🐙 Claude Octopus

Every AI model has blind spots. Claude Octopus supports twelve external provider integrations — Codex, Antigravity CLI, Copilot, Qwen, Ollama, Perplexity, OpenRouter, OrcaRouter, OpenCode, Cursor CLI, Grok, and Kimi Code — alongside the built-in Claude Code host, with consensus gates that flag disagreements before you ship.

Claude-native first, Octopus for escalation. Use Claude-native /init, /review, and /security-review when Claude is enough. Use Octopus when you want multiple model opinions, adversarial review, or stricter multi-LLM workflows.

Claude Octopus is an independent open-source project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Anthropic.

🐙 Research, build, review, and ship — with twelve external providers checking the host's work. Claude-native handles the ordinary path. Octopus remains dormant until you explicitly run /octo:*, then handles the escalated path. A 75% consensus gate catches disagreements before they reach production.

🧠 Remembers across sessions. Integrates with claude-mem and agentmemory for persistent memory — past decisions, research, and context survive session boundaries.

⚡ Spec in, software out. Dark Factory mode takes a spec and autonomously runs the full pipeline — research, define, develop, deliver. You review the output, not every step.

🔄 Choose the workflow the task needs. Use a focused method for architecture, debugging, or TDD. Use /octo:embrace for Discover → Define → Develop → Deliver, with quality gates between phases.

🐙 31 specialized personas (role-specific AI agents like security-auditor, backend-architect), 53 commands (slash commands you type), 63 skills (reusable workflow modules). Explicit workflows select the experts they need; ordinary Claude requests do not activate Octopus.

🐙 Works with just Claude. Adds up to twelve external provider integrations. Zero external providers are needed to start. Add them one at a time — each becomes available when detected and runs only inside an explicit workflow.

💰 Five providers cost nothing extra when you already have access. Codex, Antigravity CLI, Copilot, and Cursor CLI use existing subscriptions or local auth. Ollama runs locally for free. Qwen now requires API-key or Coding-Plan auth; its free OAuth tier ended on 2026-04-15.

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What's New

Engineering methods

Octopus includes eight engineering methods adapted from Matt Pocock's skills. Routine architecture, TDD, and debugging use your current host. Ask for an independent opinion when a reviewer would help. Plans capture domain terms and blocking decisions, compare interface designs, and can propose a time-limited prototype.

Setup can resume an interrupted configuration and rechecks readiness before reporting success. See workflow methods for usage and the changelog for release details.

🆕 v11.3.0 — Harden council evidence grounding and citation validation.

Default roster: Claude Opus 5 leads architecture, planning, security reasoning, and final judgment; GPT-5.6 Sol is the independent implementation/review peer; Claude Sonnet 5 is the standard Claude seat; Fable 5.1 remains an opt-in judgment escalation. Existing model pins and provider configuration still win. See the routing strategy.

/octo:model-config                         # inspect or override the frontier roster
OCTOPUS_OPUS5_AUTO_XHIGH=1                 # opt in to automatic xhigh Opus 5 phases
OCTOPUS_OPUS_MODEL=claude-fable-5-1        # explicitly opt in to Fable 5.1
OCTOPUS_CODEX_MODEL=gpt-6-astra            # explicitly opt in to Astra

🆕 v9.41 — Multi-LLM Council. /octo:council runs a structured 3/5/7-persona deliberation across Claude, Codex, Antigravity, and OpenCode with goal modes (advice, decision, plan, implement, review), styles (balanced, adversarial, red-team, executive, implementation), benchmark-aware role routing, quorum + critical-veto gates, budget caps, and gated worktree handoff for approved plans. Use it when one model's opinion isn't enough.

/octo:council --goal decision --style adversarial "Should this service stay monolithic?"
/octo:council --goal implement --implement plan-only "Refactor the auth flow"

Version	Best Features
v11.3.0 (new)	Harden council evidence grounding and citation validation.
v9.50	Claude Code 2026 compatibility layer — routines manifest (schedule + GitHub-event automations), SubagentStop quality/cost gate, /octo:usage cost attribution, worktree.bgIsolation opt-out, Claude Agent SDK seat (introduced with Opus 4.8 and now following the current Opus 5 default), starter skills pack, /plugin browse manifest with projected context cost.
v9.41	/octo:council promoted to first-class workflow — structured multi-LLM deliberation with goal modes, adversarial/red-team styles, benchmark-aware persona routing, quorum and critical-veto gates, budget preflight, and gated worktree handoff for approved implementation plans.
v9	Up to 10 external provider integrations (Codex, Antigravity CLI, Copilot, Qwen, Ollama, Perplexity, OpenRouter, OrcaRouter, OpenCode, and Grok) alongside the Claude Code host. Structured provider debates and configurable multi-LLM councils. Explicit-only activation by default, with an optional smart router. Agent summary tables show which providers actually contributed. Provider-aware prompt preflight prevents silent oversize failures. Research breadth modes fan out light, standard, or exhaustive investigations. Setup aliases and fuzzy /octo:* corrections reduce command friction. Opt-in discipline gates and token compression. Two-stage review. Circuit breakers with automatic provider recovery inside active workflows. Cursor + OpenCode + Codex cross-compatibility. bin/octopus CLI. 182 Claude Code capability flags through v2.1.219, including Opus 5, Sonnet 5, and dynamic workflow awareness.
v8	Multi-LLM code review with inline PR comments. Parallel workstreams in isolated git worktrees. Reaction engine — auto-responds to CI failures. 32 specialized personas. Dark Factory autonomous pipeline.
v7	Double Diamond workflow. Multi-provider dispatch. Quality gates and consensus scoring. Configurable sandbox modes.

Full changelog →

V10 migration guide →

Upgrading to v10

V10 adds a durable execution contract, fail-closed contribution validation, Doctor 2.0, Provider Registry 2.0, process-tree cancellation evidence, and opt-in eval routing. Existing provider and model pins still win. Automation that uses doctor --json must handle exit 1 while retaining its valid JSON body; invalid arguments return 2. See the migration guide for compatibility and rollback details.

Upgrading to 9.5x

• Current fresh configurations use GPT-5.6 Sol for Codex implementation/review, Claude Opus 5 for premium Claude work, and Claude Sonnet 5 for the standard Claude seat. Existing environment, session, and providers.json pins remain unchanged; OCTOPUS_LEGACY_ROLES=1 restores the pre-frontier role mapping.

• New claude-sdk seat env vars (v9.50): CLAUDE_SDK_API_KEY, OCTOPUS_CLAUDE_SDK_MODEL, OCTOPUS_CLAUDE_SDK_MAX_TOKENS, OCTOPUS_CLAUDE_SDK_ALLOWED_MODELS, OCTOPUS_CLAUDE_SDK_CONTEXT_BUDGET.
• Fable guards apply to claude-fable-5-1 and preserved claude-fable-5 pins. OCTOPUS_FABLE5_MAX_EFFORT raises the default high ceiling without disabling the other guards.
• Premium Claude role routing (architect, strategist, security-reviewer to Opus) landed in v9.29; restore the older mapping with OCTOPUS_LEGACY_ROLES=1.

Quickstart

# Terminal (not inside a Claude Code session):
claude plugin marketplace add https://github.com/nyldn/plugins.git
claude plugin install octo@nyldn-plugins

# Then inside Claude Code:
/octo:setup

That's it. Setup detects installed providers, shows what's missing, and walks you through configuration. You need zero external providers to start — Claude is built in.

Dormant by default

Installing Octopus does not route ordinary prompts, launch provider workflows, or delegate to Octopus agents. Every shipped command and skill uses Claude Code's native manual-invocation gate. Start it with /octo:*.

Seeing cannot be used with Skill tool due to disable-model-invocation? That is the gate working as intended — the model tried to auto-invoke an Octopus skill. Invoke it explicitly instead: type /octo:skill-doctor (the manually invokable skill), not a model call to the skill-doctor skill. Slash skills are user-invoked, so they bypass this invocation gate; the model will not call Octopus skills on its own unless you opt into the router below. Rule of thumb: invoke Octopus with /octo:…, don't expect Claude to reach for it for you.

Optional automation remains available, but it is explicit opt-in:

export OCTOPUS_AUTO_ROUTER_MODE=suggest  # suggest a route for plain prompts
# or: OCTOPUS_AUTO_ROUTER_MODE=invoke    # load the matched command route
export OCTO_DONE_CRITERIA=on             # compound-task completion coaching
export OCTOPUS_COMPRESS_ENABLED=true     # PostToolUse output compression
export OCTO_STRATEGY_ROTATION=on         # failure strategy rotation
export OCTOPUS_CONTEXT_AWARENESS=on      # statusline-to-context reinforcement
export OCTOPUS_SESSION_MEMORY=on         # SessionStart preference restoration

This legacy opt-in examines ordinary prompts. invoke can start paid external-provider workflows and share the routed prompt context with configured providers; prefer suggest unless that behavior is intentional. Provider-side retention follows each provider account's policy. Unset the variable (or set it to off) to opt out without disabling direct /octo:* commands.

Safety guards that prevent invalid direct Codex, Qwen, or retired Gemini CLI dispatch remain available, but host-side command filters keep them out of unrelated tool calls.

Claude Code v2.1.14+ is the minimum supported runtime. Newer Claude Code releases unlock additional Octopus diagnostics and release checks automatically; the current plugin tracks 183 Claude Code capability flags through Claude Code v2.1.219.

Install for Codex CLI

codex plugin marketplace add https://github.com/nyldn/plugins.git
codex plugin add claude-octopus@nyldn-plugins

Restart Codex. Skills appear automatically — invoke with $skill-doctor, $skill-debug, etc.

See plugin compatibility for invocation policy, hook trust, and the distinction between local Codex support and public-directory submission.

Codex owns the versioned cache. To refresh an existing installation without editing cache files or symlinks directly, exit Codex and run these commands in a separate terminal:

codex plugin marketplace upgrade nyldn-plugins
codex plugin add claude-octopus@nyldn-plugins

Restart Codex after the update. Replacing the cache from the session that is using it can leave hooks and skills bound to a removed version directory.

Install for Cursor IDE

Cursor uses Octopus as an MCP server (not a plugin — Cursor doesn't have Claude Code's plugin system). You get MCP tools like octopus_discover, octopus_review, etc. instead of /octo:* slash commands.

Important: Just cloning the repo is not enough. You must complete all three steps below — install dependencies and configure the MCP server — for Cursor to pick up Octopus tools.

# 1. Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/nyldn/claude-octopus.git ~/.cursor/claude-octopus

# 2. Install MCP server dependencies
cd ~/.cursor/claude-octopus/mcp-server && npm install

# 3. Configure Cursor — add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (per-project):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-octopus": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["tsx", "${userHome}/.cursor/claude-octopus/mcp-server/src/index.ts"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "${env:OPENAI_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Cursor. Tools appear in Cursor's AI chat — invoke by asking e.g. "use octopus_discover to research X".

Using Cursor on WSL?

If you're running Cursor on Windows with WSL, clone the repo inside WSL and point the MCP config through wsl.exe:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-octopus": {
      "command": "wsl",
      "args": ["npx", "tsx", "/home/<user>/.cursor/claude-octopus/mcp-server/src/index.ts"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "${env:OPENAI_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace <user> with your WSL username. Make sure node and npm are installed inside WSL.

See docs/IDE-INTEGRATION.md for the full guide including ide-attach.sh auto-setup.

Install for OpenCode

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/nyldn/claude-octopus.git ~/.opencode/claude-octopus
mkdir -p ~/.agents/skills
ln -s ~/.opencode/claude-octopus/skills ~/.agents/skills/claude-octopus

Other install methods (Claude Code)

From the Claude Code UI: Type /plugin in a session → Marketplace tab → install octo.

Factory AI (Droid):

droid plugin marketplace add https://github.com/nyldn/claude-octopus.git
droid plugin install octo@nyldn-plugins

Update / Troubleshooting

Claude Code leaves auto-update off by default for third-party marketplaces. To opt in to host-managed startup updates, run /plugin, open Marketplaces, select nyldn-plugins, and choose Enable auto-update. When Claude reports that Octopus was updated, run /reload-plugins (or restart Claude Code) before using the new version.

# Manual update
claude plugin marketplace update nyldn-plugins
claude plugin update octo@nyldn-plugins

# Or let Octopus select the active host's supported plugin-manager commands
~/.claude-octopus/plugin/scripts/orchestrate.sh update-plugin

# Clean reinstall (if update fails)
claude plugin uninstall claude-octopus 2>/dev/null
claude plugin uninstall octo 2>/dev/null
rm -rf ~/.claude/plugins/cache/nyldn-plugins/octo
claude plugin marketplace remove nyldn-plugins
claude plugin marketplace add https://github.com/nyldn/plugins.git
claude plugin install octo@nyldn-plugins

Octopus also checks local host metadata at SessionStart. The advisory is cooldown-limited and performs no network, package-manager, or authentication calls; it only reports disabled auto-update, a locally known newer version, or a loaded session that needs a reload. Run focused diagnostics at any time:

octopus doctor config   # install path, version, manifest, Claude Code feature flags
octopus doctor skills   # skill loading, skillOverrides, plugin zip/URL capability notes
octopus doctor updates  # loaded/install/catalog/cache versions and auto-update state

This cannot make an arbitrarily old installation self-heal: code that predates the advisory must be updated once manually. It does make future stale states visible and hands the actual mutation to Claude Code or Codex, which own their plugin caches and lifecycle. See Plugin Update Safety.

For Anthropic-compatible gateways, Claude Code v2.1.129+ requires an explicit opt-in before /model discovers models from /v1/models:

export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://your-gateway.example/v1
export CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_GATEWAY_MODEL_DISCOVERY=1

Claude Code v2.1.129+ also supports skillOverrides in Claude settings. Use it to keep rarely used Octopus skills installable while reducing context load, for example by setting niche skills to name-only or user-invocable-only.

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Claude Code Web and Remote Sessions

When an explicit Octopus workflow is running in a hosted, web, or remote-control environment, set OCTOPUS_REMOTE_SESSION=true in that environment. Claude hosting alone does not activate Octopus. Once a workflow starts, orchestrate.sh also recognizes CLAUDE_CODE_REMOTE=true or CLAUDE_CODE_WEB=true and applies unattended-safe runtime defaults:

• CLAUDE_OCTOPUS_AUTONOMY=autonomous / OCTOPUS_AUTONOMY=autonomous unless already set
• provider smoke tests and Codex tier probes are skipped
• the statusline uses a lightweight remote-safe display

Set OCTOPUS_REMOTE_STATUSLINE=full to opt back into the full local HUD, or OCTOPUS_REMOTE_STATUSLINE=off to suppress statusline output entirely.

Cloud environment setup should install provider CLIs and expose only the credentials required for the workflow. Paste this into the cloud environment setup script:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -e

npm install -g @openai/codex @qwen-code/qwen-code 2>/dev/null || true

echo "Octopus cloud setup:"
command -v codex >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "  Codex CLI: installed" || echo "  Codex CLI: missing"
command -v agy >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "  Antigravity CLI: installed" || echo "  Antigravity CLI: missing"
command -v qwen >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "  Qwen CLI: installed" || echo "  Qwen CLI: missing"
command -v gh >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "  GitHub CLI: installed" || echo "  GitHub CLI: optional, install if Sentinel needs GitHub"

Set environment variables in the cloud environment, not in the script:

OPENAI_API_KEY=...
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=...   # optional
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=...   # optional

Provider API calls require internet access from the hosted environment.

For scheduled Claude Code tasks, run /octo:sentinel for triage and /octo:security for recurring audits. Keep jobs read-only by default and route fixes through /octo:debug, /octo:review, or /octo:embrace after triage.

Set OCTO_TIER=prototype|mvp|production as a project hint. It does not hard-block behavior; it helps setup, doctor, and workflow prompts recommend the right amount of verification and provider spend.

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9 Commands That Matter Most

Nine high-traffic commands cover the common Octopus workflows: lifecycle execution, councils, debate, research, design, quality, and specs.

/octo:embrace build stripe integration     # Full lifecycle: research → define → develop → deliver
/octo:factory "build a CLI that converts CSV to JSON"  # Autonomous pipeline — spec in, software out
/octo:council --goal decision "Should we keep this service monolithic?"  # Persona council with budget/veto gates
/octo:debate monorepo vs microservices     # Structured provider debate with consensus
/octo:research --breadth=standard htmx vs react in 2026  # Attributed multi-provider research
/octo:design mobile checkout redesign       # UI/UX design with BM25 style intelligence
/octo:tdd create user auth                 # Red-green-refactor with test discipline
/octo:security                              # OWASP vulnerability scan + remediation
/octo:prd mobile checkout redesign          # AI-optimized PRD with 100-point scoring

/octo:council uses the real runner by default. Single-model simulation is only used when explicitly requested with --simulate or --single-model; --research-first writes a research artifact before fanout, and --corpus-mode append|require preserves synthesis and plans in project corpus workflows.

Plus 40+ more: review, debug, extract, deck, docs, schedule, parallel, sentinel, optimize, brainstorm, doctor, and the full set.

Don't remember the command name? Just describe what you need:

/octo:auto research microservices patterns    -> routes to discover phase
/octo:auto build user authentication          -> routes to develop phase
/octo:auto compare Redis vs DynamoDB          -> routes to debate

The smart router parses your intent and selects the right workflow.

Multi-provider runs also write an agent status ledger. Use octopus agent-summary to see which providers contributed, which ran degraded, and which failed before synthesis.

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Pick a Command by Goal

Not sure which command to use? Pick by goal:

I want to...	Use
Research a topic thoroughly	/octo:research or /octo:discover
Get a panel recommendation or gated implementation plan	/octo:council
Debate two approaches	/octo:debate
Build a feature end-to-end	/octo:embrace
Design a UI or style system	/octo:design
Review existing code	/octo:review
Write tests first, then code	/octo:tdd
Scan for vulnerabilities	/octo:security
Write a product spec	/octo:prd
Go from spec to shipping code	/octo:factory
Debug a tricky issue	/octo:debug
Reduce token usage	/octo:skill-doctor or octopus doctor (includes RTK install + token tips)
Just run something quick	/octo:quick

Or type /octo:auto <what you want> and the smart router picks for you. Plain-prompt routing is off until you run /octo:setup, which turns on suggestions (Octopus names a matching command; it never dispatches a provider on its own). Set OCTOPUS_AUTO_ROUTER_MODE=off to silence them, or invoke to let a matched route load automatically. 🔍

How does this compare to Superpowers or plain Claude Code?

	Claude Code alone	Superpowers	Claude Octopus
Core idea	One model, your prompts	Structured methodology for one agent	Built-in Claude plus up to 12 external integrations cross-checking each other
Providers	Claude only	Claude only	Claude host; Codex, Antigravity CLI, Copilot, Qwen, Ollama, Perplexity, OpenRouter, OrcaRouter, OpenCode, Cursor CLI, Grok, and Kimi Code
Workflow	Ad-hoc	Spec → plan → subagent-driven dev	Discover → Define → Develop → Deliver (Double Diamond)
Strength	Simple, no setup	Long autonomous runs with discipline	Multiple perspectives catching blind spots
Consensus gates	No	No	Yes — 75% agreement threshold
Best for	Quick tasks, simple features	Large builds with clear specs	Research, review, debates, multi-provider validation
Setup	Nothing	Install plugin	Install plugin, optionally add providers

tl;dr: Superpowers makes one agent work really well for hours. Octopus makes multiple agents check each other's work. They solve different problems.

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How It Works

Focused engineering methods

Architecture, TDD, and debugging now run on the current host by default. This keeps routine work fast and avoids a provider call that adds little value. Add an independent-review request when one bounded review would materially improve the decision. Explicit debate, council, and multi-model commands are unchanged.

Planning can propose a time-boxed prototype for one risky assumption. Setup can resume an interrupted human login without treating old authentication evidence as current. Maintainers can also inspect policy or production provider selection with the offline routing preview. The preview never claims to verify the final model, entitlement, quota, fallback, or dispatch.

See Workflow methods for the contracts and limits.

How 12 External Providers Work Together

Claude Octopus coordinates twelve external provider integrations alongside the built-in Claude Code host. The optional claude-sdk route is a second Anthropic seat, so it is shown below but is not counted as a separate provider family.

Provider	Role
🔴 Codex (OpenAI, GPT-5.6 Sol/Terra/Luna; explicit GPT-6 Astra)	Code review + implementation — edge-case hunting, terminal-heavy execution, patch/test loops
🧭 Antigravity CLI (agy)	Google Antigravity perspective via native stdin print-mode dispatch
🟣 Perplexity	Live web search — CVE lookups, dependency research, current docs
🌐 OpenRouter	Alternative model routing — access 100+ models via single API
🐋 OrcaRouter	OpenAI-compatible gateway routing with policy enforcement and model fallbacks
🟢 Copilot (GitHub)	Zero-cost research — uses existing GitHub Copilot subscription
🟤 Qwen (Alibaba)	Qwen3-Coder research via API-key or Coding-Plan auth
⚫ Ollama (Local)	Zero-cost local LLM — offline, privacy-sensitive, fallback
🟠 OpenCode	Alternate coding-agent integration and cross-checking seat
🟪 Cursor CLI (agent)	Cursor-subscription models (Composer, GPT-5.6, Claude, Gemini, Grok) as a council, review, and debate seat — read-only by default, auto model unless pinned
⚡ Grok (xAI, standalone grok CLI)	Frontier-model second opinion via XAI_API_KEY — added as a first-class seat in v9.48
🌙 Kimi Code	Standalone coding-agent seat using provider credentials and model aliases from config.toml
🔵 Claude (Anthropic, Opus 5 + Sonnet 5)	Architecture, strategy, security review, orchestration, consensus, final synthesis
🔵 Claude Agent SDK seat (claude-sdk)	Optional second Anthropic seat: Opus 5 with the 1M-token context window, independent of the host session (set CLAUDE_SDK_API_KEY)

Explicit research-breadth, debate, council, and adversarial-review workflows use multiple providers. Generic mergeable work starts with one capable owner and adds another model only for a distinct job. A 75% consensus quality gate prevents questionable work from shipping. Only Claude is required — all others are optional and auto-detected.

Frontier routing defaults architect, strategist, security-reviewer, and opt-in implementer-heavy to Opus 5 on Claude Code v2.1.219+, with Opus 4.8/4.7/4.6 fallbacks. code-reviewer and implementer use GPT-5.6 Sol; synthesizer uses Sonnet 5 on Claude Code v2.1.197+. Fable 5.1 and GPT-6 Astra are explicit-only escalations and never enter built-in tier defaults or fallback chains. Existing pins/configs win, and OCTOPUS_LEGACY_ROLES=1 restores the v9.28 mapping. See the routing strategy.

Native dynamic workflows: Claude Code v2.1.154+ can run native dynamic workflows for huge single-Claude migrations. Use that path when one Claude workflow is enough; use Octopus when you need multi-provider disagreement, councils, adversarial review, external model validation, or blind-spot coverage.

Four Phases: Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver

Four structured phases adapted from the UK Design Council's methodology:

Phase	Command	What happens
Discover	/octo:discover	Multi-AI research and broad exploration
Define	/octo:define	Requirements clarification with consensus
Develop	/octo:develop	Implementation with quality gates
Deliver	/octo:deliver	Adversarial review and go/no-go scoring

Run phases individually or all four with /octo:embrace. Configure autonomy: supervised (approve each phase), semi-autonomous (intervene on failures), or autonomous (run all four).

31 Specialist Personas

Specialized agents selected by explicit Octopus workflows. /octo:security can select security-auditor and /octo:design-ui-ux can select ui-ux-designer; ordinary requests never delegate to these agents merely because keywords match.

Categories span Software Engineering, Specialized Development, Documentation & Communication, Research & Strategy, Business & Compliance, and Creative & Design.

Full persona reference | All 63 skills

Built-in Reaction Engine

When agents create PRs, the reaction engine monitors what happens next — CI failures, review comments, stale agents — and responds automatically. No new commands to learn. It fires transparently inside workflows you already use:

Integration Point	When It Fires
/octo:parallel	Between poll cycles while monitoring work packages
/octo:sentinel	After triage scan completes
agent-registry.sh health --react	On-demand health check

What it auto-handles:

Event	Reaction	Limits
CI failure	Collects failure logs into agent inbox	3 retries, escalates after 30m
Changes requested	Collects review comments into agent inbox	2 retries, escalates after 60m
Agent stuck	Escalates to human	After 15m with no progress
PR approved + CI green	Notifies you it's ready to merge	—
PR merged	Marks agent complete	—

Override defaults per project by creating .octo/reactions.conf:

# EVENT|ACTION|MAX_RETRIES|ESCALATE_AFTER_MIN|ENABLED
ci_failed|forward_logs|5|45|true
changes_requested|forward_comments|3|90|true
stuck|escalate|0|10|true

Reactions track 13 agent lifecycle states: running → pr_open → ci_pending → ci_failed / review_pending → changes_requested / approved → mergeable → merged → done.

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Providers and What They Cost

Authentication

Method	Codex	Antigravity	Claude
OAuth/subscription (recommended)	codex login — included in ChatGPT subscription	agy auth — included with Antigravity access	Built into Claude Code
API key	OPENAI_API_KEY — per-token billing	n/a	Built into Claude Code

OAuth users pay nothing beyond their existing subscriptions. Qwen is the exception: its free OAuth tier ended on 2026-04-15, so use QWEN_API_KEY or Coding-Plan (OPENAI_API_KEY + OPENAI_BASE_URL).

What a Typical Run Costs

Illustrative token-only estimates, using standard global API rates checked 2026-09-04: GPT-5.6 Sol $4/$20, Sonar Pro $3/$15, and Opus 5 $5/$25 per million input/output tokens. The ranges assume roughly 90% input and 10% output tokens, standard (not batch, flex, priority, or fast) processing, no cache discounts, and a representative mix of those models. OAuth/subscription seats (Codex via ChatGPT, Antigravity, Copilot) bill nothing extra; Ollama is free.

The table excludes provider tool charges. Sonar Pro adds a request fee of $6-$14 per 1,000 requests depending on search-context size. Fable 5.1 and GPT-6 Astra each cost $10/$50 per million input/output tokens. Astra requests above 272K input tokens apply OpenAI's long-context multipliers to the whole request. Long-context and provider-specific rate rules can push large runs above these bounds, so check the linked rate cards before material spend.

Run	Typical volume	Illustrative API token cost (tool fees excluded)
Single probe / quick question (one provider)	5-20K tokens	$0.01-0.20
Debate (2-3 providers, multi-round)	30-80K tokens	$0.20-1.00
Council (4-6 seats + synthesis)	60-150K tokens	$0.50-2.50
Full embrace (4 phases, multi-provider)	150-400K tokens	$1.00-6.00+

Before an expensive run, /octo:costs shows a session cost projection; after runs, /octo:usage breaks down actual spend per provider and skill. Anything projected over $1 is called out before dispatch.

What You Get With Just Claude

Everything except multi-AI features. You get all 31 personas, structured workflows, smart routing, context detection, and every skill. Multi-AI orchestration (parallel analysis, debate, consensus) activates when external providers are configured.

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Claude Code 2026 Compatibility Layer

v9.50.0 aligns the plugin with Claude Code's 2026 native capabilities. Each piece degrades gracefully on older Claude Code versions via the existing SUPPORTS_* feature detection.

• Routines (.claude-plugin/routines.json): saved automation configs mapping schedule and GitHub-event triggers to /octo: commands. All ship disabled; each entry carries a provider roster and a cost note so you know what enabling it will bill.
• SubagentStop gate (hooks/subagent-stop-gate.sh): quality scoring, provider attribution, cost logging, and council verdict pre-screening before a subagent's summary reaches the lead.
• /octo:usage: per-provider, per-skill, and per-MCP-server token and cost breakdown in Claude Code's /usage schema, built from local usage records (no provider dispatch).
• Worktree bgIsolation opt-out: mirror of Claude Code's worktree.bgIsolation session flag; disables background worktree cloning for fast direct-edit runs.
• Claude Agent SDK seat (claude-sdk): with CLAUDE_SDK_API_KEY set, workflows can seat Opus 5 with the 1M-token context window independent of the host session.
• Starter pack (skills/octopus-starter-pack/): debate kickoff, council verdict interpretation, provider health summary, and model cost comparison skills.
• /plugin browse manifest (.claude-plugin/plugin-manifest.json): projected context cost and component inventory for the plugin browse pane.

New environment variables (v9.50.0)

Variable	Default	Effect
CLAUDE_SDK_API_KEY	unset	Enables the claude-sdk provider seat (Claude Agent SDK; Opus 5, 1M context)
OCTOPUS_CLAUDE_SDK_MODEL	claude-opus-5	Model for the claude-sdk seat
OCTOPUS_CLAUDE_SDK_MAX_TOKENS	32768	Max output tokens for the claude-sdk seat (SDK CLI path)
OCTOPUS_CLAUDE_SDK_ALLOWED_MODELS	unset	Comma-separated model allowlist for the claude-sdk seat
OCTOPUS_CLAUDE_SDK_CONTEXT_BUDGET	1000000	Prompt context budget for claude-sdk agent types
OCTOPUS_WORKTREE_BG_ISOLATION	true	Set false to skip background worktree cloning (fast direct-edit runs)
OCTOPUS_SUBAGENT_GATE_STRICT	false	Set true to let the SubagentStop gate block malformed council verdicts and low-quality summaries
OCTOPUS_SUBAGENT_MIN_QUALITY	0	Quality floor (0-100) enforced by the gate in strict mode; 0 disables

---

GPT-6 Astra Support

GPT-6 Astra is cataloged as an explicit-only premium model at $10/$50 per MTok. Use OCTOPUS_CODEX_MODEL=gpt-6-astra or an exact codex:gpt-6-astra seat only after GPT-5.6 Sol fails a hard acceptance test or a project eval shows a material gain. Astra is never selected by built-in defaults, cost tiers, review fleets, or fallback chains, and Astra plus GPT-5.6 does not provide vendor diversity.

Codex CLI v0.153.1 or newer is required; unknown versions fail closed. The generic OpenAI-compatible adapter uses Chat Completions, so it rejects tool-enabled Astra dispatches until that adapter supports the Responses API. No-tool review prompts remain available. Astra's initial rollout is limited, and requests above 272K input tokens incur OpenAI's long-context multipliers.

Fable 5.1 Support

Claude Fable 5.1 is an explicit-only Mythos-class model at $10/$50 per MTok, twice the price of Opus 5. Pin it with OCTOPUS_OPUS_MODEL=claude-fable-5-1 (opus seats) or OCTOPUS_CLAUDE_SDK_MODEL=claude-fable-5-1 (the 1M-context SDK seat). Host-seat pins require Claude Code v2.1.255 or newer to recognize Fable 5.1 and its 1M context window. The independent claude-agent SDK path has no Claude Code version floor; it requires CLAUDE_SDK_API_KEY and the claude-agent executable. If the SDK shim falls back to the headless claude CLI, that executable must also be v2.1.255 or newer. Existing claude-fable-5 pins remain exact and supported. Opt-in escalation is limited to one Fable 5.1 dispatch per command. When either model is selected, the plugin enables three guards and prints a one-line banner:

• Security reroute — by default, security-audit dispatches for ordinary Fable pins (security-auditor persona, squeeze red/blue workflow) run on Opus 5 because Fable can refuse adversarial security phrasing even in authorized audits. Exact model-qualified Fable security seats fail closed.
• Effort clamp — xhigh/max effort clamps to high by default. Set OCTOPUS_FABLE5_MAX_EFFORT=xhigh|max for one bounded high-value run without disabling the other guards.
• Refusal retry — a refused or empty Fable 5 dispatch on the claude-sdk seat retries once on Opus 5 instead of failing the seat.

A SessionStart hook injects the dispatch profile (prompt anti-patterns, judgment routing, risk-surface escalation) whenever a pin is active. Full guidance: skills/blocks/fable5-prompting.md.

New environment variables (v9.51.0)

Variable	Default	Effect
OCTOPUS_FABLE5_MODE	auto	off disables all Fable 5 guards; on forces them without a pin
OCTOPUS_FABLE5_NO_RETRY	unset	Set 1 to disable the refusal retry on the claude-sdk seat
OCTOPUS_FABLE5_FALLBACK_MODEL	claude-opus-5	Override the Fable security/refusal fallback
OCTOPUS_FABLE5_MAX_EFFORT	high	Highest Fable effort allowed: high, xhigh, or max

---

Trust, Safety, and Limits

Command namespace — Slash commands are namespaced under /octo:* and the octo natural-language prefix routes through the plugin's intent detection. Lifecycle hooks (session start/end, prompt submit, tool use, compaction, plan mode, worktrees, task lifecycle, idle, config change, permission events) also attach to Claude Code so multi-provider routing, freeze/discipline modes, and the work-queue watcher can function. See hooks/hooks.json for the full list. Uninstall removes every hook.

Data locations — Results in ~/.claude-octopus/results/, logs in ~/.claude-octopus/logs/, project state in .octo/. Nothing hidden.

Provider transparency — Every command shows a 🐙 activation indicator on launch. Provider markers such as 🔴 🟡 🧭 🟣 🔵 show exactly which providers are running and when external APIs are called. You always know what's happening.

Session provider controls — Temporarily disable exhausted providers without uninstalling them. For example, /octo:model-config disable codex --session keeps Codex out of provider detection and multi-LLM fanout for the current session; /octo:model-config clear-allowlist --session restores the default.

Uninstall the plugin. Run claude plugin uninstall octo from your terminal. If you see a scope error, add --scope project. This removes the plugin but does not delete results, logs, configuration, or local state under ~/.claude-octopus/, nor project state in .octo/. Review uninstall and retained-data guidance before removing any of those paths manually.

---

MCP Server

Architecture

MCP Client ─── MCP Server ─── orchestrate.sh ─── provider CLIs and APIs

The standalone MCP server exposes Claude Octopus workflows to compatible IDEs and clients without changing the Claude Code plugin.

Component	Location	Purpose
MCP Server	mcp-server/	Exposes 12 Octopus tools via Model Context Protocol
Skill Schema	mcp-server/src/schema/skill-schema.json	Shared skill metadata format

Add the server to your project's MCP configuration or global client settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-octopus": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["--require", "./mcp-server/check-node-version.js", "./mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
      "cwd": "<path-to-claude-octopus>"
    }
  }
}

Once enabled, it exposes:

• octopus_discover, octopus_define, octopus_develop, octopus_deliver — Individual phases
• octopus_embrace — Full Double Diamond workflow
• octopus_debate, octopus_council, octopus_review, octopus_security — Specialized workflows
• octopus_set_editor_context — IDE editor-state context
• octopus_list_skills, octopus_status — Introspection

Any MCP-compatible client can connect to the server.

In v11, workflow tools and status require an absolute project_root for each call. See the migration guide before updating an existing MCP integration.

---

FAQ

Do I need every AI provider? No. One external provider plus Claude gives you multi-AI features. No external providers still gives you personas, workflows, and skills.

Will this break my existing Claude Code setup? No. Its commands are namespaced under the octo prefix, and results are stored separately. Lifecycle hooks still attach to Claude Code. If you explicitly set OCTOPUS_AUTO_ROUTER_MODE=invoke, ordinary prompts can also route through Octopus. Uninstalling the plugin removes its commands and hooks but preserves local data until you choose to remove it.

What happens if a provider times out? The workflow continues with available providers. You'll see the status in the visual indicators.

Can bounded Tangle implementation run on macOS? Not currently. Bounded Tangle dispatch is fail-closed and requires Linux with a working Bubblewrap (bwrap) execution boundary. On macOS, Tangle refuses provider dispatch with an explicit operator error rather than falling back to unconfined execution.

Why "octopus"? 🐙 Fun fact: a real octopus has three hearts, blue blood, and 500 million neurons — two-thirds of which live in its eight arms. Each arm can taste, touch, and act independently. Claude Octopus works the same way: each tentacle (command) operates autonomously with its own squeeze of logic, then ink flows back as the final deliverable. The crossfire review? That's the squeeze — adversarial pressure that untangles everything before it ships.

How do I debug when something goes wrong? Run commands with the --verbose flag to get detailed debugging output. Logs are stored in ~/.claude-octopus/logs/ for inspection. You can also invoke /octo:skill-doctor in Claude Code or run octopus doctor in a shell to identify potential issues.

---

Community

Join r/ClaudeOctopus for help, workflow tips, showcases, and updates.

Contributing

1. Report issues
2. Submit PRs following existing code style
3. git clone https://github.com/nyldn/claude-octopus.git && make test

See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

---

Documentation

• Documentation Guide — Start here
• Command Reference — Commands, triggers, and provider indicators
• Troubleshooting — Provider auth failures and common errors
• Architecture — Provider flow and execution model
• Agents & Personas — All 31 personas
• Provider Wiring Map — How a provider is wired (contributors)
• Developer Guide — Modular config, E2E testing, enforcement patterns
• Scheduler — Scheduled workflow runner
• Privacy — What leaves your machine and when
• Security Policy — Threat model and trust boundaries
• Releasing — Release checklist (maintainers)
• Changelog

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Attribution

Selected workflow methods adapt patterns from mattpocock/skills under the MIT License. The distribution includes the complete license and a source-to-destination map in Third-party notices.

• wolverin0/claude-skills — AI Debate Hub. MIT License.
• obra/superpowers — Discipline skills patterns, verification-before-completion philosophy, two-stage review approach, and review response patterns. MIT License.
• nextlevelbuilder/ui-ux-pro-max-skill — BM25 design intelligence databases. MIT License.
• UK Design Council — Double Diamond methodology.

---

License

MIT — see LICENSE

nyldn | MIT License | r/ClaudeOctopus | Report Issues