Session orchestration plugin for Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor IDE. Covers project planning, wave execution, VCS integration, and quality gates.

Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor IDE are agentic coding tools. This plugin adds structured session management on top, turning ad-hoc agent interactions into repeatable, quality-gated engineering workflows. No runtime code. Pure Markdown.

Project-instruction file: the per-repo config host is CLAUDE.md (or AGENTS.md on Codex CLI). Both files are transparent aliases — pick one, never both. Resolution rule: skills/_shared/instruction-file-resolution.md.

Prerequisite: Node.js 20 or later. Check with node --version. v3.x runs as ES modules and requires a real Node runtime (no Bash shim). Install Node.js.

Run these two slash commands inside Claude Code (they are not shell commands; there is no claude plugin CLI):

/plugin marketplace add Kanevry/session-orchestrator
/plugin install session-orchestrator@kanevry

Then install Node dependencies once (hooks import zx):

cd "$(claude plugin dir session-orchestrator 2>/dev/null || echo ~/.claude/plugins/session-orchestrator)"
npm install

Restart Claude Code so the slash commands (/session, /go, /close, …) become available.

Prefer installing from a local clone? Use an absolute path instead of the owner/repo shorthand:

/plugin marketplace add /absolute/path/to/session-orchestrator
/plugin install session-orchestrator@kanevry

git clone https://github.com/Kanevry/session-orchestrator.git ~/Projects/session-orchestrator
cd ~/Projects/session-orchestrator
npm install
node scripts/codex-install.mjs

# 1. Clone the session-orchestrator repo
git clone https://github.com/Kanevry/session-orchestrator.git ~/Projects/session-orchestrator
cd ~/Projects/session-orchestrator
npm install

# 2. Install Cursor rules into your project
node scripts/cursor-install.mjs /path/to/your/project

# Session Config goes in CLAUDE.md (or AGENTS.md on Codex CLI; Cursor reads CLAUDE.md natively)

After installing the plugin (see Install), add a ## Session Config section to your project's CLAUDE.md (or AGENTS.md on Codex CLI), then run:

/session feature
/go
/close

git clone https://github.com/Kanevry/session-orchestrator.git ~/Projects/session-orchestrator
node ~/Projects/session-orchestrator/scripts/codex-install.mjs

Add Session Config to AGENTS.md (the Codex CLI alias for CLAUDE.md — see skills/_shared/instruction-file-resolution.md), restart Codex, then run:

/session feature
/go
/close

See Usage for all 10 commands and User Guide for the full walkthrough.

• Node.js 20 or later — plugin runs as ES modules; no Bash runtime needed.
• Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor IDE: Claude Code | Codex | Cursor IDE
• jq (optional): convenience for editing the .orchestrator/policy/*.json files. Not invoked by hooks at runtime in v3.
• git — any recent version.

Windows support is native as of v3.0.0 — no WSL, no Git-Bash, no msys. All file paths use path.join, all tmp paths use os.tmpdir(), and CI verifies on windows-latest alongside ubuntu-latest and macos-latest.

All platforms share the same skills, commands, hooks, and scripts. Platform-specific adaptations are handled automatically via scripts/lib/platform.mjs. See setup guides: Codex | Cursor IDE.

The plugin ships hooks/hooks-cursor.json for Cursor IDE compatibility. Cursor has two key event-coverage limitations vs. Claude Code / Codex CLI:

1. No SessionStart equivalent — Cursor lacks a conversation-start lifecycle event. Session initialization must be triggered manually via /session.
2. Post-hoc scope enforcement — The Cursor-equivalent afterFileEdit hook fires AFTER the edit. The destructive-command guard (beforeShellExecution) is fully equivalent to Claude Code's PreToolUse Bash gate; scope enforcement is best-effort warn-only on Cursor.

Active Cursor hooks: 2 events (afterFileEdit, beforeShellExecution) → 2 handlers (enforce-scope.mjs, enforce-commands.mjs). The full event catalog and rationale lives at hooks/hooks-cursor.json.

Most common cause on any OS: npm install was not run in the plugin directory, so zx is missing. Run it and restart your editor. Verify with ls node_modules/zx in the plugin root.

node must be on the editor's PATH. If you installed Node via nvm-windows or fnm, relaunch the editor from a shell where node --version prints v20.x or later. In Claude Code you can sanity-check with !node --version.

v3 ships .gitattributes with explicit LF rules for .sh, .mjs, .md, .json, and .yaml. Clones from before v3 may still have CRLF endings in tracked files. Normalize once:

git config core.autocrlf false
git rm --cached -r .
git reset --hard

Back up any uncommitted work first.

v3 hooks are .mjs files invoked via node <path> — the executable bit is not required. If your editor reports Permission denied, it is still pointing at a stale .sh path. Re-run the platform install script (scripts/codex-install.mjs, scripts/cursor-install.mjs) or re-add the plugin in Claude Code.

Confirm Node version (node --version must be v20.x+) and that package.json has "type": "module". Both are required for ESM imports.

Use Node 20 or 22 LTS. If the error persists: npm install --legacy-peer-deps. Open an issue if it still fails.

For a longer walkthrough including rollback, see docs/migration-v3.md.

Session Orchestrator covers the full development session lifecycle: project state analysis, structured wave execution, and verified close-out. Each step is gated on quality, not just speed.

A soul.md file defines the orchestrator's identity: communication principles, a decision-making hierarchy (safety > productivity > quality > ecosystem health > speed), and values (pragmatism, evidence, ownership). This shapes every interaction, not just tone.

Five typed waves: Discovery (read-only), Core Implementation, Polish & Integration, Quality & Testing, Finalization. The Quality wave includes a simplification pass that cleans AI-generated code patterns before tests are written. Each wave has a defined purpose and agent count that scales by session type.

A session-reviewer agent runs 8 review sections between waves (implementation correctness, test coverage, TypeScript health, OWASP security, issue tracking, silent failures, test depth, type design). Findings are confidence-scored (0-100) -- only >=80 make the report. Verification escalates progressively across waves.

When a Pencil design file is configured, the wave executor screenshots design frames after Impl-Core and Impl-Polish waves and compares them with the actual implementation, checking layout structure, component hierarchy, and visual elements. Results are classified as ALIGNED / MINOR DRIFT / MAJOR MISMATCH with automatic plan adaptation.

Auto-detects GitLab or GitHub from your git remote. Full lifecycle support for both: issue management, MR/PR tracking, pipeline/workflow status, label taxonomy, and milestone queries. No lock-in.

Checks configured service endpoints and scans cross-repo critical issues at session start. Know your ecosystem state before you start working.

Sessions persist across interruptions via STATE.md -- crash recovery, resume, and handover. PreToolUse hooks enforce agent scope and block dangerous commands. A circuit breaker detects execution spirals and recovers automatically.

Every session writes metrics (duration, agents, files per wave) and effectiveness stats (completion rate, carryover). After 5+ sessions, the system surfaces trends. Use /evolve analyze to extract cross-session patterns, /evolve review to curate learnings, or /evolve list to inspect them.

A complexity scoring formula (files x modules x issues) determines agent counts per role and session type. Dynamic scaling adjusts between waves based on actual performance.

/close verifies every planned item, runs a full quality gate, creates carryover issues for unfinished work, and commits with individually staged files. /discovery runs 23 modular probes across code, infra, UI, architecture, and session categories -- each finding confidence-scored.

| Feature | Session Orchestrator | Manual CLAUDE.md | Other Orchestrators | |---------|---------------------|------------------|-------------------| | Session lifecycle (start → plan → execute → close) | Full, automated | Manual | Partial | | Typed waves with quality gates | 5 roles, progressive verification | None | Batch execution | | Session persistence & crash recovery | STATE.md + memory files | None | Partial | | Scope & command enforcement hooks | PreToolUse with strict/warn/off | None | None | | Circuit breaker & spiral detection | Per-agent, with recovery | None | Partial | | Cross-session learning | Confidence-scored learnings | None | None | | Adaptive wave sizing | Complexity-scored, dynamic | Fixed | Fixed | | VCS integration (GitLab + GitHub) | Dual, auto-detected | Manual CLI | Usually GitHub only | | Design-code alignment | Pencil integration | None | None | | Session close with carryover | Verified, with issue creation | Manual | Partial |

The design goal is engineering quality: every wave exits verified, every unfinished issue gets a carryover ticket, and every session closes with a clean commit.

Session Orchestrator has two complementary workflows: planning (what to build) and execution (how to build it).

/plan [mode]  →  /session [type]  →  /go  →  /close  →  /plan retro
    WHAT              HOW            DO      VERIFY       REFLECT

Run /plan before starting a session to define requirements and create issues:

• /plan new: Full project kickoff. 3-wave requirement gathering, 8-section PRD, repo scaffolding, Epic + prioritized issues. Use when starting from scratch.
• /plan feature: Compact feature PRD. 1-2 wave discovery, acceptance criteria, feature issues. Use when adding a feature to an existing project.
• /plan retro: Data-driven retrospective. Analyzes session metrics, surfaces trends, creates improvement issues. Use after completing significant work.

/plan is optional. You can create issues manually and jump straight to /session.

Run /session to implement existing issues across structured waves:

/session feature     # Analyze project, pick issues, agree on scope
/go                  # Execute across 5 parallel waves
/close               # Verify, commit, push, create carryover issues

/plan feature        # 10 min: define requirements → PRD + 3 issues
/session feature     # Pick those 3 issues → wave plan
/go                  # Execute: Discovery → Impl-Core → Polish → Quality → Finalize
/close               # Verify + commit + push

/evolve is a standalone command for deliberate reflection. It is not called automatically during sessions.

Why it exists: /close extracts learnings from the current session only. /evolve analyzes all session history to find cross-session patterns that only emerge over time.

• /evolve analyze (default): Reads sessions.jsonl, extracts patterns across all sessions (fragile files, effective sizing, recurring issues, scope guidance, deviation patterns). Presents findings for confirmation before writing.
• /evolve review: Interactive management. Boost or reduce confidence, delete stale learnings, extend expiry.
• /evolve list: Read-only display of active learnings grouped by type.

When to use:

• After 5+ sessions, so there is enough data for meaningful patterns
• When Project Intelligence is empty despite running sessions
• Before a big feature, to check if the system has useful sizing/scope recommendations
• Periodically for housekeeping, to prune outdated or incorrect learnings

How it fits in the flow:

/session → /go → /close       ← automatic learning (per-session)
         ...repeat 5+ times...
/evolve analyze                ← deliberate learning (cross-session)
/session → /go → /close       ← now session-start shows richer Project Intelligence

• housekeeping: Git cleanup, SSOT refresh, CI checks, branch merges (1-2 agents, serial)
• feature: Frontend/backend feature work (4-6 agents per wave x 5 waves)
• deep: Complex backend, security, DB, refactoring (up to 10-18 agents per wave x 5 waves)

Add a ## Session Config section to each repo's CLAUDE.md (or AGENTS.md on Codex CLI). The smallest valid config:

## Session Config

test-command: npm test
typecheck-command: npm run typecheck
lint-command: npm run lint
agents-per-wave: 6
waves: 5
persistence: true
enforcement: warn

Those seven mandatory fields are schema-validated by scripts/lib/config-schema.mjs. Everything else is opt-in (env-aware sizing, vault sync, drift checks, docs orchestrator, webhooks, agent mapping, …).

For the full template — minimal baseline, opt-in baseline, and per-section walk-through of every field — see docs/session-config-template.md. For the canonical type/default/edge-case reference, see docs/session-config-reference.md.

When dispatching agents, Session Orchestrator uses a three-tier resolution:

1. Project agents (.claude/agents/): highest priority, domain-specific
2. Plugin agents (session-orchestrator:*): generic base agents, work in any project
3. general-purpose: fallback when no specialized agent matches

The agent-mapping config lets you explicitly bind roles to agents. Without it, session-plan auto-matches tasks to agents based on their descriptions.

For the full field reference with types, defaults, and descriptions, see the User Guide: Session Config Reference.

Session Orchestrator auto-detects your VCS from the git remote URL:

• Remote contains github.com → uses gh CLI
• All other remotes → uses glab CLI

Override with vcs: github or vcs: gitlab in Session Config.

Session Orchestrator handles the session layer (orchestration, VCS integration, waves, close-out). Superpowers handles the task layer (TDD, debugging, brainstorming per feature).

/plan → PRD + Issues    (optional: define WHAT to build)
  ↓
/session → Research → Q&A → Plan    (define HOW to build it)
  ↓
/go → 5 Waves → Inter-Wave Reviews    (execute)
  ↓
/close → Verify → Commit → Mirror    (verify + ship)

• 28 Skills: bootstrap, session-start, session-plan, wave-executor, session-end, claude-md-drift-check, ecosystem-health, gitlab-ops, quality-gates, discovery, plan, evolve, vault-sync, vault-mirror, daily, docs-orchestrator, skill-creator, mcp-builder, hook-development, architecture, domain-model, ubiquitous-language, autopilot, mode-selector, repo-audit, convergence-monitoring, using-orchestrator, frontmatter-guard
• 10 Commands: /session, /go, /close, /discovery, /plan, /evolve, /bootstrap, /harness-audit, /autopilot, /repo-audit
• 10 Agents: code-implementer, test-writer, ui-developer, db-specialist, security-reviewer, session-reviewer, docs-writer, architect-reviewer, qa-strategist, analyst
• Hooks: 10 event matchers covering 10 hook handlers — SessionStart (banner + init), PreToolUse/Edit|Write (scope enforcement), PreToolUse/Bash (destructive-command guard + enforce-commands), PostToolUse (edit validation), Stop (session events), SubagentStop (agent events + telemetry), PostToolUseFailure (corrective-context note), PostToolBatch (batch-resolved signal), SubagentStart (telemetry), CwdChanged (cwd-change record). Plus the Clank Event Bus integration (hooks/_lib/events.mjs).
• Output Styles: 3 styles (session-report, wave-summary, finding-report) for consistent reporting
• .orchestrator/policy/ — runtime policy files (e.g. blocked-commands.json, 13 rules consumed by the destructive-command guard)
• .claude/rules/ — always-on contributor rules (e.g. parallel-sessions.md)
• .codex-plugin/: Codex plugin manifest (plugin.json) + compatibility config + 3 agent role definitions
• scripts/codex-install.mjs: installs into the active Codex desktop plugin catalog or falls back to a local marketplace
• scripts/: deterministic scripts (parse-config, run-quality-gate, validate-wave-scope, validate-plugin, token-audit, autopilot) + shared lib (scripts/lib/*.mjs) + vitest suite (3591+ tests)

hooks/pre-bash-destructive-guard.mjs blocks destructive shell commands in the main session (alongside subagent waves). Policy lives in .orchestrator/policy/blocked-commands.json (13 rules covering git reset --hard, rm -rf, git push --force, etc.).

Bypass per-session by adding to your Session Config:

allow-destructive-ops: true

Set this for intentional maintenance sessions only. The rule source of truth is .claude/rules/parallel-sessions.md (PSA-003), which is vendored to all consumer repos via /bootstrap. See issue #155 for the codification narrative.

Custom agents live in agents/ (plugin) or .claude/agents/ (project) as Markdown with YAML frontmatter. The frontmatter contract is strict — Claude Code emits agents: Invalid input and silently drops the agent on any deviation. Required fields:

---
name: kebab-case-name          # 3-50 chars, lowercase + hyphens only
description: Use this agent when [conditions]. <example>Context: ... user: "..." assistant: "..." <commentary>Why this agent is appropriate</commentary></example>
model: inherit                 # inherit | sonnet | opus | haiku
color: blue                    # blue | cyan | green | yellow | magenta | red
tools: Read, Grep, Glob, Bash  # COMMA-SEPARATED STRING, not JSON array!
---

Critical pitfalls (cause agents: Invalid input validation failure):

• tools MUST be a comma-separated string (Read, Edit, Write), NOT a JSON array (["Read", "Edit"]).
• description MUST be a single-line inline string, NOT a YAML block scalar (> or |). Put <example> blocks inline.
• All four fields (name, description, model, color) are required. tools is optional.

Reference: Anthropic agent-development SKILL.md.

Clone, install, and verify in three commands:

git clone https://github.com/Kanevry/session-orchestrator.git && cd session-orchestrator
npm install
npm test        # vitest — primary test flow

Additional scripts:

• npm run test:watch — vitest in watch mode
• npm run lint / npm run lint:fix — ESLint v9 + Prettier
• npm run typecheck — node --check on every .mjs file (syntactic-only; no TypeScript yet)

The legacy bats shell suite (scripts/test/run-all.sh) is retained for historical reference but is deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Do not add new tests there — use tests/**/*.test.mjs under vitest.

For contributor-facing architecture, hook authoring, and the zx-vs-stdlib heuristic, see docs/plugin-architecture-v3.md.

• User Guide: installation, config reference, workflow walkthrough, FAQ
• Migration to v3: upgrade path from v2.x to v3.0.0, known issues, rollback
• Plugin Architecture (v3): contributor guide — layering, hook anatomy, lib catalog, testing
• CONTRIBUTING.md: plugin architecture, skill anatomy, development setup
• CHANGELOG.md: version history
• Example Configs: Session Config examples for Next.js, Express, Swift

• Homepage
• Privacy Policy

• Project state & runtime SSOT: Siehe CLAUDE.md für den ## Current State-Block (was läuft gerade, welche Tests, welcher Backlog) und den live ## Session Config-Block, den skills/_shared/config-reading.md zur Laufzeit liest.
• Codex CLI: Auf Codex CLI heißt die gleiche Datei AGENTS.md. Auflösungs-Regel: skills/_shared/instruction-file-resolution.md.

MIT