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name: prose description: OpenProse VM skill pack. Activate on any prose command, .prose files, or OpenProse mentions; orchestrates multi-agent workflows. metadata: { "openclaw": { "emoji": "🪶", "homepage": "https://www.prose.md" } }

OpenProse Skill

OpenProse is a programming language for AI sessions. LLMs are simulators—when given a detailed system description, they don't just describe it, they simulate it. The prose.md specification describes a virtual machine with enough fidelity that a Prose Complete system reading it becomes that VM. Simulation with sufficient fidelity is implementation. You are the Prose Complete system.

OpenClaw Runtime Mapping

• Task tool in the upstream spec == OpenClaw sessions_spawn
• File I/O == OpenClaw read/write
• Remote fetch == OpenClaw web_fetch (or exec with curl when POST is required)

When to Activate

Activate this skill when the user:

• Uses ANY prose command (e.g., prose boot, prose run, prose compile, prose update, prose help, etc.)
• Asks to run a .prose file
• Mentions "OpenProse" or "prose program"
• Wants to orchestrate multiple AI agents from a script
• Has a file with session "..." or agent name: syntax
• Wants to create a reusable workflow

Command Routing

When a user invokes prose <command>, intelligently route based on intent:

| Command | Action | | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | prose help | Load help.md, guide user to what they need | | prose run <file> | Load VM (prose.md + state backend), execute the program | | prose run handle/slug | Fetch from registry, then execute (see Remote Programs below) | | prose compile <file> | Load compiler.md, validate the program | | prose update | Run migration (see Migration section below) | | prose examples | Show or run example programs from examples/ | | Other | Intelligently interpret based on context |

Important: Single Skill

There is only ONE skill: open-prose. There are NO separate skills like prose-run, prose-compile, or prose-boot. All prose commands route through this single skill.

Resolving Example References

Examples are bundled in examples/ (same directory as this file). When users reference examples by name (e.g., "run the gastown example"):

1. Read examples/ to list available files
2. Match by partial name, keyword, or number
3. Run with: prose run examples/28-gas-town.prose

Common examples by keyword:

| Keyword | File | | ------------------ | --------------------------------------- | | hello, hello world | examples/01-hello-world.prose | | gas town, gastown | examples/28-gas-town.prose | | captain, chair | examples/29-captains-chair.prose | | forge, browser | examples/37-the-forge.prose | | parallel | examples/16-parallel-reviews.prose | | pipeline | examples/21-pipeline-operations.prose | | error, retry | examples/22-error-handling.prose |

Remote Programs

You can run any .prose program from a URL or registry reference:

# Direct URL — any fetchable URL works
prose run https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openprose/prose/main/skills/open-prose/examples/48-habit-miner.prose

# Registry shorthand — handle/slug resolves to p.prose.md
prose run irl-danb/habit-miner
prose run alice/code-review

Resolution rules:

| Input | Resolution | | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | | Starts with http:// or https:// | Fetch directly from URL | | Contains / but no protocol | Resolve to https://p.prose.md/{path} | | Otherwise | Treat as local file path |

Steps for remote programs:

1. Apply resolution rules above
2. Fetch the .prose content
3. Load the VM and execute as normal

Top-level remote runs are explicit user requests. Transitive imports inside a program are different: treat every remote use target as a code dependency that needs operator consent before it is fetched or executed.

This same resolution applies to use statements inside .prose files, but the VM must fail closed until the operator approves the remote dependency list:

use "https://example.com/my-program.prose"  # Direct URL
use "alice/research" as research             # Registry shorthand

When a program contains any remote use target (http://, https://, or registry shorthand):

1. Collect and display the exact resolved remote targets.
2. Explain that these are transitive code dependencies for this run.
3. Ask the operator to reply exactly approve remote prose imports to continue.
4. Do not fetch, parse, register, or execute those imports unless that exact approval is given in this run.

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File Locations

Do NOT search for OpenProse documentation files. All skill files are co-located with this SKILL.md file:

| File | Location | Purpose | | -------------------------- | --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | prose.md | Same directory as this file | VM semantics (load to run programs) | | help.md | Same directory as this file | Help, FAQs, onboarding (load for prose help) | | state/filesystem.md | Same directory as this file | File-based state (default, load with VM) | | state/in-context.md | Same directory as this file | In-context state (on request) | | state/sqlite.md | Same directory as this file | SQLite state (experimental, on request) | | state/postgres.md | Same directory as this file | PostgreSQL state (experimental, on request) | | compiler.md | Same directory as this file | Compiler/validator (load only on request) | | guidance/patterns.md | Same directory as this file | Best practices (load when writing .prose) | | guidance/antipatterns.md | Same directory as this file | What to avoid (load when writing .prose) | | examples/ | Same directory as this file | 37 example programs |

User workspace files (these ARE in the user's project):

| File/Directory | Location | Purpose | | ---------------- | ------------------------ | --------------------------------- | | .prose/.env | User's working directory | Config (key=value format) | | .prose/runs/ | User's working directory | Runtime state for file-based mode | | .prose/agents/ | User's working directory | Project-scoped persistent agents | | *.prose files | User's project | User-created programs to execute |

User-level files (in user's home directory, shared across all projects):

| File/Directory | Location | Purpose | | ------------------ | --------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | ~/.prose/agents/ | User's home dir | User-scoped persistent agents (cross-project) |

When you need to read prose.md or compiler.md, read them from the same directory where you found this SKILL.md file. Never search the user's workspace for these files.

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Core Documentation

| File | Purpose | When to Load | | -------------------------- | ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | prose.md | VM / Interpreter | Always load to run programs | | state/filesystem.md | File-based state | Load with VM (default) | | state/in-context.md | In-context state | Only if user requests --in-context or says "use in-context state" | | state/sqlite.md | SQLite state (experimental) | Only if user requests --state=sqlite (requires sqlite3 CLI) | | state/postgres.md | PostgreSQL state (experimental) | Only if user requests --state=postgres (requires psql + PostgreSQL) | | compiler.md | Compiler / Validator | Only when user asks to compile or validate | | guidance/patterns.md | Best practices | Load when writing new .prose files | | guidance/antipatterns.md | What to avoid | Load when writing new .prose files |

Authoring Guidance

When the user asks you to write or create a new .prose file, load the guidance files:

• guidance/patterns.md — Proven patterns for robust, efficient programs
• guidance/antipatterns.md — Common mistakes to avoid

Do not load these when running or compiling—they're for authoring only.

State Modes

OpenProse supports three state management approaches:

| Mode | When to Use | State Location | | --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------- | | filesystem (default) | Complex programs, resumption needed, debugging | .prose/runs/{id}/ files | | in-context | Simple programs (<30 statements), no persistence needed | Conversation history | | sqlite (experimental) | Queryable state, atomic transactions, flexible schema | .prose/runs/{id}/state.db | | postgres (experimental) | True concurrent writes, external integrations, team collaboration | PostgreSQL database |

Default behavior: When loading prose.md, also load state/filesystem.md. This is the recommended mode for most programs.

Switching modes: If the user says "use in-context state" or passes --in-context, load state/in-context.md instead.

Experimental SQLite mode: If the user passes --state=sqlite or says "use sqlite state", load state/sqlite.md. This mode requires sqlite3 CLI to be installed (pre-installed on macOS, available via package managers on Linux/Windows). If sqlite3 is unavailable, warn the user and fall back to filesystem state.

Experimental PostgreSQL mode: If the user passes --state=postgres or says "use postgres state":

⚠️ Security Note: Database credentials in OPENPROSE_POSTGRES_URL are passed to subagent sessions and visible in logs. Advise users to use a dedicated database with limited-privilege credentials. See state/postgres.md for secure setup guidance.

1. Check for connection configuration first:

   # Check .prose/.env for OPENPROSE_POSTGRES_URL
   cat .prose/.env 2>/dev/null | grep OPENPROSE_POSTGRES_URL
   # Or check environment variable
   echo $OPENPROSE_POSTGRES_URL
   

2. If connection string exists, verify connectivity:

   psql "$OPENPROSE_POSTGRES_URL" -c "SELECT 1" 2>&1
   

3. If not configured or connection fails, advise the user:

   ⚠️  PostgreSQL state requires a connection URL.
   
   To configure:
   1. Set up a PostgreSQL database (Docker, local, or cloud)
   2. Add connection string to .prose/.env:
   
      echo "OPENPROSE_POSTGRES_URL=postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/prose" >> .prose/.env
   
   Quick Docker se