/talk-to - Agent Messaging

Send messages to agents via Oracle threads. Each agent has a persistent channel thread.

Usage

/talk-to arthur "What's your status?"          # one-shot message
/talk-to arthur --new "Hey, starting fresh"    # skip lookup, create new thread
/talk-to arthur loop ask about their work      # autonomous conversation
/talk-to #42 "follow up on this"               # post to thread by ID
/talk-to --list                                # show channels

Mode 0: No arguments

If ARGUMENTS is empty, show usage help then run --list.

Routing

Pattern	Use
channel:{agent}	Persistent per-agent channel
topic:{agent}:{slug}	Topic-specific thread (with --topic)
#{id}	Direct thread reference by ID

Mode 1: --list

1. oracle_threads() (no status filter)
2. Filter titles starting with channel: or topic:, exclude closed
3. Display: channel:arthur (#42) pending — 12 msgs

Mode 2: --new (fast create)

Skip lookup. One MCP call.

1. Compose message from intent
2. oracle_thread({ title: "channel:{agent}", message, role: "human" })
3. Notify: Bash maw hey {agent}-oracle 'Thread #{id} from {self}: {preview}'
   • If maw hey fails → warn only, don't error (thread already sent)
4. Confirm: Created channel:{agent} (thread #{id})

Mode 3: One-shot (default)

1. Compose message from intent
2. If first arg is #{id} → post directly to that thread ID
3. Otherwise: oracle_threads() → find channel:{agent}, create if missing
4. Post message to thread
5. Notify: Bash maw hey {agent}-oracle 'Thread #{id} from {self}: {preview}'
   • If maw hey fails → warn only, don't error (thread already sent)
6. oracle_thread_read({ threadId }) → show any agent responses
7. Confirm: Posted to channel:{agent} (thread #{id})

Mode 4: loop (autonomous conversation)

Like Ralph loop — AI drives the conversation autonomously. No user prompts between turns.

1. Find or create thread (channel:{agent}, or --new to skip lookup)
2. Compose opening message from user's intent and post it
3. Autonomous loop (max 10 iterations): a. oracle_thread_read({ threadId }) — check for new messages b. If agent responded: read their response, compose a thoughtful follow-up, post it c. If no new response: compose a follow-up question or probe deeper, post it d. After each exchange, briefly note what you learned e. Stop when: enough insight gathered, conversation circling, or 10 iterations hit
4. Notify (once, after opening message): Bash maw hey {agent}-oracle 'Thread #{id} from {self}: {preview}'
   • If maw hey fails → warn only, don't error
5. Show summary:

   Conversation with {agent} (thread #{id}) — {n} messages, {iterations} turns
   
   Key insights:
   - [insight 1]
   - [insight 2]
   

6. Leave thread open for future use

The goal is insight extraction. You are having a conversation on behalf of the human to learn something useful.

Parsing Rules

• First arg = agent name (lowercase), #id (thread ref), or --list
• --new = skip lookup, create fresh
• loop = autonomous conversation (AI drives, no user prompts)
• --topic "slug" = use topic:{agent}:{slug} instead of channel:{agent}
• Everything else = the message/intent

Message Composition

CRITICAL: You are the composer. The user gives intent, you write the message.

• Compose a clear, natural message from the user's intent
• Post immediately — do NOT ask the user what to say
• Do NOT use AskUserQuestion for message content
• Show what you posted after sending

If the message already reads like a direct message (e.g. "What's your status?"), post as-is.

Auto Notification (maw hey)

After posting to a thread, notify the target agent via maw hey:

maw hey {agent}-oracle 'Thread #{id} from {self}: {first 60 chars of message}'

• {self} = current Oracle's name (e.g. "Mother Oracle")
• {agent} = target agent name (lowercase)
• {preview} = first ~60 chars of the posted message
• Runs once per /talk-to invocation (not per loop iteration)
• Fail-safe: if maw hey errors, log warning and continue — the thread is the source of truth

Important Notes

• Agent names are always lowercase
• Thread titles are the routing key — never modify existing thread titles
• One channel thread per agent (reuse, don't recreate)
• #{id} lets users reference any thread directly — no lookup needed
• All messages attributed with role: "human"

ARGUMENTS: $ARGUMENTS