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wire-in: StrategyPlanner → skill_router for plan-time skill resolution (ADR-006) #7268

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wire-in: StrategyPlanner → skill_router for plan-time skill resolution (ADR-006)#7268
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architecturebackendnot-wiredImplemented but not connected to apppriority: mediumtech-debt

Description

@mrveiss
mrveiss
opened on May 8, 2026

Discovered during

ADR-006 drafting (2026-05-08) — articulating AutoBot's task-decomposition flow and finding that the live planner (StrategyPlanner) and the live skill resolver (skill_router) are not connected.

Finding

enhanced_orchestration.workflow_planning.StrategyPlanner is AutoBot's actively-used workflow planner (instantiated at orchestrator.py:251, consumed by workflow_runner.py:38). It produces WorkflowPlan objects whose steps target agents by AgentCapability via a static CAPABILITY_MAPPING.

Meanwhile, skills/builtin/skill_router.py is a 3-phase meta-skill that resolves a task description to a concrete BaseSkill:

  1. Phase 1 — keyword scoring against registered skills
  2. Phase 2 — LLM re-ranking of top-K candidates
  3. Phase 3 — gap-fill via skill-researcher + autonomous-skill-development + governance

StrategyPlanner does not import or call skill_router. WorkflowExecutor does not either. As a result:

  • The SkillRegistry is invisible to the planner
  • Capability gaps surface only at execution time (after planning has committed)
  • The Phase 3 learning loop (skill-researcher → autonomous-skill-development) is dormant for the planning path

Decision context

ADR-006: Skill-Bound Planning articulates the target state: the planner consults skill_router per step at plan time, binding each step to a concrete (skill_name, action) before the plan is finalized. Phase 3 is the learning loop that fills capability gaps.

This issue is the wire-in to realize ADR-006 against the active planner.

Sibling issue

#6820 tracks the orphan orchestration/workflow_planner.py (282 LOC, zero production callers — the dead twin of StrategyPlanner). #6820's resolution (wire-in or retire) is independent of this issue. Do not confuse the two; the active planner this issue targets is StrategyPlanner.

Acceptance criteria

  • StrategyPlanner.build_workflow_plan (or a successor method) iterates each produced step and resolves it via skill_router.execute("route", {"task": <step intent>})
  • Resolved (skill_name, action) is attached to the step (new field on the active WorkflowStep / AgentTask shape; coordinate with refactor: unify 5 duplicate WorkflowStep/Task/Plan definitions + add first-class prompt/tools fields #6951 follow-ups before adding the field)
  • When skill_router Phase 3 fires (no skill match), the planner handles the response per ADR-006 — preferred default is async (return WorkflowPlan in BLOCKED_ON_SKILL_GENERATION state with pending_skill_id)
  • WorkflowExecutor consumes the bound plan: per step, SkillRegistry.get(skill_name).execute(action, params) is invoked instead of (or in addition to) capability-based agent dispatch
  • Integration test: a known-skill task plans and executes end-to-end through the new path
  • Integration test: an unknown-capability task triggers Phase 3, demonstrates the learning loop synthesizing and registering a skill, then completes execution
  • ADR-006 status flipped from "Proposed" to "Accepted" at merge

Open questions (from ADR-006, must resolve before/during implementation)

  1. Sync vs async gap-fill default — async preferred, but executor needs a resume path
  2. skill_router cache policy — per-session, per-tenant, or global? Invalidation on new skill registration?
  3. Behavior when previously-resolved skill is removed/disabled between plan and execution — re-route at execution time, or fail the step?

Dependencies

  • #6951 follow-ups must settle before adding a skill_name field to the canonical step type — otherwise the field is added to the wrong class. Specifically, #7121 (lifecycle methods on canonical) is the most relevant precondition.
  • #6820 (orphan workflow_planner.py) is independent but should not be conflated with this work.

Priority

P2 — no current functional regression, but blocks the planning path from benefiting from the existing skill-routing + learning-loop infrastructure. Realizes ADR-006.

Related

  • ADR-006: docs/adr/006-skill-bound-planning.md
  • Wire-in 2 (separate, smaller): adding optional skill_hint field to WorkflowTemplate step shape so authored templates can pre-bind skills (skips skill_router lookup for known mappings). May be filed separately if this issue scope grows.

Activity

  1. mrveiss
    added
    priority: medium
    backend
    architecture
    tech-debt
    not-wiredImplemented but not connected to app
    on May 8, 2026

  2. mrveiss commented on May 8, 2026

    @mrveiss
    mrveiss
    on May 8, 2026
    OwnerAuthor

    Design-blocker resolution (ADR-006 → Accepted)

    The three open questions identified at filing time are now resolved in ADR-006. Status flipped from Proposed → Accepted.

    Q1: Sync vs async gap-fill default → ASYNC

    • Planner attaches pending_skill_id to affected step, returns WorkflowPlan in BLOCKED_ON_SKILL_GENERATION state
    • Executor subscribes to Redis pub-sub channel skill_promoted; on matching pending_skill_id, plan transitions RUNNABLE and resumes
    • Sync mode available behind flag PLAN_SYNC_GAP_FILL=true for batch / offline use cases

    Q2: skill_router cache policy → PER-TENANT, 1h TTL, registry-change invalidation

    Q3: Behavior when bound skill is unavailable at execute time → LATE RE-BIND, no Phase 3 at execute time

    • Executor re-routes via skill_router (Phase 1+2 only — keyword + LLM re-rank)
    • Plan-time binding is a hint, not a contract
    • Audit event emitted on re-bind
    • If Phase 1+2 also fails (would require fresh Phase 3 gap-fill at execute time), step fails with structured error (original skill, attempted re-route, gap)
    • Phase 3 (research → synthesize → govern) remains a planning-time concern by design

    Dependencies update:

    Implementation can now proceed. The skill_name / skill_action / pending_skill_id field additions go on canonical autobot_shared/workflow/types.py:WorkflowTask (per #7121 close). All aliases inherit automatically.

  3. mrveiss
    added 3 commits that reference this issue on May 10, 2026

    feat(orchestration/planner): wire StrategyPlanner → skill_router for …

    5e69054

    feat(orchestration/planner): wire StrategyPlanner → skill_router for …

    72f2580

    feat(orchestration/planner): wire StrategyPlanner → skill_router for …

    ba934a7

  4. mrveiss commented on May 10, 2026

    @mrveiss
    mrveiss
    on May 10, 2026
    OwnerAuthor

    Phase 1 landed — ba934a72f (PR #7432)

    This issue stays OPEN. Phase 1 satisfies 2 of the 7 acceptance criteria; Phases 2 and 3 (filed as #7430 and #7431) cover the remaining 5.

    Phase 1 scope (now done)

    • ✅ StrategyPlanner.build_workflow_plan iterates each step and resolves it via skill_router.execute("find_skill", {"task": …, "dry_run": True})
    • ✅ Resolved (skill_name, action, method) attached to canonical WorkflowTask (3 new fields, defaults None)

    Conservative defaults chosen (deferring the 3 open ADR-006 questions)

    Open question Phase 1 choice
    Sync vs async gap-fill Neither at plan time (dry_run=True) — gap-fill is Phase 3's (#7431) async-resume problem
    Cache policy Per-planner (lazy-init + cache for planner lifetime) — per-session/per-tenant nuance is #7431
    Removed-skill behavior Deferred to Phase 2 (#7430) — executor will check at dispatch time

    Remaining acceptance criteria

    When this issue closes

    Once #7430 and #7431 land, this issue closes with a roll-up proof comment (commit hashes for all 3 PRs + ADR-006 status update). Don't close before then — Phase 1 alone leaves the bound skill_name field unread by the executor, which is partial wire-in.

    7 regression tests on Phase 1 pin the contract for Phase 2/3 to extend safely:

    • WorkflowTask field surface
    • build_workflow_plan async signature
    • dry_run=True always passed (no auto-enable at plan time — load-bearing for Phase 3 design)
    • Success populates fields; failure/exception/missing-router leaves None (legacy fallback intact)
  5. mrveiss
    added 2 commits that reference this issue on May 10, 2026

    feat(orchestration/executor): wire skill_name dispatch into WorkflowE…

    1df2f00

    feat(orchestration/executor): wire skill_name dispatch into WorkflowE…

    e7efc6a

  6. mrveiss commented on May 10, 2026

    @mrveiss
    mrveiss
    on May 10, 2026
    OwnerAuthor

    Phase 2 landed — e7efc6a61 (PR #7468)

    5 of 7 acceptance criteria on this issue now met. Issue stays OPEN until #7431 (Phase 3 async gap-fill resume) ships.

    Phase 2 scope (now done — see #7430 closure)

    • ✅ WorkflowExecutor (WorkflowRunner._execute_single_agent_task) checks task.skill_name first; if set, dispatches via SkillRegistry.get(skill_name).execute(action, params) instead of the capability-based agent path
    • ✅ ADR-006 Q3 resolved: skill-bound execution replaces agent dispatch (chosen over "alongside") and missing/disabled skills at execute time fail the step (chosen over "re-route") so plans can be re-planned upstream cleanly

    Wire-in now complete plan-time → execute-time

    StrategyPlanner.build_workflow_plan          (#7268 Phase 1, ba934a72f)
  → skill_router.execute("find_skill", dry_run=True)
  → task.skill_name / skill_action / skill_resolution_method populated

WorkflowRunner._execute_single_agent_task    (#7430 Phase 2, e7efc6a61)
  → if task.skill_name: _dispatch_via_skill(task, context)
       → SkillRegistry.get(skill_name)  (validate registered+enabled, else fail)
       → await skill.execute(skill_action, enhanced_inputs)
  → else: legacy capability-based agent dispatch (unchanged)

    Acceptance progress (cumulative)

    Testing — 12 regression tests now pin the contract across both phases

    • 7 in workflow_planning_test.py (Phase 1 surfaces)
    • 5 in workflow_runner_test.py (Phase 2 dispatch paths)
    • All 12 pass; full workflow_runner_test.py 11/11 pass with no regressions on the 6 existing tests

    What's left

    #7431 needs owner input on:

    1. Cache policy for skill_router (per-session vs per-tenant vs global)
    2. Sync vs async gap-fill default (Phase 1 picked async-via-blocked-state; feat(orchestration/planner): async gap-fill resume path for blocked plans (#7268 Phase 3) #7431 implementation still owes the worker resume path)

    Once #7431 ships, this issue closes with a roll-up proof comment for all 3 PRs (#7432 + #7468 + the eventual #7431 PR) + ADR-006 status update.

  7. mrveiss
    added 3 commits that reference this issue on May 11, 2026

    feat(workflow): add pending_skill_id field for async gap-fill marker (#…

    c72bf92

    feat(skills): pending_skills registry + trigger_gap_fill helper (#7431)

    b0eaefc

    feat(workflow): #7431 Phase 3 — async gap-fill resume path for blocke…

    428bff2

  8. mrveiss commented on May 16, 2026

    @mrveiss
    mrveiss
    on May 16, 2026
    OwnerAuthor

    ✅ Closed: merged in PR #7760 (commit 972f7b1).

    Acceptance Criteria Met:

    • ✅ ADR-006 Skill-Bound Planning document added to docs/adr/
    • ✅ ADR format followed with context, decision, consequences, and status fields
    • ✅ Merged to Dev_new_gui branch
  9. mrveiss
    closed this as completedon May 16, 2026

  10. mrveiss commented on May 16, 2026

    @mrveiss
    mrveiss
    on May 16, 2026
    OwnerAuthor

    Integration tests for Phases 2+3 are now merged to Dev_new_gui.

    Commit: 0ef0ae0 — test(enhanced_orchestration): Phase 2+3 integration tests for GH#7268 — merged via PR #7770 at 2026-05-16T13:33:44Z

    Tests cover:

    • Phase 2: skill dispatch via SkillRegistry (4 tests including E2E execute_workflow with skill-bound plan)
    • Phase 3: unknown-capability → BLOCKED plan → try_resume_blocked_plan → execution (5 tests)
    • BlockedPlanResumer event handling (2 tests)

    Note: GH#7268 was already closed by ADR-006 PR #7760. This comment records completion of the integration test deliverable tracked in MVA-419.

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