Prime — Session Startup

Complete startup checklist for new agent sessions. Direct execution (no subagents).

Design rationale: This skill executes directly rather than spawning subagents because each step is a simple command sequence (~200 tokens each), not substantial analytical work. Per Lita research: "Simple agents achieve 97% of complex system performance with 15x less code." Subagent overhead would exceed actual work.

When This Applies

Signal	Action
New session starting	Run full checklist
User says "/prime"	Run full checklist
User says "startup" or "initialize"	Run full checklist
Multi-agent coordination needed	Run full checklist

---

Tool Reference

Agent Mail (MCP)

Tool	Purpose
macro_start_session(human_key, program, model)	PREFERRED: All-in-one startup
ensure_project(human_key)	Initialize project in Agent Mail
register_agent(project_key, program, model)	Register and get agent name
set_contact_policy(agent_name, policy)	Set to "open" for coordination
fetch_inbox(agent_name, limit)	Check for messages
send_message(to, subject, body_md)	Send greeting/announcements

Bash Commands

Command	Purpose
cm context "task description" --json	Get patterns + anti-patterns before work
cass search "query" --robot --days 7	Search session history
bd ready --json	List available tasks
bv --robot-triage	Get task recommendations
git status	Check repo state
git log --oneline -5	Recent commits

---

Execution Flow

Execute these steps directly. No subagents needed.

Step 1: Register Identity

PREFERRED — Use macro for simplicity:

result = macro_start_session(
    human_key="PROJECT_PATH",  # Absolute path to project
    program="claude-code",
    model="opus-4.5",
    inbox_limit=10
)
agent_name = result["agent"]["name"]  # e.g., "BlueLake"

ALTERNATIVE — Manual steps:

# 1. Ensure project exists
ensure_project(human_key="PROJECT_PATH")

# 2. Register agent (name is auto-assigned)
result = register_agent(
    project_key="PROJECT_PATH",
    program="claude-code",
    model="opus-4.5",
    task_description="Agent initializing..."
)
agent_name = result["name"]  # SAVE THIS

# 3. Set contact policy for coordination
set_contact_policy(
    project_key="PROJECT_PATH",
    agent_name=agent_name,
    policy="open"
)

Update terminal title:

echo -ne "\033]0;[{agent_name}] | PROJECT_NAME\007"

---

Step 2: Orient

Read project documentation:

Read("AGENTS.md")     # Agent workflow instructions
Read("CLAUDE.md")     # Project overview

Check recent session history:

cass search "PROJECT_NAME" --workspace "PROJECT_PATH" --robot --days 7 --limit 5

Get learned patterns:

cm context "starting work on PROJECT_NAME" --json

Check git state:

git status
git log --oneline -5
git branch

Discover active agents:

ReadMcpResourceTool(
    server="mcp-agent-mail",
    uri="resource://agents/PROJECT_PATH"
)

---

Step 3: Coordinate

Check inbox:

messages = fetch_inbox(
    project_key="PROJECT_PATH",
    agent_name=agent_name,
    include_bodies=True,
    limit=20
)

Categorize messages:

• Urgent — Requires response before starting work
• Informational — [CLAIMED], [CLOSED] announcements
• Acknowledgement required — ack_required=True

Note file reservations from other agents (these are off-limits).

Send greeting (if other agents active):

send_message(
    project_key="PROJECT_PATH",
    sender_name=agent_name,
    to=[active_agents],
    subject="Agent Online",
    body_md="I'm online. Focusing on: [task]. What needs attention?",
    importance="normal"
)

---

Step 4: Discover Work

Get recommendations:

bv --robot-triage      # Priority analysis
bv --robot-next        # Single best task

Get ready tasks:

bd ready --json

Check already claimed:

bd list --status in_progress --json

Filter by file availability:

• Check each ready task's required files
• Exclude tasks where files are reserved by others
• Recommend highest-priority available task

---

Step 5: Output Summary

Present to user:

## Agent Initialized

**Name:** {agent_name}
**Project:** PROJECT_NAME
**Branch:** {git_branch}

### Context
- Recent sessions: {summary from CASS}
- Active agents: {list or "none"}
- Inbox: {count} messages ({urgent} urgent)
- Blocked files: {list or "none"}

### Learned Patterns
{relevant patterns from cm}

### Recommended Task
**ID:** {task_id}
**Title:** {task_title}
**Priority:** {priority}
**Files:** {file_scope}

Ready to claim? Use `/advance` to claim and begin work.

---

Mandatory Gates

After priming, these gates apply to all work:

Gate	Requirement	Evidence
TDD-first	Write tests before implementation	45.97% higher success rate
ubs --staged	Security scan before every commit	~40% of LLM code has vulnerabilities
Max 3 iterations	Stop after 3 repair attempts	Security degrades with more
Escalate on failure	Create spike, notify operator	Don't waste time debugging

---

Quick Reference

# Register (preferred)
macro_start_session(human_key=PROJECT_PATH, program="claude-code", model="opus-4.5")

# Orient
cass search "PROJECT" --robot --days 7
cm context "task" --json
git status

# Coordinate
fetch_inbox(agent_name=YOUR_NAME, limit=20)
send_message(to=[...], subject="Agent Online", ...)

# Discover
bv --robot-triage
bd ready --json

---

Anti-Patterns

Don't	Why	Do Instead
Skip registration	Can't coordinate	Always register first
Ignore inbox	Miss urgent messages	Check before claiming
Ignore reservations	File conflicts	Respect all reservations
Skip cm context	Miss learned patterns	Always check patterns
Claim without checking	Duplicate work	Verify availability first

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See Also

• /advance — Claim and work on tasks
• /recall — Get context from past sessions
• beads-cli/ — bd command reference
• beads-viewer/ — bv command reference