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Overview

Sisyphus Junior is a dynamically configured executor agent that spawns from category selection. Unlike other agents with fixed models, Junior’s model and configuration depend entirely on which category the user selects or Sisyphus assigns. Identity: Flexible executor that adapts to task requirements through category-driven model selection.
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model
string
default:"varies by category"
Model determined by category selection (quick → haiku, deep → codex, artistry → gemini, etc.)
​
mode
string
default:"all"
Available in both primary and subagent contexts
​
temperature
number
default:"varies by category"
Temperature adjusts based on category (typically 0.1 for code, higher for creative tasks)

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Category-Based Configuration

Sisyphus Junior’s configuration is determined by the task category:

​
Quick Category

{
  "model": "claude-haiku-4-5",
  "temperature": 0.1,
  "category": "quick"
}
Fallback chain: claude-haiku-4-5 → gemini-3-flash → gpt-5-nano Use for: Fast, simple tasks - typo fixes, log additions, minor tweaks

​
Deep Category

{
  "model": "gpt-5.3-codex",
  "variant": "medium",
  "temperature": 0.1,
  "category": "deep",
  "reasoningEffort": "medium"
}
Fallback chain: gpt-5.3-codex → claude-opus-4-6 → gemini-3.1-pro Use for: Complex implementation requiring deep reasoning Requirement: Only activates when gpt-5.3-codex is available

​
Artistry Category

{
  "model": "gemini-3.1-pro",
  "variant": "high",
  "temperature": 0.1,
  "category": "artistry"
}
Fallback chain: gemini-3.1-pro → claude-opus-4-6 → gpt-5.2 Use for: Frontend, UI/UX, design-heavy work Requirement: Only activates when gemini-3.1-pro is available

​
Visual Engineering Category

{
  "model": "gemini-3.1-pro",
  "variant": "high",
  "temperature": 0.1,
  "category": "visual-engineering"
}
Fallback chain: gemini-3.1-pro → glm-5 → claude-opus-4-6 Use for: Visual content, image processing, multimodal tasks

​
Ultrabrain Category

{
  "model": "gpt-5.3-codex",
  "variant": "xhigh",
  "temperature": 0.1,
  "category": "ultrabrain",
  "reasoningEffort": "high"
}
Fallback chain: gpt-5.3-codex → gemini-3.1-pro → claude-opus-4-6 Use for: Most challenging tasks requiring maximum reasoning capacity

​
Writing Category

{
  "model": "kimi-k2.5-free",
  "temperature": 0.3,
  "category": "writing"
}
Fallback chain: kimi-k2.5-free → gemini-3-flash → claude-sonnet-4-6 Use for: Documentation, content creation, text-heavy work

​
Unspecified-Low Category

{
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-6",
  "temperature": 0.1,
  "category": "unspecified-low"
}
Fallback chain: claude-sonnet-4-6 → gpt-5.3-codex → gemini-3-flash Use for: General tasks without specific category fit

​
Unspecified-High Category

{
  "model": "claude-opus-4-6",
  "variant": "max",
  "temperature": 0.1,
  "category": "unspecified-high"
}
Fallback chain: claude-opus-4-6 → gpt-5.2 → gemini-3.1-pro Use for: Important general tasks needing high-quality reasoning

​
Custom Categories

You can define custom categories in oh-my-opencode.jsonc: 
{
  "categories": {
    "database-work": {
      "model": "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6",
      "variant": "max",
      "description": "Database schema design, complex queries, migrations",
      "skill": "sql-expert"
    },
    "api-design": {
      "model": "openai/gpt-5.2",
      "variant": "high",
      "description": "REST/GraphQL API design and implementation",
      "skills": ["api-patterns", "openapi-spec"]
    }
  }
}
When Sisyphus Junior spawns with a custom category, it uses that category’s configuration.

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Tool Permissions

Sisyphus Junior inherits tool permissions from the spawning context and category configuration. By default, Junior has access to:

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Allowed Tools (All Implementation Tools)

  • read - Read files
  • write - Create new files
  • edit - Modify existing files
  • grep - Search file contents
  • glob - Find files by pattern
  • bash - Execute commands
  • ast_grep - AST-aware code operations
  • lsp_* - All LSP tools for code intelligence
  • apply_patch - Apply code changes

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Optional Restrictions

Categories can restrict tools: 
{
  "categories": {
    "read-only-analysis": {
      "model": "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6",
      "description": "Analysis without modifications",
      "restrict_tools": ["write", "edit", "apply_patch"]
    }
  }
}

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How Category Selection Works

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User-Specified Category

// User explicitly selects category
task(
  category="deep",
  description="Implement complex authentication flow",
  prompt="Build JWT auth with refresh tokens, role-based access, and audit logging."
)

// Sisyphus Junior spawns with deep category configuration:
// - Model: gpt-5.3-codex
// - Variant: medium
// - ReasoningEffort: medium

​
Sisyphus Auto-Assignment

When user doesn’t specify category, Sisyphus analyzes the task and assigns appropriate category: 
// User request (no category specified)
"Fix the typo in README.md line 42"

// Sisyphus analyzes → assigns "quick" category
// Sisyphus Junior spawns with quick category:
// - Model: claude-haiku-4-5
// - Fast, lightweight execution

​
Category Override in Config

Override category defaults: 
{
  "categories": {
    "quick": {
      "model": "openai/gpt-5-nano",  // Override default haiku
      "temperature": 0.0
    }
  }
}

​
Skill Integration

Categories can automatically load skills: 
{
  "categories": {
    "visual-engineering": {
      "model": "google/gemini-3.1-pro",
      "description": "Visual content and image processing",
      "skills": ["image-processing", "opencv-patterns"]
    }
  }
}
When Junior spawns with this category, specified skills are automatically loaded into context.

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Usage Examples

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Example 1: Quick Task

// User: "Add a console.log to track user login events"

// Sisyphus analyzes → category: quick
// Spawns Sisyphus Junior with:
task(
  category="quick",
  model="claude-haiku-4-5",
  description="Add login tracking log",
  prompt="Add console.log to auth.ts login handler to log user email and timestamp."
)

// Junior executes quickly with lightweight model

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Example 2: Deep Implementation

// User: "Implement distributed rate limiting with Redis"

// Sisyphus analyzes → category: deep (complex implementation)
// Spawns Sisyphus Junior with:
task(
  category="deep",
  model="gpt-5.3-codex",
  variant="medium",
  reasoningEffort="medium",
  description="Implement distributed rate limiter",
  prompt="Build rate limiting middleware using Redis:
          - Token bucket algorithm
          - Per-user and per-IP limits
          - Configurable limits per endpoint
          - Proper error handling and fallback"
)

// Junior uses high-reasoning model for complex logic

​
Example 3: Artistry Work

// User: "Design a responsive dashboard layout with modern UI"

// Sisyphus analyzes → category: artistry (design-heavy)
// Spawns Sisyphus Junior with:
task(
  category="artistry",
  model="gemini-3.1-pro",
  variant="high",
  description="Design responsive dashboard",
  prompt="Create dashboard layout:
          - Responsive grid (mobile, tablet, desktop)
          - Modern design with Tailwind CSS
          - Data visualization cards
          - Dark mode support
          - Smooth transitions"
)

// Junior uses Gemini for design and visual tasks

​
Example 4: Custom Category

// Config defines custom category
// oh-my-opencode.jsonc:
{
  "categories": {
    "security-audit": {
      "model": "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6",
      "variant": "max",
      "description": "Security analysis and vulnerability detection",
      "skill": "security-patterns"
    }
  }
}

// User explicitly uses custom category
task(
  category="security-audit",
  description="Audit authentication system",
  prompt="Review auth implementation for security vulnerabilities:
          - SQL injection risks
          - XSS vulnerabilities
          - CSRF protection
          - Password handling
          - Session management"
)

// Junior spawns with security-audit configuration
// - Uses Claude Opus with max variant
// - Loads security-patterns skill

​
Model Selection Logic

Junior’s model is resolved through 4-step pipeline:
1

Category selection

User specifies or Sisyphus auto-assigns category
2

Category configuration

Look up category in config (custom or default)
3

Model resolution

Apply category’s model with fallback chain from CATEGORY_MODEL_REQUIREMENTS
4

Availability check

If primary model unavailable, walk fallback chain until available model found

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Comparison with Other Agents

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Sisyphus vs Sisyphus Junior

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Sisyphus (Primary)
string
Orchestrator, planner, delegator - Uses fixed model (claude-opus-4-6)
​
Sisyphus Junior (Executor)
string
Executor spawned by Sisyphus - Model varies by category

​
Hephaestus vs Sisyphus Junior

​
Hephaestus (Primary)
string
Autonomous deep worker - Fixed model (gpt-5.3-codex), requires GPT access
​
Sisyphus Junior (Executor)
string
Category-adaptive executor - Model changes per task, works with any provider

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Best Practices

Let Sisyphus choose category - Auto-assignment is usually accurate
Override for special cases - Explicitly set category when you know task needs specific model
Define custom categories - For recurring specialized work types
Use skills with categories - Auto-load relevant skills per category
Don’t over-categorize - Too many custom categories creates confusion
Don’t force ultrabrain - Reserve for genuinely complex tasks
Don’t restrict tools unnecessarily - Only when truly needed for safety

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Configuration

Customize Sisyphus Junior through categories in oh-my-opencode.jsonc: 
{
  "categories": {
    // Override built-in category
    "quick": {
      "model": "openai/gpt-5-nano",
      "temperature": 0.0
    },
    
    // Define custom category
    "testing": {
      "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
      "description": "Test writing and debugging",
      "skills": ["jest-patterns", "testing-library"]
    }
  },
  
  // Disable specific categories
  "disabled_categories": ["ultrabrain"]
}
  • Sisyphus - Primary orchestrator that spawns Junior
  • Hephaestus - Alternative primary agent (fixed GPT model)
  • Atlas - Todo-list orchestrator (also spawns Junior)

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