Autonomous Mode

ArcheFlow runs can work through several tasks without a person watching each step. The quality gates are LLM reviewers, so two settings stay with the user:

• Permission mode. Agents inherit the session's permission mode. The skill never asks for a bypass mode; if the user wants fewer prompts, they choose that when starting the session.
• Merging. A run merges into the base branch only with the user's yes, or when git.auto_merge: true is set in .archeflow/config.yaml and the user confirmed it once in this session (the file can come with the repository; see archeflow:run, Merge). Without either, an unattended run ends with status awaiting_merge and the reviewed work waits on its branch.
• Tasks from files. Tasks in .archeflow/queue.md can come with the repository. Before the first task, show the user every task line from the file (full text, including done: conditions) and get a yes for the list; a task or line added later needs a new yes. A done: condition that names a command (load_test.sh passes) is run only if the user approved that exact command in this session; otherwise treat the condition as unmet and report it.

Task Queue Formats

Inline:

1. "Fix the login bug" (fast)
2. "Add user profile page" (standard)

From file (.archeflow/queue.md):

- [ ] Fix the login bug | fast
- [ ] Add user profile page | standard | depends: fix login
- [ ] Security audit | thorough | done: Guardian approves AND load_test.sh passes

Tasks with depends: wait for the named task to complete. Tasks with done: have completion criteria checked in the Act phase.

Safety Mechanisms

Automatic Stop Conditions

• 3 consecutive failures: Something systemic is wrong
• Test suite broken: archeflow-rollback.sh reverts the run's merge commit; halt
• Budget exceeded: Stop at limit
• Shadow escalation: Same shadow detected 3+ times across tasks
• Destructive action detected: Force push, branch deletion, schema drop

Everything is Reversible

• Code lives on run branches until merged (with confirmation or git.auto_merge: true)
• Merges are --no-ff by default (one revertable merge commit per run)
• Failed tasks leave branches intact for inspection

User Controls

• Cancel: Kill session, incomplete work stays on branches
• Pause: Stop after current task, resume later
• Skip: Move to next task
• Review: Read .archeflow/session-log.md for progress

Session Log

Every session writes to .archeflow/session-log.md with per-task entries:

• Workflow, status, cycles, reviewer verdicts
• Files changed, tests added
• Branch and commit info
• Duration and timestamps
• Session summary at the end

Budget-Aware Scheduling

Auto-Resume

On interruption the state is on disk: the event log (.archeflow/events/<run_id>.jsonl), the artifacts, and the run branch (archeflow-git.sh status <run_id>). On the next session, offer to resume with /archeflow:run --start-from <phase> or to start fresh.