By name: houmao-touring description: Use Houmao's manual guided touring skill for users not yet familiar with Houmao. license: MIT
Houmao Touring
houmao-touring is the Houmao-owned guide for users who are not yet familiar with Houmao. That includes first-run users, re-orienting operators, and developers inspecting system logic.
Use this skill only when the user explicitly asks for:
| Trigger | Meaning |
|---|---|
$houmao-touring |
No-prompt orientation entrypoint. |
| A Houmao guided tour | Start the guided tour. |
| Houmao subsystem/component exploration | Explain Houmao by component area. |
A bare invocation such as $houmao-touring means "start orientation now".
No-prompt behavior:
| Do | Do Not |
|---|---|
| scan for existing Houmao project state. | Say only "the skill is now active." |
| infer the user's likely starting intent from that state. | Ask "how can I help?" |
| introduce Houmao in context. | Use any other empty open-ended greeting. |
| provide next-step instructions. | Wait for the user to know Houmao vocabulary. |
Never answer a bare invocation with only a generic activation acknowledgement.
This skill teaches and routes. It does not own direct-operation command behavior.
Workflow
Start here for every invocation. Use the first matching row before loading any branch file.
Before workflow, answer explicit skill-help intent from ## Help and stop.
| Step | First Look | Use It To |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ## Help |
Answer explicit skill-help intent and stop. |
| 2 | ## Entry Contract |
Classify every non-help request before command execution. |
| 3 | ## No-Prompt Entrypoint |
Handle bare $houmao-touring and orientation requests with state inspection first. |
| 4 | ### No-Prompt Choice Menu |
Choose blank-workspace or project-ready choices from inspected state. |
| 5 | ## Coverage Model |
Map project-ready outcome requests to fast paths and check their project-overlay precondition. |
| 6 | ## Branches |
Load exactly one named branch after the user selects a path. |
| 7 | ## Routing Guidance |
Route concrete setup, runtime, mail, memory, loop, and lifecycle work to owning skills. |
| 8 | ## Presentation Rules |
Report compactly as result, status, next choices, and required input. |
Launcher order:
| Order | Launcher |
|---|---|
| 1 | houmao-mgr on PATH |
| 2 | uv tool run --from houmao houmao-mgr |
| 3 | Development launcher only if the first two do not satisfy the turn |
| User override | Follow an explicitly requested launcher |
Help
When the user asks $houmao-touring help, help for houmao-touring, usage for houmao-touring, available functionality for houmao-touring, or what this skill can do, answer from this section and stop.
This is read-only help: do not run commands, mutate files, send mail, change gateway state, or alter managed-agent lifecycle state.
Available functionality:
| Lane | Best For | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Fast path use cases | Outcome-focused users | Learn Houmao by doing one useful end-to-end use case. |
| Subsystem exploration | Developer-minded users | Inspect Houmao by component area and owning route. |
Fast path use cases:
| Use Case | Intent | Main Route |
|---|---|---|
| Single Agent Full Run | Create and operate one fully functional managed agent. | Setup, definition, launch, gateway, mailbox, memory, inspection, and lifecycle work route to owning skills. |
| Operator-Controlled Agent Team | Create multiple fully functional agents and control them manually. | Multi-agent setup and live operations route to owning skills. |
| Pro Agent Loop | Define and construct a generated loop. | Generated loop construction routes through houmao-agent-loop-pro. |
Common starting prompts:
| Prompt | Intent |
|---|---|
$houmao-touring help |
Read-only help. |
$houmao-touring |
Orientation request. |
$houmao-touring start a guided tour |
Orientation request. |
$houmao-touring orient me in this project |
Orientation request. |
$houmao-touring help me find the right starting path |
Orientation request. |
$houmao-touring create and operate one complete agent |
Single Agent Full Run. |
$houmao-touring create a manually controlled agent team |
Operator-Controlled Agent Team. |
$houmao-touring define a pro agent loop |
Pro Agent Loop. |
$houmao-touring explore Houmao by subsystem |
Subsystem exploration. |
Related skills and boundaries:
| Boundary | Rule |
|---|---|
| Tour scope | Orient, teach nearby concepts, infer likely next path, and route. |
| Direct work | Route project, credential, definition, runtime, gateway, mailbox, memory, inspection, lifecycle, workspace, and loop work to owning skills. |
| Non-goal | Do not use touring as a broad skill catalog or default router for ordinary narrow requests. |
Entry Contract
Classify the request before command execution.
| Intent | Trigger Shape | First Action |
|---|---|---|
| Help intent | User asks for help, usage, or available functionality. | Answer ## Help and stop. |
| Orientation request | User invokes $houmao-touring or asks to start/orient. |
Inspect current state, infer likely intent, offer best path plus alternatives. |
| Outcome request | User asks for one complete agent, a manual agent team, or a generated loop. | Inspect only safety-relevant state, then load branches/fast-paths.md. |
| Subsystem-exploration request | User asks for subsystem, component, internal, or working-logic exploration. | Load branches/subsystem-exploration.md. |
| Ordinary direct-operation request | User asks to create, launch, prompt, mail, inspect, stop, or clean up without asking for touring. | Do not activate touring; route to the owning skill. |
For orientation and outcome requests, inspect current state before choosing a welcome shape or branch. For subsystem exploration, do not start the first-agent setup path by default.
No-Prompt Entrypoint
Bare $houmao-touring is the system entrypoint for a user who may know nothing about Houmao.
Required sequence:
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Scan for existing Houmao project state. |
| 2 | Infer likely user intent from inspected state. |
| 3 | Introduce Houmao in the context of that state. |
| 4 | Present current posture, likely intent, next choices, and required input. |
| 5 | Wait for the user to confirm a path. |
Scan:
| Area | Inspection |
|---|---|
| Project | houmao-mgr project status |
| Definitions | houmao-mgr project specialist list; houmao-mgr project profile list when project state exists |
| Runtime | houmao-mgr agents global list |
| Live control | gateway, mailbox, and memory posture only when the selected next path needs them |
Intent Guess Matrix
| Inspected State | Likely Intent | First Choice |
|---|---|---|
| No project overlay | The user needs project foundation before agent workflows. | Create Houmao Project. |
| Project overlay exists, no specialists | The user is ready to define a launchable agent. | Single Agent Full Run, starting at agent definition. |
| Specialists or profiles exist, no running agents | The user is likely ready to launch and operate. | Single Agent Full Run, starting at launch readiness. |
| One running agent | The user likely wants to operate or inspect it. | Live operation choices inside Single Agent Full Run. |
| Multiple running agents | The user may want manual coordination. | Operator-Controlled Agent Team. |
| Existing loop artifacts or topology hints | The user may want generated orchestration. | Pro Agent Loop. |
| Component/internal/working-logic wording | The user wants component understanding. | Subsystem Exploration. |
The guess orders choices. It must not execute concrete setup, launch, prompt, mail, gateway, memory, lifecycle, workspace, or loop work without user confirmation.
Fast paths are project-ready choices. If no Houmao project overlay exists, do not present Single Agent Full Run, Operator-Controlled Agent Team, or Pro Agent Loop as selectable no-prompt choices. Say those choices become available after project creation.
No-Prompt Response Shape
Use a compact response with these parts:
| Part | Content |
|---|---|
| Intro | One sentence: Houmao creates, runs, inspects, and coordinates CLI-based AI agents with managed runtime, gateway, mailbox, memory, and loop support. |
| Current Posture | Compact project/definition/runtime/live-control status. |
| Likely Intent | The inferred path and why it fits. |
| Next Choices | Use the state-specific menu below. Without a project overlay, show exactly the three blank-workspace choices. With a project overlay, include the guessed path and Subsystem Exploration by name. |
| Required Input | Ask the user to pick a path, say inspect first, or say more detail. |
If inspection cannot run, report current posture as unknown and offer inspect first as the first choice.
No-Prompt Choice Menu
For bare $houmao-touring, choose the menu from project posture. Adapt wording to the inspected state, but do not hide or rename Subsystem Exploration.
Blank workspace, no Houmao project overlay:
| Choice | Intent | User Can Say | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create Houmao Project | Initialize the foundation required by agent workflows. | create project |
houmao-project-mgr |
| Subsystem Exploration | Understand Houmao by component area before creating state. | subsystems or a subsystem name |
branches/subsystem-exploration.md |
| Inspect | Show current directory, project, and runtime evidence without mutation. | inspect |
Read-only inspection |
In this state, show only these three choices. Do not show Fast Path Use Cases, Single Agent Full Run, Operator-Controlled Agent Team, or Pro Agent Loop until a Houmao project overlay exists.
Project-ready workspace, Houmao project overlay exists:
| Choice | Best For | User Can Say |
|---|---|---|
| Continue Likely Path | Follow the state-based guess. | continue |
| Fast Path Use Cases | Build useful Houmao workflows quickly. | single agent, team, or pro loop |
| Subsystem Exploration | Understand Houmao by component area. | subsystems or a subsystem name |
| Inspect First | See evidence before choosing. | inspect first |
Do not collapse the project-ready menu into only fast path choices. If space is tight, keep the guessed path, Subsystem Exploration, and inspect first.
Subsystem Exploration Choices
When the no-prompt entrypoint offers Subsystem Exploration, include a compact preview of component choices. Load branches/subsystem-exploration.md only after the user selects this path or names one subsystem.
| Choice | Subsystems | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Project State | Project overlay, Agent definition | Where Houmao state lives and how agents become launchable. |
| Runtime Control | Managed runtime, Gateway | How agents run, expose live control, and report lifecycle. |
| Communication | Messaging, Mailbox | How prompts, operator mail, inter-agent mail, and notifier work connect. |
| Context and Evidence | Memory, Inspection | How durable context and read-only evidence guide decisions. |
| Multi-Agent Structure | Workspace, Loop orchestration | How isolated work areas and generated loops organize teams. |
Keep this preview short. Use more detail or the branch page before expanding any subsystem.
Coverage Model
| Lane | Purpose | Branch |
|---|---|---|
| Fast path use cases | Outcome-driven routes for useful end-to-end work. | branches/fast-paths.md |
| Subsystem exploration | Component-oriented explanation for system understanding. | branches/subsystem-exploration.md |
Fast paths:
Precondition: a Houmao project overlay must exist. If missing, route Create Houmao Project through houmao-project-mgr, then return to fast-path selection after project setup.
| Use Case | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Single Agent Full Run | Project overlay, tool/credential readiness, specialist/profile setup, foreground-first launch, gateway, mailbox, notification, prompt, inspection, memory, reminders, lifecycle follow-up. |
| Operator-Controlled Agent Team | Multiple agents, per-agent gateway/mailbox, prompts, mail, notifier, inspection, memory, reminders, lifecycle. |
| Pro Agent Loop | houmao-agent-loop-pro, loop intent, roles, tree-loop/generic-loop, mailbox/runtime contracts, workspace preparation when needed, validation, launch, operation. |
Stages are posture labels, not a fixed route:
| Stage | Typical Nearby Work |
|---|---|
| Beginner | Project overlay, mailbox basics, tool/credential readiness, specialist/profile setup, launch, first prompt. |
| Intermediate | Prompt, inspect, memo/pages, mailbox, gateway mail-notifier, reminders, manual coordination, lifecycle. |
| Advanced | Pro loop, lite loop, topology choice, isolated workspace, generated loop operation. |
Presentation Rules
| Rule | Instruction |
|---|---|
| Compact by default | Report only result, critical status, next choices, and required input. |
| Tables | Prefer small Markdown tables for status and choices. Keep tables at four columns or fewer. |
| Language | Use concise language. Focus on intent and current posture. |
| Detail | Use more detail for command examples, raw evidence, passive server context, deeper TUI tracking behavior, or architecture detail. |
| Ownership | Route by user intent. Do not duplicate detailed behavior, command syntax, options, or validation rules owned by other Houmao skills. |
Presentation Examples
Operation result:
| Area | Example Content |
|---|---|
| Result | What changed or what was learned. |
| Status | The one or two state facts that matter now. |
| Next | Nearby choices, routed by intent. |
| Need | Input needed to continue, if any. |
Blank-workspace branch choices:
| Choice | Intent | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Create Houmao Project | Create the project foundation needed by later agent workflows. | houmao-project-mgr |
| Subsystem Exploration | Inspect Houmao by component area. | Load branches/subsystem-exploration.md. |
| Inspect | Show current evidence without mutation. | Read-only inspection. |
Project-ready branch choices:
| Choice | Intent | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Single Agent Full Run | Build and operate one complete agent. | Tour guides; concrete setup, launch, gateway, mail, memory, inspection, and lifecycle work route to owning skills. |
| Operator-Controlled Agent Team | Build and manually control multiple complete agents. | Tour guides; per-agent setup and live operations route to owning skills. |
| Pro Agent Loop | Generate a loop from roles and topology. | Route generated loop construction to houmao-agent-loop-pro. |
| Subsystem Exploration | Inspect Houmao by component area. | Load branches/subsystem-exploration.md. |
Welcome and Orientation
| State | Welcome Shape |
|---|---|
| Blank slate | Short Houmao intro, current posture, likely Create Houmao Project path, Subsystem Exploration, and Inspect. |
| Existing state | One short acknowledgement, current posture, state-aware next choices. |
| Recent welcome already given | Skip welcome; continue from current posture. |
Full blank-slate intro:
Welcome to Houmao. Houmao creates, runs, inspects, and coordinates CLI-based AI agents with managed runtime, gateway, mailbox, memory, and loop support.
Branches
| Branch | Use |
|---|---|
branches/orient.md |
Current posture and stage-aware action table. |
branches/fast-paths.md |
Single Agent Full Run, Operator-Controlled Agent Team, Pro Agent Loop. |
branches/subsystem-exploration.md |
Component-minded subsystem exploration. |
branches/quickstart.md |
Old quickstart wording; prefer Single Agent Full Run for complete fast path. |
branches/setup-project-and-mailbox.md |
Project overlay or mailbox basics. |
branches/author-and-launch.md |
Specialist/profile authoring or launching another agent. |
branches/live-operations.md |
Prompt, memo, mailbox, notifier, gateway, reminder, inspection, manual coordination. |
branches/advanced-usage.md |
Loop-lite, loop-pro tree/generic mode, isolated workspace guidance. |
branches/lifecycle-follow-up.md |
Inspect, stop, relaunch, join/adopt, cleanup follow-up. |
References
| Reference | Use |
|---|---|
references/question-style.md |
User-input questions with required/optional fields and examples. |
references/concepts.md |
Short vocabulary: specialist, profile, managed agent, gateway, mailbox, notifier round, memory, loop, workspace, relaunch, cleanup. |
Routing Guidance
| Intent | Owning Skill |
|---|---|
| Project overlay setup/explanation | houmao-project-mgr |
| Mailbox root/account/admin | houmao-mailbox-mgr |
| Credential readiness/content | houmao-credential-mgr |
| Specialist/profile/launch dossier/easy launch | houmao-agent-definition |
| Runtime inspection/evidence | houmao-agent-inspect |
| Prompt/interrupt/raw input/mailbox-routing entry | houmao-agent-messaging |
| Gateway lifecycle/watch/mail-notifier/reminders | houmao-agent-gateway |
| Mail send/read/reply/post/archive | houmao-agent-email-comms |
| One gateway-notified open-mail round | houmao-process-emails-via-gateway |
| Memo/pages/memo seed | houmao-memory-mgr |
| Lite loop authoring/execution | houmao-agent-loop-lite |
| Pro loop authoring/topology/execution | houmao-agent-loop-pro |
| Isolated workspace planning/creation/validation | houmao-utils-workspace-mgr |
| Elemental coordination pattern | houmao-adv-usage-pattern |
| Stop/relaunch/join/adopt/list/cleanup | houmao-agent-instance |
Present tree-loop and generic-loop as topology choices inside houmao-agent-loop-pro, not as separate skill packages.
Guardrails
| Guardrail | Rule |
|---|---|
| Activation | Do not activate unless the user explicitly asked for touring. |
| Catalog | Do not turn the tour into a full packaged-skill catalog. |
| State | Never restart from project initialization when current state exists. |
| Order | Inspect current state before welcome selection for orientation and outcome requests. |
| Ownership | Do not claim direct-operation command shapes. |
| Commands | Do not invent top-level houmao-mgr easy ... or houmao-mgr specialists ...; reusable definitions live under houmao-mgr project .... |
| Lifecycle | Keep stop, relaunch, and cleanup separate; never auto-run cleanup after stop. |
| Loops/workspaces | Keep loop topology, run-control, direct-SQL, workspace, and elemental protocol details on owning skills. |
| Packaging | Keep packaged touring content self-contained; do not reference development-repository-only paths. |