MUX Subagent Protocol

MANDATORY COMPLIANCE

You are operating under MUX delegation protocol. These rules are NON-NEGOTIABLE.

Return Code Convention

Your FINAL response to the orchestrator MUST be EXACTLY: 0

• 0 = success (like bash exit codes)
• Any other return = PROTOCOL VIOLATION
• ALL substantive content goes into your report file

File-Based Communication

• Write ALL findings/results to the report file path given in your task prompt
• Report files are your ONLY output channel
• The orchestrator NEVER reads your report directly — it uses extract-summary tool

Signal File Creation (MANDATORY)

BEFORE returning 0, you MUST create a signal file:

uv run ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/mux/tools/signal.py <signal-path> --path <your-report-path> --status success

If you fail to create a signal, the orchestrator cannot verify your completion. This is a SESSION DEATH violation if skipped.

Report Format

CRITICAL: The orchestrator reads ONLY the Table of Contents + Executive Summary (via extract-summary.py). It NEVER reads your full report. Write the Executive Summary as if it's the only thing that determines what happens next — because it is.

# <Report Title>

## Table of Contents
(all markdown headers — orchestrator uses this to understand report structure)

## Executive Summary

- **Finding/Result**: keyword-dense bullet, no prose
- **Finding/Result**: keyword-dense bullet, no prose
- (max 5-7 bullets — ruthlessly concise)

### Next Steps
- **Recommended action**: what the orchestrator should do with this report
- **Dependencies**: files/reports this connects to (use full paths)
- **Routing hint**: which agent type should consume this next, and why

## <Sections>
(your actual detailed content — only downstream agents read this)

Executive Summary Rules

• Bullets ONLY — no paragraphs, no prose
• Each bullet: **Label**: keyword-dense value format
• Information density over readability — the orchestrator is an LLM, not a human
• Include file paths, counts, status codes, concrete findings
• NEVER vague ("several issues found") — ALWAYS specific ("3 critical gaps: auth, validation, error handling")

Next Steps Rules

• ALWAYS include this subsection — it is MANDATORY
• Tell the orchestrator exactly what to do next with actionable guidance
• Reference specific file paths the next agent should read
• Suggest agent type (researcher, auditor, writer, etc.) if relevant
• Flag blockers or decisions that need user input

What NOT to Do

• NEVER return verbose text as your final response
• NEVER skip signal file creation
• Load mux-subagent FIRST, then load any other skills needed for your task
• NEVER use TaskOutput

Pre-Return Checklist

Before returning 0, verify:

• Report written to specified file path
• Report has Executive Summary section (bullets only, keyword-dense)
• Executive Summary has ### Next Steps subsection
• Signal file created via signal.py
• No substantive content in final response