aoa-summon

Launch a bounded child route from an anchored parent route while preserving governance and execution integrity.

aoa-summon

Intent

Use this skill to decide whether and how to launch one bounded child route from an already-anchored parent route.

The goal is not delegation theater. The goal is to preserve quest-passport law, Codex-first local execution, stress narrowing, progression and self-agent gates, return planning, checkpoint-aware reviewed closeout, and owner-local publication mapping.

Trigger boundary

Use this skill when:

  • a parent route already has a real anchor and named expected outputs
  • a narrower child actor would help through bounded review, evaluation, leaf implementation, or local verification
  • the child result must map back into return, closeout, and owner-publication surfaces
  • local Codex execution is the honest default unless a separate execution surface is actually required

Do not use this skill when:

  • the parent route still lacks a real anchor or named outputs
  • the route is d3+ and still needs a split before any child launch
  • delegation would widen authority, hide approval posture, or bypass a human gate
  • the task is asking for a whole orchestration mesh rather than one bounded child route
  • remote transport is being requested for prestige rather than necessity

Inputs

  • a quest passport with difficulty, risk, control mode, and delegate tier
  • a summon request with desired role or child target, transport preference, one parent anchor (route_anchor, parent_task_id, or session_ref), and named expected outputs
  • named expected outputs for the child route
  • optional reviewed artifact path, stress bundle ref, checkpoint note ref, Codex trace ref, progression overlay ref, self-agent checkpoint ref, and audit refs

Outputs

  • one summon decision with allowed or blocked posture
  • one chosen lane such as codex_local_leaf, codex_local_reviewed, remote_reviewed, split_required, or human_gate
  • execution_surface, cohort_pattern, reason_codes, and blocked_actions
  • optional codex_local_target
  • return_plan, checkpoint_bridge_plan, memo_export_plan, and owner_publication_plan
  • closeout_required, checkpoint_required, and progression_required

Procedure

  1. start from the parent anchor and quest passport, not from raw pressure to delegate
  2. default transport_preference to codex_local when the request leaves it open
  3. verify that expected outputs are named before picking a lane
  4. classify the lane with difficulty, risk, control mode, requested role, and references/passport-lane-matrix.v3.md
  5. keep low-risk d0_probe, d1_patch, and bounded d2_slice leaf work in codex_local_leaf when anchor and outputs are clear
  6. keep local reviewer, evaluator, and architect-like narrowing work in codex_local_reviewed
  7. allow remote_reviewed only when a separate endpoint or execution surface is actually required
  8. if difficulty is d3+, return split_required instead of launching child execution
  9. if stress posture says stop_before_mutation, only allow a narrowing non-mutating child; otherwise gate to human review
  10. if require_progression is true or the route depends on reviewed unlock posture, require a reviewed progression overlay before summon
  11. if the route is self-agent or policy-sensitive, require reviewed self-agent checkpoint posture before summon
  12. emit return, checkpoint bridge, memo export, and owner publication plans that stay subordinate to reviewed closeout and owner truth
  13. apply references/no-raw-traces-rule.md so child traces remain aids rather than proof or memo canon
  14. map failed, narrowed, or blocked child states back into return posture instead of letting them disappear

Contracts

  • this skill governs one bounded child route; it does not grant hidden orchestration authority
  • local Codex child targeting is the default first choice, not an afterthought
  • the SDK-owned E2E fixture at repo:aoa-sdk/examples/a2a/summon_return_checkpoint_e2e.fixture.json may be used to check this skill's v3 request/result contract, but it does not move summon law into aoa-sdk
  • stress may narrow or block, but it may never widen authority
  • remote transport follows the same passport, return, checkpoint, and closeout law as local transport
  • d3+ routes split first
  • progression and self-agent gates are real blockers when required evidence is missing
  • child traces, memos, and receipts do not replace rereading the reviewed parent artifact
  • terminal publication stays inside canonical owner families, and memo export stays reviewed and candidate-oriented
  • failed, narrowed, or blocked child results still map into an explicit return surface

Risks and anti-patterns

  • treating delegation as progress without anchor or output clarity
  • using a remote child route to bypass local proof, approval, or closeout posture
  • allowing child scope to widen beyond the parent passport
  • reading child traces as proof authority or memo canon
  • skipping the required split for d3+ work
  • publishing terminal meaning into derived layers before owner-local landing

Verification

  • confirm the passport and parent anchor exist
  • confirm expected outputs are named
  • confirm the chosen lane matches difficulty, risk, control mode, and requested role
  • confirm any E2E fixture check validates summon_request and summon_result against references/summon-request-v3.schema.json and references/summon-result-v3.schema.json
  • confirm d3+ routes split before summon
  • confirm stress only narrows or blocks
  • confirm progression and self-agent gates are not bypassed
  • confirm return, checkpoint bridge, and publication plans stay explicit for nonterminal or failed child outcomes
  • confirm terminal publication stays owner-local and memo export stays reviewed and candidate-oriented
  • confirm traces stay subordinate to reviewed closeout and parent reread

Technique traceability

Manifest-backed techniques:

  • AOA-T-PENDING-SUMMON-LANE-SELECTION from 8Dionysus/aoa-techniques at TBD using path TBD and sections: Intent, Inputs, Outputs, Core procedure, Contracts, Validation
  • AOA-T-PENDING-SUMMON-RETURN-GOVERNANCE from 8Dionysus/aoa-techniques at TBD using path TBD and sections: Intent, Outputs, Contracts, Risks, Validation

Adaptation points

  • project overlays may add local child-role labels, control modes, or transport labels
  • project overlays may map local reviewed-closeout or checkpoint families onto the core summon result without weakening the gates
  • project overlays may specialize owner publication families or memo candidate classes while keeping the parent return route explicit