/ouroboros:ouroboros-help

Full reference guide for Ouroboros power users.

Usage

ooo help
/ouroboros:ouroboros-help

What Is Ouroboros?

Ouroboros is a requirement crystallization engine for AI workflows. It transforms vague ideas into validated specifications through:

1. Socratic Interview - Exposes hidden assumptions
2. Seed Generation - Creates immutable specifications
3. PAL Routing - Auto-escalates/descends model complexity
4. Lateral Thinking - 5 personas to break stagnation
5. 3-Stage Evaluation - Mechanical > Semantic > Consensus

All Commands

Core Commands

Command	Purpose	Mode
ooo	Welcome + quick start	Plugin
ooo interview	Socratic requirement clarification	Plugin
ooo seed	Generate validated seed spec	Plugin
ooo run	Execute seed workflow	MCP
ooo evaluate	3-stage verification	MCP
ooo unstuck	5 lateral thinking personas	Plugin
ooo status	Session status + drift check	MCP
ooo resume-session	List in-flight sessions and re-attach commands	CLI
ooo setup	Installation wizard	Plugin
ooo config	Settings GUI — per-stage agents & models (browser here, TUI in a terminal)	CLI
ooo welcome	First-touch welcome guide	Plugin
ooo tutorial	Interactive hands-on learning	Plugin
ooo help	This reference guide	Plugin
ooo pm	PM-focused interview + PRD generation	MCP
ooo qa	General-purpose QA verdict for any artifact	Plugin
ooo cancel	Cancel stuck or orphaned executions	CLI
ooo update	Check for updates + upgrade to latest	Plugin
ooo brownfield	Scan and manage brownfield repo defaults	MCP
ooo publish	Publish Seed as GitHub Issues for teams	Plugin
ooo maintain	Triage and resolve maintainer issues and PRs	Plugin

Evolutionary Loop

Command	Purpose	Mode
ooo evolve	Start/monitor evolutionary development loop	MCP
ooo ralph	Client-driven loop until verified (uses background evolve_step jobs)	Plugin + MCP

Plugin = Works immediately after ooo setup. MCP = Requires ooo setup (Python >= 3.12 auto-detected). Run setup once to unlock all features.

Natural Language Triggers

Phrase	Triggers
"interview me", "clarify requirements", "socratic interview"	ooo interview
"crystallize", "generate seed", "create seed", "freeze requirements"	ooo seed
"ouroboros run", "execute seed", "run seed", "run workflow"	ooo run
"evaluate this", "3-stage check", "verify execution"	ooo evaluate
"think sideways", "i'm stuck", "break through", "lateral thinking"	ooo unstuck
"am I drifting?", "drift check", "session status"	ooo status

Utility Triggers

Phrase	Triggers
"write prd", "pm interview", "product requirements", "create prd"	ooo pm
"qa check", "quality check"	ooo qa
"cancel execution", "stop job", "kill stuck", "abort execution"	ooo cancel
"in-flight sessions", "mcp disconnected", "lost Ouroboros execution"	ooo resume-session
"update ouroboros", "upgrade ouroboros"	ooo update
"open settings", "change model", "change agent", "configure backend"	ooo config
"brownfield defaults", "brownfield scan"	ooo brownfield
"publish to github", "create issues from seed", "seed to issues"	ooo publish
"ooo maintain"	ooo maintain

Loop Triggers

Phrase	Triggers
"ralph", "don't stop", "must complete", "until it works", "keep going"	ooo ralph
"evolve", "evolutionary loop", "iterate until converged"	ooo evolve

Available Skills

Core Skills

Skill	Purpose	Mode
/ouroboros:welcome	First-touch welcome experience	Plugin
/ouroboros:interview	Socratic requirement clarification	Plugin
/ouroboros:seed	Generate validated seed spec	Plugin
/ouroboros:ouroboros-run	Execute seed workflow	MCP
/ouroboros:evaluate	3-stage verification	MCP
/ouroboros:unstuck	5 lateral thinking personas	Plugin
/ouroboros:ouroboros-status	Session status + drift check	MCP
/ouroboros:resume-session	List in-flight sessions and re-attach commands	CLI
/ouroboros:setup	Installation wizard	Plugin
/ouroboros:tutorial	Interactive hands-on learning	Plugin
/ouroboros:ouroboros-config	Settings GUI	Plugin
/ouroboros:ouroboros-help	This guide	Plugin
/ouroboros:pm	PM-focused interview + PRD generation	MCP
/ouroboros:qa	General-purpose QA verdict for any artifact	Plugin
/ouroboros:cancel	Cancel stuck or orphaned executions	CLI
/ouroboros:update	Check for updates + upgrade to latest	Plugin
/ouroboros:brownfield	Scan and manage brownfield repo defaults	MCP
/ouroboros:publish	Publish Seed as GitHub Issues for teams	Plugin
/ouroboros:maintain	Triage and resolve maintainer issues and PRs	Plugin

Loop Skills

Skill	Purpose	Best For
/ouroboros:ralph	Client-driven loop over background evolve_step jobs	"Don't stop", must complete
/ouroboros:evolve	Evolutionary ontology refinement	Spec iteration until convergence

Available Agents

Agent	Purpose
ouroboros:socratic-interviewer	Exposes hidden assumptions through questioning
ouroboros:ontologist	Finds root problems vs symptoms
ouroboros:seed-architect	Crystallizes requirements into seed specs
ouroboros:evaluator	Three-stage verification
ouroboros:contrarian	"Are we solving the wrong problem?"
ouroboros:hacker	"Make it work first, elegance later"
ouroboros:simplifier	"Cut scope to absolute minimum"
ouroboros:researcher	"Stop coding, start investigating"
ouroboros:architect	"Question the foundation, redesign if needed"

Setup

After installing Ouroboros, run ooo setup once to register the MCP server. This connects your runtime backend to the Ouroboros Python core and unlocks all features.

ooo setup    # One-time setup (~1 minute)

RFC #1392 State Breadcrumb Footer

Your final response MUST end with exactly one breadcrumb footer line:

◆ <current state> → next: <recommended action>

Derive <current state> from live session state via ouroboros_session_status when that MCP projection is available; otherwise derive it from this skill's actual outcome. Never use a linear Step N of M footer because Ouroboros is an evolutionary loop. When the next action is genuinely a choice, list 2-3 honest options in the next: clause. The breadcrumb line must be the last line of the response.