AugmentClaude
SpecsPM

Ouroboros Help

By Q00· Q00/ouroboros· 0

Reference guide for Ouroboros commands and workflow agents.

Installation

  1. Make sure Claude is on your device and in your terminal.

    Skills load from ~/.claude/skills/ when Claude Code starts up — so you need it on your machine first. If you don't have it yet, install it once with the command below, then run claude in any terminal to verify.

    One-time setup
    npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

    Already have it? Skip ahead.

  2. Paste into Claude Code or into your terminal.
    Install
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    This copies the whole skill folder into ~/.claude/skills/ouroboros-help-q00/ — the SKILL.md plus any scripts, reference docs, or templates the skill ships with. Safe default: works for every skill.

    Faster alternative (instruction-only skills)

    Skips the clone and grabs only the SKILL.md file. Don't use this if the skill ships Python scripts, reference markdowns, or asset templates — they won't be downloaded and the skill will fail when it tries to load them.

    Quick install (SKILL.md only)
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  3. Restart Claude Code.

    Quit and reopen Claude Code (or any other agent that loads from ~/.claude/skills/). New skills are picked up on startup.

  4. Just ask Claude.

    Skills auto-activate when your request matches the skill's description — no slash command needed. Trigger phrases live in the skill's own frontmatter; you can read them in the “What this skill does” section above.

Prefer to read the source first? Open on GitHub.

When Claude uses it

Full reference guide for Ouroboros commands and agents

What this skill does

/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

CommandPurposeMode
oooWelcome + quick startPlugin
ooo interviewSocratic requirement clarificationPlugin
ooo seedGenerate validated seed specPlugin
ooo runExecute seed workflowMCP
ooo evaluate3-stage verificationMCP
ooo unstuck5 lateral thinking personasPlugin
ooo statusSession status + drift checkMCP
ooo resume-sessionList in-flight sessions and re-attach commandsCLI
ooo setupInstallation wizardPlugin
ooo configSettings GUI — per-stage agents & models (browser here, TUI in a terminal)CLI
ooo welcomeFirst-touch welcome guidePlugin
ooo tutorialInteractive hands-on learningPlugin
ooo helpThis reference guidePlugin
ooo pmPM-focused interview + PRD generationMCP
ooo qaGeneral-purpose QA verdict for any artifactPlugin
ooo cancelCancel stuck or orphaned executionsCLI
ooo updateCheck for updates + upgrade to latestPlugin
ooo brownfieldScan and manage brownfield repo defaultsMCP
ooo publishPublish Seed as GitHub Issues for teamsPlugin
ooo maintainTriage and resolve maintainer issues and PRsPlugin

Evolutionary Loop

CommandPurposeMode
ooo evolveStart/monitor evolutionary development loopMCP
ooo ralphClient-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

PhraseTriggers
"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

PhraseTriggers
"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

PhraseTriggers
"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

SkillPurposeMode
/ouroboros:welcomeFirst-touch welcome experiencePlugin
/ouroboros:interviewSocratic requirement clarificationPlugin
/ouroboros:seedGenerate validated seed specPlugin
/ouroboros:ouroboros-runExecute seed workflowMCP
/ouroboros:evaluate3-stage verificationMCP
/ouroboros:unstuck5 lateral thinking personasPlugin
/ouroboros:ouroboros-statusSession status + drift checkMCP
/ouroboros:resume-sessionList in-flight sessions and re-attach commandsCLI
/ouroboros:setupInstallation wizardPlugin
/ouroboros:tutorialInteractive hands-on learningPlugin
/ouroboros:ouroboros-configSettings GUIPlugin
/ouroboros:ouroboros-helpThis guidePlugin
/ouroboros:pmPM-focused interview + PRD generationMCP
/ouroboros:qaGeneral-purpose QA verdict for any artifactPlugin
/ouroboros:cancelCancel stuck or orphaned executionsCLI
/ouroboros:updateCheck for updates + upgrade to latestPlugin
/ouroboros:brownfieldScan and manage brownfield repo defaultsMCP
/ouroboros:publishPublish Seed as GitHub Issues for teamsPlugin
/ouroboros:maintainTriage and resolve maintainer issues and PRsPlugin

Loop Skills

SkillPurposeBest For
/ouroboros:ralphClient-driven loop over background evolve_step jobs"Don't stop", must complete
/ouroboros:evolveEvolutionary ontology refinementSpec iteration until convergence

Available Agents

AgentPurpose
ouroboros:socratic-interviewerExposes hidden assumptions through questioning
ouroboros:ontologistFinds root problems vs symptoms
ouroboros:seed-architectCrystallizes requirements into seed specs
ouroboros:evaluatorThree-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.

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