Find the Ouroboros command for clarifying requirements, running work, checking results, or managing sessions. This reference explains command purposes, agent roles, natural language triggers in Claude Code, and the tools each operation requires.
Full reference guide for Ouroboros commands and agents
Review the instructions the agent will receive before you install.
Full reference guide for Ouroboros power users.
ooo help
/ouroboros:ouroboros-help
A specification-first workflow engine: it turns vague ideas into a validated Seed (goal, constraints, acceptance criteria) before any code is written.
Interview → Seed → Execute → Evaluate
↑ ↓
└─── Evolutionary Loop ─────┘
Each ooo <name> is also the skill /ouroboros:<name>, except run, status,
config, and help, which are /ouroboros:ouroboros-<name>.
| Command | Purpose | Needs |
|---|---|---|
ooo / ooo welcome | First-touch onboarding | none |
ooo setup | Claude Code setup wizard | none |
ooo tutorial | Interactive hands-on learning | none |
ooo help | This reference | none |
ooo interview | Socratic interview that exposes hidden assumptions | MCP, in-session fallback |
ooo seed | Freeze interview results into a Seed | MCP, in-session fallback |
ooo auto | Goal to A-grade Seed, then execute and verify in the background | MCP |
ooo run | Execute a Seed and verify every acceptance criterion | MCP |
ooo evaluate | Mechanical checks, semantic review per criterion, consensus when uncertain | MCP, in-session fallback |
ooo evolve | Start or monitor an evolutionary loop across Seed generations | MCP |
ooo ralph | Server-owned loop until verified (ouroboros_ralph runs it as a background job) | MCP |
ooo unstuck | Five lateral thinking personas, single or debate | MCP |
ooo status | Session status and goal drift | MCP |
ooo qa | General-purpose QA verdict for any artifact | MCP, in-session fallback |
ooo pm | PM-focused interview and PRD | MCP |
ooo brownfield | Scan and manage brownfield repo defaults; find <topic> ranks registered repos | MCP |
ooo config | Settings GUI for per-stage agents and models | CLI |
ooo cancel | Cancel stuck or orphaned executions | CLI |
ooo resume-session | List in-flight sessions and re-attach commands | CLI |
ooo update | Check for updates and upgrade | CLI |
ooo publish | Publish a Seed as GitHub Issues | gh |
MCP = the Ouroboros MCP server, which the Claude marketplace plugin or a
supported host setup (ouroboros setup --runtime <runtime>) provides.
In-session fallback = runs advisory-only through a bundled agent when the
MCP server is unavailable. CLI = drives the ouroboros command.
In Claude Code these phrases route to a command without the ooo prefix:
| Phrase | Command |
|---|---|
| "interview me", "clarify requirements", "socratic interview" | ooo interview |
| "crystallize", "generate seed", "create seed", "freeze requirements" | ooo seed |
| "ouroboros run", "execute seed", "run seed", "run workflow" | ooo run |
| "evaluate this", "3-stage check", "verify execution" | ooo evaluate |
| "evolve", "evolutionary loop", "iterate until converged" | ooo evolve |
| "ralph", "don't stop", "must complete", "until it works", "keep going" | ooo ralph |
| "think sideways", "i'm stuck", "break through", "lateral thinking" | ooo unstuck |
| "am I drifting?", "drift check", "session status" | ooo status |
| "write prd", "pm interview", "product requirements", "create prd" | ooo pm |
| "qa check", "quality check" | ooo qa |
| "cancel execution", "stop job", "kill stuck", "abort execution" | ooo cancel |
| "update ouroboros", "upgrade ouroboros" | ooo update |
| "brownfield defaults", "brownfield scan" | ooo brownfield |
| Agent | Purpose |
|---|---|
ouroboros:socratic-interviewer | Exposes hidden assumptions through questioning |
ouroboros:ontologist | Finds root problems vs symptoms |
ouroboros:seed-architect | Crystallizes requirements into a Seed |
ouroboros:evaluator | Verifies results against acceptance criteria |
ouroboros:qa-judge | Renders QA verdicts for ooo qa |
ouroboros:contrarian | "Are we solving the wrong problem?" |
ouroboros:hacker | "Make it work first, elegance later" |
ouroboros:simplifier | "Cut scope to absolute minimum" |
ouroboros:researcher | "Stop coding, start investigating" |
ouroboros:architect | "Question the foundation, redesign if needed" |
The last five are the ooo unstuck personas. Other files in
src/ouroboros/agents/ are internal pipeline roles.
End the final response with exactly one line ◆ <current state> → next: <recommended action>. Derive the state from live session state via ouroboros_session_status when available, otherwise from this skill's actual outcome. Never use a linear Step N of M footer; when the next step is a real choice, list 2-3 options.
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Turn a multi-file development task or technology migration into a specification with acceptance criteria, then launch background implementation and verification. The workflow clarifies missing requirements, reviews the specification, and tracks progress and blockers through linked jobs.
Register and search existing Git repositories and worktrees, then choose which projects Ouroboros interviews use as context. You can also generate a configuration containing verified build, test, and other check commands for the evaluation workflow.
Stop stuck Ouroboros executions or background jobs by ID, or cancel all running and paused executions in the current project. It reports whether cancellation is complete or has been requested, with guidance for checking the final status.
Verify finished work against acceptance criteria using executable checks and a review of whether each requirement is met. Multiple models can review uncertain cases, and rejected work can enter an automated repair loop when the required Seed is available.
Start and monitor an Ouroboros development loop that revises project concepts and acceptance criteria, the conditions for judging completion. Run and evaluate successive generations, focus revisions on failed criteria, inspect progress, or rewind to an earlier generation.
Turn a vague development idea into clear goals, constraints, and acceptance criteria through a guided interview. It checks unresolved decisions and confirms the agreed goal before moving toward a Seed, the requirements document used by Ouroboros.