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multi-session-etiquette

Productivity
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MUST READ when a _peers advisory appears or multiple AI sessions are active in the same TouchDesigner project: advisory contract, claim leases, destructive gates, raw-file-edit visibility, division of labor.

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/dylanroscover/Embody/blob/HEAD/.claude/skills/multi-session-etiquette/SKILL.md

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Multi-Session Etiquette

Multiple AI sessions (Claude Code windows, other MCP clients) often work on the same TouchDesigner project at once -- same live network, same externalized files, same git tree. Envoy coordinates them; this rule is how you cooperate.

At session start

Call get_sessions once early. It lists every connected session (label, idle time, recent_scopes it modified, claims it holds, you = your own session id). If peers are active, prefer working in a subtree none of them touched recently.

Read the advisories -- they come to you

  • Any tool response may carry _peers: another session touched territory overlapping your request (op path or externalized file) within ~10 min.
  • conflict: false -- informational. Note it, re-read files before editing them, and avoid building on top of a peer's in-flight work.
  • conflict: true (a peer WROTE there within the last minute) is a HARD STOP. Do not keep mutating that scope. Check get_sessions, tell the user who is working there, and either divide the work (different subtrees) or get explicit user direction before proceeding.
  • A CONFLICT WARNING or MULTI-SESSION GATE line in _logs follows the same contract as a LAYOUT WARNING: never end a turn without addressing it.

Claim before big or destructive work

  • Before a large build, a refactor of a COMP subtree, or editing an externalized file, call claim_scope with the NARROWEST scope that covers the work and a short note ("rebuilding camera rig"): an op-path prefix (/project1/scene), a file (file:scripts/tools.py), or a special scope (project:tests before a test run).
  • Your own tool calls touching the scope renew the lease automatically; it expires on its TTL or when your session goes silent. release_scope when done is polite but never required for others to make progress.
  • If a claim is refused, the response names the holder, their note, and the expiry. Coordinate or work elsewhere -- do NOT retry in a loop.

Destructive operations are gated

  • delete_op, import_network with clear_first=True, run_tests, and batches containing them are REFUSED while a live peer holds a claim on the scope or wrote it within the last minute.
  • override=True exists for when you are CERTAIN -- e.g. the "peer" is the same user's stale session, or the user explicitly told you to proceed. Never override silently: state in your reply that you overrode and why.

Raw file edits are invisible to Envoy

  • Envoy only sees MCP traffic. Editing an externalized file with your own file tools (Edit/Write) leaves no touch record -- so before editing one, check get_sessions (does a peer claim it or list it in recent_scopes?) and claim it yourself (file:<repo-relative-path>) for the duration.
  • Re-read a file before editing whenever a peer's recent_scopes mentions it: your cached copy may be stale.

Division of labor

The cheapest coordination is spatial: agree (via the user) on separate COMP subtrees or file areas per session. Claims make that agreement visible and enforceable.