Files
roboco/docs/rag/tools/a2a-tools.md
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879afc14a4 Board Program LEARN context, ruff 0.16, and verb-rejection observability (#700)
* fix(board): LEARN decisions name the item, not its per-cycle index

A cycle's reject reasons are rendered into the NEXT cycle's exploration
prompt, but the ref recorded alongside each reason was the item's stored
id (item-0/item-1) — a per-cycle index that means something different
every cycle and appears nowhere the explorer can resolve. The reason
survived the loop; what it was about did not.

Record the item's title instead, via a shared learn_ref() helper (falls
back to the id when title-less, and reads target_task_title for Scales,
whose items name the live task they mutate).

* chore(lint): satisfy ruff 0.16 — keyword-only signatures and markdown formatting

The dev toolchain resolved ruff 0.16.0, which stabilises PLR0917 (too many
positional arguments) and formats python code blocks inside markdown. Both
fired repo-wide and neither had anything to do with the code they flagged.

- 36 signatures gain a `*` so their tail arguments are keyword-only, and
  the 104 call sites that passed them positionally are converted. mypy was
  the safety net for the static ones; the full suite caught nine more that
  only bind at runtime (the MCP tool functions, whose real callers already
  pass named JSON arguments).
- 28 markdown files reformatted by 0.16's code-block formatter.
- One RUF036 (`None` mid-union) autofixed in the GitLab provider.

* fix(gateway): log the reason when a verb rejects

A rejected envelope rides an HTTP 200, its body is never logged, and there
is no trace table — so in the access log a verb an agent could not satisfy
looks identical to one that worked. On 2026-07-25 four Board Programs
(Periscope, Sentinel, Scales, Barfly) each POSTed their propose verb three
or four times, persisted nothing, and left their exploration tasks PENDING;
the reason was unrecoverable afterwards, from the logs or from the agents'
own transcripts.

Log error/message/remediate/missing plus the calling agent at
envelope_to_response — the one chokepoint every v1 flow and do route
returns through. Success envelopes stay silent.

---------

Co-authored-by: Renn F <rennf93@users.noreply.github.com>
2026-07-26 15:07:28 +02:00

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Markdown

# A2A (Agent-to-Agent) Tools
A2A is direct peer-to-peer messaging between agents. There is **no** `roboco_agent_*` or `roboco_a2a_*` tool — A2A is the `dm` content tool on the `roboco-do` MCP server, with `read_a2a` for reading what you were sent.
## Send a direct message — `dm`
```python
dm(
recipient="be-qa", # target agent slug
text="Please review my changes",
task_id="abc123...", # auto-filled from your active task if omitted
skill=None, # optional skill slug to scope the conversation
)
```
- Auto-creates the conversation; auto-resolves the skill if needed.
- **Same-cell only.** Cross-cell DM is denied by policy — route through your Cell PM via `escalate_up(task_id, reason)`.
- The recipient sees it in their notify inbox when offline.
- **Active-claim required (explicit `task_id`):** when you pass an explicit `task_id`, `dm` checks that you are the task's **active claimant** — not just `assigned_to`, which goes stale across a reap/handoff. A reaped or reassigned agent can no longer `dm` about a former task; if you see `not_authorized`, re-`claim` the task first (or drop the explicit `task_id`).
## The CEO
CEO-initiated conversations may arrive and are replied to in-thread like any other unread A2A.
## Discover who to message
There is no runtime agent-directory tool. Recipient slugs come from your **known org structure**, not a discovery call — your cell roster and escalation target are fixed and documented in `docs/rag/architecture/org-structure.md` (Cells table) and `docs/rag/architecture/escalation-chain.md`:
```python
dm(recipient="be-qa", text="Anyone hit Y before? Starting task X.")
```
Same-cell peers (e.g. `be-dev-1` alongside `be-dev-2`/`be-qa`/`be-doc`/`be-pm`) are always valid `dm` targets. A cross-cell need routes through `escalate_up(task_id, reason)` to your Cell PM, not a direct `dm`.
## Receive incoming messages — `read_a2a`
When another agent messages you, your claim briefing surfaces it under `unread_a2a` — each entry shows the sender and a preview of their latest incoming message. To read the full bodies (and clear them), call:
```python
read_a2a() # -> {"messages": [{from_agent, content, created_at}, ...]}
```
`read_a2a()` returns only INCOMING messages (never your own sends) and marks them read. `read_messages()` is the lighter variant that only zeroes the unread counter without returning content — reach for `read_a2a()` when you actually need to see what was said. Either clears `i_am_idle()`'s unread-A2A soft-block.
Formal, ack-required notifications are a separate inbox — see `docs/rag/tools/messaging-tools.md`:
```python
notify_list(unread_only=True) # list pending items
notify_get(notification_id) # read one (marks it read)
notify_ack(notification_id) # acknowledge after handling
```
## When to use A2A
- A quick question, sanity check, or hand-off about a task you own
- Requesting code review or clarification from a same-cell peer
## When NOT to use A2A
| Need | Do this instead |
|------|-----------------|
| Cross-cell question | `escalate_up(task_id, reason)` — DM is same-cell only |
| New work / subtask | Only PMs create work, via `delegate(...)`; escalate to your PM |
| Formal, ack-required signal | PM/Board `notify(target, text, ...)` |
| Cell-wide FYI | No broadcast mechanism — `dm` the specific peer(s) who need it, or record it in the task's notes/progress update |