/help

name: ouroboros-help
description: "Full reference guide for Ouroboros commands and agents"

/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

| Command | Purpose | Mode | |---------|---------|------| | `ooo` | Welcome + quick start | Plugin | | `ooo interview` | Socratic requirement clarification | Plugin | | `ooo seed` | Generate validated seed spec | Plugin | | `ooo run` | Execute seed workflow | MCP | | `ooo evaluate` | 3-stage verification | MCP | | `ooo unstuck` | 5 lateral thinking personas | Plugin | | `ooo status` | Session status + drift check | MCP | | `ooo resume-session` | List in-flight sessions and re-attach commands | CLI | | `ooo setup` | Installation wizard | Plugin | | `ooo config` | Settings GUI — per-stage agents & models (browser here, TUI in a terminal) | CLI | | `ooo welcome` | First-touch welcome guide | Plugin | | `ooo tutorial` | Interactive hands-on learning | Plugin | | `ooo help` | This reference guide | Plugin | | `ooo pm` | PM-focused interview + PRD generation | MCP | | `ooo qa` | General-purpose QA verdict for any artifact | Plugin | | `ooo cancel` | Cancel stuck or orphaned executions | CLI | | `ooo update` | Check for updates + upgrade to latest | Plugin | | `ooo brownfield` | Scan and manage brownfield repo defaults | MCP | | `ooo publish` | Publish Seed as GitHub Issues for teams | Plugin |

Evolutionary Loop

| Command | Purpose | Mode | |---------|---------|------| | `ooo evolve` | Start/monitor evolutionary development loop | MCP | | `ooo ralph` | Client-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

| Phrase | Triggers | |--------|----------| | "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

| Phrase | Triggers | |--------|----------| | "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` |

Loop Triggers

| Phrase | Triggers | |--------|----------| | "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

| Skill | Purpose | Mode | |-------|---------|------| | `/ouroboros:welcome` | First-touch welcome experience | Plugin | | `/ouroboros:interview` | Socratic requirement clarification | Plugin | | `/ouroboros:seed` | Generate validated seed spec | Plugin | | `/ouroboros:ouroboros-run` | Execute seed workflow | MCP | | `/ouroboros:evaluate` | 3-stage verification | MCP | | `/ouroboros:unstuck` | 5 lateral thinking personas | Plugin | | `/ouroboros:ouroboros-status` | Session status + drift check | MCP | | `/ouroboros:resume-session` | List in-flight sessions and re-attach commands | CLI | | `/ouroboros:setup` | Installation wizard | Plugin | | `/ouroboros:tutorial` | Interactive hands-on learning | Plugin | | `/ouroboros:ouroboros-config` | Settings GUI | Plugin | | `/ouroboros:ouroboros-help` | This guide | Plugin | | `/ouroboros:pm` | PM-focused interview + PRD generation | MCP | | `/ouroboros:qa` | General-purpose QA verdict for any artifact | Plugin | | `/ouroboros:cancel` | Cancel stuck or orphaned executions | CLI | | `/ouroboros:update` | Check for updates + upgrade to latest | Plugin | | `/ouroboros:brownfield` | Scan and manage brownfield repo defaults | MCP | | `/ouroboros:publish` | Publish Seed as GitHub Issues for teams | Plugin |

Loop Skills

| Skill | Purpose | Best For | |-------|---------|----------| | `/ouroboros:ralph` | Client-driven loop over background evolve_step jobs | "Don't stop", must complete | | `/ouroboros:evolve` | Evolutionary ontology refinement | Spec iteration until convergence |

Available Agents

| Agent | Purpose | |-------|---------| | `ouroboros:socratic-interviewer` | Exposes hidden assumptions through questioning | | `ouroboros:ontologist` | Finds root problems vs symptoms | | `ouroboros:seed-architect` | Crystallizes requirements into seed specs | | `ouroboros:evaluator` | Three-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 foundat