Agent Squad

GitHub: https://github.com/0xTimi/agent-squad

Run persistent AI coding squads in tmux. Squads pick up tasks, write code, and report progress — 24/7 in the background.

Slash Command Usage

Users can invoke /agent-squad directly with optional arguments:

No arguments or list → run bash {baseDir}/scripts/squad-list.sh:

• If squads exist: show a clean status dashboard
• If no squads: show the Getting Started intro below

Getting Started

When users ask "what is this", "how do I use this", or invoke /agent-squad with no squads, give a friendly intro with usage examples. Match the user's language.

> Agent Squad runs AI coding agents in the background 24/7. Just tell me what you need:

>

> - "Start a squad called my-squad using claude for ~/projects/my-app"

> - "Give my-squad a task: implement user login"

> - "How's my-squad doing?"

> - "Stop my-squad"

> - "What squads do I have?"

>

> Engines: Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Kimi, Trae, Aider, Goose

>

> Want to start one now?

If the user asks which engine to use or doesn't specify one: default to claude — it is the most thoroughly tested engine and works best with Agent Squad. Mention other engines only if the user specifically asks. See {baseDir}/references/engines.md for details.

What Users Can Do

Users interact through natural language. Here's what they might say and how to respond:

Start a squad

User: "start a squad called my-squad with claude" / "launch a codex squad for ~/projects/api"

Ask if missing: squad name. Default engine to claude if not specified. Project dir and context are optional.

First-time users: briefly mention squads run in full-auto mode — the AI has full access to the project directory.

Response: "Squad 'my-squad' is up and running with Claude Code! You can assign tasks anytime."

Assign a task

User: "give my-squad a task: build the login page" / "let my-squad work on JWT auth"

If only one squad exists, use it automatically. If the request is vague, ask for specifics.

Response: "Task assigned! my-squad will start working on 'Login Page' shortly."

Check status

User: "how's my-squad doing?" / "what's the status?" / "is my-squad done yet?"

Include the live tmux screen output (from squad-status.sh) in the response — this lets the user see what the agent is actually doing right now.

Response: "my-squad is running on Claude Code, working on 'Login Page' — about 60% done. 2 tasks completed, 1 in progress.

Live screen:

Working on form validation...
Created src/components/LoginForm.tsx
Running tests...

Peek at screen

User: "peek at my-squad" / "what's on my-squad's screen?" / "show me what my-squad is doing"

Show the raw tmux screen content. This is a quick way to see the agent's live terminal without checking reports.

Response: Show the screen output directly, formatted in a code block.

Ping for update

User: "ping my-squad" / "nudge it to report"

Response: "I've nudged my-squad to update its progress report. Check back in a minute."

Stop a squad

User: "stop my-squad" / "pause the squad"

Always confirm before stopping.

Response: "my-squad stopped. All work is saved — you can restart anytime."

Restart a squad

User: "restart my-squad" / "bring my-squad back up"

Response: "my-squad is back up and running! It will pick up where it left off."

List squads

User: "what squads do I have?" / "list my squads" / "show all squads"

Present a clean readable summary of all squads with name, engine, status, and task counts.

Delete a squad

User: "delete my-squad" / "archive the old squad" / "clean up my-squad"

Always ask for confirmation first. Reassure: data is archived, project code is never touched.

Configure

User: "set default project dir to ~/code" / "show squad settings"

What commands are available?

User: "agent-squad都有哪些命令" / "what can you do?" / "help"

IMPORTANT: Never show internal script names (squad-start.sh, etc.) to users. Instead, show the /agent-squad slash commands and natural language examples:

> Here's what you can do with Agent Squad:

>

> | Command | Or just say... |

> |---|---|

> | /agent-squad start my-squad claude | "Start a squad called my-squad" |

> | /agent-squad assign my-squad "task" | "Give my-squad a task: ..." |

> | /agent-squad status my-squad | "How's my-squad doing?" |

> | /agent-squad peek my-squad | "Peek at my-squad's screen" |

> | /agent-squad ping my-squad | "Ping my-squad" |

> | /agent-squad stop my-squad | "Stop my-squad" |

> | /agent-squad restart my-squad | "Restart my-squad" |

> | /agent-squad list | "What squads do I have?" |

> | /agent-squad delete my-squad | "Delete my-squad" |

Script Reference

All scripts at {baseDir}/scripts/. Execute based on user intent above and present results conversationally.

squad-start.sh

bash {baseDir}/scripts/squad-start.sh "<name>" "<engine>" "<context>" [--project <dir>] [--restart] [--agent-teams] [--no-watchdog]

• name: lowercase alphanumeric + hyphens
• engine: claude, codex, gemini, opencode, kimi, trae, aider, goose
• context: optional project background
• --project : custom code output directory
• --restart: required if squad name already exists (also used for restart intent)
• --agent-teams: claude only, multi-agent mode
• --no-watchdog: skip auto-restart cron

squad-assign.sh

bash {baseDir}/scripts/squad-assign.sh "<name>" "<title>" "<objective>" "<priority>"

Priority: critical / high / normal (default) / low

squad-status.sh

bash {baseDir}/scripts/squad-status.sh "<name>"

Also read latest report in ~/.openclaw/workspace/agent-squad/squads//reports/ — check ## Current section for real-time progress.

squad-peek.sh

bash {baseDir}/scripts/squad-peek.sh "<name>" [lines]

Default: 20 lines. Shows the live tmux screen content of a running squad.

squad-ping.sh

bash {baseDir}/scripts/squad-ping.sh "<name>"

squad-stop.sh

bash {baseDir}/scripts/squad-stop.sh "<name>"

squad-list.sh

bash {baseDir}/scripts/squad-list.sh

squad-delete.sh

bash {baseDir}/scripts/squad-delete.sh "<name>"          # show summary
bash {baseDir}/scripts/squad-delete.sh "<name>" --confirm # confirm archive

squad-config.sh

bash {baseDir}/scripts/squad-config.sh show
bash {baseDir}/scripts/squad-config.sh set projects_dir "<path>"

Guidelines

• Never show internal script names (squad-start.sh, etc.) to users — always use /agent-squad slash commands or natural language examples
• If only one squad exists, use it automatically — don't ask "which squad?"
• One engine per squad — suggest multiple squads for multiple engines
• Don't modify task/report files directly — only via assign script
• If squad is stopped and user assigns a task, write it anyway — picked up on restart
• Squads auto-init git repos; for existing projects suggest a separate branch
• Watchdog auto-restarts crashed squads every 5 min by default
• For restart: stop the squad first (squad-stop.sh), then start with --restart flag

Engine Reference

Details: {baseDir}/references/engines.md