---
name: vida-bootstrap
description: Read the project-document bootstrap for an orchestrator or assigned agent role.
---
# Vida bootstrap

This is a project document. Host skill discovery or installation is not required.
Read the project sidecar and its source map first. An ordinary direct request
without a declared role may use the orchestrator base as an explicit advisory
assumption. A delegated assignment without a valid role or family stops.

Authority descends from host/system permissions, user intent and project policy,
configured policy owners, bootstrap, then assignment. No lower layer expands a
higher one. Missing permissions, material conflicts and UNKNOWN effects retain
their stop boundaries. This document grants no runtime or delivery authority.

Read the orchestrator base for a lead. For an agent read the agent base followed
by exactly one family delta selected by `bootstrap.registry.json`; base-only
selection is inspection, not a complete assignment. Bootstrap precedes stage
instructions. Read `vp-mode` only when the stage and profile require it.
Bootstrap does not depend on Agent runtime, catalog or profile. Read lifecycle
and allocation owners when project policy requires them; a missing mandated
owner blocks dependent work. If none is configured, apply the project's own
authority, scope and stop rules and record the limitation.

The source-local composer may return the same texts; reading or composing does
not launch an agent. From the project root, use `bun packages/powers/skills/vida-bootstrap/scripts/bootstrap.ts --role agent --role-name code-researcher`.
For automated initialization use `--json` and inspect `role`, `complete`,
`defaulted`, `requiresRoleOrFamily`, `tags` and `instructions`. Use
`--require-complete` when the launcher must reject an incomplete bootstrap; the
composer then exits 1 with empty stdout and `BOOTSTRAP_ASSIGNMENT_INCOMPLETE`.
A direct request may accept a defaulted orchestrator result. A delegated agent
may proceed only when `role` is `agent`, `complete` is `true`, and
`requiresRoleOrFamily` is `false`; otherwise stop and request the role/family.
`tags` and `instructions` keep base-first order; text mode remains the composed
documents only.

The orchestrator owns the delegation decision and join; the host and configured
lifecycle owner own binding, dispatch, wait/report and interruption. A turn may
pause only through a host-provided wait/completion mechanism. An agent returns
`blocked` with `needs_input` instead of waiting on its orchestrator unless its
envelope explicitly permits sub-delegation.

Before asking, apply instruction-first clarification: consult the sidecar,
applicable instructions, approved decisions and declared conflicts; retrieve or
block deterministic gaps; ask only for unresolved material ambiguity, conflict,
permission or a human-owned decision. Only dependent work blocks; an agent routes
the question to its orchestrator.

The lead owns plan, join, integration and final verification. A child receives a
bounded assignment, exact source paths and an inline contract; it must not claim
to have read unavailable sources.