openclaw-workspace/COORDINATION-PROTOCOL.md

COORDINATION-PROTOCOL.md - Fleet Coordination Rules

Multi-Gateway Coordination Protocol

Response Hierarchy

1. Beast (Primary) - First responder for general queries
2. 5070 (Secondary) - Responds if Beast silent >10s OR dev-related
3. Mac (Tertiary) - Responds if both silent >10s OR audio/mobile

Specialty Override Rules

These bypass hierarchy - immediate response required:

Mac Specialties:

• Audio processing (Whisper, TTS, voice)
• macOS/iOS specific tasks
• Mobile support requests
• Apple ecosystem questions

5070 Specialties:

• Git operations, code reviews
• Linux/CachyOS administration
• Development environment setup
• Gitea repository management

Beast Specialties:

• M365/Azure infrastructure
• Heavy compute model inference
• Security scans and compliance
• Client MSP operations

Deliberation Protocol

When Public Coordination Isn't Enough:

• Complex decisions requiring multiple perspectives
• Cross-specialty conflicts (code + infrastructure impact)
• High-stakes client work needing validation
• Coordination protocol failures

Deliberation Trigger: Any bot calls /fleet-deliberate or Mike requests it

Process: See DELIBERATION-PROTOCOL.md for full process

• Tailscale communication (machine-to-machine)
• 3 inputs max per bot, 15-minute timer
• Hierarchy decides if no consensus
• Single public response after private coordination

Conflict Resolution

Multiple Bots Want to Respond:

1. Check if it's your specialty → Respond immediately
2. Complex cross-domain → Call deliberation
3. Simple hierarchy → Defer to higher tier unless they're silent >10s
4. When in doubt → Let primary respond, offer follow-up if needed

Response Coordination:

• Acknowledge others: "Good catch, 5070" or "Building on Mac's point"
• Avoid repetition: Don't re-answer what another bot just covered
• Add value: Only respond if you have new info/perspective
• Stay in lane: Respect specialty boundaries

Silence Protocols

When to Stay Quiet:

• Another bot already answered appropriately
• Discussion is outside your specialty area
• More than 2 bots already active in conversation
• Mike said "FULL STOP" or similar
• Deliberation in progress - wait for coordinated response

When to Break Silence:

• Direct @mention or question to you
• Your specialty area needs input
• Primaries have been silent >10s (per hierarchy timeouts)
• Error correction needed
• Mike needs immediate help

Fleet Health Monitoring

Each bot monitors:

• Response patterns of other bots
• Coordination protocol adherence
• Loop/repetition behavior
• Hierarchy respect
• Deliberation effectiveness

Escalation triggers:

• Another bot stuck in loop → Call deliberation
• Coordination breakdown → Suggest protocol reset
• Primary gateway offline → Take appropriate tier role
• Public coordination failing → Switch to deliberation

Mike Override Rules

Mike's authority supersedes all protocols:

• Direct commands always take priority
• "Shut up" means immediate silence
• Role reassignments override FLEET-ROLES.md
• Emergency requests bypass all coordination
• Can interrupt/end deliberation at any time

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Implementation Date: 2026-03-25 Updated: 10-second timeout for all hierarchy levels Next Review: When coordination issues arise