Watchdog test fixture, not a mod to install. live probe: TaskStop results and the per-plugin spawn cap

A second model reviews each step that Claude Code takes and sends it short notes while it works: nit, concern or blocker.

Claude Code 2.1.290 or later. Watchdog is a mod: a plugin whose code Claude Code runs inside your session. The npm stable channel (2.1.285 on 2026-10-06) has no mods. Below 2.1.290 the plugin shows unsupported. Desktop support starts when Claude.app bundles Claude Code 2.1.290 or later.
Check claude --version first. If it is below 2.1.290, move to the npm latest channel: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code@latest.
/plugin marketplace add matteoantoci/claude-plugins
/plugin install watchdog@matteoantoci-plugins
Then run /watchdog on (reviews are off until you do) and ask Claude for a small change. The note shows as a watchdog: [concern] … line in the transcript and as a card, one line with its first sentence above the prompt box. Click the card's ▸, or press ctrl+x tab and then its letter (a, b, c), to read the whole note with its watchdog, age and state; Esc gives the focus back to the prompt. Run /watchdog status to see each watchdog's reviews, notes, tokens and cost. A card names its watchdog when you run two or more.
At its right end a card shows only what needs a look: the subagent type for a note on a subagent; the state while the note has not reached Claude yet, nudge pending (the plugin starts a turn so that Claude reads it), held or aside (Claude reads it with your next prompt); nothing once it is steered (Claude reads it after its next tool result) or nudged. When Claude edited files after the review read its update, the card says outdated? N edits (the open card says may be outdated: N edits since), and Claude reads the same mark with the note. The next review of the same watchdog sees the edits and the note; when the note no longer holds, it retracts it: the card goes, and a note that waits never reaches Claude. A blocker that may be outdated and came after Claude's reply waits as held for that review before it nudges, so Claude does not go after a bug it already fixed.
plugins/watchdog/hooks/.WATCHDOG.json and WATCHDOG.md files, the session's memory files (such as CLAUDE.md), each update of the agent you work with and, when CLAUDE_WATCHDOG is set in a claude -p run, your project and local settings./watchdog on also sends one 1-token request for each model, to check that it exists. Apart from these model requests through Claude Code, the mod makes no network calls: its code never calls $.http.fetch or fetch.<config>/watchdog/dumps/ (<config> is $CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR or ~/.claude). It keeps its notes and review state in Claude Code's session state and plugin store. In the terminal, /watchdog dump also copies the dump text to the clipboard.Read, Grep and Glob. A project WATCHDOG.json can grant no more; only <config>/WATCHDOG.json can grant other tools and mcp__* tools. Bash, Edit, Write, NotebookEdit, Agent, SendMessage, AskUserQuestion and ToolSearch are always refused. A reviewer never asks you for a permission.Agent call of a watchdog:* type) when Claude Code would ask, so no dialog or Auto-mode classifier sees it. A permission rule that denies Agent still wins.WATCHDOG.json or WATCHDOG.md sets the number of reviewers, their model, effort and instructions. In a repo you did not write, read these files before /watchdog on. Once on, /watchdog status lists each watchdog with its model, effort and file.opus with medium effort by default (in the demo: 3 reviews, 37.2k tokens, $0.07). The built-in "You should know" mod, when on, runs its own side agent too; turn it off in /plugin to pay for one only./watchdog off stops reviews for this session. /plugin uninstall watchdog@matteoantoci-plugins removes the plugin./plugin (Installed, Watchdog, Configure options) or /config: onByDefault (default false) turns reviews on in each new interactive session. immuneTurns (0 to 5, default 3) is the number of turns after a nudge before the next nudge for a concern; a nudge is a turn that the plugin starts so that Claude reads a note that came after its reply./watchdog status shows both counts, for example nudge 1/1 · blocker 0/2./watchdog or /watchdog status: each watchdog's state, reviews, notes, tokens and cost, and the session totals. For a state such as halted, see docs/failures.md./watchdog on and /watchdog off: turn reviews on or off for this session./watchdog dump and /watchdog dump raw: write the review log to a file (raw adds the review prompts).A WATCHDOG.json in your project or in ~/.claude sets the watchdogs. The load order, every key and the tool grants are in docs/configuration.md. This file adds a second reviewer to the default one:
{ "watchdogs": [{ "name": "default" }, { "name": "security", "model": "sonnet", "effort": "high" }] }
claude -p needs CLAUDE_WATCHDOG=on and has no nudge and no cards: see docs/headless.md.plugins/watchdog/hooks/prices.ts); a model not in it shows $?.npm install sets up the tools and the pre-commit hook. npm run check runs the 6 checks of pre-commit and CI: rules, fmt:check, lint, typecheck, validate and test. See docs/plugin-dev.md. Before a release and before a bump of the pinned Claude Code version, run the live probe by hand, on a real model and login: scripts/live-probe/README.md.
Apache-2.0
hooks/stop.mjs 258 lines1// §16.5 review stop and spawn caps (spec §7.8, §12.2; research/stop-caps-probe.md "What I did not check").
2// installMod fills __LOG__, __MODE__ (`headless` or `tui`) and __HOLD__, the proxy's agentMark: each request of a
3// `holder` agent gets a 529 from the proxy, so the agent waits on the model until it is stopped, at no token cost.
4// Each phase runs in the main turn.complete hook (a live frame) of the prompt whose text carries its marker.
5// Result: one JSON object at __LOG__/rr-stop.json.
6//
7// headless, default caps (no CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_CONCURRENT_SUBAGENTS):
8// RRSTOP1 TaskStop on an unknown id; holders until the per-plugin cap refuses one; TaskStop on the first holder
9// while it waits on the model, then once more at once.
10// RRSTOP2 TaskStop on that stopped holder; a spawn into the slot it freed (`ender`, a real model call); TaskStop
11// on the other holders.
12// RRSTOP3 TaskStop on `ender`, which ended by itself.
13// tui, CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_CONCURRENT_SUBAGENTS=1:
14// RRHOLD one holder, then a spawn that the per-plugin cap refuses.
15// RRPEER the rr-peer plugin (inner, so it acts first) meets the session cap; then the holder stops.
16// RRCAP a `capper` agent with maxTurns 2 in the slot the stop freed.
17const FILE = '__LOG__/rr-stop.json';
18const PEER_FILE = '__LOG__/rr-peer.json';
19const MODE = '__MODE__';
20const HOLD = '__HOLD__';
21const PLUGIN = 'rrstop';
22// Shaped like an agent id (`a` + 16 hex), but no task has it.
23const UNKNOWN_ID = 'a0123456789abcdef';
24const MAX_HOLDERS = 25;
25const CAPPER_TASK =
26 'In every reply, write one line that starts with "ROUND <n>:" and call the Glob tool with pattern "*.txt". ' +
27 'Do 5 rounds.';
28
29const state = { mode: MODE, phase: 'idle', pending: null };
30let lastText = '';
31let writing = Promise.resolve();
32
33const errOf = (err) => ({ name: err?.name ?? 'Error', message: String(err?.message ?? err).slice(0, 800) });
34
35const write = ($) => {
36 writing = writing.then(() => $.fs.write(FILE, JSON.stringify(state))).catch(() => undefined);
37 return writing;
38};
39
40// One awaited step; `pending` names it until it settles, so a call that never settles shows in the result.
41const step = async ($, key, fn) => {
42 state.pending = key;
43 await write($);
44 state[key] = await fn();
45 state.pending = null;
46 await write($);
47 return state[key];
48};
49
50const spawn = async ($, tag, type, prompt) => {
51 const at = Date.now();
52 try {
53 const resolved = await $.agent.spawn({ subagentType: `${PLUGIN}:${type}`, description: `probe ${tag}`, prompt });
54 return { tag, at, agentId: resolved?.agentId ?? null, resolved };
55 } catch (err) {
56 return { tag, at, agentId: null, rejected: errOf(err) };
57 }
58};
59
60// §7.8: the stop route; the task id is the agentId.
61const taskStop = async ($, agentId) => {
62 const at = Date.now();
63 try {
64 const resolved = await $.tool.call({ tool: 'TaskStop', task_id: agentId });
65 return { agentId, at, ms: Date.now() - at, resolved };
66 } catch (err) {
67 return { agentId, at, ms: Date.now() - at, rejected: errOf(err) };
68 }
69};
70
71const statusOf = async ($, agentId) => {
72 try {
73 const list = await $.agent.list();
74 const row = (Array.isArray(list) ? list : []).find((agent) => agent.id === agentId);
75 return row?.status ?? 'absent';
76 } catch (err) {
77 return `list-error: ${String(err?.message ?? err).slice(0, 200)}`;
78 }
79};
80
81// §12.2: holders until the per-plugin cap refuses one (`over`); `running` is how many held then.
82const holdUntilCap = async ($) => {
83 state.holders = [];
84 for (let i = 1; i <= MAX_HOLDERS && !state.over; i += 1) {
85 const spawned = await spawn($, `holder ${i}`, 'holder', `Reply with exactly HELD${i}.`);
86 if (spawned.agentId) {
87 state.holders.push(spawned.agentId);
88 } else {
89 state.over = { ...spawned, running: state.holders.length };
90 }
91 }
92 await write($);
93};
94
95// RRSTOP1. The 1.5 s sleep lets the first holder's request reach the proxy and get its 529 (retry-after 20 s).
96const stopFirst = async ($) => {
97 await step($, 'unknown', () => taskStop($, UNKNOWN_ID));
98 await holdUntilCap($);
99 const first = state.holders[0];
100 if (first) {
101 await $.clock.sleep(1500);
102 state.stopAt = Date.now();
103 await step($, 'stopLive', () => taskStop($, first));
104 await step($, 'stopTwice', () => taskStop($, first));
105 }
106 state.phase = 'stopped';
107};
108
109// RRSTOP2: a later dispatch, after the stopped holder's turn.complete, so its slot had time to free.
110const stopEnded = async ($) => {
111 const first = state.holders?.[0];
112 if (first) {
113 state.killedStatus = await statusOf($, first);
114 await step($, 'stopEnded', () => taskStop($, first));
115 await step($, 'slot', () => spawn($, 'ender', 'ender', 'Reply with exactly ENDED.'));
116 }
117 state.cleanup = [];
118 for (const agentId of (state.holders ?? []).slice(1)) {
119 const stopped = await taskStop($, agentId);
120 state.cleanup.push({ agentId, isStopped: String(stopped.resolved?.text ?? '').includes('Successfully stopped') });
121 }
122 state.ender = state.slot?.agentId ? state.slot : await spawn($, 'ender', 'ender', 'Reply with exactly ENDED.');
123 state.phase = state.ender.agentId ? 'ender' : 'done';
124};
125
126// RRSTOP3: `ender` answered and ended on its own before this prompt.
127const stopComplete = async ($) => {
128 state.enderStatus = await statusOf($, state.ender.agentId);
129 await step($, 'stopComplete', () => taskStop($, state.ender.agentId));
130 state.phase = 'done';
131};
132
133const tuiHold = async ($) => {
134 await holdUntilCap($);
135 state.phase = 'held';
136};
137
138// RRPEER: rr-peer's hook is inner, so its spawn settled already; wait up to 3 s for its file all the same.
139const tuiPeer = async ($) => {
140 for (let i = 0; i < 15 && !(await $.fs.exists(PEER_FILE).catch(() => false)); i += 1) {
141 await $.clock.sleep(200);
142 }
143 const first = state.holders?.[0];
144 if (first) {
145 state.stopAt = Date.now();
146 await step($, 'stopLive', () => taskStop($, first));
147 }
148 state.phase = 'stopped';
149};
150
151const tuiCap = async ($) => {
152 await step($, 'capper', () => spawn($, 'capper', 'capper', CAPPER_TASK));
153 state.phase = 'done';
154};
155
156// [marker, phase it starts from, action]
157const PHASES =
158 MODE === 'tui'
159 ? [
160 ['RRHOLD', 'idle', 'hold'],
161 ['RRPEER', 'held', 'peer'],
162 ['RRCAP', 'stopped', 'cap'],
163 ]
164 : [
165 ['RRSTOP1', 'idle', 'first'],
166 ['RRSTOP2', 'stopped', 'ended'],
167 ['RRSTOP3', 'ender', 'complete'],
168 ];
169
170// Each action is called by name: `claude plugin validate` refuses `$` passed through a dynamic call.
171const act = async ($, action) => {
172 if (action === 'hold') {
173 await tuiHold($);
174 } else if (action === 'peer') {
175 await tuiPeer($);
176 } else if (action === 'cap') {
177 await tuiCap($);
178 } else if (action === 'first') {
179 await stopFirst($);
180 } else if (action === 'ended') {
181 await stopEnded($);
182 } else {
183 await stopComplete($);
184 }
185};
186
187const onMainComplete = async ($) => {
188 const phase = PHASES.find(([marker, from]) => lastText.includes(marker) && state.phase === from);
189 if (!phase) {
190 return;
191 }
192 state.phase = 'acting';
193 try {
194 await act($, phase[2]);
195 } catch (err) {
196 state.error = errOf(err);
197 state.phase = 'error';
198 }
199 await write($);
200};
201
202const AGENTS = [
203 {
204 name: 'holder',
205 description: 'Stop probe agent, held by the proxy. The probe spawns it; do not delegate to it.',
206 prompt: `${HOLD}. Reply with the exact word the task asks for. Do not call tools.`,
207 tools: [],
208 maxTurns: 1,
209 },
210 {
211 name: 'ender',
212 description: 'Stop probe agent that ends by itself. The probe spawns it; do not delegate to it.',
213 prompt: 'Reply with the exact word the task asks for. Do not call tools.',
214 tools: [],
215 maxTurns: 1,
216 },
217 {
218 name: 'capper',
219 description: 'maxTurns probe agent. The probe spawns it; do not delegate to it.',
220 prompt: 'Follow the task. Call Glob when it says to.',
221 tools: ['Glob'],
222 maxTurns: 2,
223 },
224];
225
226export const register = (on) => {
227 on('session.start', async ($, e, next) => {
228 for (const agent of AGENTS) {
229 try {
230 await $.agent.register({ ...agent, model: 'haiku', omitClaudeMd: true, background: true });
231 } catch (err) {
232 state.registerError = errOf(err);
233 }
234 }
235 await write($);
236 return next(e);
237 });
238
239 on('agent.offer', async ($, e, next) =>
240 String(e.agent ?? '').startsWith(`${PLUGIN}:`) ? { isOffered: false } : next(e)
241 );
242
243 on('turn.start', async ($, e, next) => {
244 if (!e.agentId) {
245 lastText = String(e.text ?? '');
246 }
247 return next(e);
248 });
249
250 on('turn.complete', async ($, e, next) => {
251 const result = await next(e);
252 if (!e.agentId) {
253 await onMainComplete($);
254 }
255 return result;
256 });
257};
258