Overview
Atlas is a todo-list orchestrator that executes planned tasks systematically through multi-agent coordination. Named after the Greek Titan who held up the celestial sphere, Atlas embodies the weight of coordination, systematic execution, and the burden of seeing work through to completion.
Purpose: Complete ALL tasks in a todo list until fully done, delegating to specialized agents and categories as needed.
model
string
default:"claude-sonnet-4-6"
Balanced model for efficient orchestration
Available in both primary and subagent contexts
Low temperature for consistent orchestration decisions
Model Configuration
Default Model (Claude)
{
"model": "claude-sonnet-4-6",
"temperature": 0.1
}
GPT Variant
Atlas adapts to GPT models when configured:
{
"model": "gpt-5.2",
"temperature": 0.1
}
Gemini Variant
Atlas adapts to Gemini models when configured:
{
"model": "gemini-3.1-pro",
"temperature": 0.1
}
Fallback Chain
Atlas has a cost-effective fallback chain:
anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6
Atlas prioritizes free models for cost efficiency during long orchestration sessions, falling back to premium models only when necessary.
Atlas has full access to implementation tools:
- All file operations (read, write, edit)
- All search tools (grep, glob, ast_grep)
- LSP tools for code intelligence
- Background task management
- Todo/Task management
- Question tool for user interaction
Atlas cannot delegate to other orchestrators to prevent infinite loops:
Cannot use task() delegation - prevents recursive orchestration
Cannot spawn named agents - works with categories only
Atlas is designed to execute work directly or through category delegation, not to create additional orchestration layers. This constraint prevents delegation loops and ensures focused execution.
Core Capabilities
1. Systematic Task Execution
Atlas works through todo lists methodically:
## Todo List: User Authentication Implementation
- [x] Research existing auth patterns
- [x] Design JWT middleware structure
- [ ] Implement token generation <- CURRENT
- [ ] Add token validation
- [ ] Create refresh token logic
- [ ] Add authentication to routes
- [ ] Write integration tests
- [ ] Run full verification
Atlas:
- Reads current task (“Implement token generation”)
- Determines if it should work directly or delegate to category
- Executes or delegates
- Marks complete
- Moves to next task
- Repeats until all tasks done
2. Agent Selection & Delegation
Atlas chooses the right category for each task:
Decision Matrix:
| Task Type | Category | Rationale |
|---|
| UI/Frontend work | visual-engineering | Gemini-based, design-focused |
| Complex logic | deep | GPT Codex, thorough research |
| Simple fixes | quick | Fast, cheap Claude Haiku |
| Creative work | artistry | High temperature, visual focus |
| Documentation | writing | Optimized for prose |
// Atlas analyzes task: "Design login form with animations"
// Decision: visual-engineering category + frontend-ui-ux skill
task(
category="visual-engineering",
load_skills=["frontend-ui-ux"],
description="Implement login form UI",
prompt="1. TASK: Create login form component with smooth animations
2. EXPECTED OUTCOME: Responsive form with staggered reveal...
3. REQUIRED TOOLS: write, edit, read...
4. MUST DO: Follow existing component patterns, use Framer Motion...
5. MUST NOT DO: Hardcode colors, use generic fonts...
6. CONTEXT: src/components/auth/, using Tailwind + Framer Motion"
)
3. Skill Loading Strategy
Atlas automatically loads relevant skills:
// Task mentions "commit changes"
// Atlas loads: git-master skill
task(
category="quick",
load_skills=["git-master"],
description="Commit authentication changes",
prompt="..."
)
// Task mentions "verify in browser"
// Atlas loads: playwright skill
task(
category="visual-engineering",
load_skills=["frontend-ui-ux", "playwright"],
description="Implement and verify UI",
prompt="..."
)
4. Progress Tracking
Atlas maintains visible progress:
## Session Progress
Completed (5/8):
✓ Research existing auth patterns
✓ Design JWT middleware structure
✓ Implement token generation
✓ Add token validation
✓ Create refresh token logic
Current:
▶ Add authentication to routes
Pending:
◻ Write integration tests
◻ Run full verification
Orchestration Process
Phase 1: Plan Intake
Atlas reads the todo list from:
.sisyphus/plans/{name}.md (Prometheus-generated)
- User-provided task list
- Inline todo creation
Phase 2: Task Analysis
For each pending task:
- Parse task description: Extract requirements
- Classify complexity: Trivial, simple, moderate, complex
- Identify domain: Frontend, backend, testing, infrastructure
- Select category: Match domain to best category
- Choose skills: Determine relevant skill loadouts
Phase 3: Execution
Atlas decides execution strategy:
Work directly when:
- Task is trivial (10 lines, single file)
- Task is reading/investigation only
- Task requires orchestration logic
Delegate to category when:
- Task requires specialized expertise
- Task touches multiple files
- Task has complex requirements
Phase 4: Verification
After each task:
- Verify deliverables exist
- Run
lsp_diagnostics on changed files
- Check build status if applicable
- Mark task complete only when verified
Phase 5: Continuation
Atlas continues until:
- All tasks marked complete
- Verification passes on all changes
- User stops the session
- Unrecoverable error encountered
Category Selection Logic
Atlas uses a decision tree to select categories:
function selectCategory(task: Task): Category {
// UI/UX work
if (task.mentions("UI", "component", "styling", "animation")) {
return "visual-engineering"
}
// Deep logical work
if (task.mentions("algorithm", "architecture", "complex", "refactor")) {
return "deep"
}
// Quick fixes
if (task.mentions("typo", "fix", "small", "trivial")) {
return "quick"
}
// Creative/design
if (task.mentions("design", "creative", "prototype")) {
return "artistry"
}
// Documentation
if (task.mentions("docs", "README", "documentation")) {
return "writing"
}
// Default fallback based on complexity
return task.isComplex ? "unspecified-high" : "unspecified-low"
}
Usage Examples
Example 1: Executing Prometheus Plan
// User previously created plan with Prometheus
// Plan saved to: .sisyphus/plans/user-authentication.md
// User invokes Atlas
/start-work user-authentication
// Atlas loads plan
"Loading plan from .sisyphus/plans/user-authentication.md
Found 3 phases with 12 tasks:
- Phase 1: Core Authentication (4 tasks)
- Phase 2: User Endpoints (3 tasks)
- Phase 3: Testing (3 tasks)
- Verification (2 tasks)
Starting execution..."
// Phase 1, Task 1
"Working on: Create JWT token service
Analysis: Backend service implementation, moderate complexity
Category: deep (thorough implementation needed)
Skills: None required
Delegating to deep category..."
task(
category="deep",
load_skills=[],
description="Implement JWT token service",
prompt="1. TASK: Create JWT token service at src/services/auth/token.ts
2. EXPECTED OUTCOME: Service with generate/validate/decode methods
3. REQUIRED TOOLS: write, read, lsp_diagnostics
4. MUST DO: Use jsonwebtoken library, handle expiry, strong secret
5. MUST NOT DO: Hardcode secret, skip error handling
6. CONTEXT: Express API, existing services in src/services/"
)
// After completion
"Task complete: JWT token service implemented
✓ File created: src/services/auth/token.ts
✓ lsp_diagnostics: clean
✓ Tests: 8 passed
Moving to next task..."
Example 2: Mixed Task Types
// Todo list with varied tasks
todos = [
"Fix typo in LoginForm.tsx",
"Implement password strength indicator with animations",
"Write API documentation for auth endpoints",
"Commit changes with atomic commits"
]
// Task 1: Fix typo (trivial)
Atlas: "Simple text fix - working directly"
// Makes edit, verifies, marks complete
// Task 2: Password strength UI (complex frontend)
Atlas: "UI component with animations - delegating to visual-engineering"
task(
category="visual-engineering",
load_skills=["frontend-ui-ux"],
description="Password strength indicator",
prompt="..."
)
// Task 3: Documentation (writing)
Atlas: "Documentation task - delegating to writing category"
task(
category="writing",
load_skills=[],
description="API documentation",
prompt="..."
)
// Task 4: Git commits (tool-specific)
Atlas: "Git operation - delegating with git-master skill"
task(
category="quick",
load_skills=["git-master"],
description="Create atomic commits",
prompt="..."
)
Example 3: Error Recovery
// Task fails during execution
task_result = task(category="deep", ...)
// Result: "Type error on line 45"
// Atlas: Retry with more specific instructions
Atlas: "Delegation failed - analyzing error and retrying"
task(
session_id=task_result.session_id, // Continue same session
description="Fix type error",
prompt="Previous attempt failed with type error on line 45.
ERROR: Type 'string | undefined' is not assignable to type 'string'
Fix: Add null check before using the value."
)
// After 3 failed attempts
Atlas: "Unable to resolve after 3 attempts. Requesting user guidance."
// Uses question tool to ask user for direction
Integration with Prometheus
Atlas and Prometheus work together:
Workflow:
- User: Requests complex feature
- Prometheus: Creates detailed plan via interview
- Plan: Saved to
.sisyphus/plans/{name}.md
- Atlas: Executes plan systematically
- Completion: All tasks done, verified, user notified
Configuration
Customize Atlas in oh-my-opencode.jsonc:
{
"agents": {
"atlas": {
"model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
"temperature": 0.1,
"prompt_append": "Additional orchestration guidelines...",
"disable": false,
"color": "#10B981"
}
}
}
Best Practices
Work systematically - Complete tasks in order, don’t skip ahead
Choose categories wisely - Match task type to specialized category
Load relevant skills - Equip delegated agents with needed skills
Verify each task - Don’t mark complete without evidence
Track progress visibly - User should see what’s done and what’s next
Never skip verification - All changes must be validated before proceeding
Never delegate orchestration - Atlas executes, doesn’t create orchestration layers
Never mark incomplete - Task complete only when fully done and verified
- Prometheus - Creates plans that Atlas executes
- Sisyphus - Main orchestrator that can invoke Atlas for plan execution
- Hephaestus - Autonomous worker for complex individual tasks