This is the published mirror of FEATURES.md
in the repository — the authoritative inventory of every warden capability and
which surface can drive it.
warden exposes its features across five surfaces — the CLI (warden, aliased
wd), MCP (81 structured tools for an orchestrating agent), the /warden
skill, the web GUI, and the TUI cockpit.
Coverage legend: ✓ supported · — not applicable / not present on that surface ·
CLI-only features are marked and explained (host/process/interactive/secret
operations that are meaningless or unsafe over MCP/web).
Spawn, inspect, message, and tear down per-task coding agents (Claude Code by
default; each in its own tmux session, most in a git worktree).
| Feature | CLI | MCP | Skill | Web | TUI | Docs |
|---|
| Spawn an agent (ticket / prompt / typed) | start | spawn_agent | ✓ | ✓ | n | spawn-and-watch |
| Prompt-spawn (no repo, auto-typed) | start "<prompt>" | spawn_agent | ✓ | ✓ | n | spawn-and-watch |
| List agents | ls | list_agents | ✓ | ✓ | list | fleet-operations |
| Agent status / detail | status | get_agent | ✓ | ✓ | i | fleet-operations |
| Tail recent output | tail | get_agent_output | ✓ | ✓ | view | spawn-and-watch |
| Send text into an agent | send | send_to_agent | ✓ | ✓ | — | spawn-and-watch |
| Digest (catch-up summary) | digest | digest | ✓ | ✓ | i | rotation-digests |
| Attach to the live session | attach | CLI-only (interactive tmux) | ✓ | ✓ (terminal) | enter | spawn-and-watch |
| Adopt an existing Claude session | adopt | adopt_agent | ✓ | — | — | agents-lifecycle |
| Tear down (umbrella) | stop | stop_agent | ✓ | ✓ | x | fleet-operations |
| Finish cleanly (commit/push guard) | done (= stop --keep-worktree) | terminate_agent (force) | ✓ | ✓ | x | lifecycle-and-rails |
| Terminate | terminate (= stop --keep-record --keep-worktree) | terminate_agent | ✓ | ✓ | x | lifecycle-and-rails |
| Restore an orphaned agent | restore | restore_agent | ✓ | ✓ | r | agents-lifecycle |
| Recover an archived-but-alive agent (tombstone-reaper safety net) | recover | recover_agents | ✓ | — | — | agents-lifecycle |
| Delete / hard-purge | delete (= stop --keep-worktree, record only) | delete_agent | ✓ | ✓ | D | fleet-operations |
| Rename an agent | adopt --name / spawn name | spawn_agent (name) | ✓ | ✓ | — | fleet-operations |
| Tags (group / filter) | start --tag, ls --tag | spawn_agent (tags) | ✓ | ✓ | — | fleet-operations |
| Model selection | start --model / config | spawn_agent (model) | ✓ | ✓ | — | env-vars |
| Agent role (built-in persona + default flags) at spawn | start --role | spawn_agent (role) | ✓ | ✓ (Role select) | ctrl+r (new-agent) | agent-roles |
| Switch a running agent’s role (relaunch re-injects) | set-role | set_role | ✓ | — | — | agent-roles |
| List the built-in role catalog | role list | list_roles | ✓ | ✓ (Role select) | list | agent-roles |
| Tiered model routing — derive the model tier from a task | start --task (CLI + REST; no pipeline task:) | routes by role only (no task param) | — | — | — | agent-roles |
| Tiered model routing — pin the model tier for the quota-balanced resolver | start --tier (also pipeline tier:) | routes by role only (no tier param) | — | — | — | agent-roles |
| List the backend’s live model menu | models (--backend, --json) | CLI-only (agent-native; local worktree exec, no daemon round-trip) | ✓ | — | — | backend-superpowers |
| Backend selection (Claude / Aider / OpenCode / Codex / Crush / Goose / Cursor / Antigravity) | start --backend | spawn_agent (backend) | ✓ | — | — | agent-backends — only claude is stable; codex and antigravity are β beta; aider, opencode, crush, goose, and cursor are 🧪 experimental |
Terminal session (kind=terminal) — managed $SHELL seat, no AI (prompt ignored); back-compat backend=terminal alias | start --kind terminal | spawn_agent (kind) | ✓ | ✓ (Terminals tab) | t | tui-cockpit |
Handoff — delegate (new / --to existing) or retire self (--retire) | handoff | handoff_agent | ✓ | — | — | rotation-digests |
Self-rotation (retire → successor) — alias for handoff --retire | rotate | rotate_agent | ✓ | — | — | rotation-digests |
| Fork an agent’s session into a new managed agent (Codex-only; branches the conversation, source keeps running; dirty-tree carry) | fork | fork_agent | ✓ | — | — | backend-superpowers |
| Feature | CLI | MCP | Skill | Web | TUI | Docs |
|---|
Task --type (development, analysis, spike, pr-review, code, docs, website, debug-ci, tests, other) | start --type | spawn_agent (type) | ✓ | ✓ | — | worktrees-task-types |
| Managed worktree per agent | automatic | automatic | ✓ | ✓ | — | worktrees-task-types |
| Scratch worktree (analysis/spike) | start --worktree | spawn_agent (worktree) | ✓ | ✓ | — | worktrees-task-types |
| In-repo opt-out (write-agent) | start --in-repo | spawn_agent (in_repo) | ✓ | ✓ | — | worktrees-task-types |
| List worktrees | worktree list (alias worktree ls; bare worktree) | list_worktrees | ✓ | — | — | worktrees-task-types |
| Prune orphaned worktrees | worktree prune (alias prune) | prune_worktrees | ✓ | — | — | fleet-operations |
| Remove one agent’s worktree | remove-worktree (= stop --keep-record, worktree only) | remove_worktree | ✓ | ✓ | — | fleet-operations |
| Feature | CLI | MCP | Skill | Web | TUI | Docs |
|---|
| Create from YAML spec / template | pipeline create | create_pipeline | ✓ | ✓ | — | pipelines |
| List pipelines | pipeline list | list_pipelines | ✓ | ✓ | view | pipelines |
| Show one pipeline’s jobs/output | pipeline show | show_pipeline | ✓ | ✓ | i | pipelines |
| Start | pipeline start | start_pipeline | ✓ | ✓ | — | pipelines |
| Cancel | pipeline cancel | cancel_pipeline | ✓ | ✓ | — | pipelines |
| Pause | pipeline pause | pause_pipeline | ✓ | ✓ | — | pipelines |
| Resume | pipeline resume | resume_pipeline | ✓ | ✓ | — | pipelines |
| Retry a failed job | pipeline retry | retry_pipeline_job | ✓ | ✓ | — | pipelines |
| Edit a pending job | pipeline edit-job | edit_pipeline_job | ✓ | — | — | pipelines |
| Emit a job’s handoff output | pipeline emit | emit_pipeline_output | ✓ | — | — | pipelines |
| Delete a pipeline record | pipeline delete | delete_pipeline | ✓ | — | — | pipelines |
| Validate a spec (no daemon) | pipeline validate | validate_pipeline | ✓ | — | — | pipelines |
| List built-in templates | pipeline list-templates | list_pipeline_templates | ✓ | — | — | pipelines |
| Feature | CLI | MCP | Skill | Web | TUI | Docs |
|---|
| Shared-context set | ctx set | ctx_set | ✓ | ✓ | — | shared-context-messages |
| Compare-and-set (claim a task) | ctx cas | ctx_cas | ✓ | — | — | shared-context-messages |
| Append | ctx append | ctx_append | ✓ | — | — | shared-context-messages |
| Get / list / delete | ctx get/list/del | ctx_get / ctx_list | ✓ | ✓ | — | shared-context-messages |
| Directed message to an inbox | msg send | send_message | ✓ | ✓ | — | shared-context-messages |
| Read inbox | msg inbox | read_inbox | ✓ | ✓ | — | shared-context-messages |
| Wait for a message (park/wake) | msg wait | wait_for_message | ✓ | — | — | shared-context-messages |
| File-conflict detection | collab conflicts | get_collaboration_status | ✓ | ✓ | — | shared-context-messages |
| Who is editing a file | collab who-is-editing | who_is_editing_file | ✓ | ✓ | — | shared-context-messages |
Project memory — show/edit .warden/memory.md | memory (--raw, --path, --edit) | CLI-only (local, no daemon round-trip) | ✓ | — | — | project-memory |
Project memory — projected into every spawn (memory.inject) | config (memory.inject, default on) | automatic (all backends but aider) | ✓ | — | — | project-memory |
Project memory — auto-curation from digests (memory.curate) | config (memory.curate, default off) | automatic on completion (proposes unverified entries to the working tree; never commits) | ✓ | — | — | project-memory |
Project memory — local grounding in the REPL (memory.ground) | repl → /memory <q> (/mem, /ask) + project_memory tool | REPL-only (local model, $0, no cloud round-trip) | ✓ | — | — | project-memory |
| Project groups — named collections of projects shown in the TUI tree; each member carries the group label beside the project name | REST API (/api/v1/project-groups) | — | — | ✓ (read) | ✓ | project-groups |
Per-project auto-spawn — daemon guarantees one live orch-<project> orchestrator whenever a project is opened; idempotent (revives from transcript if recorded-but-dead; spawns fresh otherwise) | automatic on project open | — | — | — | ✓ | project-groups |
| Peer awareness — grouped orchestrators learn their Project Group name and sibling orchestrator names via context injection at every (re)launch | automatic (daemon-wired via PeerContextFn) | — | — | — | — | project-groups |
| Feature | CLI | MCP | Skill | Web | TUI | Docs |
|---|
| List pending approvals | approvals | list_approvals | ✓ | ✓ | cockpit | approvals-supervised |
| Answer an approval | approve | approve | ✓ | ✓ | a | approvals-supervised |
| Auto-approve toggle | auto-approve <id> on|off | set_auto_approve | ✓ | ✓ | — | approvals-supervised |
| Auto-approve rule policy (tool/glob/regex/paths, per-agent, identical-prompt circuit breaker) | auto-approve rules|allow|deny|clear|enable|disable | set_auto_approve_policy | ✓ | ✓ | — | approvals-supervised |
| Set permission mode (running agent) | set-permission-mode | set_permission_mode | ✓ | ✓ | — | approvals-supervised |
| Supervised spawn (gate every prompt) | start --supervised | spawn_agent (supervised) | ✓ | ✓ | — | approvals-supervised |
| Feature | CLI | MCP | Skill | Web | TUI | Docs |
|---|
| Create schedule (cron / at; agent or pipeline) | schedule create | create_schedule | ✓ | — | — | scheduling |
| List schedules | schedule list | list_schedules | ✓ | — | — | scheduling |
| Get one schedule (+ last-run outcome) | schedule get | get_schedule | ✓ | — | — | scheduling |
| Enable / disable schedule | schedule enable / disable | enable_schedule / disable_schedule | ✓ | — | — | scheduling |
| Delete schedule | schedule delete | delete_schedule | ✓ | — | — | scheduling |
Scheduled-run session linkage (schedule_id on sessions; scheduled-agents capability) | — | — | ✓ | — | — | scheduling |
| Feature | CLI | MCP | Skill | Web | TUI | Docs |
|---|
| Snapshot worktree + transcript | snapshot create | snapshot_create | ✓ | — | — | snapshots |
| List snapshots | snapshot list | snapshot_list | ✓ | — | — | snapshots |
| Restore a snapshot (rails) | snapshot restore | snapshot_restore | ✓ | — | — | snapshots |
| Feature | CLI | MCP | Skill | Web | TUI | Docs |
|---|
| Live resource metrics | stats | get_metrics | ✓ | ✓ | — | observability |
| Metrics history (time-series) | stats --history | get_metrics (history) | ✓ | ✓ | — | observability |
| Memory-pressure gate / headroom | doctor / spawn gate | get_pressure | ✓ | ✓ | — | observability |
| Fleet insights (parallelizable pairs, etc.) | insights | insights | ✓ | — | — | insights |
| Cost umbrella (spend + savings in one) | cost (cost spend / cost savings) | spend + savings | ✓ | — | — | savings |
| Token-savings ledger | savings (alias cost savings) | savings | ✓ | — | — | savings |
| Cost governance ($ spend rollup) | spend (alias cost spend) | spend | ✓ | ✓ | $ in ls | savings |
| Budget gate (soft $ cap on spawn) | config (tokens.budget_gate) / spawn gate | automatic | ✓ | — | — | observability |
| Full-text search | search | search | ✓ | ✓ | — | cli |
| Browse archived agents | history | history | ✓ | ✓ (archive) | — | cli |
| Action audit trail | audit log | audit_log | ✓ | — | — | observability |
| Event stream (SSE) | — | — | — | ✓ | — | observability |
| Desktop / webhook / Slack notifications | config (notify.enabled, notify.webhook_*) | automatic | ✓ | ✓ | — | observability |
Context/token guard (gauge, alert, auto-/compact) | config (tokens.guard) | automatic | ✓ | ✓ | gauge | observability |
Force-compact a busy critical agent (interrupt→/compact→resume) | force-compact (config tokens.force_compact) | set_force_compact | ✓ | — | — | observability |
| Crash / anomaly detection (OOM, loop, pre-crash) | config | automatic | ✓ | ✓ | — | observability |
| Feature | CLI | MCP | Skill | Web | TUI | Docs |
|---|
| Export session metadata | export | export_sessions | ✓ | — | — | cli |
| Import session metadata | import | import_sessions | ✓ | — | — | cli |
| Save a spawn preset | preset save / library save-preset | CLI-only (local config authoring) | ✓ | — | — | cli |
| List presets | preset list | CLI-only | ✓ | — | — | cli |
| Save a prompt template | prompt-template save / library save-prompt | CLI-only (local config authoring) | ✓ | — | — | cli |
| List prompt templates | prompt-template list | CLI-only | ✓ | — | — | cli |
| Fill a prompt template into a spawn | start --prompt-template <name> --set VAR=value | CLI-only | ✓ | — | — | cli |
| Browse presets + prompt templates + pipeline templates (one umbrella) | library list | library_list | ✓ | — | — | cli |
| Feature | CLI | MCP | Skill | Web | TUI | Docs |
|---|
| List registered plugins | plugin list | list_plugins | ✓ | — | — | plugins |
| Custom task types via plugins | config | enforced at spawn | ✓ | — | — | plugins |
| Lifecycle hook events (pre/post spawn, commit, check, teardown) | config | enforced | ✓ | — | — | plugins |
The browser GUI (served by the daemon) is a URL-routed shell (/cockpit
home · /tui · /pipelines · /metrics · /terminals · /archive · /others
· /agent/<id> — deep-linkable, back/forward, shareable). It provides: the
Cockpit home (Fleet header + agent grid), a full-screen TUI launcher
(top-bar ▢ TUI button) that streams the literal warden tui into the browser, a
Pipelines tab with a live DAG, a Metrics
tab (per-agent and fleet-total CPU/memory, per-agent context, fleet size,
tokens saved — two-column on desktop, single-column on mobile), a Terminals
tab (PTY viewport + New terminal; terminals are excluded from the agent grid/counts),
an Archive tab, the Others catch-all (attention queue, conflicts, activity;
sits last), in-browser attach terminals, a header-button Context & Messages
overlay, spawn modal, bulk actions, keyboard shortcuts, and theming.
| Feature | Where | Docs |
|---|
| URL routing (deep links, back/forward) | all routes | web-mission-control |
| Agent grid + Fleet header / busy-idle badges | Cockpit (/cockpit, home) | web-mission-control |
| Attention queue / approvals | Others (/others) | web-mission-control |
| Pipelines tab + live DAG | Pipelines (/pipelines) | web-mission-control |
| Metrics: per-agent + fleet-total CPU/mem, per-agent context, fleet size, tokens saved (2-col responsive) | Metrics (/metrics) | observability |
| Terminals tab (PTY viewport + New terminal; excluded from the agent grid/counts) | Terminals (/terminals) | web-mission-control |
| Archive (history) | Archive (/archive) | web-mission-control |
| In-browser attach terminal | Agent (/agent/<id>) | web-mission-control |
Full-screen TUI launcher — the three-pane cockpit streamed edge-to-edge into the browser (same panes, shortcuts, real shells & live agent sessions; Ctrl+Q exits); self-healing (survives daemon restarts; a wedged session is auto-rebuilt, or force one with warden tui --rebuild-web-cockpit) | top-bar ▢ TUI button (/tui) | web-mission-control |
| Per-agent backend logo on cards + group-by Agent (claude/aider/…; empty ⇒ claude) | Cockpit (/cockpit) | agent-backends |
| Context & messages | header 🗒 overlay | web-mission-control |
Spawn modal (+ New agent) — incl. a Role dropdown (built-in role picker, defaults general) | header button | agent-roles |
| Bulk actions | Bulk action bar | web-mission-control |
| Conflicts panel / activity feed | Others (/others) | web-mission-control |
| Keyboard shortcuts + help | global | web-mission-control |
REST API + OpenAPI (/api/docs) | daemon | api-openapi |
A terminal mission-control. Keys: n spawn · t new/focus terminal · enter attach ·
i info/inspector · a approve · x terminate · D delete · d digest · r refresh ·
f filter · g/G top/bottom · o/p panes · s sort · c context · tab switch view ·
M-t/M-a/M-p rotate the terminal pane over terminals / the agent pane over agents / the agent pane over pipeline agents (add Shift — M-T/M-A/M-P — to reverse; each grabs focus on the pane it drives; or the config-free Ctrl-b prefix fallback — Ctrl-b then t/a/p — for terminals that don’t send Alt/Option as Meta, e.g. macOS Terminal.app / iTerm2) ·
? help · q quit. A ◆ and a bold name badge mark the agent/terminal currently shown in a pane (tracks both enter-open and the M-t/M-a/M-p rotation).
Includes a pipeline view and per-job info.
| Feature | Where | Docs |
|---|
| Agent list + live status (incl. per-agent backend token; empty ⇒ claude) | control pane → Agents section | tui-cockpit |
| Control-pane navigator tree — four fixed sections (Approvals · Pipelines · Agents · Terminals) | control pane | tui-cockpit |
Terminals section + default terminal at startup; t create/focus a terminal in the opened agent’s dir | control pane → Terminals section / terminal pane | tui-cockpit |
Inspector (i) — agent & pipeline detail | inspector | tui-cockpit |
Approvals cockpit (a) | cockpit | tui-cockpit |
Digest (d) | inspector | tui-cockpit |
| Pipeline view | pipeline pane | tui-cockpit |
Agent sub-trees (spawned agents nest under parent; h/l collapse; tombstone on parent delete) | main pane | tui-cockpit |
| Spawn / attach / terminate / delete | keybindings | tui-cockpit |
Role picker in the new-agent form (ctrl+r; built-in catalog, defaults general) | new-agent form | agent-roles |
| Shift-to-select (native copy under tmux mouse mode) | help hint | tui-cockpit |
Native tmux window when launched inside tmux (no nesting; auto via $TMUX) | tui --tmux-native | tui-cockpit |
| Feature | CLI | MCP | Skill | Web | TUI | Docs |
|---|
| MCP server (stdio) | mcp | n/a (is the server) | ✓ | — | — | mcp-and-skill |
/warden Claude skill | shipped in skills/ | drives MCP/CLI | ✓ | — | — | mcp-and-skill |
| Interactive REPL | repl (aliases interactive, i) | CLI-only (interactive REPL) | — | — | — | repl |
↳ deterministic / commands (no model) | /agents, /spawn, /tell, … /help | — | — | — | — | repl |
↳ line editor: history, reverse-search, live / menu, Tab completion, colour | readline-backed | — | — | — | — | repl |
| ↳ guided argument forms (pick-lists + free text, LLM pre-fill) | bare /spawn, /spawn+ <prompt> | — | — | — | — | repl |
warden detects the coding-agent CLIs installed on this machine (claude, codex,
aider, …) plus a reserved local row for the free/local model, and persists
each in an embedded ScrivaDB store (~/.warden/backends) with a billing tier,
an enabled flag, and at most one default — plus a store-level
internal-thinking mode. The store is warden’s single source of truth for
which backends exist and how they’re tiered: autopilot’s cost-tier ladder and the
internal free/local thinking router both read from it. Detection is a fact
(installed / binary path / detected-at) a rescan reconciles; tiering is a
preference (tier / default / enabled) a rescan preserves.
Tiers: free · subscription · pay_per_use · unclassified (and the reserved,
system-set local). Thinking-mode: local_only · free_plus_local — which
backends warden’s own internal thinking may call (never a paid one).
| Feature | CLI | MCP | Skill | Web | TUI | Docs |
|---|
| List the registry (installed, tier, default, enabled, limited) + thinking-mode | backends list (alias ls) | list_backends | ✓ | ✓ (🧩 backends panel) | b | backend-registry |
| Rescan installed CLIs (reconcile detection, preserve prefs) | backends rescan | rescan_backends | ✓ | ✓ (⟳ Rescan) | r | backend-registry |
| Set a backend’s billing tier (free|subscription|pay_per_use|unclassified) | backends tier <id> <tier> | set_backend_tier | ✓ | ✓ (Tier dropdown) | t (cycle) | backend-registry |
| Set the single default backend (rejects local) | backends default <id> | set_default_backend | ✓ | ✓ (Default radio) | d/enter | backend-registry |
| Enable / disable a backend | backends enable|disable <id> | — (REST PATCH /backends/{id}; no MCP tool) | ✓ (via CLI) | ✓ (Enabled checkbox) | e/space | backend-registry |
| Internal-thinking mode (which backends internal thinking may call) | backends thinking-mode <mode> | set_thinking_mode | ✓ | ✓ (mode select) | m (toggle) | backend-registry |
| Internal free/local thinking router (classification, naming, digest narration, memory curation — never a paid call) | config (backends.limit_retry) | automatic | ✓ | — | — | backend-registry |
The registry supersedes the deprecated autopilot.brain.backends ladder and
autopilot.brain.allow_pay_per_use gate — those keys are imported once on the
first boot after upgrade, then ignored (edit tiers via the surfaces above).
These operate on the host, the daemon process, the local shell, or the bearer
secret — they are intentionally not exposed over MCP or web, because doing so
would either be meaningless (process/host control) or a security smell (handing
out / rotating the very token that guards the MCP and HTTP channels).
| Feature | CLI | Why CLI-only | Docs |
|---|
| Run / manage the daemon | daemon | process control on the host | install |
| Bearer token generate / show / rotate (+ read-only token) | token | the secret that protects every other surface; show --readonly for the view-only WARDEN_READONLY_TOKEN | remote-access |
| Local-LLM model picker (memory-ranked) | llm suggest | reads host hardware to size the orchestrator model | repl |
| Configuration view / init / path | config | local file authoring | env-vars |
| Health / environment doctor | doctor | host diagnostics | troubleshooting |
| Install missing dependencies | setup | installs host packages (brew/apt/dnf/pacman + official installers) | install |
| First-run tutorial | tutorial | interactive walkthrough | quickstart |
| Shell completion | completion | shell integration | install |
| Hook entry points (guards) | hook / *-guard | invoked by Claude Code hooks | lifecycle-and-rails |
Scoped factory-reset (--scope runtime|data|full; --backup, --keep-config, --keep-backends, --prune-worktrees; requires --yes) | factory-reset | destructive host wipe; daemon must be stopped for the data phase | cli |
| Version | version | — | — |
Every fleet/data feature is reachable over MCP (81 tools, including the
umbrella stop_agent). The only
CLI-exclusive features are the host/process/interactive/secret commands in
§16 (plus interactive attach/repl, the local-config preset /
prompt-template authoring commands, and the agent-native, worktree-local
review / models verbs — they exec in the agent’s worktree with no daemon
round-trip, so they have no MCP twin by design), which are
CLI-only by design. New parity tools added for full coverage: digest,
get_metrics, savings, spend, search, history, audit_log, list_worktrees,
list_plugins, get_pressure, set_auto_approve, set_auto_approve_policy,
set_permission_mode,
prune_worktrees, export_sessions, import_sessions, rotate_agent,
handoff_agent, pause_pipeline, resume_pipeline, retry_pipeline_job,
edit_pipeline_job, emit_pipeline_output, delete_pipeline,
validate_pipeline, list_pipeline_templates, library_list,
create_schedule, get_schedule, enable_schedule, disable_schedule, delete_schedule, fork_agent, set_role, list_roles,
list_backends, rescan_backends, set_backend_tier, set_default_backend,
set_thinking_mode. (Enable/disable a backend is CLI/web/TUI + REST PATCH /backends/{id} only — intentionally not an MCP tool.)
