Agent Modes

Watchfire supports six modes for running AI coding agents, ranging from interactive chat to fully autonomous operation.

Chat

Interactive session with the coding agent. No task context — the agent starts in the project root directory and you communicate directly through the terminal.

watchfire run

Use Chat mode for:

• Exploring the codebase
• Quick one-off changes
• Debugging and investigation
• Asking questions about the code

Task

Execute a specific task from the task list. The agent receives the task's prompt and acceptance criteria, works in an isolated git worktree, and updates the task file when done.

watchfire run <task_id>

The agent:

1. Starts in the worktree (.watchfire/worktrees/<task_number>/)
2. Reads the task prompt and acceptance criteria
3. Works autonomously to complete the task
4. Sets status: done and success: true/false when finished
5. Watchfire detects completion and handles merge/cleanup

Start All

Run all ready tasks sequentially. Each task gets its own agent session and worktree. When one task completes, the next one starts automatically.

watchfire run all

The chain stops if:

• All ready tasks are complete
• A merge conflict occurs (prevents cascading failures)
• You cancel with Ctrl+C

Wildfire

The flagship mode. A fully autonomous three-phase loop that can plan, execute, and iterate without human intervention.

watchfire wildfire

Phase 1: Execute

Works on all ready tasks, one at a time. Same as Start All mode — each task gets its own worktree and agent session.

Phase 2: Refine

When no ready tasks remain, picks up draft tasks. The agent:

• Analyzes the codebase and project definition
• Improves the draft task's prompt and acceptance criteria
• Sets the task to ready when refined

Phase 3: Generate

When no draft tasks remain, the agent:

• Analyzes the project and completed work
• Creates new tasks if meaningful work remains
• If new tasks are created, the loop restarts from Phase 1

Wildfire State Machine

Execute (ready tasks) → Refine (draft tasks) → Generate (no tasks left)
         ↑                      ↑                         |
         └──────────────────────┘─────────────────────────┘
                                                (if new tasks → loop)
                                                (if no new tasks → stop)

Wildfire stops when the Generate phase creates no new tasks, or when you press Ctrl+C.

Generate Definition

Auto-generate a project definition by analyzing the codebase. The agent reads your project's files and produces a comprehensive description for the definition field in project.yaml.

watchfire generate

This is a single-shot command — the agent runs once and exits.

Generate Tasks

Auto-generate tasks from the project definition. The agent reads your project definition and creates a set of tasks to build or improve the project.

watchfire plan

This is also single-shot. Review the generated tasks and move them to ready when you're satisfied.

Mode Comparison

Mode	Autonomous	Worktree	Use Case
Chat	No	No	Interactive exploration
Task	Yes	Yes	Single task execution
Start All	Yes	Yes	Sequential batch execution
Wildfire	Fully	Yes	End-to-end autonomous development
Generate Definition	Yes	No	Bootstrap project context
Generate Tasks	Yes	No	Bootstrap task list