aoa-summon

Intent

Use this skill to decide whether and how to launch one bounded child route from an already-anchored parent route.

The goal is not delegation theater. The goal is to preserve quest-passport law, local coding-agent execution, stress narrowing, progression and self-agent gates, return planning, checkpoint-aware reviewed closeout, and owner-local publication mapping.

Trigger boundary

Use this skill when:

• a parent route already has a real anchor and named expected outputs
• a narrower child actor would help through bounded review, evaluation, leaf

implementation, or local verification

• the child result must map back into return, closeout, and owner-publication

surfaces

• local coding-agent execution is the honest default unless a separate execution

surface is actually required

Do not use this skill when:

• the parent route still lacks a real anchor or named outputs
• multiple plausible next routes still compete and need fork cards first
• the route is d3+ and still needs a split before any child launch
• delegation would widen authority, hide approval posture, or bypass a human

gate

• the task is asking for a whole orchestration mesh rather than one bounded

child route

• remote transport is being requested for prestige rather than necessity

Inputs

• a quest passport with difficulty, risk, control mode, and delegate tier
• a summon request with desired role or child target, transport preference, one

parent anchor (route_anchor, parent_task_id, or session_ref), and named expected outputs

• named expected outputs for the child route
• optional reviewed artifact path, stress bundle ref, checkpoint note ref,

local agent trace ref, progression overlay ref, self-agent checkpoint ref, and audit refs

Outputs

• one summon decision with allowed or blocked posture
• one chosen lane such as codex_local_leaf, codex_local_reviewed,

remote_reviewed, split_required, or human_gate

• execution_surface, cohort_pattern, reason_codes, and blocked_actions
• optional codex_local_target
• return_plan, checkpoint_bridge_plan, memo_export_plan, and

owner_publication_plan

• return receipt or acceptance expectation when the child crosses an actor,

session, or owner boundary

• closeout_required, checkpoint_required, and progression_required

Procedure

1. start from the parent anchor and quest passport, not from raw pressure to delegate
2. default transport_preference to codex_local when the request leaves it open
3. verify that expected outputs are named before picking a lane
4. classify the lane with difficulty, risk, control mode, requested role, and

references/passport-lane-matrix.v3.md

1. keep low-risk d0_probe, d1_patch, and bounded d2_slice leaf work in

codex_local_leaf when anchor and outputs are clear

1. keep local reviewer, evaluator, and architect-like narrowing work in

codex_local_reviewed

1. allow remote_reviewed only when a separate endpoint or execution surface

is actually required

1. if difficulty is d3+, return split_required instead of launching child execution
2. if stress posture says stop_before_mutation, only allow a narrowing

non-mutating child; otherwise gate to human review

1. if require_progression is true or the route depends on reviewed unlock

posture, require a reviewed progression overlay before summon

1. if the route is self-agent or policy-sensitive, require reviewed

self-agent checkpoint posture before summon

1. emit return, checkpoint bridge, memo export, and owner publication plans

that stay subordinate to reviewed closeout and owner truth

1. name whether a return receipt or acceptance state is needed before the

parent route may continue

1. apply references/no-raw-traces-rule.md so child traces remain aids rather

than proof or memo canon

1. map failed, narrowed, or blocked child states back into return posture

instead of letting them disappear

Contracts

• this skill governs one bounded child route; it does not grant hidden

orchestration authority

• local coding-agent child targeting is the default first choice, not an afterthought
• branch choice must already be settled; unresolved route choice belongs to

aoa-session-route-forks

• the SDK-owned E2E fixture at

repo:aoa-sdk/examples/a2a/summon_return_checkpoint_e2e.fixture.json may be used to check this skill's v3 request/result contract, but it does not move summon law into aoa-sdk

• stress may narrow or block, but it may never widen authority
• remote transport follows the same passport, return, checkpoint, and closeout

law as local transport

• d3+ routes split first
• progression and self-agent gates are real blockers when required evidence is

missing

• child traces, memos, and receipts do not replace rereading the reviewed

parent artifact

• terminal publication stays inside canonical owner families, and memo export

stays reviewed and candidate-oriented

• failed, narrowed, or blocked child results still map into an explicit return

surface

• cross-boundary child work needs an explicit receipt or acceptance expectation

before the parent route treats the child result as returned

Risks and anti-patterns

• treating delegation as progress without anchor or output clarity
• using summon to skip branch choice when several next routes still compete
• using a remote child route to bypass local proof, approval, or closeout

posture

• allowing child scope to widen beyond the parent passport
• reading child traces as proof authority or memo canon
• skipping the required split for d3+ work
• publishing terminal meaning into derived layers before owner-local landing

Verification

• confirm the passport and parent anchor exist
• confirm expected outputs are named
• confirm branch choice is already settled; otherwise route to

aoa-session-route-forks

• confirm the chosen lane matches difficulty, risk, control mode, and requested

role

• confirm any E2E fixture check validates summon_request and summon_result

against references/summon-request-v3.schema.json and references/summon-result-v3.schema.json

• confirm d3+ routes split before summon
• confirm stress only narrows or blocks
• confirm progression and self-agent gates are not bypassed
• confirm return, checkpoint bridge, and publication plans stay explicit for

nonterminal or failed child outcomes

• confirm cross-boundary child work has a return receipt or acceptance

expectation before parent continuation

• confirm terminal publication stays owner-local and memo export stays reviewed

and candidate-oriented

• confirm traces stay subordinate to reviewed closeout and parent reread

Technique traceability

Manifest-backed techniques:

• AOA-T-0078 from 8Dionysus/aoa-techniques at 3b1d5d623569aa4920b87280d0db0e911d2e29d5 using path techniques/governance/decision-routing/decision-fork-cards/TECHNIQUE.md and sections: Intent, Inputs, Outputs, Core procedure, Contracts, Validation
• AOA-T-0079 from 8Dionysus/aoa-techniques at 3b1d5d623569aa4920b87280d0db0e911d2e29d5 using path techniques/governance/decision-routing/risk-passport-lift/TECHNIQUE.md and sections: Intent, Inputs, Outputs, Contracts, Risks, Validation
• AOA-T-0062 from 8Dionysus/aoa-techniques at fe4b04ed877916c46e60e70aaa9a1d4c86e81b6e using path techniques/continuity/handoff-continuation/episode-bounded-agent-loop/TECHNIQUE.md and sections: Intent, Outputs, Core procedure, Contracts, Risks, Validation
• AOA-T-0058 from 8Dionysus/aoa-techniques at 3b1d5d623569aa4920b87280d0db0e911d2e29d5 using path techniques/continuity/handoff-continuation/receipt-confirmed-handoff-packet/TECHNIQUE.md and sections: Intent, Outputs, Core procedure, Contracts, Risks, Validation

Adaptation points

• project overlays may add local child-role labels, control modes, or transport

labels

• project overlays may map local reviewed-closeout or checkpoint families onto

the core summon result without weakening the gates

• project overlays may specialize owner publication families or memo candidate

classes while keeping the parent return route explicit