work-cycle

Coordinate distributed worker agents through claim-to-close task cycles.

1|1|Updated Mar 9, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/EmmittJ/guild --skill work-cycle
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: work-cycle
Source: https://github.com/EmmittJ/guild/tree/main/plugin/skills/work-cycle
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/EmmittJ/guild --skill work-cycle

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

Automates disciplined, end-to-end task execution across a team of worker agents, from claiming an issue to closing it, reducing coordination overhead and context-switching.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Enforce claim-before-work discipline and one-issue-at-a-time workflow.
  • Link discovered work to a parent issue and persist decisions/insights for future sessions.
  • Backend-agnostic orchestration that works with beads, markdown-issues, or GitHub issues.

Quick Start

Start a new session and run the work-cycle workflow to orient, claim an issue, perform the work, and close the issue on completion.

Frequently Asked Questions about work-cycle

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I coordinate distributed worker agents to manage tasks from claim to close?

Distributed worker agent coordination is managed by enforcing claim-before-work discipline, single-issue focus, and explicit close signaling. The workflow applies pre-claim checks and contextual memory updates to reduce coordination overhead across backend-agnostic issue tracking systems.

What is the best way to enforce one-issue-at-a-time workflow across multiple agents?

Enforcing a one-issue-at-a-time workflow requires pre-claim checks and single-issue focus rules. The system orchestrates worker agents by linking discovered work to a parent issue and persisting decisions in contextual memory to prevent context-switching.

Does this task orchestration workflow work with GitHub issues and markdown files?

Yes, the task orchestration workflow is backend-agnostic and works with GitHub issues, markdown issues, and beads. It standardizes worker agent coordination by generating issue, context, decision, and insight records regardless of the underlying issue tracking format.

How do I persist decisions and insights for future agent sessions during task execution?

To persist decisions and insights for future agent sessions, the workflow logs contextual memory updates throughout the task cycle. Decision logging and insight records are generated during execution and linked to the parent issue for downstream retrieval.

When do I need explicit close signaling in agent task management?

Explicit close signaling is needed in agent task management to finalize end-to-end task cycles and free worker agents for new issues. It completes the orchestration workflow by confirming the parent issue is resolved and all context records are updated.