|
| 1 | +\newpage |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +# Workflow files |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +A workflow file describes a set of jobs and the ordered Orangu operations to |
| 6 | +run in each workspace. It is a thin YAML layer over the same slash commands, |
| 7 | +natural-language prompts, skills, and tools available through `orangu -p`. |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +Validate the complete file before starting it: |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +```text |
| 12 | +orangu --workflow export-prs.yaml --dry-run |
| 13 | +orangu --workflow export-prs.yaml |
| 14 | +``` |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +`--workflow --dry-run` loads no model configuration and executes nothing. It checks |
| 17 | +every job, workspace, variable, function call, approval, loop definition, |
| 18 | +control-flow construct, and explicit slash command. `--workflow` performs the |
| 19 | +same preflight before it loads configuration or starts the first job. |
| 20 | + |
| 21 | +## Complete file |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | +The following workflow runs `/export pr` in two projects and collects both |
| 24 | +PDFs in one explicitly approved directory: |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +```yaml |
| 27 | +orangu: |
| 28 | + version: 1 |
| 29 | + role: all |
| 30 | + variables: |
| 31 | + upstream: /home/me/Upstream |
| 32 | + jobs: |
| 33 | + - job: pgagroal |
| 34 | + workspace: /home/me/PostgreSQL/pgagroal |
| 35 | + - job: orangu |
| 36 | + workspace: /home/me/Company/orangu |
| 37 | + functions: |
| 38 | + export_pr: |
| 39 | + - command: /export pr |
| 40 | + move_pdf: |
| 41 | + - command: /shell mv ${job}-pr.pdf ${upstream}/ |
| 42 | + main: |
| 43 | + - approved: ${upstream} |
| 44 | + - call: export_pr |
| 45 | + - call: move_pdf |
| 46 | +``` |
| 47 | +
|
| 48 | +The root key is `orangu`. `version` is required and is currently `1`. `jobs` |
| 49 | +and `main` must both be non-empty. Unknown keys are errors rather than ignored |
| 50 | +configuration. |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +## Jobs, roles, and conversations |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +Each `jobs` entry requires a unique `job` name and an existing `workspace` |
| 55 | +directory. Jobs run sequentially in declaration order and stop at the first |
| 56 | +failure. The complete `main` sequence runs once for every job, with `${job}` |
| 57 | +set to that job's name. |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +`role` may be declared once under `orangu` or overridden by a job. It defaults |
| 60 | +to `all`; the other v1 values are `code`, `review`, `explorer`, and |
| 61 | +`embeddings`. When the configured endpoint is an Orangu coordinator, the role |
| 62 | +is sent to it for routing. Otherwise Orangu selects a configured server with |
| 63 | +that role, falling back to the default server. |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +Command steps that reach the model share one conversation within their job. |
| 66 | +The next job starts a separate conversation in its own workspace. |
| 67 | + |
| 68 | +## Variables |
| 69 | + |
| 70 | +Top-level `variables` apply to every job. A job may add variables or override a |
| 71 | +top-level value: |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +```yaml |
| 74 | + variables: |
| 75 | + profile: release |
| 76 | + jobs: |
| 77 | + - job: server |
| 78 | + workspace: server |
| 79 | + variables: |
| 80 | + profile: debug |
| 81 | +``` |
| 82 | + |
| 83 | +Values may be strings, integers, floating-point numbers, or booleans and are |
| 84 | +inserted with `${name}`. Variables may refer to other variables. `${job}` is |
| 85 | +reserved for the current job name and cannot be redefined. Undefined, |
| 86 | +recursive, malformed, or unterminated references fail validation. |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +## Functions and execution order |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | +`functions` contains named, reusable lists of steps. A `call` expands a |
| 91 | +function at that exact position, so `main` is the single unambiguous execution |
| 92 | +order: |
| 93 | + |
| 94 | +```yaml |
| 95 | + functions: |
| 96 | + build: |
| 97 | + - command: /build release |
| 98 | + explain: |
| 99 | + - command: Explain any build warnings and fix actionable ones. |
| 100 | + main: |
| 101 | + - call: build |
| 102 | + - call: explain |
| 103 | +``` |
| 104 | + |
| 105 | +Functions may call other functions. Unknown calls and direct or indirect |
| 106 | +recursion are validation errors. Function and variable names start with a |
| 107 | +letter or underscore and contain only letters, digits, and underscores. |
| 108 | + |
| 109 | +## Step types |
| 110 | + |
| 111 | +Version 1 has eleven explicit step types. A step contains exactly one of them. |
| 112 | +`command`, `call`, `approved`, and `loop` are the basic operations; |
| 113 | +`if`, `for`, `while`, `break`, `return`, `label`, and `goto` are the |
| 114 | +workflow's programming constructs. `loop` is one of those constructs: a |
| 115 | +bounded code-and-review cycle, not a separate command. |
| 116 | + |
| 117 | +### `command` |
| 118 | + |
| 119 | +The value is offered to Orangu's existing dispatcher: |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | +```yaml |
| 122 | + main: |
| 123 | + - command: /status |
| 124 | + - command: /code-review authentication |
| 125 | + - command: Investigate the failing authentication test and fix it. |
| 126 | +``` |
| 127 | + |
| 128 | +A built-in slash command runs locally, a workspace skill expands into a model |
| 129 | +prompt, and other text is a natural-language model prompt. Preflight rejects |
| 130 | +unknown slash commands, missing required arguments, and commands that require |
| 131 | +the interactive terminal or persistent terminal session. |
| 132 | + |
| 133 | +### `call` |
| 134 | + |
| 135 | +`call` inserts a named function's steps. Expansion happens separately for each |
| 136 | +job, after its variables and `${job}` have been resolved. |
| 137 | + |
| 138 | +### `approved` |
| 139 | + |
| 140 | +An external path supplied through a variable requires an earlier `approved` |
| 141 | +step. One path or a list of paths may be approved: |
| 142 | + |
| 143 | +```yaml |
| 144 | + main: |
| 145 | + - approved: |
| 146 | + - ${reports} |
| 147 | + - ${archives} |
| 148 | + - command: /shell mv report.pdf ${reports}/ |
| 149 | +``` |
| 150 | + |
| 151 | +Approved paths must already exist. Approval is ordered: placing it after the |
| 152 | +command does not authorize that command. An approval authorizes later uses |
| 153 | +wherever the run reaches them, including inside a called function or after |
| 154 | +it returns. It is an explicit workflow-language |
| 155 | +opt-in for passing a variable-derived external path; it does not widen the |
| 156 | +roots of Orangu's file tools. |
| 157 | + |
| 158 | +File and directory tools reject absolute, `..`, and symlinked paths that leave |
| 159 | +the job workspace, and a tool's `cwd` must remain inside it. `/shell` explicitly |
| 160 | +invokes the user's platform shell and is not an operating-system sandbox. |
| 161 | +Literal shell syntax therefore retains the existing `/shell` semantics. |
| 162 | + |
| 163 | +### `loop` |
| 164 | + |
| 165 | +A loop repeats a tool-enabled work phase followed by an independent, |
| 166 | +tool-free review phase: |
| 167 | + |
| 168 | +```yaml |
| 169 | + functions: |
| 170 | + improve_parser: |
| 171 | + - loop: |
| 172 | + objective: Fix ${job}'s parser without changing its public API. |
| 173 | + stop: |
| 174 | + type: goal |
| 175 | + condition: All parser tests pass and review finds no regression. |
| 176 | + review: |
| 177 | + checks: |
| 178 | + - cargo test |
| 179 | + rubric: |
| 180 | + - correctness |
| 181 | + - backward compatibility |
| 182 | + main: |
| 183 | + - call: improve_parser |
| 184 | +``` |
| 185 | + |
| 186 | +Every iteration gives the worker the objective and the previous review. After |
| 187 | +the work phase, Orangu runs the configured checks in the job workspace. The |
| 188 | +reviewer receives the worker report, check results, and branch diff, but no |
| 189 | +tools. Its response becomes feedback for the next iteration. |
| 190 | + |
| 191 | +Each loop has exactly one stopping policy: |
| 192 | + |
| 193 | +| `stop.type` | Required field | Meaning | |
| 194 | +| --- | --- | --- | |
| 195 | +| `turns` | `count` | Stop after a positive number of complete iterations. | |
| 196 | +| `time` | `duration` | Stop at a safe boundary after active time such as `30m` or `2h`. | |
| 197 | +| `goal` | `condition` | Continue until the reviewer verifies the stated condition. | |
| 198 | + |
| 199 | +Durations use `s`, `m`, `h`, or `d`. Orangu never interrupts a tool call or |
| 200 | +review response merely because the duration has elapsed. For a goal loop, the |
| 201 | +reviewer must end with the exact standalone line `LOOP_COMPLETE: yes`; an |
| 202 | +inline mention or optimistic wording does not complete it. |
| 203 | + |
| 204 | +`review.checks` and `review.rubric` are optional lists. Variables are expanded |
| 205 | +in the objective, stop value, checks, and rubric. The default rubric covers |
| 206 | +correctness, regressions, tests, and maintainability; listed entries add |
| 207 | +workflow-specific criteria. |
| 208 | + |
| 209 | +### `if`, `for`, `while`, `break`, `return`, `label`, `goto` |
| 210 | + |
| 211 | +Workflows are a small programming language over the steps above. Conditions |
| 212 | +are ordinary workflow commands run in the job session: success means true |
| 213 | +and failure selects the other branch instead of failing the job. |
| 214 | + |
| 215 | +```yaml |
| 216 | + main: |
| 217 | + - if: |
| 218 | + condition: /shell test -f report.pdf |
| 219 | + then: |
| 220 | + - command: /shell mv report.pdf ${reports}/ |
| 221 | + else: |
| 222 | + - command: /export pr |
| 223 | + - for: |
| 224 | + var: target |
| 225 | + items: [alpha, beta] |
| 226 | + do: |
| 227 | + - command: /build ${target} |
| 228 | + - while: |
| 229 | + condition: /shell test ! -f done.txt |
| 230 | + max_turns: 10 |
| 231 | + do: |
| 232 | + - command: /test |
| 233 | + - break: true |
| 234 | + - label: finished |
| 235 | + - goto: finished |
| 236 | +``` |
| 237 | + |
| 238 | +`for` repeats its `do` steps once per item, with `${var}` set to that |
| 239 | +value. Instead of `items`, a finite `range` such as `1..3` may be given. |
| 240 | +At most 100 items (a range span of at most 1000) are allowed, and a loop |
| 241 | +variable cannot shadow an outer one or be used in an `approved` path. |
| 242 | +`while` re-evaluates its condition before every turn and stops after |
| 243 | +`max_turns` turns at the latest (between 1 and 1000, required). |
| 244 | +`break` stops the innermost enclosing `for` or `while` and is rejected |
| 245 | +outside one. `return` stops the current function after its `call` and is |
| 246 | +rejected in `main`. Labels address the step list that declares them: a |
| 247 | +`goto` must name a label from the same function or `main` list, so a jump |
| 248 | +never crosses a function boundary or implicitly enters a nested block. |
| 249 | + |
| 250 | +Every branch, condition, and loop body is validated before execution, |
| 251 | +including the slash-command preflight, so an error in a rarely taken |
| 252 | +branch still fails `--dry-run` rather than an hours-long run. |
| 253 | + |
| 254 | +## Managing a workflow |
| 255 | + |
| 256 | +Loop progress is stored in Orangu's workspace cache rather than in the |
| 257 | +repository. The workflow file supplies the jobs and their workspaces; append a |
| 258 | +lifecycle action after the file to inspect or control the saved loop for every |
| 259 | +job: |
| 260 | + |
| 261 | +```text |
| 262 | +orangu --workflow /path/to/workflow.yml status |
| 263 | +orangu --workflow /path/to/workflow.yml pause |
| 264 | +orangu --workflow /path/to/workflow.yml resume |
| 265 | +orangu --workflow /path/to/workflow.yml clear |
| 266 | +``` |
| 267 | + |
| 268 | +`status` reports the objective, policy, iteration count, active time, and most |
| 269 | +recent review for each job. `pause` stops an active loop at its next safe phase |
| 270 | +boundary. `resume` continues a paused or failed loop with its saved review |
| 271 | +feedback. `clear` cancels saved state so another loop may start. A |
| 272 | +per-workspace lock prevents two loops from running against the same checkout |
| 273 | +simultaneously. |
| 274 | + |
| 275 | +## Operational behavior |
| 276 | + |
| 277 | +- `-q` suppresses successful workflow output. Failures still write to stderr |
| 278 | + and return a non-zero exit status. |
| 279 | +- A loop can modify its workspace but does not commit, push, or open a pull |
| 280 | + request unless an explicit workflow command does so. |
| 281 | +- Review evidence is bounded before it is sent to the model. Truncation is |
| 282 | + marked rather than silently treated as complete evidence. |
| 283 | +- Saved loop state is control metadata, not a persisted model conversation. |
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