Archon CLI Skill

Archon is a remote agentic coding platform that runs AI workflows in isolated git worktrees. This skill teaches you how to run workflows, create new workflows and commands, and manage Archon configuration.

Available Workflows (live)

!archon workflow list 2>&1 || echo "Archon CLI not installed. Read guides/setup.md to set it up."

Routing

Determine the user's intent and dispatch to the appropriate guide:

Intent	Action
Setup / install / "how to use"	Read guides/setup.md — interactive setup wizard
Config / settings	Read guides/config.md — interactive config editor
Initialize .archon/ in a repo	Read references/repo-init.md
Create a workflow	Read references/workflow-dag.md — the complete workflow authoring guide
Advanced features (hooks/MCP/skills)	Read references/dag-advanced.md
Create a command file	Read references/authoring-commands.md
Variable substitution reference	Read references/variables.md
CLI command reference	Read references/cli-commands.md
Run an interactive workflow	Read references/interactive-workflows.md — transparent relay protocol
Run a workflow (default)	Continue with "Running Workflows" below

If the intent is ambiguous, ask the user to clarify.

---

Running Workflows

Core Command

archon workflow run <workflow-name> --branch <branch-name> "<message>"

CRITICAL RULES:

1. Always run in background — Archon workflows are long-running. Always invoke the Bash tool with run_in_background: true. Use /tasks or the TaskOutput tool to check on progress.

2. Always use worktree isolation — Use the --branch flag unless the user explicitly requests otherwise. This creates an isolated environment so Archon works without affecting the main branch.

3. One workflow per shell — Each workflow blocks its shell. Run multiple workflows as separate background tasks.

Isolation Modes

Mode	Flag	When to Use
Worktree (Default)	--branch <name>	Always use this unless told otherwise
Custom start-point	--branch <name> --from <base>	Start from a specific branch
Direct checkout	--no-worktree	Only if user explicitly requests no isolation
Resume failed run	--resume	Resume from the last failure point

Workflow Selection

Match the user's intent to a workflow from the live list above. Common patterns:

User Intent	Typical Workflow	Branch Pattern
"Fix issue #X" / "Resolve bug"	archon-fix-github-issue	fix/issue-{N}
"Review PR #X" / "Full review"	archon-comprehensive-pr-review	review/pr-{N}
"Quick review PR #X"	archon-smart-pr-review	review/pr-{N}
"Validate PR #X" / "Check PR"	archon-validate-pr	review/pr-{N}
"Implement from plan"	archon-feature-development	feat/{name}
"Plan and implement feature"	archon-idea-to-pr	feat/{name}
"Execute plan file"	archon-plan-to-pr	feat/{name}
"Run ralph" / "Implement PRD"	archon-ralph-dag	feat/{name}
"Resolve conflicts"	archon-resolve-conflicts	resolve/pr-{N}
"Create issue" / "File a bug"	archon-create-issue	issue/{name}
"Review issue #X fully"	archon-issue-review-full	review/issue-{N}
"Refactor safely"	archon-refactor-safely	refactor/{name}
"Architecture review"	archon-architect	review/{name}
"PIV loop" / "guided dev"	archon-piv-loop ⚡	piv/{name}
"Create a PRD" / "interactive PRD"	archon-interactive-prd ⚡	prd/{name}
General / debugging	archon-assist	assist/{description}

⚡ = Interactive workflow — requires the transparent relay protocol. Read references/interactive-workflows.md before running.

If no specific workflow matches, use archon-assist as the fallback. The live workflow list above is always authoritative — it may include workflows not in this table.

Multi-Issue Invocation

When the user mentions multiple issues, PRs, or tasks — run each as a separate background task:

# Each gets its own worktree — they won't conflict
archon workflow run archon-fix-github-issue --branch fix/issue-10 "Fix issue #10"
archon workflow run archon-fix-github-issue --branch fix/issue-11 "Fix issue #11"
archon workflow run archon-fix-github-issue --branch fix/issue-12 "Fix issue #12"

Never combine multiple issues into a single command.

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Other CLI Commands

archon workflow list              # List all available workflows
archon workflow list --json       # Machine-readable JSON
archon isolation list             # Show active worktree environments
archon isolation cleanup          # Remove stale worktrees (default: 7 days)
archon isolation cleanup --merged # Remove branches merged into main
archon complete <branch>          # Complete branch lifecycle (remove worktree + branches)
archon version                    # Show version info

For the full CLI reference with all flags: Read references/cli-commands.md

---

Authoring Quick Start

Archon uses a single workflow format: nodes (DAG). Workflows are YAML files in .archon/workflows/.

IMPORTANT: The examples below are starting points. Always design the workflow around what the user actually needs — the number of nodes, their types, dependencies, and configuration should match the user's requirements, not these templates.

Workflow Structure

name: my-workflow
description: What this workflow does
provider: claude          # Optional: 'claude' or 'codex'
# model: removed-for-compatibility
nodes:
  - id: first-node
    command: my-command    # Loads .archon/commands/my-command.md
  - id: second-node
    prompt: "Use the output: $first-node.output"
    depends_on: [first-node]

Four Node Types

Each node has exactly ONE of: command, prompt, bash, or loop.

Command node — runs a .archon/commands/*.md file:

- id: investigate
  command: investigate-issue

Prompt node — inline AI prompt:

- id: classify
  prompt: "Classify this issue: $ARGUMENTS"

  allowed_tools: []

Bash node — shell script, no AI, stdout captured as output:

- id: fetch-data
  bash: "gh issue view 42 --json title,body"
  timeout: 15000

Loop node — iterates AI prompt until completion:

- id: implement
  loop:
    prompt: "Implement next story. When done: <promise>COMPLETE</promise>"
    until: COMPLETE
    max_iterations: 10
    fresh_context: true
    until_bash: "bun run test"    # Optional: exit 0 = done

For the full authoring guide with all fields, conditions, trigger rules, and patterns: Read references/workflow-dag.md

Creating a Command File

Commands are .md files in .archon/commands/ containing AI prompt templates:

---
description: What this command does
argument-hint: <expected arguments>
---

# My Command

User request: $ARGUMENTS
Workflow artifacts: $ARTIFACTS_DIR

[Instructions for the AI agent]

For the full command authoring guide: Read references/authoring-commands.md

Key Variables

Variable	Description
$ARGUMENTS	User's input message
$ARTIFACTS_DIR	Pre-created directory for workflow artifacts
$BASE_BRANCH	Base branch (auto-detected from git)
$WORKFLOW_ID	Unique workflow run ID
$nodeId.output	Output from upstream node

Full variable reference: Read references/variables.md

Advanced Features (Command/Prompt Nodes, Claude Only)

hooks (tool interception), mcp (external tool servers), skills (domain knowledge injection), output_format (structured JSON output), allowed_tools/denied_tools (tool restrictions).

For details: Read references/dag-advanced.md

Example Files

• examples/dag-workflow.yaml — workflow with conditions, bash nodes, structured output
• examples/command-template.md — Command file skeleton with all variables

---

Example Interactions

User: "Use Archon to fix issue #42"

archon workflow run archon-fix-github-issue --branch fix/issue-42 "Fix issue #42"

User: "Have Archon review PR #15"

archon workflow run archon-comprehensive-pr-review --branch review/pr-15 "Review PR #15"

User: "Create a workflow that reviews code and runs tests" → Read references/workflow-dag.md and create a workflow with parallel review nodes.

User: "Make a workflow with conditional routing" → Read references/workflow-dag.md and create nodes with when: conditions and output_format.

User: "Write a command file for investigating bugs" → Read references/authoring-commands.md and create an .md file in .archon/commands/.

User: "Set up Archon in this repo" → Read references/repo-init.md to create the .archon/ directory structure.

User: "Initialize .archon and create a custom workflow" → First read references/repo-init.md, then the appropriate workflow reference.

🔗 Связи

• [[MOC - Orchestration]] — Orchestration hub
• [[orchestration/archon]] — Archon
• [[000 - Map of Maps]] — Map of Maps