obsidian-vault/work/plans/executor-orchestrator-redesign.md

Plan: Executor as Spawned Worker — Orchestrator Pattern

Date: 2026-05-14 Status: Planning Parent: executor-v2-redesign

Problem

Currently Eagle (орёл) handles executor tasks inline in the conversation:

• Takes on the task directly in the discussion thread
• Asks Alex for permissions mid-task, blocking the flow
• Creates tight coupling between conversational layer and execution layer

Desired Architecture

Alex  →  Eagle (orchestrator, in Zulip topic)
               ↓  spawn
          Executor (worker process, separate Hermes session)
               ↓  writes to Zulip #executor topic
          Eagle monitors #executor
               ↓  reads recent output (not full thread)
               ↓  auto-approve obvious decisions
               ↓  escalate ambiguous → @mention Alex

Roles

Eagle (Orchestrator)

• Receives task request in any Zulip topic
• Queues task to executor_queue DB table
• Spawns Executor worker via hermes cron run or similar
• Monitors #executor topic for Executor messages
• Reads only recent N messages (sliding window, not full thread)
• Auto-approval logic:
  • "create worktree" → approve
  • "run tests" → approve
  • "open draft PR" → approve
  • "push to branch" → approve
  • "modify unrelated file" → DENY + escalate
  • "post Asana comment" → escalate to Alex
  • Any scope expansion → escalate to Alex
• @mention Alex only when ambiguous or high-risk

Executor (Worker)

• Separate Hermes session/process
• Bot identity: "Executor" or "Исполнитель" (not Eagle)
• Communicates via #executor Zulip topic
• Posts structured messages: [REQUEST: <action>], [STATUS: <phase>], [DONE: <result>]
• Does NOT ask Alex directly — all escalations go to Eagle
• On permission denied → explain why, ask what to do differently

Message Protocol (Executor → Eagle)

[STATUS: investigation] Analysing bug GID 123456...
[REQUEST: create_worktree] Branch: fix/tab-preview-stuck
[REQUEST: run_tests] Scheme: macOS UI Tests CI
[STATUS: pr_open] Draft PR: https://github.com/...
[DONE: pr_ready] PR #1234 opened, CI green, ready for review
[ESCALATE: scope_expansion] Found unrelated issue in TabBar.swift — should I fix it?

Auto-approval Rules (Eagle)

Message type	Auto action
[REQUEST: create_worktree]	✅ approve silently
[REQUEST: run_build]	✅ approve silently
[REQUEST: run_tests]	✅ approve silently
[REQUEST: open_draft_pr]	✅ approve silently
[REQUEST: push_branch]	✅ approve silently
[REQUEST: post_asana_comment]	⚠️ show Alex, wait
[REQUEST: merge_pr]	❌ always escalate
[ESCALATE: *]	⚠️ always escalate
[ESCALATE: scope_expansion]	❌ deny by default + notify Alex

Eagle Monitoring Loop

Eagle does NOT run a continuous monitoring process. Instead:

• Option A: Hermes cron (every 2 min) → check #executor for unprocessed [REQUEST] or [ESCALATE] messages → process them
• Option B: Webhook trigger on Zulip #executor stream → Eagle session wakes up

Recommendation: Option A (simpler, uses existing cron infra)

Context Window Management

Eagle reads Executor's thread with sliding window:

• Last 20 messages from #executor for the current executor_run_id
• Filter by run_id tag in messages to handle concurrent runs
• Structured messages allow O(1) parsing without LLM

Relation to Executor v2

This is a UI/coordination layer ON TOP of executor-v2 bash daemons:

• executor-runner.sh still does the heavy lifting
• Eagle becomes the gatekeeper/orchestrator that monitors and approves
• Executor worker sends structured messages via Zulip API (or hermes platform API)

Implementation Steps

1. Define message protocol (structured tags)
2. Add Zulip message sender to executor worker prompts
3. Create Eagle monitoring cron (2 min interval, #executor stream)
4. Implement auto-approval logic in Eagle monitoring prompt
5. Add escalation → @mention Alex in monitoring prompt
6. Test with a real executor run in dry-run mode

Open Questions

• How does Executor "spawn" as a separate bot persona?
  • Option A: Same Hermes instance, different SOUL/persona config
  • Option B: Separate Hermes gateway with "Executor" identity
  • Option C: hermes run -p executor-worker.md as subprocess (non-interactive)
• Concurrent runs: Eagle needs to track run_id per conversation thread