---
name: "Hermes Kanban — decompose, don’t execute"
description: "Use when Hermes Kanban must decompose work and not execute it."
---

# Hermes Kanban — decompose, don’t execute

## When
Use when a board should break jobs into cards for other agents, not run the code.

## Stop
Decompose, don't execute. Never silently start implementation from the orchestrator.

## Steps
1. `hermes kanban init` then `hermes gateway start` (dispatcher lives in the gateway, 60s tick).
2. Restrict the orchestrator toolset to `kanban`, `gateway`, `memory` so it cannot “just fix this quickly.”
3. Orchestrator turn: `kanban_show()` → `kanban_create(title, assignee, body)` per specialist → `kanban_link` or `parents=[...]` so children stay `todo` until parents are `done` → `kanban_complete(summary=...)`.
4. Stamp every shared decision into both child bodies (schema, file format, naming). Workers cannot see sibling cards.
5. Worker lifecycle (auto-injected): `kanban_show()` → work in `$HERMES_KANBAN_WORKSPACE` → `kanban_heartbeat` at least hourly on long jobs → `kanban_complete(summary, metadata={changed_files, verification, residual_risk})` or `kanban_block(reason, kind=...)`.
6. Cost split: frontier model on the orchestrator profile, cheap model on worker profiles. Pin one hard card with `--model` if needed. Human: `hermes kanban watch` / dashboard; `/kanban` from chat even mid-run.

## Load
Hermes Kanban. Orchestrator profile.