docs: migrate agent coordination from MCP Agent Mail to Liquid Mail

Replace all MCP Agent Mail references with Liquid Mail in AGENTS.md and
CLAUDE.md. The old system used file reservations and MCP-based messaging
with inbox/outbox/thread semantics. Liquid Mail provides a simpler
post-based shared log with topic-scoped messages, decision conflict
detection, and polling via the liquid-mail CLI.

Key changes:
- Remove entire MCP Agent Mail section (identity registration, file
  reservations, macros vs granular tools, common pitfalls)
- Update Beads integration workflow to reference Liquid Mail: replace
  reservation + announce patterns with post-based progress logging and
  decision-first workflows
- Update bv scope boundary note to reference Liquid Mail
- Append full Liquid Mail integration block to CLAUDE.md: conventions,
  typical flow, decision conflicts, posting format, topic rules, context
  refresh, live updates, mapping cheat-sheet, quick reference
- Add .liquid-mail.toml project configuration (Honcho backend)
This commit is contained in:
teernisse
2026-02-18 21:52:10 -05:00
parent 8fdb366b6d
commit a5c2589c7d
2 changed files with 200 additions and 144 deletions

View File

@@ -127,66 +127,17 @@ Prefer deterministic lab-runtime tests for concurrency-sensitive behavior.
---
## MCP Agent Mail — Multi-Agent Coordination
A mail-like layer that lets coding agents coordinate asynchronously via MCP tools and resources. Provides identities, inbox/outbox, searchable threads, and advisory file reservations with human-auditable artifacts in Git.
### Why It's Useful
- **Prevents conflicts:** Explicit file reservations (leases) for files/globs
- **Token-efficient:** Messages stored in per-project archive, not in context
- **Quick reads:** `resource://inbox/...`, `resource://thread/...`
### Same Repository Workflow
1. **Register identity:**
```
ensure_project(project_key=<abs-path>)
register_agent(project_key, program, model)
```
2. **Reserve files before editing:**
```
file_reservation_paths(project_key, agent_name, ["src/**"], ttl_seconds=3600, exclusive=true)
```
3. **Communicate with threads:**
```
send_message(..., thread_id="FEAT-123")
fetch_inbox(project_key, agent_name)
acknowledge_message(project_key, agent_name, message_id)
```
4. **Quick reads:**
```
resource://inbox/{Agent}?project=<abs-path>&limit=20
resource://thread/{id}?project=<abs-path>&include_bodies=true
```
### Macros vs Granular Tools
- **Prefer macros for speed:** `macro_start_session`, `macro_prepare_thread`, `macro_file_reservation_cycle`, `macro_contact_handshake`
- **Use granular tools for control:** `register_agent`, `file_reservation_paths`, `send_message`, `fetch_inbox`, `acknowledge_message`
### Common Pitfalls
- `"from_agent not registered"`: Always `register_agent` in the correct `project_key` first
- `"FILE_RESERVATION_CONFLICT"`: Adjust patterns, wait for expiry, or use non-exclusive reservation
- **Auth errors:** If JWT+JWKS enabled, include bearer token with matching `kid`
---
## Beads (br) — Dependency-Aware Issue Tracking
Beads provides a lightweight, dependency-aware issue database and CLI (`br` / beads_rust) for selecting "ready work," setting priorities, and tracking status. It complements MCP Agent Mail's messaging and file reservations.
Beads provides a lightweight, dependency-aware issue database and CLI (`br` / beads_rust) for selecting "ready work," setting priorities, and tracking status. It complements Liquid Mail's shared log for progress, decisions, and cross-session context.
**Note:** `br` is non-invasive—it never executes git commands directly. You must run git commands manually after `br sync --flush-only`.
### Conventions
- **Single source of truth:** Beads for task status/priority/dependencies; Agent Mail for conversation and audit
- **Shared identifiers:** Use Beads issue ID (e.g., `br-123`) as Mail `thread_id` and prefix subjects with `[br-123]`
- **Reservations:** When starting a task, call `file_reservation_paths()` with the issue ID in `reason`
- **Single source of truth:** Beads for task status/priority/dependencies; Liquid Mail for conversation/decisions
- **Shared identifiers:** Include the Beads issue ID in posts (e.g., `[br-123] Topic validation rules`)
- **Decisions before action:** Post `DECISION:` messages before risky changes, not after
### Typical Agent Flow
@@ -195,35 +146,34 @@ Beads provides a lightweight, dependency-aware issue database and CLI (`br` / be
br ready --json # Choose highest priority, no blockers
```
2. **Reserve edit surface (Mail):**
```
file_reservation_paths(project_key, agent_name, ["src/**"], ttl_seconds=3600, exclusive=true, reason="br-123")
2. **Check context (Liquid Mail):**
```bash
liquid-mail notify # See what changed since last session
liquid-mail query "br-123" # Find prior discussion on this issue
```
3. **Announce start (Mail):**
```
send_message(..., thread_id="br-123", subject="[br-123] Start: <title>", ack_required=true)
3. **Work and log progress:**
```bash
liquid-mail post --topic <workstream> "[br-123] START: <description>"
liquid-mail post "[br-123] FINDING: <what you discovered>"
liquid-mail post --decision "[br-123] DECISION: <what you decided and why>"
```
4. **Work and update:** Reply in-thread with progress
5. **Complete and release:**
4. **Complete (Beads is authority):**
```bash
br close br-123 --reason "Completed"
liquid-mail post "[br-123] Completed: <summary with commit ref>"
```
```
release_file_reservations(project_key, agent_name, paths=["src/**"])
```
Final Mail reply: `[br-123] Completed` with summary
### Mapping Cheat Sheet
| Concept | Value |
|---------|-------|
| Mail `thread_id` | `br-###` |
| Mail subject | `[br-###] ...` |
| File reservation `reason` | `br-###` |
| Commit messages | Include `br-###` for traceability |
| Concept | In Beads | In Liquid Mail |
|---------|----------|----------------|
| Work item | `br-###` (issue ID) | Include `[br-###]` in posts |
| Workstream | — | `--topic auth-system` |
| Subject prefix | — | `[br-###] ...` |
| Commit message | Include `br-###` | — |
| Status | `br update --status` | Post progress messages |
---
@@ -231,7 +181,7 @@ Beads provides a lightweight, dependency-aware issue database and CLI (`br` / be
bv is a graph-aware triage engine for Beads projects (`.beads/beads.jsonl`). It computes PageRank, betweenness, critical path, cycles, HITS, eigenvector, and k-core metrics deterministically.
**Scope boundary:** bv handles *what to work on* (triage, priority, planning). For agent-to-agent coordination (messaging, work claiming, file reservations), use MCP Agent Mail.
**Scope boundary:** bv handles *what to work on* (triage, priority, planning). For agent-to-agent coordination (progress logging, decisions, cross-session context), use Liquid Mail.
**CRITICAL: Use ONLY `--robot-*` flags. Bare `bv` launches an interactive TUI that blocks your session.**