Rewrite README with architecture docs and mermaid diagrams

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-02-08 15:30:00 +08:00
parent 9ace15dad5
commit 44cc72fdb2
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--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,23 +1,220 @@
 # DevClaw

-Multi-project dev/qa pipeline orchestration plugin for [OpenClaw](https://openclaw.ai).
+An [OpenClaw](https://openclaw.ai) plugin that turns a single orchestrator agent into a development team lead managing multiple projects simultaneously.

-Replaces manual orchestration steps with atomic agent tools. Instead of 10+ error-prone manual steps per task, the agent calls a single tool that handles GitLab labels, state management, model selection, and audit logging atomically.
+## The idea
+
+You have one AI agent — the orchestrator. It lives in a Telegram group per project. Each project has its own GitLab repo, its own task backlog, and its own pair of sub-agent workers: a **DEV** that writes code and a **QA** that reviews it. The orchestrator decides what to work on, spawns the right worker with the right model, and moves tasks through the pipeline — across all projects at once.
+
+DevClaw gives the orchestrator four tools that replace hundreds of lines of manual orchestration logic. Instead of the agent following a 10-step checklist (fetch issue, check labels, pick model, check for existing session, transition label, update state, log audit event...), it calls `task_pickup` and the plugin handles everything atomically.
+
+## How it works
+
+```mermaid
+graph TB
+    subgraph "Orchestrator Agent"
+        O[Orchestrator]
+    end
+
+    subgraph "Project A — Telegram Group"
+        direction TB
+        A_GL[GitLab Issues]
+        A_DEV[DEV sub-agent]
+        A_QA[QA sub-agent]
+    end
+
+    subgraph "Project B — Telegram Group"
+        direction TB
+        B_GL[GitLab Issues]
+        B_DEV[DEV sub-agent]
+        B_QA[QA sub-agent]
+    end
+
+    subgraph "Project C — Telegram Group"
+        direction TB
+        C_GL[GitLab Issues]
+        C_DEV[DEV sub-agent]
+        C_QA[QA sub-agent]
+    end
+
+    O -->|task_pickup / task_complete| A_GL
+    O -->|task_pickup / task_complete| B_GL
+    O -->|task_pickup / task_complete| C_GL
+    O -->|sessions_spawn / sessions_send| A_DEV
+    O -->|sessions_spawn / sessions_send| A_QA
+    O -->|sessions_spawn / sessions_send| B_DEV
+    O -->|sessions_spawn / sessions_send| B_QA
+    O -->|sessions_spawn / sessions_send| C_DEV
+    O -->|sessions_spawn / sessions_send| C_QA
+```
+
+Each project is identified by its **Telegram group ID** — the orchestrator receives messages from project groups and knows which project context it's operating in.
+
+## Task lifecycle
+
+Every task (GitLab issue) moves through a fixed pipeline of label states. DevClaw tools handle every transition atomically — label change, state update, audit log, and session management in a single call.
+
+```mermaid
+stateDiagram-v2
+    [*] --> Planning
+    Planning --> ToDo: Ready for development
+
+    ToDo --> Doing: task_pickup (DEV)
+    Doing --> ToTest: task_complete (DEV done)
+
+    ToTest --> Testing: task_pickup (QA)
+    Testing --> Done: task_complete (QA pass)
+    Testing --> ToImprove: task_complete (QA fail)
+    Testing --> Refining: task_complete (QA refine)
+
+    ToImprove --> Doing: task_pickup (DEV fix)
+    Refining --> ToDo: Human decision
+
+    Done --> [*]
+```
+
+## Session reuse
+
+Sub-agent sessions are expensive to start — each new spawn requires the agent to read the full codebase (~50K tokens). DevClaw preserves session IDs across task completions. When a DEV finishes task A and picks up task B on the same project, the plugin detects the existing session and returns `"sessionAction": "send"` instead of `"spawn"` — the orchestrator sends the new task to the running session instead of creating a new one.
+
+```mermaid
+sequenceDiagram
+    participant O as Orchestrator
+    participant DC as DevClaw Plugin
+    participant GL as GitLab
+    participant S as Sub-agent Session
+
+    O->>DC: task_pickup({ issueId: 42, role: "dev" })
+    DC->>GL: Fetch issue, verify label
+    DC->>DC: Select model (haiku/sonnet/opus)
+    DC->>DC: Check existing session
+    DC->>GL: Transition label (To Do → Doing)
+    DC->>DC: Update projects.json, write audit log
+    DC-->>O: { sessionAction: "send", sessionId: "...", model: "sonnet" }
+    O->>S: sessions_send (task description)
+```
+
+## Model selection
+
+The plugin selects the cheapest model that can handle each task:
+
+| Complexity | Model | When |
+|------------|-------|------|
+| Simple | Haiku | Typos, CSS, renames, copy changes |
+| Standard | Sonnet | Features, bug fixes, multi-file changes |
+| Complex | Opus | Architecture, migrations, security, system-wide refactoring |
+| QA | Grok | All QA tasks (code review, test validation) |
+
+Selection is based on issue title/description keywords. The orchestrator can override with `modelOverride` on any `task_pickup` call.
+
+## State management
+
+All project state lives in a single `memory/projects.json` file in the orchestrator's workspace, keyed by Telegram group ID:
+
+```json
+{
+  "projects": {
+    "-5044836116": {
+      "name": "trainerswap",
+      "repo": "~/git/trainerswap",
+      "groupName": "Henk - Trainerswap",
+      "baseBranch": "development",
+      "dev": {
+        "active": false,
+        "sessionId": "agent:henk-dev:subagent:a9e4d078-...",
+        "issueId": null,
+        "model": "haiku"
+      },
+      "qa": {
+        "active": false,
+        "sessionId": "agent:henk-dev:subagent:18707821-...",
+        "issueId": null,
+        "model": "grok"
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+Key design decision: when a worker completes a task, `sessionId` and `model` are **preserved** (only `active` and `issueId` are cleared). This enables session reuse on the next pickup.
+
+All writes go through atomic temp-file-then-rename to prevent corruption.

 ## Tools

-| Tool | Description |
-|------|-------------|
-| `task_pickup` | Pick up a task from the GitLab queue. Handles label transition, model selection, state update, and session reuse detection. |
-| `task_complete` | Complete a task (DEV done, QA pass/fail/refine). Handles label transition, issue close/reopen, and fix cycle preparation. |
-| `queue_status` | Show task queue counts and worker status across all projects. |
-| `session_health` | Detect zombie sessions, stale workers, and state mismatches. Auto-fix with `autoFix: true`. |
+### `task_pickup`
+
+Pick up a task from the GitLab queue for a DEV or QA worker.
+
+**Parameters:**
+- `issueId` (number, required) — GitLab issue ID
+- `role` ("dev" | "qa", required) — Worker role
+- `projectGroupId` (string, required) — Telegram group ID
+- `modelOverride` (string, optional) — Force a specific model
+
+**What it does atomically:**
+1. Resolves project from `projects.json`
+2. Validates no active worker for this role
+3. Fetches issue from GitLab, verifies correct label state
+4. Selects model based on task complexity
+5. Detects session reuse opportunity
+6. Transitions GitLab label (e.g. `To Do` → `Doing`)
+7. Updates `projects.json` state
+8. Writes audit log entry
+9. Returns structured instructions for the orchestrator
+
+### `task_complete`
+
+Complete a task with one of four results.
+
+**Parameters:**
+- `role` ("dev" | "qa", required)
+- `result` ("done" | "pass" | "fail" | "refine", required)
+- `projectGroupId` (string, required)
+- `summary` (string, optional) — For the Telegram announcement
+
+**Results:**
+- **DEV "done"** — Pulls latest code, moves label `Doing` → `To Test`, deactivates worker
+- **QA "pass"** — Moves label `Testing` → `Done`, closes issue, deactivates worker
+- **QA "fail"** — Moves label `Testing` → `To Improve`, reopens issue, prepares DEV fix cycle with model selection
+- **QA "refine"** — Moves label `Testing` → `Refining`, awaits human decision
+
+### `queue_status`
+
+Returns task queue counts and worker status across all projects (or a specific one).
+
+**Parameters:**
+- `projectGroupId` (string, optional) — Omit for all projects
+
+### `session_health`
+
+Detects and optionally fixes state inconsistencies.
+
+**Parameters:**
+- `autoFix` (boolean, optional) — Auto-fix zombies and stale state
+- `activeSessions` (string[], optional) — Live session IDs from `sessions_list`
+
+**Checks:**
+- Active worker with no session ID (critical)
+- Active worker whose session is dead — zombie (critical)
+- Worker active for >2 hours (warning)
+- Inactive worker with lingering issue ID (warning)
+
+## Audit logging
+
+Every tool call automatically appends an NDJSON entry to `memory/audit.log`. No manual logging required from the orchestrator agent.
+
+```jsonl
+{"ts":"2026-02-08T10:30:00Z","event":"task_pickup","project":"trainerswap","issue":42,"role":"dev","model":"sonnet","sessionAction":"send"}
+{"ts":"2026-02-08T10:30:01Z","event":"model_selection","issue":42,"role":"dev","selected":"sonnet","reason":"Standard dev task"}
+{"ts":"2026-02-08T10:45:00Z","event":"task_complete","project":"trainerswap","issue":42,"role":"dev","result":"done"}
+```

 ## Installation

 ```bash
-# Local development (link from extensions directory)
-openclaw plugins install -l ~/.openclaw/extensions/devclaw
+# Local (place in extensions directory — auto-discovered)
+cp -r devclaw ~/.openclaw/extensions/

 # From npm (future)
 openclaw plugins install @openclaw/devclaw
@@ -25,7 +222,7 @@ openclaw plugins install @openclaw/devclaw

 ## Configuration

-Optional plugin config in `openclaw.json`:
+Optional config in `openclaw.json`:

 ```json
 {
@@ -33,11 +230,7 @@ Optional plugin config in `openclaw.json`:
    "entries": {
      "devclaw": {
        "config": {
-          "glabPath": "/usr/local/bin/glab",
-          "modelSelection": {
-            "enabled": true,
-            "analyzerModel": "anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5"
-          }
+          "glabPath": "/usr/local/bin/glab"
        }
      }
    }
@@ -45,13 +238,13 @@ Optional plugin config in `openclaw.json`:
 }
 ```

-Restrict tools to your orchestrator agent:
+Restrict tools to your orchestrator agent only:

 ```json
 {
  "agents": {
    "list": [{
-      "id": "henk-development",
+      "id": "my-orchestrator",
      "tools": {
        "allow": ["task_pickup", "task_complete", "queue_status", "session_health"]
      }
@@ -62,10 +255,10 @@ Restrict tools to your orchestrator agent:

 ## Requirements

- OpenClaw >= 0.x
+- [OpenClaw](https://openclaw.ai)
 - Node.js >= 20
- `glab` CLI installed and authenticated
- `memory/projects.json` in the orchestrator agent's workspace
+- [`glab`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cli) CLI installed and authenticated
+- A `memory/projects.json` in the orchestrator agent's workspace

 ## License