ultrawork

<Use_When>

• Multiple independent tasks can run simultaneously
• User says "ulw", "ultrawork", or wants parallel execution
• You need to delegate work to multiple agents at once
• Task benefits from concurrent execution but the user will manage completion themselves </Use_When>

<Do_Not_Use_When>

• Task requires guaranteed completion with verification -- use ralph instead (ralph includes ultrawork)
• Task requires a full autonomous pipeline -- use autopilot instead (autopilot includes ralph which includes ultrawork)
• There is only one sequential task with no parallelism opportunity -- delegate directly to an executor agent
• User needs session persistence for resume -- use ralph which adds persistence on top of ultrawork </Do_Not_Use_When>

<Why_This_Exists> Sequential task execution wastes time when tasks are independent. Ultrawork enables firing multiple agents simultaneously and routing each to the right model tier, reducing total execution time while controlling token costs. It is designed as a composable component that ralph and autopilot layer on top of. </Why_This_Exists>

<Execution_Policy>

• Fire all independent agent calls simultaneously -- never serialize independent work
• Always pass the model parameter explicitly when delegating
• Read docs/shared/agent-tiers.md before first delegation for agent selection guidance
• Use run_in_background: true for operations over ~30 seconds (installs, builds, tests)
• Run quick commands (git status, file reads, simple checks) in the foreground </Execution_Policy>

<Tool_Usage>

• Use LOW-tier delegation for simple changes
• Use STANDARD-tier delegation for standard work
• Use THOROUGH-tier delegation for complex work
• Use run_in_background: true for package installs, builds, and test suites
• Use foreground execution for quick status checks and file operations </Tool_Usage>

State Management

Use omx_state MCP tools for ultrawork lifecycle state.

• On start: state_write({mode: "ultrawork", active: true, reinforcement_count: 1, started_at: "<now>"})
• On each reinforcement/loop step: state_write({mode: "ultrawork", reinforcement_count: <current>})
• On completion: state_write({mode: "ultrawork", active: false})
• On cancellation/cleanup: run $cancel (which should call state_clear(mode="ultrawork"))

<Escalation_And_Stop_Conditions>

• When ultrawork is invoked directly (not via ralph), apply lightweight verification only -- build passes, tests pass, no new errors
• For full persistence and comprehensive architect verification, recommend switching to ralph mode
• If a task fails repeatedly across retries, report the issue rather than retrying indefinitely
• Escalate to the user when tasks have unclear dependencies or conflicting requirements </Escalation_And_Stop_Conditions>

<Final_Checklist>

• All parallel tasks completed
• Build/typecheck passes
• Affected tests pass
• No new errors introduced </Final_Checklist>

ralph (persistence wrapper)
 \-- includes: ultrawork (this skill)
     \-- provides: parallel execution only

autopilot (autonomous execution)
 \-- includes: ralph
     \-- includes: ultrawork (this skill)

ecomode (token efficiency)
 \-- modifies: ultrawork's model selection

Ultrawork is the parallelism layer. Ralph adds persistence and verification. Autopilot adds the full lifecycle pipeline. Ecomode adjusts ultrawork's model routing to favor cheaper models.