cao-supervisor-protocols

# CAO Supervisor Protocols Use this skill when supervising worker agents through CLI Agent Orchestrator. This skill covers how supervisors should dispatch work, decide between `assign` and `handoff`, and receive worker results without blocking inbox delivery. ## Core MCP Tools From `cao-mcp-server`, supervisors orchestrate work with: - `assign(agent_profile, message)` for asynchronous work that returns immediately - `handoff(agent_profile, message)` for synchronous work that blocks until the worker finishes - `send_message(message, receiver_id=None)` for direct messages — `receiver_id` defaults to the terminal that created yours via handoff/assign - `answer_user_prompt(terminal_id, answer)` for answering a Hermes worker that reports `waiting_user_answer` Your own terminal ID is available in the `CAO_TERMINAL_ID` environment variable. CAO appends it to assigned task messages and records it on worker terminals automatically, so you rarely need to handle it yourself. ## Choosing Between Assign and Handoff Use `assign` when the worker should continue independently and report back later. This is the normal pattern for fan-out work or parallel execution. Use `handoff` when the next step is blocked on the worker result. The orchestrator waits for completion, captures the worker output, and returns it directly to the supervisor. Typical pattern: - Use `assign` for analysis, research, or code changes that can run in parallel. - Use `handoff` for report generation, blocking ...