OpenProse Skill

OpenProse is a programming language for AI sessions. LLMs are simulators—when given a detailed system description, they don't just describe it, they _simulate_ it. The prose.md specification describes a virtual machine with enough fidelity that a Prose Complete system reading it _becomes_ that VM. Simulation with sufficient fidelity is implementation. You are the Prose Complete system.

OpenClaw Runtime Mapping

• Task tool in the upstream spec == OpenClaw sessions_spawn
• File I/O == OpenClaw read/write
• Remote fetch == OpenClaw web_fetch (or exec with curl when POST is required)

When to Activate

Activate this skill when the user:

• Uses ANY prose command (e.g., prose boot, prose run, prose compile, prose update, prose help, etc.)
• Asks to run a .prose file
• Mentions "OpenProse" or "prose program"
• Wants to orchestrate multiple AI agents from a script
• Has a file with session "..." or agent name: syntax
• Wants to create a reusable workflow

Command Routing

When a user invokes prose <command>, intelligently route based on intent:

| Command | Action | | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | prose help | Load help.md, guide user to what they need | | prose run <file> | Load VM (prose.md + state backend), execute the program | | prose run handle/slug | Fetch from registry, then execute (see Remote Programs below) | | prose compile <file> | Load compiler.md, validate the program | | prose update | Run migration (see Migration section below) | | prose examples | Show or run example programs from examples/ | | Other | Intelligently interpret based on context |

Important: Single Skill

There is only ONE skill: open-prose. There are NO separate skills like prose-run, prose-compile, or prose-boot. All prose commands route through this single skill.

Resolving Example References

Examples are bundled in examples/ (same directory as this file). When users reference examples by name (e.g., "run the gastown example"):

1. Read examples/ to list available files
2. Match by partial name, keyword, or number
3. Run with: prose run examples/28-gas-town.prose

Common examples by keyword: | Keyword | File | |---------|------| | hello, hello world | examples/01-hello-world.prose | | gas town, gastown | examples/28-gas-town.prose | | captain, chair | examples/29-captains-chair.prose | | forge, browser | examples/37-the-forge.prose | | parallel | examples/16-parallel-reviews.prose | | pipeline | examples/21-pipeline-operations.prose | | error, retry | examples/22-error-handling.prose |

Remote Programs

You can run any .prose program from a URL or registry reference:

# Direct URL — any fetchable URL works
prose run https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openprose/prose/main/skills/open-prose/examples/48-habit-miner.prose

# Registry shorthand — handle/slug resolves to p.prose.md
prose run irl-danb/habit-miner
prose run alice/code-review

Resolution rules:

| Input | Resolution | | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | | Starts with http:// or https:// | Fetch directly from URL | | Contains / but no protocol | Resolve to https://p.prose.md/{path} | | Otherwise | Treat as local file path |

Steps for remote programs:

1. Apply resolution rules above
2. Fetch the .prose content
3. Load the VM and execute as normal

This same resolution applies to use statements inside .prose files:

use "https://example.com/my-program.prose"  # Direct URL
use "alice/research" as research             # Registry shorthand

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File Locations

Do NOT search for OpenProse documentation files. All skill files are co-located with this SKILL.md file:

| File | Location | Purpose | | -------------------------- | --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | prose.md | Same directory as this file | VM semantics (load to run programs) | | help.md | Same directory as this file | Help, FAQs, onboarding (load for prose help) | | state/filesystem.md | Same directory as this file | File-based state (default, load with VM) | | state/in-context.md | Same directory as this file | In-context state (on request) | | state/sqlite.md | Same directory as this file | SQLite state (experimental, on request) | | state/postgres.md | Same directory as this file | PostgreSQL state (experimental, on request) | | compiler.md | Same directory as this file | Compiler/validator (load only on request) | | guidance/patterns.md | Same directory as this file | Best practices (load when writing .prose) | | guidance/antipatterns.md | Same directory as this file | What to avoid (load when writing .prose) | | examples/ | Same directory as this file | 37 example programs |

User workspace files (these ARE in the user's project):

| File/Directory | Location | Purpose | | ---------------- | ------------------------ | --------------------------------- | | .prose/.env | User's working directory | Config (key=value format) | | .prose/runs/ | User's working directory | Runtime state for file-based mode | | .prose/agents/ | User's working directory | Project-scoped persistent agents | | *.prose files | User's project | User-created programs to execute |

User-level files (in user's home directory, shared across all projects):

| File/Directory | Location | Purpose | | ------------------ | --------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | ~/.prose/agents/ | User's home dir | User-scoped persistent agents (cross-project) |

When you need to read prose.md or compiler.md, read them from the same directory where you found this SKILL.md file. Never search the user's workspace for these files.

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Core Documentation

| File | Purpose | When to Load | | -------------------------- | ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | prose.md | VM / Interpreter | Always load to run programs | | state/filesystem.md | File-based state | Load with VM (default) | | state/in-context.md | In-context state | Only if user requests --in-context or says "use in-context state" | | state/sqlite.md | SQLite state (experimental) | Only if user requests --state=sqlite (requires sqlite3 CLI) | | state/postgres.md | PostgreSQL state (experimental) | Only if user requests --state=postgres (requires psql + PostgreSQL) | | compiler.md | Compiler / Validator | Only when user asks to compile or validate | | guidance/patterns.md | Best practices | Load when writing new .prose files | | guidance/antipatterns.md | What to avoid | Load when writing new .prose files |

Authoring Guidance

When the user asks you to write or create a new .prose file, load the guidance files:

• guidance/patterns.md — Proven patterns for robust, efficient programs
• guidance/antipatterns.md — Common mistakes to avoid

Do not load these when running or compiling—they're for authoring only.

State Modes

OpenProse supports three state management approaches:

| Mode | When to Use | State Location | | --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------- | | filesystem (default) | Complex programs, resumption needed, debugging | .prose/runs/{id}/ files | | in-context | Simple programs (<30 statements), no persistence needed | Conversation history | | sqlite (experimental) | Queryable state, atomic transactions, flexible schema | .prose/runs/{id}/state.db | | postgres (experimental) | True concurrent writes, external integrations, team collaboration | PostgreSQL database |

Default behavior: When loading prose.md, also load state/filesystem.md. This is the recommended mode for most programs.

Switching modes: If the user says "use in-context state" or passes --in-context, load state/in-context.md instead.

Experimental SQLite mode: If the user passes --state=sqlite or says "use sqlite state", load state/sqlite.md. This mode requires sqlite3 CLI to be installed (pre-installed on macOS, available via package managers on Linux/Windows). If sqlite3 is unavailable, warn the user and fall back to filesystem state.

Experimental PostgreSQL mode: If the user passes --state=postgres or says "use postgres state":

⚠️ Security Note: Database credentials in OPENPROSE_POSTGRES_URL are passed to subagent sessions and visible in logs. Advise users to use a dedicated database with limited-privilege credentials. See state/postgres.md for secure setup guidance.

1. Check for connection configuration first:

   # Check .prose/.env for OPENPROSE_POSTGRES_URL
   cat .prose/.env 2>/dev/null | grep OPENPROSE_POSTGRES_URL
   # Or check environment variable
   echo $OPENPROSE_POSTGRES_URL

1. If connection string exists, verify connectivity:

   psql "$OPENPROSE_POSTGRES_URL" -c "SELECT 1" 2>&1

1. If not configured or connection fails, advise the user:

   ⚠️  PostgreSQL state requires a connection URL.

   To configure:
   1. Set up a PostgreSQL database (Docker, local, or cloud)
   2. Add connection string to .prose/.env:

      echo "OPENPROSE_POSTGRES_URL=postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/prose" >> .prose/.env

   Quick Docker setup:
      docker run -d --name prose-pg -e POSTGRES_DB=prose -e POSTGRES_HOST_AUTH_METHOD=trust -p 5432:5432 postgres:16
      echo "OPENPROSE_POSTGRES_URL=postgresql://postgres@localhost:5432/prose" >> .prose/.env

   See state/postgres.md for detailed setup options.

1. Only after successful connection check, load state/postgres.md

This mode requires both psql CLI and a running PostgreSQL server. If either is unavailable, warn and offer fallback to filesystem state.

Context warning: compiler.md is large. Only load it when the user explicitly requests compilation or validation. After compiling, recommend /compact or a new session before running—don't keep both docs in context.

Examples

The examples/ directory contains 37 example programs:

• 01-08: Basics (hello world, research, code review, debugging)
• 09-12: Agents and skills
• 13-15: Variables and composition
• 16-19: Parallel execution
• 20-21: Loops and pipelines
• 22-23: Error handling
• 24-27: Advanced (choice, conditionals, blocks, interpolation)
• 28: Gas Town (multi-agent orchestration)
• 29-31: Captain's chair pattern (persistent orchestrator)
• 33-36: Production workflows (PR auto-fix, content pipeline, feature factory, bug hunter)
• 37: The Forge (build a browser from scratch)

Start with 01-hello-world.prose or try 37-the-forge.prose to watch AI build a web browser.

Execution

When first invoking the OpenProse VM in a session, display this banner:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│         ◇ OpenProse VM ◇            │
│       A new kind of computer        │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

To execute a .prose file, you become the OpenProse VM:

1. Read prose.md — this document defines how you embody the VM
2. You ARE the VM — your conversation is its memory, your tools are its instructions
3. Spawn sessions — each session statement triggers a Task tool call
4. Narrate state — use the narration protocol to track execution ([Position], [Binding], [Success], etc.)
5. Evaluate intelligently — ... markers require your judgment

Help & FAQs

For syntax reference, FAQs, and getting started guidance, load help.md.

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Migration (prose update)

When a user invokes prose update, check for legacy file structures and migrate them to the current format.

Legacy Paths to Check

| Legacy Path | Current Path | Notes | | ------------------- | -------------- | -------------------------------- | | .prose/state.json | .prose/.env | Convert JSON to key=value format | | .prose/execution/ | .prose/runs/ | Rename directory |

Migration Steps

1. Check for .prose/state.json

• If exists, read the JSON content
• Convert to .env format:

     { "OPENPROSE_TELEMETRY": "enabled", "USER_ID": "user-xxx", "SESSION_ID": "sess-xxx" }

becomes:

     OPENPROSE_TELEMETRY=enabled
     USER_ID=user-xxx
     SESSION_ID=sess-xxx

• Write to .prose/.env
• Delete .prose/state.json

1. Check for .prose/execution/

• If exists, rename to .prose/runs/
• The internal structure of run directories may also have changed; migration of individual run state is best-effort

1. Create .prose/agents/ if missing

• This is a new directory for project-scoped persistent agents

Migration Output

🔄 Migrating OpenProse workspace...
  ✓ Converted .prose/state.json → .prose/.env
  ✓ Renamed .prose/execution/ → .prose/runs/
  ✓ Created .prose/agents/
✅ Migration complete. Your workspace is up to date.

If no legacy files are found:

✅ Workspace already up to date. No migration needed.

Skill File References (for maintainers)

These documentation files were renamed in the skill itself (not user workspace):

| Legacy Name | Current Name | | ----------------- | -------------------------- | | docs.md | compiler.md | | patterns.md | guidance/patterns.md | | antipatterns.md | guidance/antipatterns.md |

If you encounter references to the old names in user prompts or external docs, map them to the current paths.