent, workspace, messenger, and HTTP routes.
Runtime adapters	tmux and zellij adapters implement ports.Runtime and also have attach/send/output helpers.	Runtime registry wiring in daemon, attach/send abstractions in ports/API, and selection config.
Workspace adapter	git worktree adapter implements create/destroy/restore/list with safety checks.	Repo resolver backed by registered projects and daemon wiring into Session Manager.
GitHub issue tracker	backend/internal/adapters/tracker/github implements read-only issue Get, List, and Preflight.	Tracker registry/config, spawn prompt hydration, and project tracker metadata.
PR facts storage	SQLite PR/check/comment writes and CDC triggers exist.	SCM/PR observer that fetches GitHub PR/CI/review facts and calls LCM.ApplyPRObservation.
Session read model	SessionManager.List/Get derive display status from canonical lifecycle + PR facts.	HTTP response DTOs and API routes for CLI/frontend reads.

Still Missing

These are the main gaps before the full initial command set is real.

Gap	Blocks
Cobra dependency and CLI packages.	All CLI commands.
Daemon extraction from backend/main.go into internal/daemon.	ao daemon, ao start, tests around daemon startup.
CLI process runner and PID signal helpers.	ao start, ao stop.
Loopback HTTP client package with run-file discovery.	ao status, later all daemon-backed commands.
Shutdown mechanism choice: PID signal now, optional POST /api/v1/daemon/shutdown later.	ao stop polish and cross-platform behavior.
HTTP API route surface under /api/v1.	project, spawn, session, send, events list, richer status.
SSE route for live CDC events plus durable catch-up reads.	ao events tail, frontend live updates.
Agent adapters for supported harnesses (codex, claude-code, etc.).	ao spawn, ao session restore.
AgentMessenger implementation over tmux/zellij.	ao send, LCM auto-nudge reactions.
Runtime registry wired with tmux/zellij.	Reaper liveness, session attach, spawn/kill/restore runtime work.
Notifier implementation/multiplexer.	Human notifications and LCM escalation side effects.
Activity hooks or agent self-report protocol.	Accurate working/idle/needs-input status beyond runtime/PR facts.
Project/tracker config model.	project add/show, tracker-backed spawn, doctor config checks.
OpenAPI/DTO/error contract.	Stable CLI/frontend API clients and tests.

Command Readiness Matrix

Command	Can implement now?	Existing support	Remaining work
ao daemon	Implemented	Current daemon startup is extracted to internal/daemon.Run.	None for foundation.
ao start	Implemented	Config, run-file stale check, HTTP readiness probes.	Later: package-manager/service integration if needed.
ao stop	Implemented	Run-file discovery gives PID/port; server exits cleanly on SIGINT/SIGTERM.	Optional later shutdown HTTP route.
ao status	Partially implemented	Run-file, process liveness via PID, /healthz, /readyz.	Rich project/session summary waits for /api/v1/projects and /api/v1/sessions.
ao doctor	Partially implemented	Config resolution, run-file, storage open, runtime binary checks.	Deeper adapter preflights need daemon wiring/config.
ao completion	Implemented	Cobra generators.	None for foundation.
ao version	Implemented	Build metadata can be injected with -ldflags.	Release tooling needs to set metadata.
ao project list/add/show/remove	Not yet	SQLite project CRUD exists.	Project service and HTTP routes. CLI must not write SQLite directly.
ao spawn	Not yet	Session Manager exists; runtime/workspace/tracker pieces partly exist.	Agent adapters, registry/config wiring, project lookup, tracker hydration, HTTP route.
ao session list/show	Not yet	Store and Session Manager read model exist.	HTTP routes and response DTOs.
ao session attach	Not yet	tmux/zellij have attach command helpers.	Runtime attach port/API and terminal-launch policy.
ao session kill/restore	Not yet	Session Manager implements both.	Production wiring and HTTP routes.
ao send	Not yet	Session Manager has Send; tmux/zellij have send helpers.	AgentMessenger implementation, port/API wiring, busy/idle delivery policy.
ao events tail/list	Not yet	Durable change_log, CDC poller, in-process broadcaster.	SSE route and durable event-list route.

Recommended Build Order

1. Build CLI foundation around the daemon only: daemon, start, stop,
   status, doctor, completion, version.
2. Add /api/v1/projects over a small project service, then implement
   project list/add/show/remove.
3. Wire production Session Manager dependencies: project-backed repo resolver,
   tmux/zellij runtime registry, first agent adapter, and AgentMessenger.
4. Add /api/v1/sessions and implement spawn, session list/show/kill/restore,
   and send.
5. Add /events SSE plus event-list reads, then implement events tail/list.