Agent skill · operations · github
signal-write
Emit structured agent signals — hands-up, blocked, done, checkpoint, partnership. Signals are written as JSON to .signals/ for dashboard consumption and noted in the journal for persistence.
Why this skill is useful
Adds a structured signaling mechanism for agent communication that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 37,534 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Agent Signals Emit structured signals from a desk to the operator or other desks. When to use A desk needs operator attention (hands-up, blocked) Work is complete and ready for review (done) Significant progress worth noting (checkpoint) Two desks disagree and can't resolve it (hands-up) The TA is reporting coordination quality (partnership) Signal types hands-up Two desks disagree and can't settle it against external facts. This is the system working — the operator reads where desks disagree, not where they perform confidence. blocked A desk can't proceed without input — missing access, ambiguous scope, need a decision only the operator can make. done Work is complete and ready for review. Artifacts are on the bench. checkpoint Significant progress worth the operator knowing about, but work continues. Not blocked, not done — just a marker. partnership Used by the TA (room coordinator) to report coordination quality. Self-assessment scores reflect coordination, not code accuracy: intent — understood what the operator needed confidence — right work went to the right desks accuracy — dispatched work produced the right outcome completeness — nothing fell through the cracks How to emit 1. Write a JSON signal file to .signals/ This is the primary output — it's what the dashboard reads. Create desks/<desk-name>/.signals/<timestamp>.json: Signal type mapping Signal signaltype subtype ----------- ----------------- ---------------- hands-up "escalation" "hands-up" blocked "escalation" "blocked" done "execution" "done" checkpoint "execution" "checkpoint" partnership "partnership" "partnership" The subtype field preserves the specific signal state for dashboard consumers. signaltype controls sort priority (escalation → top). Note: The signals-dashboard canvas extension reads subtype when present and falls back to signaltype for display. If consuming signals in your own tooling, prefer subtype for the specific state. Ordering: include a timestamp (ISO 8601 UTC). …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills github/signal-write