Skip to main content

Automode / RunMode

Penguin supports autonomous execution today through RunMode.

This surface is still under cleanup, but the current public contract is now explicit enough to document honestly.

Current public CLI truth​

  • --run <TASK_OR_PROJECT> starts autonomous execution for a specific task/project target.
  • --247 / --continuous starts continuous RunMode.
  • Continuous mode can also be entered without an explicit task target.
  • --time-limit <MIN> currently means an explicit CLI-supplied cap on RunMode duration; it should not be read as proof that blueprint/task/project-defined timing fields are surfaced equivalently through this CLI.

Two continuous-mode contracts exist today​

1. Project-scoped continuous mode​

When RunMode is operating in project scope, it works the ready frontier of project tasks.

Important behavior:

  • it may stop honestly when no tasks are ready
  • that is not a crash or silent failure
  • this is the correct outcome when the current project work frontier is exhausted

2. Non-project continuous mode​

When RunMode is used without project/task graph scope, it may continue exploratorily by determining next steps.

This mode is intentionally looser:

  • it is useful when the user has a direction but not a strict task graph
  • it should be understood as exploratory/autonomous continuation, not DAG-driven workflow execution
  • the expectation is that Penguin documents its progress/decisions in journals/context artifacts where appropriate

Clarification outcomes are non-terminal​

RunMode does not always end in simple completion.

It can also surface:

  • waiting for clarification / user input
  • explicit time-limit stop
  • honest idle/no-ready-work stop

That distinction matters. A clarification wait is not the same thing as successful completion.

Time-limit truth​

Current honest contract:

  • CLI --time-limit is passed through to RunMode
  • actual wall-clock enforcement exists in continuous mode
  • blueprint/task/project timing fields exist elsewhere in Penguin, but are not yet unified into a single public RunMode time-limit contract

For command syntax and examples, see:

  • docs/docs/usage/cli_commands.md

For current follow-up planning around RunMode command truth and loop ownership, see:

  • context/tasks/runmode-command-loop-audit.md
  • context/tasks/runmode-command-truth-pr1-checklist.md