hotfix: wire the xai provider into install-opencode.sh

PR #114 pointed @lead/@ops at xai/grok-4.5 but never gave opencode a
provider config for it — xai is not a built-in like anthropic was, it
needs the same explicit OpenAI-compatible block as ollama/ollama-cloud
(confirmed by the prior, never-merged investigation in PR #110). Without
this, any @lead/@ops run fails immediately on an unresolvable provider.

Adds the xai provider block (baseURL https://api.x.ai/v1, models derived
from agents.json) and passes XAI_API_KEY into the Install-opencode step
(it was already added to the Run-agent step in #114).

.gitea/workflows/agent.yml

@@ -5,12 +5,20 @@ name: agent
 on:
   workflow_call:
 
+# Pinned opencode version — used to install it and to key the CI cache below.
+env:
+  OPENCODE_VERSION: "1.17.13"
+
 jobs:
 
   agent:
     # One run at a time PER ISSUE: two quick comments on the same issue would otherwise race —
     # both checking out ai/issue-N, pushing (non-fast-forward loss) and double-posting. Queued
     # runs wait (no cancel) so every trigger is still processed, just serially.
+    # KNOWN CAVEAT: a run triggered on the PR thread groups under the PR number, not the origin
+    # issue (that mapping is only resolved later, in route.sh) — so an issue-thread run and a
+    # PR-thread run for the SAME work item can overlap. Accepted: they post to different threads,
+    # and the branch is only mutated by dev runs, which resume serially per thread.
     concurrency:
       group: ai-agent-${{ github.repository }}-${{ github.event.issue.number }}
       cancel-in-progress: false
@@ -36,18 +44,10 @@ jobs:
         contains(github.event.comment.body, '@ops') ||
         contains(github.event.comment.body, '@intern')))
     runs-on: ci-runner
+    # Job-level backstop (the per-attempt `timeout` in run-agent.sh is the primary guard): a wedged
+    # job must never hold the single runner slot for hours.
+    timeout-minutes: 45
     steps:
-      - name: Acknowledge with 👀
-        env:
-          GT: ${{ secrets.GITEA_TOKEN }}
-          CID: ${{ github.event.comment.id }}
-          NUM: ${{ github.event.issue.number }}
-        run: |
-          B="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}/issues"
-          if [ -n "$CID" ]; then R="$B/comments/$CID/reactions"; else R="$B/$NUM/reactions"; fi
-          curl -sS -X POST -H "Authorization: token $GT" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-            "$R" -d '{"content":"eyes"}' -w '\nreact -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' || true
-
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
@@ -112,16 +112,50 @@ jobs:
           TOKEN_INTERN: ${{ secrets.TOKEN_INTERN }}
         run: bash "$SCRIPTS/route.sh"
 
+      - name: Acknowledge with 👀 (as the routed agent)
+        if: steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
+        env:
+          SELF_TOKEN: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.name == 'pm' && secrets.TOKEN_PM || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'junior' && secrets.TOKEN_JUNIOR || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'senior' && secrets.TOKEN_SENIOR || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'lead' && secrets.TOKEN_LEAD || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'qa' && secrets.TOKEN_QA || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'ops' && secrets.TOKEN_OPS || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'intern' && secrets.TOKEN_INTERN || '' }}
+          CID: ${{ github.event.comment.id }}
+          NUM: ${{ github.event.issue.number }}
+        run: |
+          [ -n "$SELF_TOKEN" ] || { echo "no agent token — skipping 👀"; exit 0; }
+          B="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}/issues"
+          if [ -n "$CID" ]; then R="$B/comments/$CID/reactions"; else R="$B/$NUM/reactions"; fi
+          curl -sS -X POST -H "Authorization: token $SELF_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+            "$R" -d '{"content":"eyes"}' -w '\nreact -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' || true
+
+      - name: Cache opencode CLI
+        if: steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
+        continue-on-error: true   # a cache backend hiccup must never fail an agent run
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: ~/.opencode
+          key: opencode-${{ runner.os }}-${{ env.OPENCODE_VERSION }}
+
+      - name: Cache Playwright browsers + npm (browser agents only)
+        if: steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip' && (steps.prep.outputs.name == 'senior' || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'lead' || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'qa')
+        continue-on-error: true
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.cache/ms-playwright
+            ~/.npm
+          key: playwright-npm-${{ runner.os }}-v1
+
       - name: Install opencode + provider config (+ Playwright MCP for browser agents)
+        if: steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
         env:
           SCRIPTS: ${{ runner.temp }}/agents-scripts
           OLLAMA_URL: ${{ secrets.OLLAMA_URL }}
           OLLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.OLLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY }}
+          XAI_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.XAI_API_KEY }}
           NAME: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.name }}
           SKILLS: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.skills }}   # JSON array of skills this agent may load
         run: bash "$SCRIPTS/install-opencode.sh"
 
       - name: Install caller-provided skills (from the caller repo's .gitea/agent-skills/)
+        if: steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
         # Framework skill-plugin hook. A consuming repo can ship its OWN opencode skills under
         # `.gitea/agent-skills/<name>/` (SKILL.md + skill.json + optional setup.sh) — e.g. homelab's
         # "ssh into the deploy host" skill. This installs the ones allowed for the running agent, so
@@ -136,6 +170,7 @@ jobs:
         run: bash "$SCRIPTS/install-caller-skills.sh"
 
       - name: Set up `gitea-api` skill (let agents read/write issues, PRs, Actions across repos)
+        if: steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
         # Emits an opencode Skill file. The skill uses SELF_TOKEN — the running agent's OWN token
         # (e.g. TOKEN_PM for @pm), injected into the Run-agent step below — so each agent talks to
         # Gitea as itself. This step only writes the doc; permission.skill scopes who may load it.
@@ -144,6 +179,7 @@ jobs:
         run: bash "$SCRIPTS/skill-gitea-api.sh"
 
       - name: Set up `gitea-admin` skill (@ops only — administer the Gitea instance)
+        if: steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
         # Instance administration (orgs/users/repos/labels/secrets/scoped tokens). The SKILL.md is
         # written ONLY for @ops (skill-gitea-admin.sh gates on NAME) and permission.skill also denies
         # it to every other agent. It uses SELF_TOKEN (which for @ops is TOKEN_OPS), injected into the
@@ -154,6 +190,7 @@ jobs:
         run: bash "$SCRIPTS/skill-gitea-admin.sh"
 
       - name: Inspect / fetch image attachments (download only for vision agents)
+        if: steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
         id: imgs
         env:
           SCRIPTS: ${{ runner.temp }}/agents-scripts
@@ -163,6 +200,7 @@ jobs:
         run: bash "$SCRIPTS/fetch-images.sh"
 
       - name: Fetch the full issue thread (shared memory)
+        if: steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
         env:
           SCRIPTS: ${{ runner.temp }}/agents-scripts
           GT: ${{ secrets.GITEA_TOKEN }}
@@ -170,10 +208,11 @@ jobs:
         run: bash "$SCRIPTS/fetch-thread.sh"
 
       - name: Run agent
+        if: steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
         id: run
         env:
           SCRIPTS: ${{ runner.temp }}/agents-scripts
-          ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
+          XAI_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.XAI_API_KEY }}
           # SELF_TOKEN = the RUNNING agent's OWN token (TOKEN_PM for @pm, TOKEN_OPS for @ops, …).
           # Only this agent's token is placed in its process env, so no agent can act as another.
           # Powers the gitea-api / gitea-admin skills — each agent calls Gitea as itself. Every
@@ -184,6 +223,7 @@ jobs:
           MODEL: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.model }}
           VISION: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.vision }}
           MODE: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.mode }}
+          WORKMODE: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.workmode }}   # build | discuss (devs consulted in-thread)
           HAS_IMAGES: ${{ steps.imgs.outputs.has_images }}
           BRANCH: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.branch }}
           AUTOPILOT: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.autopilot }}   # 'true' when the issue carries the `autopilot` label
@@ -195,6 +235,7 @@ jobs:
         run: bash "$SCRIPTS/run-agent.sh"
 
       - name: Build run report (tool calls + input/output tokens + $ cost) from the event stream
+        if: steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
         id: log
         env:
           SCRIPTS: ${{ runner.temp }}/agents-scripts
@@ -203,6 +244,7 @@ jobs:
         run: bash "$SCRIPTS/build-activity-log.sh"
 
       - name: Publish — PR (dev agents) or comment (pm), always reply in the issue
+        if: steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
         env:
           SCRIPTS: ${{ runner.temp }}/agents-scripts
           GT: ${{ secrets.GITEA_TOKEN }}
@@ -215,6 +257,7 @@ jobs:
           TOKEN_INTERN: ${{ secrets.TOKEN_INTERN }}
           NAME: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.name }}
           MODE: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.mode }}
+          WORKMODE: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.workmode }}
           NUM: ${{ github.event.issue.number }}
           TITLE: ${{ github.event.issue.title }}
           BRANCH: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.branch }}
@@ -229,7 +272,7 @@ jobs:
       # This best-effort step opens a PR for the pushed branch so nothing is silently lost. Runs from
       # $SCRIPTS (outside the workspace) so it works even if the tree was mangled by the agent.
       - name: Rescue — open a PR for pushed work if the run failed
-        if: failure()
+        if: failure() && steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
         env:
           SCRIPTS: ${{ runner.temp }}/agents-scripts
           GT: ${{ secrets.GITEA_TOKEN }}
@@ -248,24 +291,27 @@ jobs:
         run: bash "$SCRIPTS/rescue-pr.sh" || true
 
       - name: Mark done with 🚀 (remove 👀)
+        if: steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
         env:
-          GT: ${{ secrets.GITEA_TOKEN }}
+          SELF_TOKEN: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.name == 'pm' && secrets.TOKEN_PM || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'junior' && secrets.TOKEN_JUNIOR || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'senior' && secrets.TOKEN_SENIOR || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'lead' && secrets.TOKEN_LEAD || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'qa' && secrets.TOKEN_QA || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'ops' && secrets.TOKEN_OPS || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'intern' && secrets.TOKEN_INTERN || '' }}
           CID: ${{ github.event.comment.id }}
           NUM: ${{ github.event.issue.number }}
         run: |
+          [ -n "$SELF_TOKEN" ] || exit 0
           B="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}/issues"
           if [ -n "$CID" ]; then R="$B/comments/$CID/reactions"; else R="$B/$NUM/reactions"; fi
-          curl -sS -X DELETE -H "Authorization: token $GT" -H "Content-Type: application/json" "$R" -d '{"content":"eyes"}'   || true
-          curl -sS -X POST   -H "Authorization: token $GT" -H "Content-Type: application/json" "$R" -d '{"content":"rocket"}' -w '\nreact -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' || true
+          curl -sS -X DELETE -H "Authorization: token $SELF_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" "$R" -d '{"content":"eyes"}'   || true
+          curl -sS -X POST   -H "Authorization: token $SELF_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" "$R" -d '{"content":"rocket"}' -w '\nreact -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' || true
 
       - name: Mark failed with 😕 (remove 👀)
-        if: failure()
+        if: failure() && steps.prep.outputs.mode != 'skip'
         env:
-          GT: ${{ secrets.GITEA_TOKEN }}
+          SELF_TOKEN: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.name == 'pm' && secrets.TOKEN_PM || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'junior' && secrets.TOKEN_JUNIOR || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'senior' && secrets.TOKEN_SENIOR || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'lead' && secrets.TOKEN_LEAD || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'qa' && secrets.TOKEN_QA || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'ops' && secrets.TOKEN_OPS || steps.prep.outputs.name == 'intern' && secrets.TOKEN_INTERN || '' }}
           CID: ${{ github.event.comment.id }}
           NUM: ${{ github.event.issue.number }}
         run: |
+          [ -n "$SELF_TOKEN" ] || exit 0
           B="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}/issues"
           if [ -n "$CID" ]; then R="$B/comments/$CID/reactions"; else R="$B/$NUM/reactions"; fi
-          curl -sS -X DELETE -H "Authorization: token $GT" -H "Content-Type: application/json" "$R" -d '{"content":"eyes"}'     || true
-          curl -sS -X POST   -H "Authorization: token $GT" -H "Content-Type: application/json" "$R" -d '{"content":"confused"}' -w '\nreact -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' || true
+          curl -sS -X DELETE -H "Authorization: token $SELF_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" "$R" -d '{"content":"eyes"}'     || true
+          curl -sS -X POST   -H "Authorization: token $SELF_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" "$R" -d '{"content":"confused"}' -w '\nreact -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' || true

.gitea/workflows/scripts/agents.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "pm": {
-    "model": "ollama-cloud/gemma4:cloud",
+    "model": "ollama-cloud/minimax-m3:cloud",
     "vision": true,
     "mode": "comment",
     "skills": [
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
     "desc": "Senior dev — complex, multi-file implementation (GLM-5.2 via Ollama Cloud, text-only)."
   },
   "lead": {
-    "model": "anthropic/claude-opus-4-8",
+    "model": "xai/grok-4.5",
     "vision": true,
     "mode": "pr",
     "skills": [
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
     "desc": "QA / reviewer — reviews PRs: reads the diff, drives a headless browser (Playwright) to verify behavior, posts specific recommendations on the PR and the pass/fail verdict on the issue. Never edits code, never merges."
   },
   "ops": {
-    "model": "anthropic/claude-opus-4-8",
+    "model": "xai/grok-4.5",
     "vision": false,
     "mode": "comment",
     "skills": [

.gitea/workflows/scripts/build-activity-log.sh

@@ -38,20 +38,20 @@ COST=${COST:-0}; INP=${INP:-0}; OUT=${OUT:-0}; CR=${CR:-0}; CW=${CW:-0}; RE=${RE
 IN_TOTAL=$(( INP + CR + CW ))                          # total input context processed
 # Cost label: ollama / ollama-cloud models are SUBSCRIPTION-billed (GPU-time against the plan, no
 # $/token price exists), so a "$0.0000" there would be misleading — label it a subscription instead.
-# Metered providers (anthropic/…) get the real dollar cost opencode computed.
+# Metered providers (xai/…) get the real dollar cost opencode computed.
 case "${MODEL:-}" in
   ollama*|*"/ollama"*) COSTF="subscription" ;;
   *) COSTF=$(awk -v c="$COST" 'BEGIN{printf "$%.4f", c+0}') ;;
 esac
 echo "usage: in=$IN_TOTAL out=$OUT cost=$COSTF (fresh=$INP cache_r=$CR cache_w=$CW reasoning=$RE); tools=$n"
 
+# ONE uniform format for every agent comment (with or without tool calls): a collapsed dropdown
+# with a STATIC "details" label — identical everywhere — holding the tool calls (or a none-note)
+# and the full token/cost breakdown.
 {
-  if [ "$n" -gt 0 ]; then
-    printf '\n\n<details>\n<summary>🔧 %s tool calls · in %s · out %s · %s</summary>\n\n' "$n" "$IN_TOTAL" "$OUT" "$COSTF"
-    cat /tmp/tools.md
-    printf '\n\n<sub>tokens — input %s (fresh %s · cache %sw / %sr) · output %s · reasoning %s · **%s**</sub>\n</details>' \
-      "$IN_TOTAL" "$INP" "$CW" "$CR" "$OUT" "$RE" "$COSTF"
-  else
-    printf '\n\n<sub>💰 **%s** · in %s · out %s tokens (cache %sw / %sr)</sub>' "$COSTF" "$IN_TOTAL" "$OUT" "$CW" "$CR"
-  fi
+  printf '\n\n<details>\n<summary>details</summary>\n\n'
+  printf '🔧 %s tool calls · in %s · out %s tokens · %s · model %s\n\n' "$n" "$IN_TOTAL" "$OUT" "$COSTF" "${MODEL:-?}"
+  if [ "$n" -gt 0 ]; then cat /tmp/tools.md; else printf '_(no tool calls — text-only reply)_\n'; fi
+  printf '\n\n<sub>tokens — input %s (fresh %s · cache %sw / %sr) · output %s · reasoning %s · **%s**</sub>\n</details>' \
+    "$IN_TOTAL" "$INP" "$CW" "$CR" "$OUT" "$RE" "$COSTF"
 } > /tmp/activity_log.md

.gitea/workflows/scripts/fetch-thread.sh

@@ -4,14 +4,31 @@
 # to its real author (@pm/@qa/@junior/…). Strip the hidden `<!-- 🤖 … -->` loop-prevention marker
 # from bodies — it's plumbing, not conversation, and would just waste prompt tokens.
 #
+# PAGINATION: Gitea returns comments ASCENDING and `limit` caps a single page — a bare ?limit=100
+# used to keep the OLDEST 100 comments and silently drop the newest (the exact opposite of what an
+# agent needs on a long thread). Fetch all pages (up to 10 = 500 comments) and keep the LAST 100.
+#
 # Required env (provided by the workflow step): GT NUM GITHUB_SERVER_URL GITHUB_REPOSITORY
 set -eu
 
 API="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}"
-curl -sS -H "Authorization: token $GT" "$API/issues/$NUM/comments?limit=100" 2>/dev/null \
-  | jq -r '.[] |
-      ( if (.user.login == "ffaerber") then "@ffaerber (the maintainer)"
-        else "@" + .user.login end ) as $who |
-      "### comment by \($who):\n\(.body | gsub("\\s*<!-- 🤖 agent reply — do not trigger -->"; ""))\n"' \
-  > /tmp/thread.md 2>/dev/null || true
-echo "thread comments fetched: $(grep -c '^### comment by ' /tmp/thread.md 2>/dev/null || echo 0)"
+: > /tmp/thread_pages.json
+for page in $(seq 1 10); do
+  pg=$(curl -sS -H "Authorization: token $GT" "$API/issues/$NUM/comments?limit=50&page=$page" 2>/dev/null) || pg='[]'
+  n=$(printf '%s' "$pg" | jq 'if type=="array" then length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+  [ "${n:-0}" -gt 0 ] && printf '%s\n' "$pg" >> /tmp/thread_pages.json
+  [ "${n:-0}" -lt 50 ] && break
+done
+jq -rs '
+  add // [] | .[-100:] | .[] |
+  ( if (.user.login == "ffaerber") then "@ffaerber (the maintainer)"
+    else "@" + .user.login end ) as $who |
+  "### comment by \($who):\n\(.body | gsub("\\s*<!-- 🤖 agent reply — do not trigger -->"; ""))\n"' \
+  /tmp/thread_pages.json > /tmp/thread.md 2>/dev/null || : > /tmp/thread.md
+echo "thread comments fetched: $(grep -c '^### comment by ' /tmp/thread.md 2>/dev/null || echo 0) (newest 100 kept)"
+
+# Record the newest comment id on the thread BEFORE the agent runs. publish.sh compares against
+# it to detect an agent that self-posted its reply mid-run (via the gitea-api skill, despite the
+# prompt telling it not to) and skips the duplicate framework reply. Ids are monotonic — no dates.
+jq -rs '[ (add // [])[].id ] | max // 0' /tmp/thread_pages.json > /tmp/thread_max_cid 2>/dev/null || echo 0 > /tmp/thread_max_cid
+echo "pre-run newest comment id: $(cat /tmp/thread_max_cid)"

.gitea/workflows/scripts/install-opencode.sh

@@ -1,15 +1,22 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 # Install opencode + provider config (+ Playwright MCP for browser agents).
 #
-# Required env (provided by the workflow step): OLLAMA_URL OLLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY NAME SKILLS
-#   GITHUB_PATH HOME
+# Required env (provided by the workflow step): OLLAMA_URL OLLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY XAI_API_KEY
+#   NAME SKILLS GITHUB_PATH HOME
 set -eu
 
 # PIN the opencode version: an unpinned `latest` means a breaking release (CLI flags, or the
 # --format json event schema that build-activity-log.sh parses) breaks every agent in every repo
 # at once. Bump deliberately by changing this default (or set OPENCODE_VERSION in the step env).
 OPENCODE_VERSION="${OPENCODE_VERSION:-1.17.13}"
-curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install | bash -s -- --version "$OPENCODE_VERSION"
+# Skip the download when a cache hit already restored the pinned binary (see the Cache
+# opencode CLI step in agent.yml). The installer always re-fetches otherwise.
+OC_BIN="$HOME/.opencode/bin/opencode"
+if [ -x "$OC_BIN" ] && "$OC_BIN" --version 2>/dev/null | grep -qF "$OPENCODE_VERSION"; then
+  echo "opencode $OPENCODE_VERSION already present (cache hit) — skipping install"
+else
+  curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install | bash -s -- --version "$OPENCODE_VERSION"
+fi
 echo "$HOME/.opencode/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
 mkdir -p ~/.config/opencode
 # Playwright browser MCP only for agents that need to drive a web app
@@ -31,19 +38,22 @@ esac
 SKILLS="${SKILLS:-[]}"
 PERM=$(jq -nc --argjson s "$SKILLS" '
   {skill: ( {"*":"deny"} + (reduce $s[] as $k ({}; . + {($k):"allow"})) )}')
-# Two ollama providers: local self-hosted (ornith) + Ollama Cloud (gemma4/kimi-k2.7-code/glm-5.2/minimax-m3).
-# The provider `models:` maps are DERIVED from agents.json (the single source of truth, shared with
-# route.sh) so every model an agent is routed to is always declared in the provider config.
-# `ollama-cloud/` prefix models go to the cloud provider; `ollama/` prefix models go to the local
-# provider. Built-in providers (e.g. `anthropic/claude-opus-4-8` for @lead) are not derived here.
+# Three OpenAI-compatible providers: local self-hosted ollama (ornith) + Ollama Cloud
+# (gemma4/kimi-k2.7-code/glm-5.2/minimax-m3) + xAI (grok-4.5). The provider `models:` maps are
+# DERIVED from agents.json (the single source of truth, shared with route.sh) so every model an
+# agent is routed to is always declared in the provider config. `ollama-cloud/` prefix models go to
+# the cloud provider; `ollama/` prefix models go to the local provider; `xai/` prefix models go to
+# the xAI provider (OpenAI-compatible, https://api.x.ai/v1). No other built-in providers remain.
 # See issue #31.
 AGENTS_JSON="${SCRIPTS:-$(dirname -- "$0")}/agents.json"
 CLOUD_MODELS=$(jq -r '[.[] | .model | select(startswith("ollama-cloud/")) | sub("^ollama-cloud/";"")] | map({(.):{}}) | add // {}' "$AGENTS_JSON")
 LOCAL_MODELS=$(jq -r '[.[] | .model | select(startswith("ollama/")) | sub("^ollama/";"")] | map({(.):{}}) | add // {"ornith:35b":{}}' "$AGENTS_JSON")
-jq -n --argjson mcp "$MCP" --argjson perm "$PERM" --argjson cloud "$CLOUD_MODELS" --argjson local "$LOCAL_MODELS" --arg url "$OLLAMA_URL" --arg ckey "$OLLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY" '{
+XAI_MODELS=$(jq -r '[.[] | .model | select(startswith("xai/")) | sub("^xai/";"")] | map({(.):{}}) | add // {}' "$AGENTS_JSON")
+jq -n --argjson mcp "$MCP" --argjson perm "$PERM" --argjson cloud "$CLOUD_MODELS" --argjson local "$LOCAL_MODELS" --argjson xai "$XAI_MODELS" --arg url "$OLLAMA_URL" --arg ckey "$OLLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY" --arg xkey "$XAI_API_KEY" '{
   provider: {
     ollama: {npm:"@ai-sdk/openai-compatible", options:{baseURL:($url+"/v1")}, models:$local},
-    "ollama-cloud": {npm:"@ai-sdk/openai-compatible", options:{baseURL:"https://ollama.com/v1", apiKey:$ckey}, models:$cloud}
+    "ollama-cloud": {npm:"@ai-sdk/openai-compatible", options:{baseURL:"https://ollama.com/v1", apiKey:$ckey}, models:$cloud},
+    xai: {npm:"@ai-sdk/openai-compatible", options:{baseURL:"https://api.x.ai/v1", apiKey:$xkey}, models:$xai}
   },
   permission: $perm,
   mcp: $mcp

.gitea/workflows/scripts/publish.sh

@@ -44,8 +44,14 @@ trig() { if [ -z "$TTOK" ]; then echo "no trigger token — cannot fire on #$1";
 # Origin issue for this run (route.sh resolves it from the branch on PR threads), and a resolver for
 # the open PR built from its branch (ai/issue-<issue>). Lets @pm/@qa cross between the issue and PR.
 ISSN="${ISSNUM:-$NUM}"
-resolve_pr() { curl -sS "${hdr[@]}" "$API/pulls?state=open&limit=50" \
-  | jq -r --arg br "ai/issue-$ISSN" 'if type=="array" then (map(select(.head.ref==$br))|.[0].number // empty) else empty end' 2>/dev/null; }
+# All OPEN PRs belonging to this issue, oldest→newest. Matches ai/issue-N AND the ai/issue-N-<slug>
+# split branches AGENTS.md tells devs to use — an exact-only match silently stalled the flow on
+# slugged branches (DELEGATE:@qa found "no open PR"; autopilot MERGE_PR couldn't merge).
+resolve_prs() { curl -sS "${hdr[@]}" "$API/pulls?state=open&limit=50" \
+  | jq -r --arg br "ai/issue-$ISSN" 'if type=="array" then
+      ([ .[] | select(.head.ref==$br or (.head.ref|startswith($br+"-"))) | .number ] | sort | join(" "))
+    else "" end' 2>/dev/null; }
+resolve_pr() { resolve_prs | awk '{print $NF}'; }   # newest open PR (empty if none)
 # Remove the 'autopilot' label from an issue by resolving its ID first (Gitea's DELETE label
 # endpoint is by ID, not name). Arg $1 = issue number. Used as the autopilot kill switch.
 del_autopilot_label() {
@@ -67,6 +73,7 @@ reply=$(awk '
   /^[[:space:]]*BEGIN_SUBTASKS/{s=1}
   /^[[:space:]]*BEGIN_PR_DESCRIPTION/{p=1}
   /^[[:space:]]*DELEGATE:[[:space:]]*@/{next}
+  /^[[:space:]]*ASK:[[:space:]]*@/{next}
   /^[[:space:]]*CLOSE_ISSUE[[:space:]]*$/{next}
   /^[[:space:]]*MERGE_PR[[:space:]]*$/{next}
   /^[[:space:]]*RETRO[[:space:]]*$/{next}
@@ -188,15 +195,43 @@ if [ "$MODE" != "pr" ]; then
     done < /tmp/subtasks.txt
     subtext=$(printf '\n\n---\nCreated sub-issues%s (mention an agent on each when ready):%b' "${ms:+ under milestone **$ms**}" "$links")
   fi
-  post "$(printf '%s%s%s' "$msg" "$subtext" "$activity")"
+  # DEDUP GUARD (issue: @pm double-posts its report). Prompt-level "do not self-post" is ignored
+  # by some models, so enforce it here: if the agent ALREADY posted a comment on this thread
+  # during the run (any comment by $NAME newer than the pre-run newest id from fetch-thread.sh),
+  # its self-post IS the reply — skip the duplicate framework comment. Markers (CLOSE_ISSUE,
+  # DELEGATE, MERGE_PR, subtasks) were already processed above and are unaffected.
+  # FAIL OPEN: if the pre-run marker is missing (fetch-thread hiccup), pre_cid=0 would make the
+  # agent's comments from PREVIOUS runs count as self-posts and wrongly suppress the reply.
+  # Without the marker, skip the guard and post normally.
+  pre_cid=$(cat /tmp/thread_max_cid 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+  selfposts=0
+  if [ -n "$pre_cid" ]; then
+  : > /tmp/all_comments.json
+  for pg in $(seq 1 10); do
+    cpg=$(curl -sS "${hdr[@]}" "$API/issues/$NUM/comments?limit=50&page=$pg" 2>/dev/null) || cpg='[]'
+    cn=$(printf '%s' "$cpg" | jq 'if type=="array" then length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    [ "${cn:-0}" -gt 0 ] && printf '%s\n' "$cpg" >> /tmp/all_comments.json
+    [ "${cn:-0}" -lt 50 ] && break
+  done
+  selfposts=$(jq -rs --arg n "$NAME" --argjson c "${pre_cid:-0}" '[ (add // [])[] | select(.user.login==$n) | select(.id > $c) ] | length' /tmp/all_comments.json 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+  fi
+  if [ "${selfposts:-0}" -gt 0 ]; then
+    echo "agent @$NAME already posted ${selfposts} comment(s) on #$NUM during this run — skipping duplicate framework reply"
+  else
+    post "$(printf '%s%s%s' "$msg" "$subtext" "$activity")"
+  fi
 
   # --- @pm autopilot merge: @pm is the ONLY agent that merges, and ONLY under the autopilot label ---
   # (@qa never merges — it approves and hands back here.) Merge with the PAT (TTOK), not the built-in
   # token, so the push to main fires the deploy. TOKEN_PM must carry write:repository.
   if [ "$NAME" = "pm" ] && [ "$AUTOPILOT" = "true" ] && grep -qiE '^[[:space:]]*MERGE_PR[[:space:]]*$' /tmp/agent_out.md; then
-    PRN=$(resolve_pr)
+    PRS=$(resolve_prs); PRN=${PRS##* }; CNT=$(echo "$PRS" | wc -w)
     if [ -z "$PRN" ]; then
       echo "MERGE_PR but no open PR found for issue #$ISSN"
+    elif [ "$CNT" -gt 1 ]; then
+      # Split-PR work: auto-merging just one of several open PRs is half a change deployed.
+      del_autopilot_label "$ISSN"
+      post_to "$ISSN" "⚠️ This issue has $CNT open PRs (#${PRS// /, #}) — autopilot only merges single-PR work. Removed the autopilot label; @ffaerber please review and merge them in order."
     else
       echo "@pm autopilot: merging PR #$PRN (issue #$ISSN)"
       mc=$(curl -sS -o /tmp/merge_resp.txt -w '%{http_code}' -X POST \
@@ -221,7 +256,7 @@ if [ "$MODE" != "pr" ]; then
   # pm → qa → merge), and run-agent.sh injects LEARNINGS.md into every future prompt — closing the loop.
   if [ "$NAME" = "pm" ] && grep -qiE '^[[:space:]]*RETRO[[:space:]]*$' /tmp/agent_out.md; then
     PRN=$(curl -sS "${hdr[@]}" "$API/pulls?state=all&limit=50" \
-      | jq -r --arg br "ai/issue-$ISSN" 'if type=="array" then ([.[]|select(.head.ref==$br)] | sort_by(.number) | last | .number // empty) else empty end' 2>/dev/null)
+      | jq -r --arg br "ai/issue-$ISSN" 'if type=="array" then ([.[]|select(.head.ref==$br or (.head.ref|startswith($br+"-")))] | sort_by(.number) | last | .number // empty) else empty end' 2>/dev/null)
     rbody=$(printf 'Retrospective for issue #%s%s.\n\nRead the FULL issue thread%s using the gitea-api skill (issue comments%s and the PR diff). Identify what went wrong, slow, or needed human correction — missed wiring, review misses, bounced rounds, unclear delegation, missing context.\n\nThen APPEND the distilled learnings to `LEARNINGS.md` at the repo root (create it with a short header if missing). Rules for entries:\n- 3 to 6 bullets max, each ONE line: `symptom -> rule for next time`.\n- Concrete and checkable (name the file/step/marker), not generic advice.\n- Do not repeat an existing bullet; refine it instead.\n- Do not rewrite unrelated parts of the file.\n\nThese learnings are injected into every future agent prompt, so quality over quantity.' \
       "$ISSN" "${PRN:+ / PR #$PRN}" "${PRN:+ and PR #$PRN thread}" "${PRN:+, PR comments}")
     rnum=$(curl -sS -X POST "${hdr[@]}" "$API/issues" \
@@ -236,14 +271,28 @@ if [ "$MODE" != "pr" ]; then
     exit 0
   fi
 
+  # --- @pm ASK: consult a dev in the thread WITHOUT starting a build ---
+  # 'ASK: @<dev> <question>' fires the dev in DISCUSSION mode (route.sh: the trigger below does not
+  # match any build phrase, so the dev replies in-thread — no branch, no PR). @pm gathers input this
+  # way, then DELEGATEs when enough is known.
+  ask_line=$(grep -oiE '^[[:space:]]*ASK:[[:space:]]*@(junior|senior|lead|intern)[[:space:]]+.*$' /tmp/agent_out.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+  if [ "$NAME" = "pm" ] && [ -n "$ask_line" ]; then
+    ask_dev=$(printf '%s' "$ask_line" | grep -oiE '@(junior|senior|lead|intern)' | head -1 | tr -d '@' | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
+    ask_q=$(printf '%s' "$ask_line" | sed -E 's/^[[:space:]]*ASK:[[:space:]]*@[A-Za-z]+[[:space:]]+//')
+    trig "$ISSN" "@$ask_dev $ask_q — this is a discussion: reply in this thread with your assessment; do not start any work."
+    exit 0
+  fi
+
   # --- @pm delegation: hand the build to a dev, or hand the finished PR to @qa for review ---
   # Only an explicit 'DELEGATE: @<agent>' line acts (never a prose mention). Fires via the PAT (TTOK)
   # so a new run starts; the built-in token cannot. Everything posts on the ISSUE — @pm never touches
   # the PR. Chain terminates: normal → @pm tells the creator (no marker); autopilot → @pm merges above.
   if [ -n "$target" ] && [ "$target" != "$NAME" ]; then
     if [ "$target" = "qa" ]; then
-      PRN=$(resolve_pr)
-      if [ -n "$PRN" ]; then
+      PRS=$(resolve_prs); PRN=${PRS##* }; CNT=$(echo "$PRS" | wc -w)
+      if [ -n "$PRN" ] && [ "$CNT" -gt 1 ]; then
+        trig "$ISSN" "@qa please review the $CNT open PRs for issue #$ISSN (#${PRS// /, #}) — put your recommendations on each PR; approve only when ALL are good."
+      elif [ -n "$PRN" ]; then
         trig "$ISSN" "@qa please review PR #$PRN for issue #$ISSN — put your recommendations on the PR, or approve."
       else
         echo "DELEGATE:@qa but no open PR yet for issue #$ISSN — not firing"
@@ -257,6 +306,15 @@ if [ "$MODE" != "pr" ]; then
   exit 0
 fi
 
+# --- dev DISCUSSION mode: consulted for expertise, no build (route.sh workmode=discuss) ---
+# The reply is a comment on the thread — discard any stray file edits, skip ALL git/PR machinery.
+if [ "${WORKMODE:-build}" = "discuss" ]; then
+  git checkout -- . 2>/dev/null || true
+  git clean -fd  2>/dev/null || true
+  post "$(printf '%s%s' "$reply" "$activity")"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
 # Scrub the runtime scripts checkout (.agents-workflow) from the tree so it never lands in a
 # commit/PR and never confuses the git ops below (issue #33). The scripts we run live outside the
 # workspace ($SCRIPTS -> runner.temp), so removing this in-tree copy is always safe. Handle every
@@ -276,7 +334,14 @@ if [ -n "$(git status --porcelain)" ]; then
   git add -A
   git commit -m "@$NAME: issue #$NUM"
 fi
-git push origin "HEAD:$BRANCH" || true
+if git push origin "HEAD:$BRANCH"; then
+  :
+else
+  status=$?
+  echo "git push failed for $BRANCH (exit $status)"
+  post "$(printf '⚠️ Push to branch `%s` failed (git exit %s). The PR will not open until the push succeeds. Please check the Actions log.%s' "$BRANCH" "$status" "$activity")"
+  exit 0
+fi
 git fetch -q origin 2>/dev/null || true
 
 prbody=$(printf '%s\n\n---\nResolves #%s' "$prdesc" "$NUM")
@@ -302,14 +367,21 @@ url=$(printf '%s' "$resp" | jq -r '.html_url // empty' 2>/dev/null)
 prnum=$(printf '%s' "$resp" | jq -r '.number // empty' 2>/dev/null)
 if [ -z "$url" ]; then
   title="@$NAME: $TITLE"
-  resp=$(curl -sS -X POST "${hdr[@]}" "$API/pulls" \
+  resp_body=/tmp/pr_create_resp.json
+  http_status=$(curl -sS -o "$resp_body" -w '%{http_code}' -X POST "${hdr[@]}" "$API/pulls" \
     -d "$(jq -nc --arg t "$title" --arg h "$br" --arg b "$prbody" \
           '{title:$t, head:$h, base:"main", body:$b}')")
-  echo "PR create ($br): $resp"
+  resp=$(cat "$resp_body" 2>/dev/null || true)
+  echo "PR create ($br): HTTP $http_status — $resp"
   url=$(printf '%s' "$resp" | jq -r '.html_url // empty' 2>/dev/null)
   prnum=$(printf '%s' "$resp" | jq -r '.number // empty' 2>/dev/null)
 fi
-[ -z "$url" ] && { echo "PR open/lookup failed for $br — posting reply on issue instead"; post "$(printf '%s%s' "$reply" "$activity")"; exit 0; }
+if [ -z "$url" ]; then
+  err_msg=$(printf '%s' "$resp" | jq -r 'if type=="object" and .message then .message else "(no error message in response)" end' 2>/dev/null)
+  echo "PR open/lookup failed for $br — HTTP $http_status — response: $resp"
+  post "$(printf '⚠️ Failed to open PR for branch `%s`.\n\nHTTP status: %s\nGitea message: %s%s' "$br" "$http_status" "$err_msg" "$activity")"
+  exit 0
+fi
 
 # Posts to the PR thread when we have a PR number, else to the origin issue ($NUM).
 prpost() {

.gitea/workflows/scripts/route.sh

@@ -31,19 +31,47 @@ name=""
 # load-bearing for the flow's trigger comments: "@pm — @qa approved …" must route to @pm (pm is
 # checked first), while "@junior please address @qa's review …" must route to the dev (devs are
 # checked before qa). If you add an agent or reword a trigger in publish.sh, re-check this order.
+# WORD-BOUNDARY match, not substring: "@internal" or "x@internet.com" must NOT route to @intern
+# (the workflow gate can only do contains(), so this is where its false positives get filtered).
 for a in pm junior senior lead qa ops intern; do
-  case "$scan" in *"@$a"*) name=$a; break;; esac
+  if printf '%s' "$scan" | grep -qE "(^|[^[:alnum:]_])@$a([^[:alnum:]_-]|\$)"; then name=$a; break; fi
 done
 if [ -z "$name" ]; then
-  if [ -z "$CID" ]; then name=pm; else echo "no known agent mentioned"; exit 1; fi
+  if [ -z "$CID" ]; then
+    name=pm
+  else
+    # Not an agent task (e.g. the gate's contains() matched "@internal"). Skip GRACEFULLY: emit
+    # mode=skip so every later step no-ops — a red run for a non-agent comment is just noise.
+    echo "no known agent mentioned (word-boundary) — skipping run"
+    { echo "name=none"; echo "model=none"; echo "vision=false"; echo "mode=skip"; echo "skills=[]";
+      echo "branch=main"; echo "new=false"; echo "autopilot=false"; echo "issnum=$NUM"; } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+    exit 0
+  fi
 fi
 model=$(jq -r --arg a "$name" '.[$a].model'  /tmp/agents.json)
 vision=$(jq -r --arg a "$name" '.[$a].vision' /tmp/agents.json)
 mode=$(jq -r --arg a "$name" '.[$a].mode'   /tmp/agents.json)
 # Compact JSON array of the skills this agent may load (scopes permission.skill in install-opencode.sh).
 skills=$(jq -c --arg a "$name" '.[$a].skills // []' /tmp/agents.json)
-echo "Routing to @$name (model=$model vision=$vision mode=$mode skills=$skills)"
-{ echo "name=$name"; echo "model=$model"; echo "vision=$vision"; echo "mode=$mode"; echo "skills=$skills"; } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+# --- WORKMODE for dev (mode=pr) agents: build vs DISCUSS. ---
+# Mentioning a dev is a CONVERSATION by default — it replies in the thread without creating a
+# branch or PR. Actual building starts ONLY on the explicit signals:
+#   - a comment on a PR thread (resuming existing work), or
+#   - the pm delegation template ".. please proceed with issue .." (also usable by a human), or
+#   - the qa bounce template ".. please address my review ..".
+# This lets @pm (via its ASK marker) and the maintainer consult devs to gather information first,
+# and explicitly start the build later — see publish.sh / run-agent.sh.
+workmode=build
+if [ "$mode" = "pr" ] && [ -z "$IS_PR" ]; then
+  if printf '%s' "$scan" | grep -qiE 'please (proceed with issue|address my review)'; then
+    workmode=build
+  else
+    workmode=discuss
+  fi
+fi
+echo "Routing to @$name (model=$model vision=$vision mode=$mode workmode=$workmode skills=$skills)"
+{ echo "name=$name"; echo "model=$model"; echo "vision=$vision"; echo "mode=$mode"; echo "workmode=$workmode"; echo "skills=$skills"; } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
 # Act as the agent's own Gitea user when its token is set; else the built-in bot.
 case "$name" in
@@ -56,7 +84,10 @@ git config user.email "$name@ffaerber.duckdns.org"
 API="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}"
 hdr=(-H "Authorization: token $TOK" -H "Content-Type: application/json")
 branch_ref=""
-if [ -n "$IS_PR" ]; then                     # comment on a PR -> resume its branch
+if [ "$workmode" = "discuss" ]; then         # conversation only — no branch, no PR machinery
+  echo "discussion mode — staying on main, no branch prep"
+  { echo "branch=main"; echo "new=false"; } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+elif [ -n "$IS_PR" ]; then                   # comment on a PR -> resume its branch
   ref=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token $GT" "$API/pulls/$NUM" | jq -r .head.ref)
   branch_ref="$ref"
   git fetch origin "$ref" && git checkout "$ref"

.gitea/workflows/scripts/run-agent.sh

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # plain-text reply (/tmp/agent_out.md) plus the raw event stream (/tmp/events.jsonl).
 #
 # Required env (provided by the workflow step):
-#   ANTHROPIC_API_KEY SELF_TOKEN NAME MODEL VISION MODE HAS_IMAGES BRANCH AUTOPILOT NUM TITLE
+#   XAI_API_KEY SELF_TOKEN NAME MODEL VISION MODE HAS_IMAGES BRANCH AUTOPILOT NUM TITLE
 #   IBODY CMT
 #   FILES   (the opencode -f image flags, from the imgs step output)
 #   AUTOPILOT is 'true' when the issue carries the `autopilot` label (label-gated autopilot mode).
@@ -54,7 +54,11 @@ if [ "$MODE" = "comment" ]; then
 
    If anything is unclear or needs a decision at any phase, START your reply with '@ffaerber', ask
    specific questions, and do NOT emit a marker. Mentioning a teammate in prose does NOT act — only a
-   DELEGATE line does.
+   marker line does.
+   ASK — to CONSULT a dev before (or instead of) planning, end your reply with EXACTLY one line:
+   'ASK: @<dev> <one concrete question>'. The dev replies in this thread WITHOUT starting any work —
+   use it to gather feasibility/effort/approach input, then present your plan (and later DELEGATE)
+   once you know enough. One ASK per reply; never ASK and DELEGATE in the same reply.
    RETRO — when the maintainer asks for a retrospective on this issue (e.g. 'run a retro',
    '@pm retro'), briefly acknowledge and end your reply with EXACTLY one line: 'RETRO'. The
    automation opens a retro issue (read this issue + its PR, distill learnings into LEARNINGS.md)
@@ -97,6 +101,15 @@ if [ "$MODE" = "comment" ]; then
      decision). Hands back to @ffaerber.
    Emit AT MOST one marker, and only after you have actually verified."
   fi
+elif [ "${WORKMODE:-build}" = "discuss" ]; then
+  # A dev agent consulted for its EXPERTISE — conversation only, no build. Building starts later,
+  # explicitly ('please proceed with issue …'). See route.sh workmode.
+  ACTION="You are being CONSULTED in this thread — this is a DISCUSSION, not a build task. Answer the
+   question you were asked: read whatever files/logs you need (read-only), give your assessment,
+   approach, effort estimate, risks, or answer — concise and concrete. Your reply becomes a comment.
+   Do NOT modify files, do NOT commit or push, do NOT create branches, do NOT open PRs. Do not
+   emit any marker. When the team has enough information, @pm (or the maintainer) will explicitly
+   tell a dev to start building."
 else
   ACTION="You start on git branch '${BRANCH}', with git and push credentials already configured.
    FIRST read AGENTS.md at the repo root and FOLLOW IT EXACTLY — it defines the golden rules,
@@ -109,8 +122,18 @@ fi
 # TEAM LEARNINGS — distilled from past retros (see the RETRO flow in publish.sh). Lives at the
 # CALLER repo root as LEARNINGS.md, maintained by retro PRs. Injected into EVERY agent's prompt
 # (capped) so past mistakes actually change future behavior — this is the feedback loop.
+# Cap is LINE-aware and keeps the NEWEST entries: retros append at the bottom, so a byte-cap from
+# the top would silently drop the latest lessons first (and cut mid-bullet).
 LEARN=""
-[ -s LEARNINGS.md ] && LEARN=$(head -c 4000 LEARNINGS.md)
+if [ -s LEARNINGS.md ]; then
+  if [ "$(wc -l < LEARNINGS.md)" -gt 80 ]; then
+    LEARN=$(printf '%s\n_(older learnings truncated — full list in LEARNINGS.md)_\n%s' \
+      "$(head -n 3 LEARNINGS.md)" "$(tail -n 70 LEARNINGS.md)")
+  else
+    LEARN=$(cat LEARNINGS.md)
+  fi
+  LEARN=$(printf '%s' "$LEARN" | head -c 8000)
+fi
 [ -n "$LEARN" ] && LEARN="
    TEAM LEARNINGS (distilled from past retros in this repo — APPLY them; they exist because a
    previous task went wrong without them):
@@ -126,6 +149,12 @@ ${LEARN}
    shown by Gitea. Do NOT begin your reply with your own name, an '@${NAME}' header, or a '🤖/🔨 @you'
    line; just write the content directly.
 
+   Do NOT use the gitea-api skill to post your reply, report, or any comment on THIS thread
+   yourself. The automation already posts your reply exactly once — self-posting it too is what
+   creates the duplicate comments you must avoid. On this thread, use gitea-api only to READ, or to
+   take an explicit action you were asked for (add/remove a label, close the issue, merge the PR).
+   Your report or answer IS your reply text — write it as your reply; do not post it via the API.
+
    TEAM ROSTER (who does what — hand off if a task isn't yours):
    ${ROSTER}
 
@@ -152,14 +181,21 @@ echo "opencode version: $(opencode --version 2>&1)"
 # keeps reading agent_out.md exactly as before. Success is exit code 0: the agent may
 # make tool-only changes with no text summary, so DO NOT treat empty output as failure.
 rc=1
+# HARD per-attempt timeout: there is exactly ONE runner slot, and a hung model (a stalled local
+# ollama generate on a trivial @intern question) once held it for ~1h, queueing every agent run
+# instance-wide. 20 min is far above any legitimate attempt. timeout SIGTERMs, then SIGKILLs 30s
+# later. rc=124 (timed out) is NOT retried — a hung backend stays hung; fail fast, free the runner.
+AGENT_TIMEOUT="${AGENT_TIMEOUT:-1200}"
 for attempt in 1 2 3; do
-  echo "opencode attempt $attempt/3 for @$NAME ($MODEL)"
+  echo "opencode attempt $attempt/3 for @$NAME ($MODEL, timeout ${AGENT_TIMEOUT}s)"
   rc=0
-  opencode run --model "$MODEL" --auto --format json "$PROMPT" ${FILES:-} \
+  timeout -k 30 "$AGENT_TIMEOUT" \
+    opencode run --model "$MODEL" --auto --format json "$PROMPT" ${FILES:-} \
     >/tmp/events.jsonl 2>/tmp/agent_err.log || rc=$?
   echo "rc=$rc"; echo "--- events ($(wc -l < /tmp/events.jsonl 2>/dev/null || echo 0) lines) ---"
   echo "--- stderr (trace) ---"; cat /tmp/agent_err.log
   [ $rc -eq 0 ] && break
+  if [ $rc -eq 124 ]; then echo "attempt timed out after ${AGENT_TIMEOUT}s — backend hung, not retrying"; break; fi
   if grep -qiE 'overloaded|429|529|rate.?limit|timeout|ETIMEDOUT|ECONNRESET|EAI_AGAIN' /tmp/events.jsonl /tmp/agent_err.log; then
     echo "transient error — backing off $((attempt*20))s"; sleep $((attempt * 20)); continue
   fi

.gitea/workflows/scripts/skill-gitea-admin.sh

@@ -107,9 +107,22 @@ curl -sS -X POST -H "Authorization: token $SELF_TOKEN" "$API/orgs/{org}/labels"
 3. Commit the standard caller so it gets the agents — `PUT /repos/{owner}/{repo}/contents/.gitea/workflows/ai-agent.yml`
    with base64 `content`, `message`, `branch:"main"` (copy the exact caller from the `agents` repo README).
 4. Add the agent bot users as collaborators: `PUT /repos/{owner}/{repo}/collaborators/{username}` (`{"permission":"write"}`).
-5. Ensure the repo can run agents — the org must hold the runtime secrets (ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, SELF_TOKEN,
+5. Ensure the repo can run agents — the org must hold the runtime secrets (XAI_API_KEY, SELF_TOKEN,
    TOKEN_* , OLLAMA_URL, OLLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY); set any missing via the secrets calls above.
 
+## Packages / container registry
+Container images pushed by CI land in the **owner's** package namespace (e.g. `ffaerber/-/packages`)
+and are NOT automatically shown on the repo's Packages page — link once after the first push:
+```
+curl -sS -X POST -H "Authorization: token $SELF_TOKEN" "$API/packages/{owner}/container/{name}/-/link/{repo}"
+curl -sS -X POST -H "Authorization: token $SELF_TOKEN" "$API/packages/{owner}/container/{name}/-/unlink"
+```
+Registry auth facts (for wiring CI): the internal Actions token (`GITHUB_TOKEN`) is REJECTED by the
+container registry — a real PAT is required. A **user**-namespace package is writable only by that
+user or a site admin, so CI pushing to `<user>/<image>` needs a PAT minted BY that user with scope
+`write:package` only (stored as a repo/user secret, e.g. `REGISTRY_TOKEN`). Your own token carries
+`write:package`, so you can link/unlink and (if ever needed) push to any namespace.
+
 ## Admin user management
 - Create: `POST /admin/users`. Edit: `PATCH /admin/users/{username}`. Delete: `DELETE /admin/users/{username}` (**confirm first**).
 - List: `GET /admin/users`.

LEARNINGS.md

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# LEARNINGS — distilled from retros
+
+Rules for the team. Each line: `symptom -> rule for next time`. Keep concrete and checkable.
+
+- New agent added without the `agent.yml` trigger gate, breaking all `@intern` comments until round 3 -> adding an agent means editing BOTH the trusted-author list and the mention list in `agent.yml` (lines ~28 and ~37) in the same commit; @qa grep the gate for the new name.
+- Two of the 8 files an agent touches were missed on the first PR -> when adding an agent, touch all of `agents.json`, `install-opencode.sh`, `route.sh`, `agent.yml`, `publish.sh`, `rescue-pr.sh`, `run-agent.sh`, `README.md`; @qa diff-stat the PR and confirm the name appears in each.
+- Stray leading-space edits to `run-agent.sh` prompt heredoc bounced 2 review rounds -> only edit the exact token (the agent name) inside prompt heredocs, never re-indent surrounding lines; verify with `cat -A` against `main` before pushing.
+- @qa quoted the `@${dev} ... (fix attempt $n/3)` trigger string from the diff, inflating the bounce counter 1/3 -> 3/3 -> @qa paraphrase the fix-attempt line, never reproduce it verbatim; the publish.sh template+regex must stay pinned together.
+- @qa found whitespace and the gate miss in separate rounds, hitting the 3-round cap -> on a BOUNCE, list ALL problems (every file/line) in one round; the 3-round cap is hard.

README.md

@@ -7,12 +7,12 @@ Shared **AI dev-team** workflow for Gitea Actions, reusable across repos. It giv
 
 | Agent | Model | Vision | Mode | Skills | Role |
 |-------|-------|:------:|------|--------|------|
-| `@pm` | `ollama-cloud/gemma4:cloud` | yes | comment | `gitea-api` | Product manager & orchestrator — plans, picks the dev, hands finished PRs to `@qa`, reports back to the issue creator (autopilot: merges approved PRs itself). Issue thread only; never edits files, never reads the PR diff. |
+| `@pm` | `ollama-cloud/minimax-m3:cloud` | yes | comment | `gitea-api` | Product manager & orchestrator — plans, picks the dev, hands finished PRs to `@qa`, reports back to the issue creator (autopilot: merges approved PRs itself). Issue thread only; never edits files, never reads the PR diff. |
 | `@junior` | `ollama-cloud/kimi-k2.7-code:cloud` | no | pr | — | Junior dev — small, low-risk changes (mostly YAML/compose/config). Text-only, cannot read images. Defers complex or image tasks to `@senior` or `@lead`. |
 | `@senior` | `ollama-cloud/glm-5.2:cloud` | no | pr | `gitea-api` | Senior dev — complex, multi-file implementation (GLM-5.2 via Ollama Cloud, text-only). |
-| `@lead` | `anthropic/claude-opus-4-8` | yes | pr | `gitea-api` | Tech lead — the hardest problems, architecture, and final calls. |
+| `@lead` | `xai/grok-4.5` | yes | pr | `gitea-api` | Tech lead — the hardest problems, architecture, and final calls. |
 | `@qa` | `ollama-cloud/minimax-m3:cloud` | yes | comment | `gitea-api` | QA / reviewer — reads the PR diff, drives a headless browser (Playwright) to verify behavior; recommendations on the PR, pass/fail verdict on the issue. Never edits code, never merges. |
-| `@ops` | `anthropic/claude-opus-4-8` | no | comment | `gitea-admin` | Gitea operator — administers the instance itself (create orgs/users/repos, labels, secrets, scoped per-user tokens, bootstrap repos). Comments only; never edits code. Confirms before destructive actions. |
+| `@ops` | `xai/grok-4.5` | no | comment | `gitea-admin` | Gitea operator — administers the instance itself (create orgs/users/repos, labels, secrets, scoped per-user tokens, bootstrap repos). Comments only; never edits code. Confirms before destructive actions. |
 | `@intern` | `ollama/ornith:35b` | no | pr | — | Intern — very basic tasks only, routed to the local Ollama model (`ornith:35b`). Text-only, cannot read images. Escalates anything non-trivial to `@junior`, `@senior` or `@lead`. |
 
 The registry `.gitea/workflows/scripts/agents.json` is the source of truth for this mapping — if you
@@ -36,6 +36,15 @@ deploy-host SSH skill, live in the consuming repo under `.gitea/agent-skills/`
 `@pm` is the only agent that ever merges, and only under the `autopilot` label (its kill switch:
 remove the label mid-flight and the next step reverts to human control).
 
+### Discussion vs building
+
+Mentioning a dev agent is a **conversation by default**: it reads what it needs and replies in the
+thread — no branch, no PR. `@pm` can consult devs the same way with an `ASK: @<dev> <question>`
+marker (gather feasibility/effort input before planning). **Building starts only on the explicit
+signals**: `@pm`'s delegation (*"please proceed with issue …"* — a human can write the same phrase
+to start a build directly), a `@qa` bounce (*"please address my review …"*), or any comment on the
+PR thread itself (resuming existing work).
+
 ### Retros — the learning loop
 
 Ask `@pm` for a retrospective on any issue (e.g. **"@pm run a retro"**, typically when merging). The
@@ -102,7 +111,7 @@ points `$SCRIPTS` at it. Keep the workflow and its scripts moving together on `m
 
 | Secret | For |
 |--------|-----|
-| `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` | `@lead` (and `@pm`/`@senior`/`@qa` if on Claude) |
+| `XAI_API_KEY` | `@lead`, `@ops` (and any other agent switched to a `xai/…` model) |
 | `OLLAMA_URL`, `OLLAMA_CLOUD_API_KEY` | local ornith / Ollama Cloud (gemma4, kimi-k2.7-code, glm-5.2, minimax-m3) |
 | `TOKEN_PM`,`TOKEN_SENIOR`,`TOKEN_JUNIOR`,`TOKEN_LEAD`,`TOKEN_QA` | **primary** — each agent's own Gitea-user PAT. The running agent gets *only its own* token (as `SELF_TOKEN`) so it posts, commits and comments as itself, and its `gitea-api` skill acts with its own scopes. Scopes: devs + `TOKEN_PM` carry `write:repository` (`@pm` is the only agent that merges, autopilot only); `TOKEN_QA` is `read:repository` + `write:issue` (reviews, never merges). |
 | `TOKEN_OPS` | `@ops` only — the admin PAT behind the `gitea-admin` skill (create orgs/users/repos, manage labels & secrets, mint scoped tokens). Injected into the agent process only when the agent is `@ops`. |