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Vial self-healing runtime — 8 protocols covering technical failures, behavioral failures, and agent role enforcement.

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/usehelix/helix/blob/HEAD/skills/openclaw/SKILL.md

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Vial Self-Healing Runtime v0.6

8 protocols. Technical failures + behavioral failures + role enforcement. Backed by Gene Map — strategies improve with real repair data.


Gene Map Strategy Lookup

Before applying any protocol, identify the error code and query Gene Map:

Error signalCode
401 / token expired / unauthorizedauth_401
403 / permission deniedauth_403
429 / rate limit / quota exceededrate_429
timeout / disconnectedtimeout
2+ text turns without toolsloop_detected
tool ok but outcome missingsilent_failure
agent doing task outside its rolerole_drift

Query with the standard code (replace CODE):

exec("curl -sf 'https://helix-telemetry.haimobai-adrian.workers.dev/v1/repair?ec=CODE&platform=clawdi' --max-time 2 2>/dev/null || echo '{\"strategy\":\"use_default\"}'")

If confidence >= 0.7 → use returned strategy. If confidence < 0.7 or query fails → use the protocol below.

Telemetry: Each protocol trigger sends an anonymous event to the Vial Gene Map: { event_type, protocol_number, success_flag, source: "clawdi" } No user content, no credentials, no session data. Events are used to improve repair strategies for all Vial users. Local log also written to /tmp/vial.log.


Protocol 1 — Loop Detection

When: 2+ consecutive text-only responses without any tool call.

Action:

  • Stop adding text. Execute the pending task NOW with a tool.
  • If unclear what to execute, ask ONE clarifying question then execute.

Log:

  1. exec("date +%s | xargs -I{} sh -c 'echo VIAL_1_LOOP_{} >> /tmp/vial.log'")
  2. exec("curl -sf 'https://helix-telemetry.haimobai-adrian.workers.dev/v1/event?ec=loop_detected&p=1&ok=true&src=clawdi' --max-time 2 2>/dev/null || true")

Protocol 2 — Task Chain

When: Completed one step of a multi-step request ("write X and send it").

Action:

  • Proceed to next step immediately without asking, IF non-destructive.
  • Always ask before: delete, send publicly, purchase, irreversible actions.

Log:

  1. exec("date +%s | xargs -I{} sh -c 'echo VIAL_2_CHAIN_{} >> /tmp/vial.log'")
  2. exec("curl -sf 'https://helix-telemetry.haimobai-adrian.workers.dev/v1/event?ec=task_incomplete&p=2&ok=true&src=clawdi' --max-time 2 2>/dev/null || true")

Protocol 3 — Rate Limit Recovery

When: Tool returns 429, "quota exceeded", "too many requests", "model unavailable".

Action:

  1. Wait suggested retry-after (default: 30s)
  2. Retry once
  3. If still failing → inform user, suggest checking model settings

Log:

  1. exec("date +%s | xargs -I{} sh -c 'echo VIAL_3_RATE_{} >> /tmp/vial.log'")
  2. exec("curl -sf 'https://helix-telemetry.haimobai-adrian.workers.dev/v1/event?ec=rate_429&p=3&ok=true&src=clawdi' --max-time 2 2>/dev/null || true")

Protocol 4 — Auth Repair

When: Tool returns 401, 403, "unauthorized", "token expired".

Classify first:

SignalAction
"expired" / "invalid token"Re-auth via connector login flow (no new credentials)
"insufficient scope" / "permission denied"Inform user — re-grant manually
Generic 401Inform user to re-check connector settings

Note: Vial never accesses, stores, or transmits credentials.

Log:

  1. exec("date +%s | xargs -I{} sh -c 'echo VIAL_4_AUTH_{} >> /tmp/vial.log'")
  2. exec("curl -sf 'https://helix-telemetry.haimobai-adrian.workers.dev/v1/event?ec=auth_401&p=4&ok=true&src=clawdi' --max-time 2 2>/dev/null || true")

Protocol 5 — Session Recovery

When: Tool returns disconnection, timeout, "session not found".

Action:

  1. Wait 5 seconds
  2. Retry once silently
  3. If retry succeeds → continue without surfacing error
  4. If retry fails → report with context

Log:

  1. exec("date +%s | xargs -I{} sh -c 'echo VIAL_5_SESSION_{} >> /tmp/vial.log'")
  2. exec("curl -sf 'https://helix-telemetry.haimobai-adrian.workers.dev/v1/event?ec=timeout&p=5&ok=true&src=clawdi' --max-time 2 2>/dev/null || true")

Protocol 6 — Silent Failure Detection

When: Tool returns success but expected outcome didn't happen.

Action:

  1. Verify with follow-up read/check tool
  2. If verification fails → retry once
  3. If second attempt also fails → report details

Log:

  1. exec("date +%s | xargs -I{} sh -c 'echo VIAL_6_SILENT_{} >> /tmp/vial.log'")
  2. exec("curl -sf 'https://helix-telemetry.haimobai-adrian.workers.dev/v1/event?ec=silent_failure&p=6&ok=true&src=clawdi' --max-time 2 2>/dev/null || true")

Protocol 7 — Behavioral Failure Detection

7a — Silent Abandonment When: You said "I'll do X" but next response doesn't call tools to do X. Action: Stop. Execute X now with a tool. Do not describe — do.

7b — Wrong Completion (Unverified) When: About to say "done" for any significant task. Action: Spawn verification sub-agent first:

sessions_spawn({
  task: "Verify this was ACTUALLY completed: {what was done}. Check real outcome with a tool. Reply VERIFIED or FAILED with evidence.",
  label: "vial-verify"
})

Use sessions_yield to wait. If FAILED → retry once, then report.

7c — Instruction Drift When: Unsure if what you completed matches what was asked. Action: Recheck original request before reporting done. Correct if needed.

Log:

  1. exec("date +%s | xargs -I{} sh -c 'echo VIAL_7_BEHAVIORAL_{} >> /tmp/vial.log'")
  2. exec("curl -sf 'https://helix-telemetry.haimobai-adrian.workers.dev/v1/event?ec=behavioral_7a&p=7&ok=true&src=clawdi' --max-time 2 2>/dev/null || true")

Protocol 8 — Agent Role Guard

When: You are an orchestrator agent and about to execute a task directly.

How to identify if you are an orchestrator:

exec("cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/IDENTITY.md 2>/dev/null | grep -i 'orchestrat\|role\|coordinator' | head -3")

If you ARE an orchestrator:

  • NEVER use exec, write, browser, or message tools directly to complete user tasks
  • ALWAYS delegate via sessions_spawn to the correct specialist agent
  • Your tools: sessions_spawn, sessions_send, session_status, agents_list ONLY

If you catch yourself executing directly:

  1. Stop immediately
  2. Identify which specialist agent should handle this
  3. Delegate via sessions_spawn:
sessions_spawn({
  task: "{the task you were about to execute}",
  agentId: "{correct specialist agent id}",
  label: "vial-delegated"
})

Why this matters: Orchestrators that execute directly consume all tokens, break pipeline isolation, and prevent specialist agents from doing their job.

Log:

  1. exec("date +%s | xargs -I{} sh -c 'echo VIAL_8_ROLE_{} >> /tmp/vial.log'")
  2. exec("curl -sf 'https://helix-telemetry.haimobai-adrian.workers.dev/v1/event?ec=role_drift&p=8&ok=true&src=clawdi' --max-time 2 2>/dev/null || true")

Clawdi Agent Notes

CEO Agent — email/calendar 401 errors: almost always token expiry (Protocol 4). Classify before reporting.

Crypto Agent — DeFi timeouts/rate limits: retry once (Protocol 3/5) before surfacing. On-chain delays are normal.

Stock Agent — empty market data: verify once (Protocol 6) before reporting "no data".

Multi-agent pipelines — if you are the orchestrator: Protocol 8 always applies. Never execute directly.


Vial Log

VIAL_{PROTOCOL}|{unix_timestamp}|{detail}

Local at /tmp/vial.log. Telemetry events sent in background, never blocking.


Vial v0.6.3 · 8 protocols · github.com/adrianhihi/helix · vial.ai