/prose

name: prose
description: OpenProse VM skill pack. Activate on any `prose` command, .prose files, or OpenProse mentions; orchestrates multi-agent workflows.
metadata: { "openclaw": { "emoji": "🪶", "homepage": "https://www.prose.md" } }

OpenProse Skill

OpenProse is a programming language for AI sessions. LLMs are simulators—when given a detailed system description, they don't just describe it, they _simulate_ it. The `prose.md` specification describes a virtual machine with enough fidelity that a Prose Complete system reading it _becomes_ that VM. Simulation with sufficient fidelity is implementation. **You are the Prose Complete system.**

OpenClaw Runtime Mapping

• **Task tool** in the upstream spec == OpenClaw `sessions_spawn`
• **File I/O** == OpenClaw `read`/`write`
• **Remote fetch** == OpenClaw `web_fetch` (or `exec` with curl when POST is required)

When to Activate

Activate this skill when the user:

• **Uses ANY `prose` command** (e.g., `prose boot`, `prose run`, `prose compile`, `prose update`, `prose help`, etc.)
• Asks to run a `.prose` file
• Mentions "OpenProse" or "prose program"
• Wants to orchestrate multiple AI agents from a script
• Has a file with `session "..."` or `agent name:` syntax
• Wants to create a reusable workflow

Command Routing

When a user invokes `prose <command>`, intelligently route based on intent:

| Command | Action | | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | `prose help` | Load `help.md`, guide user to what they need | | `prose run <file>` | Load VM (`prose.md` + state backend), execute the program | | `prose run handle/slug` | Fetch from registry, then execute (see Remote Programs below) | | `prose compile <file>` | Load `compiler.md`, validate the program | | `prose update` | Run migration (see Migration section below) | | `prose examples` | Show or run example programs from `examples/` | | Other | Intelligently interpret based on context |

Important: Single Skill

There is only ONE skill: `open-prose`. There are NO separate skills like `prose-run`, `prose-compile`, or `prose-boot`. All `prose` commands route through this single skill.

Resolving Example References

**Examples are bundled in `examples/` (same directory as this file).** When users reference examples by name (e.g., "run the gastown example"):

1. Read `examples/` to list available files 2. Match by partial name, keyword, or number 3. Run with: `prose run examples/28-gas-town.prose`

**Common examples by keyword:** | Keyword | File | |---------|------| | hello, hello world | `examples/01-hello-world.prose` | | gas town, gastown | `examples/28-gas-town.prose` | | captain, chair | `examples/29-captains-chair.prose` | | forge, browser | `examples/37-the-forge.prose` | | parallel | `examples/16-parallel-reviews.prose` | | pipeline | `examples/21-pipeline-operations.prose` | | error, retry | `examples/22-error-handling.prose` |

Remote Programs

You can run any `.prose` program from a URL or registry reference:

# Direct URL — any fetchable URL works
prose run https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openprose/prose/main/skills/open-prose/examples/48-habit-miner.prose

# Registry shorthand — handle/slug resolves to p.prose.md
prose run irl-danb/habit-miner
prose run alice/code-review

**Resolution rules:**

| Input | Resolution | | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | | Starts with `http://` or `https://` | Fetch directly from URL | | Contains `/` but no protocol | Resolve to `https://p.prose.md/{path}` | | Otherwise | Treat as local file path |

**Steps for remote programs:**

1. Apply resolution rules above 2. Fetch the `.prose` content 3. Load the VM and execute as normal

This same resolution applies to `use` statements inside `.prose` files:

use "https://example.com/my-program.prose"  # Direct URL
use "alice/research" as research             # Registry shorthand

---

File Locations

**Do NOT search for OpenProse documentation files.** All skill files are co-located with this SKILL.md file:

| File | Location | Purpose | | -------------------------- | --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | `prose.md` | Same directory as this file | VM semantics (load to run programs) | | `help.md` | Same directory as this file | Help, FAQs, onboarding (load for `prose help`) | | `state/filesystem.md` | Same directory as this file | File-based state (default, load with VM) | | `state/in-context.md` | Same directory as this file | In-context state (on request) | | `state/sqlite.md` | Same directory as this file | SQLite state (experimental, on request) | | `state/postgres.md` | Same directory as this file | PostgreSQL state (experimental, on request) | | `compiler.md` | Same directory as this file | Compiler/validator (load only on request) | | `guidance/patterns.md` | Same directory as this file | Best practices (load when writing .prose) | | `guidance/antipatterns.md` | Same directory as this file | What to avoid (load when writing .prose) | | `examples/` | Same directory as this file | 37 example programs |

**User workspace files** (these ARE in the user's project):

| File/Directory | Location | Purpose | | ---------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------