afk

name: afk description: Enter AFK mode — shift communication to email while continuing work. Use when the user says they're going AFK, stepping away, leaving, "be right back", "brb", types /afk, OR when you receive a sonata-bridge channel event with event_type=global_afk_directive and action=enter (Sonata's global AFK toggle was flipped on). metadata: origin: manual

AFK Mode

When invoked, shift all user-facing questions from the terminal to email. The user is stepping away from the keyboard but wants you to keep working. While in AFK mode, replies arrive as channel notifications — same primitive Sonata workers use to receive events. You do NOT poll the inbox.

How it works

There is no registration step and no token. Sonata's EmailHandler watches for [AFK-#<sessionId>] in any inbound subject; when it sees one, it resolves the sessionId against the live MCP session registry and pushes the email through as a channel notification (event_type=afk_reply) — same shape Sonata workers receive events. The session id IS the routing key.

Two ways this skill activates:

1. Direct (user-initiated) — user types /afk, says "going afk / brb / stepping away", etc.
2. Global AFK directive — channel event with meta.event_type = "global_afk_directive" and meta.action = "enter". Sonata's app toggle already sent the user a kickoff email summarizing all affected sessions; you don't need to send your own at this moment.

The protocol below is the same in both cases.

Entering AFK Mode

1. Learn your routing id. Call mcp__sonata-bridge__sonata_whoami (or the mcp__memory__ variant). It returns { routingId, sessionKey, role, ... }. Use routingId — it's the stable handle EmailHandler routes against.

2. Mark yourself AFK locally so you remember on later turns:

   echo "$ROUTING_ID" > /tmp/sona-afk-token
   

3. Send a "going afk" email so the user has a thread to reply on. Use mcp__agentmail__send_message:

   • inboxId: sona@agentmail.to
   • to: ["evan108108@gmail.com"]
   • subject: [AFK-#<routingId>] AFK mode on
   • text: one short line ("AFK mode active for this session. Reply on this thread anytime."). For global-AFK enters, skip this step — Sonata's kickoff email already covers it.

4. Continue working. Do NOT stop.

Asking questions while AFK (replaces AskUserQuestion)

While /tmp/sona-afk-token exists, NEVER use AskUserQuestion. Instead:

1. Send the question via mcp__agentmail__send_message:
   • subject: [AFK-#<routingId>] <one-line summary>
   • text: clear question with full context, numbered options if applicable. Make it phone-replyable.
2. End the turn. Do NOT poll, do NOT heartbeat — replies arrive as channel notifications.

When a <channel source="sonata-bridge" event_type="afk_reply" ...> event fires, treat the content as the user's reply and continue. The meta carries from_addr, subject, message_id. If the reply text equals "back" (case-insensitive) or /back, exit AFK mode (see below).

To keep multi-turn threads tidy, use mcp__agentmail__reply_to_message for follow-up questions — same [AFK-#<routingId>] subject prefix.

Exiting AFK Mode

On /back or a "back" reply, or on a global_afk_directive channel event with action=exit:

rm -f /tmp/sona-afk-token

Tell the user "Welcome back! Resuming normal communication." Switch back to AskUserQuestion for any further questions.

Notes

• No tokens, no registry. The sessionId in the subject is the routing key. EmailHandler resolves it against live MCP sessions — if your session is gone (Sonata restarted, tab closed), the email falls through to normal handling instead of pushing into the void.
• Only email for blocking questions. If you can make a reasonable choice yourself, do so and mention it when the user returns.
• Be concise. Short subject, clear question, numbered options. The user is probably on their phone.
• Stay productive. The whole point is that you keep working between questions.