How aop-mode works
aop-mode is a set of instructions loaded by your coding agent when you explicitly invoke a workflow. The runtime contract adapts those instructions to the tools available in that agent.
Diagram text
flowchart TD A[Explicit aop-mode invocation] --> B[Runtime contract] B --> C[Original router and principles] C --> D[Task playbook] E[Explicit individual skill invocation] --> F[Selected skill]
Invoke aop-mode to load the original poteto-mode router, its principle index,
and its full task playbooks. Invoke an individual skill such as tdd, how,
interrogate, architect, or unslop to use that workflow directly.
The package contains all 50 main skills, including 24 principle skills, plus all three Benny automation skills. Nothing from the pinned upstream tree is omitted. See the complete catalog for names and the 23 playbooks.
Explicit activation
Section titled “Explicit activation”No session-start hook enables the mode. Entry wrappers disable implicit invocation
and Codex wrappers also include allow_implicit_invocation: false. During an
explicit task, a workflow can read the other upstream skills it depends on.
Original Cursor mode and reminder metadata do not create a standing mode here.
Choose a workflow
Section titled “Choose a workflow”To select a playbook, describe the task after explicitly invoking the entrypoint.
For example, autopilot-stack requests a verified PR stack for you to land;
full autopilot requests independent PRs built through authorized merge.
Check on PR X requests one status pass, while get it green requests work toward
merge readiness. Neither PR-status phrase authorizes merging.
Read Choose a workflow for trigger phrases, when to use each playbook, example requests, and the prerequisites for autonomous work. These are natural-language routing cues, not global activation commands.
What the adapter changes
Section titled “What the adapter changes”Wrappers first load the target runtime contract, then the original skill in full.
Relative links and scripts resolve from the original file. Tool names and delegate
roles map to the tools actually exposed by the host. Default models inherit the
parent; configured roles use verified available model IDs. setup-pstack writes
project-local .aop-mode/models.md, not a global Cursor rule.
The original two agent role prompts are bundled and supplied to native delegates when requested. They are not automatically registered as always-available agents.
Content parity is not runtime parity
Section titled “Content parity is not runtime parity”All original content is present and verified by hashes. Cursor cloud agents,
webhook automations, transcript storage, mixed-model availability, and external
cursor-team-kit dependencies still require host capabilities or configuration.
The adapter reports unsupported steps instead of pretending they ran.
Read the compatibility limits and live evidence. A small task suite cannot establish end-to-end success for all 53 workflows.
Writing documentation
Section titled “Writing documentation”Use technical-writing to structure and write documentation, with unslop for
prose cleanup. Read about the skill or follow
the documentation guide for prompts and Starlight
verification commands. These guides document the existing skill; they do not add
a new upstream playbook.