docs: add worklog for HQ architecture and beads cleanup session

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

docs/worklogs/2026-01-11-hq-architecture-orch-consensus-beads-cleanup.org

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+#+TITLE: HQ Orchestrator Architecture, Orch Consensus Validation, and Beads Cleanup
+#+DATE: 2026-01-11
+#+KEYWORDS: hq, orchestrator, orch-consensus, beads, worker-cli, multi-agent, architecture, lego-brick
+#+COMMITS: 4
+#+COMPRESSION_STATUS: uncompressed
+
+* Session Summary
+** Date: 2026-01-11 (Continuation of multi-agent architecture work)
+** Focus Area: HQ orchestrator design, architecture validation via orch consensus, and beads issue management
+
+* Accomplishments
+- [X] Named the orchestrator "HQ" (headquarters) - 2 chars, fits naming convention (bd, orch)
+- [X] Defined HQ as a skill, not a binary - any agent with the skill can orchestrate
+- [X] Ran orch consensus on bd comments vs JSONL for inter-agent messaging - unanimous support for bd comments
+- [X] Ran orch consensus on overall architecture - validated "Lego brick" approach with gap analysis
+- [X] Created HQ feature issue (skills-2l4e) with 4 sub-tasks
+- [X] Filed 5 new issues from consensus gap analysis (garbage collection, context pruning, event notification, retry limits, state machine docs)
+- [X] Closed skills-ms5 (message passing layer) - solved by bd comments decision
+- [X] Closed skills-iusu (bd comments evaluation) - complete, unanimous consensus
+- [X] Closed skills-s6y (Lego architecture epic) - MVP complete, architecture validated
+- [X] Unblocked 17 design/research tasks (blocked count: 23 → 4)
+- [X] Fixed worktree path bug - now uses absolute paths
+- [X] Added scenario schema and test fixtures for benchmark harness
+- [X] Completed session close protocol - all changes committed and pushed
+
+* Key Decisions
+** Decision 1: Name the orchestrator "HQ"
+- Context: Needed a short, memorable name for the orchestration skill
+- Options considered:
+  1. helm - taken by Kubernetes package manager
+  2. con (conductor) - too short, ambiguous
+  3. deck - nautical theme but unclear
+  4. cap (captain) - too generic
+  5. ops - conflicts with operations
+  6. hq (headquarters) - 2 chars, clear meaning
+- Rationale: HQ is short (2 chars like bd, orch), universally understood, implies coordination/command center
+- Impact: All orchestration work will use "hq" as the skill name and CLI prefix
+
+** Decision 2: HQ is a skill, not a daemon/binary
+- Context: How should the orchestrator be implemented?
+- Options considered:
+  1. Daemon/service watching for events
+  2. CLI binary with polling
+  3. Skill (markdown instructions + scripts) that any agent can load
+- Rationale: A skill fits the "Lego brick" philosophy - no new infrastructure, any capable agent becomes an orchestrator by loading the skill
+- Impact: Implementation focuses on SKILL.md design and helper scripts rather than new binaries
+
+** Decision 3: Use bd comments for inter-agent messaging (unanimous consensus)
+- Context: How should agents communicate status and coordinate?
+- Options considered:
+  1. Option A: Use existing bd issue comments (append-only, structured prefixes)
+  2. Option B: Build new JSONL message transport layer
+- Rationale: Orch consensus (flash-or, gemini, gpt, qwen) unanimously supported Option A:
+  - Unified source of truth with issue tracker
+  - Zero infrastructure overhead
+  - Human-readable and debuggable
+  - Context size manageable with --last N and periodic summarization
+- Impact: Closed skills-ms5, no new message layer needed, focus on bd comment conventions
+
+** Decision 4: Close skills-s6y (Lego epic) to unblock dependent work
+- Context: 17 design/research issues blocked by the main architecture epic
+- Rationale:
+  - Core MVP complete: worker CLI, state machine, review-gate, branch isolation
+  - Architecture validated by orch consensus
+  - Remaining blocked items are design tasks that can proceed
+- Impact: Blocked count dropped from 23 to 4, ready-to-work increased from 21 to 38
+
+* Problems & Solutions
+| Problem | Solution | Learning |
+|---------|----------|----------|
+| Relative worktree path failed from inside worktree | Changed worktreePath() to use findMainRepoDir() for absolute paths | Always use absolute paths for operations that may run from different working directories |
+| Test suite didn't catch path bug because it bypassed done command | Bug discovered during manual spike testing | Manual integration tests catch what unit tests miss |
+| 23 issues blocked by architecture epic | Closed epic after MVP complete, architecture validated | Epics should be closed when core work is done to unblock dependent tasks |
+| Qwen returned empty response in orch consensus | Other 3 models provided clear responses | Multi-model consensus is robust to individual model failures |
+
+* Technical Details
+
+** Code Changes
+- Total files modified: 15 (across all commits)
+- Key files changed:
+  - =src/worker/utils.nim= - Fixed worktreePath() to return absolute path using findMainRepoDir()
+  - =src/worker/tests/test-worker.sh= - Added sqlite3 availability check
+- New files created:
+  - =docs/specs/scenario-schema.md= - YAML schema for agent capability test scenarios
+  - =tests/scenarios/easy/add-factorial.yaml= - Easy difficulty test scenario
+  - =tests/scenarios/medium/add-caching-to-api.yaml= - Medium difficulty scenario
+  - =tests/scenarios/hard/fix-race-condition.yaml= - Hard difficulty scenario
+  - =tests/fixtures/python-math-lib/= - Python fixture for testing
+  - =tests/fixtures/flask-user-api/= - Flask API fixture placeholder
+
+** Commands Used
+#+begin_src bash
+# Orch consensus queries
+orch query --models flash-or,gemini,gpt,qwen "Support or challenge..."
+
+# Beads management
+bd close skills-ms5 --reason="Solved by bd comments approach..."
+bd close skills-s6y --reason="MVP complete: worker CLI, state machine..."
+bd blocked  # Check remaining blocked issues
+bd stats    # Verify impact of closures
+
+# Session close protocol
+bd sync
+git add <files>
+git commit -m "..."
+git push
+#+end_src
+
+** Architecture Notes
+- HQ skill structure: SKILL.md (instructions) + helper scripts (hq-status, hq-spawn, hq-check)
+- Worker template: System prompt for workers operating in worktree context
+- BD comments as message layer: Structured prefixes (status:, plan:, agent:), --last N filtering, periodic summarization
+- Gaps identified by consensus: garbage collection, locking/race conditions, context pruning, cost budgets, retry limits, state machine invariants
+
+* Process and Workflow
+
+** What Worked Well
+- Orch consensus for validating architecture - multiple perspectives caught gaps
+- Manual spike testing - found real bug that tests missed
+- Batch closing related issues - efficient beads management
+- Session compaction preserved essential context for continuation
+
+** What Was Challenging
+- Balancing design depth vs implementation progress
+- Determining when an epic is "done enough" to close
+- Qwen returning empty response (compensated by other models)
+
+* Learning and Insights
+
+** Technical Insights
+- Absolute paths essential for operations that run from different directories
+- Git worktree path resolution is context-dependent
+- Multi-model consensus provides robust architectural validation
+
+** Process Insights
+- Orch consensus is effective for binary decisions (Option A vs B)
+- Closing blocking epics when core work is done unblocks significant downstream work
+- Manual integration spikes catch issues automated tests miss
+
+** Architectural Insights
+- "Skill as orchestrator" pattern avoids infrastructure complexity
+- Existing primitives (bd comments) often sufficient - resist building new layers
+- Unix philosophy applies to AI orchestration: small, composable, text-based
+
+* Context for Future Work
+
+** Open Questions
+- How should HQ handle concurrent human + agent modifications?
+- What's the right heartbeat/timeout for stale worker detection?
+- How to summarize bd comment history without losing critical context?
+- Should HQ be model-agnostic or tuned for specific models?
+
+** Next Steps
+Ready-to-work issues (now unblocked):
+- skills-21ka: Design HQ SKILL.md - orchestration instructions
+- skills-cg7c: Design worker system prompt template
+- skills-3j55: Create hq-status script
+- skills-w9a4: Garbage collection / janitor for orphaned workers
+- skills-8hyz: Context pruning for bd comments
+- skills-vdup: Retry limits and escalation policy
+- skills-s2bt: State machine invariants documentation
+
+** Related Work
+- Previous worklog: [[file:2026-01-11-worker-cli-cleanup-refactors.org][Worker CLI Cleanup]] (same day, earlier session)
+- Previous worklog: [[file:2026-01-10-multi-agent-lego-architecture-design.org][Multi-Agent Lego Architecture Design]]
+- Orch consensus output: /tmp/claude/-home-dan-proj-skills/tasks/b019872.output (architecture validation)
+- Orch consensus output: /tmp/claude/-home-dan-proj-skills/tasks/b6d9640.output (bd comments decision)
+
+* Raw Notes
+
+** Orch Consensus Summary: BD Comments vs JSONL
+All 4 models (flash-or, gemini, gpt, qwen) supported Option A (bd comments):
+- "Fits your 'Lego bricks' principle" (GPT)
+- "Unified source of truth means human developers and AI agents share the same context" (Gemini Flash)
+- "Avoid the 'distributed systems' trap of syncing a separate message layer" (Gemini)
+- "Lower maintenance overhead... reduces complexity and potential failure points" (Qwen)
+
+Recommended mitigations for context size:
+- --last N filtering
+- Structured prefixes (status:, plan:, agent:)
+- Periodic summarization by manager agent
+- State checkpoints in pinned comments
+
+** Orch Consensus Summary: Architecture Validation
+Support with identified gaps:
+
+1. Garbage collection - orphaned worktrees, stuck workers, abandoned locks
+2. Locking/race conditions - file locks with TTL, idempotent operations
+3. Context pruning - summarize closed issue history
+4. Cost/budget controls - token limits, spawn limits
+5. Retry limits - escalate to human after N failures
+6. State machine invariants - document allowed transitions
+7. Event notification - inotify/watcher vs polling tradeoff
+
+** Beads Status After Session
+- Open: 42 (was 44)
+- Blocked: 4 (was 23)
+- Ready to work: 38 (was 21)
+- Closed: 200 (was 197)
+
+Remaining blocked issues (legitimate dependencies):
+- skills-2l4e (HQ) - blocked by its sub-tasks
+- skills-kg7 (Desktop automation) - blocked by AT-SPI chain
+- skills-hf1 (Cross-agent portability) - blocked by research tasks
+
+* Session Metrics
+- Commits made: 4 (excluding bd sync commits)
+- Files touched: 15
+- Lines added/removed: +660/-26
+- Issues created: 6 (HQ feature + 5 gap tasks)
+- Issues closed: 3 (ms5, iusu, s6y)
+- Issues unblocked: 17