Agent Lifecycle

Starting a Session

Call onboard() to register or reconnect:

onboard(name, model_type)

Returns:

• UUID: Your persistent identity across sessions
• client_session_id: Echo this back in subsequent calls for session continuity
• continuity metadata: Newer runtimes may also return continuity_token_supported and session-resolution diagnostics

If the runtime supports a continuity token, prefer it. Otherwise always echo client_session_id.

Check-ins

Call process_agent_update() after meaningful work:

process_agent_update(
  response_text: "Brief summary of what you did",
  complexity: 0.0-1.0,   # Task difficulty estimate
  confidence: 0.0-1.0    # How confident you are (be honest)
)

When to Check In

A Stop hook fires a lightweight check-in automatically at the end of each response turn, so the baseline cadence is one check-in per turn. In addition to that automatic signal, you should check in explicitly when any of these apply — do not wait silently past them:

• After completing a meaningful unit of work
• Before and after high-complexity tasks
• When you feel uncertain or notice drift
• At minimum once every 10 minutes of active work, or after ~5 tool calls inside a single long turn — whichever comes first
• Not after every single tool call — use judgment between these bounds

What You Get Back

A verdict plus current EISV metrics. Read the verdict and act on it.

Reading Verdicts

Verdict	What to Do
proceed	Continue normally
guide + guidance text	Read the guidance, adjust your approach, keep going
pause	Stop your current task. Reflect on what is flagged. Consider requesting a dialectic review
reject	Significant concern. Requires dialectic review or human intervention
margin: tight	You are near a basin edge. Be more careful with next steps

A guide verdict is an early warning. Ignoring it makes pause more likely.

Identity

• Your identity persists across sessions via UUID
• Session binding can happen via transport session, client_session_id, or continuity token
• Use identity() when continuity seems unclear
• Inspect:
  • identity_status
  • bound_identity
  • session_resolution_source
  • continuity_token_supported

Strong continuity is better than implicit continuity. If the runtime falls back to weak signals such as fingerprinting, re-onboard and resume with explicit continuity data.

Recovery

When you are paused, stuck, or need intervention:

Situation	Tool	Notes
Stuck or paused, want automatic recovery	self_recovery()	Attempts to restore healthy state
Disagree with verdict, want structured review	request_dialectic_review()	Starts thesis/antithesis/synthesis process
Manual override needed	operator_resume_agent()	Requires human/operator action

Recovery is not a shortcut — self_recovery() examines your EISV state and determines if resumption is safe. If your metrics are genuinely degraded, it will not force a resume.

MCP Tools Reference

Essential (use in every session)

• onboard() — Register or reconnect identity
• process_agent_update() — Check in with work summary, complexity, confidence
• get_governance_metrics() — Read your current EISV state
• identity() — Confirm who the runtime thinks you are and how continuity was resolved
• health_check() — Check operator-facing server health when behavior seems odd
• search_knowledge_graph() — Find existing knowledge before creating new entries
• leave_note() — Quick contribution to the knowledge graph

Common (use when needed)

• knowledge() — Full knowledge graph CRUD (store, update, details, cleanup)
• agent() — Agent lifecycle (list, archive, get details)
• calibration() — Check or update calibration data
• request_dialectic_review() — Start a dialectic session
• export() — Export session history

Specialized

• call_model() — Delegate to a secondary LLM for analysis
• detect_stuck_agents() — Find unresponsive agents
• self_recovery() — Resume from stuck or paused state
• submit_thesis() / submit_antithesis() / submit_synthesis() — Dialectic participation