# octopus-blackboard [Health: Active] **Category:** ๐Ÿง  Knowledge & Memory **Repository:** https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-blackboard **GitHub Stars:** 7 **npm Downloads (last month):** 226 **Views:** 0 **Installs:** 0 **Upvotes:** 0 **Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/octopus-blackboard ## Description Shared memory & coordination for AI coding agents โ€” a blackboard, not an orchestrator. ## Claude Desktop Quick Installation Install path detected from listing signals. Uses `npx` (confidence: high): ```json "mcpServers": { "octopus-blackboard": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y","octopus-blackboard"] } } ``` ## Documentation & README ![Octopus Blackboard](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/octoryn/octopus-blackboard/HEAD/docs/diagrams/banner.png) # Octopus Blackboard **A shared memory and coordination layer for AI coding agents.** > Agents do not need another boss. They need a shared blackboard. [็ฎ€ไฝ“ไธญๆ–‡](https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-blackboard/blob/HEAD/README.zh-CN.md) > **Part of [Octopus Core](https://github.com/octoryn) โ€” the open infrastructure stack for governed AI.** One job per repo, along the agent lifecycle: [Scout](https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-scout) ยท [Observe](https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-observe) ยท [Experience](https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-experience) ยท [Blackboard](https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-blackboard) ยท [Workstate](https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-workstate) ยท [Runtime](https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-runtime) ยท [Replay](https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-replay) โ€” with [Inspect](https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-inspect) governing every stage. The whole stack rides one root primitive โ€” [Evidence](https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-evidence), the canonical, tamper-evident atom that is the root category everything is built on. > > **This repo โ€” Blackboard ยท Coordinate:** Shared cognition for coding agents. ![How it works: agents connect over MCP to a shared blackboard that records and exposes but never orchestrates, producing a conflict-aware kanban, AI attribution, a CI review gate, and a tamper-evident audit trail](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/octoryn/octopus-blackboard/HEAD/docs/diagrams/value-flow.png) --- Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, and your local agents all work on the same repo โ€” but they are blind to each other. One refactors auth while another rewrites the same file. Context is scattered across CLIs. Nobody can replay what happened. Octopus Blackboard is **not an orchestrator.** It does not schedule agents, trigger them, or decide anything on their behalf. It is a passive, local-first shared memory that answers six questions: ```text Who is working on what โ†’ agents, tasks, claims What changed โ†’ files_changed What was decided โ†’ decisions What evidence exists โ†’ evidence What risks are open โ†’ risks What was left for whom โ†’ messages, handoffs ``` Every agent only needs to be able to **read the board, write the board, leave messages, and attach evidence.** That's the whole contract. ## Why ![Without a shared board, agents work blind โ€” duplicate edits, no attribution, unseen conflicts. With Octopus Blackboard they share memory and produce a conflict-aware kanban, attribution, a review gate, and an audit trail](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/octoryn/octopus-blackboard/HEAD/docs/diagrams/before-after.png) Enterprises are not primarily afraid that agents aren't smart enough. They are afraid that: - Multiple AI tools edit the same code simultaneously - Context is scattered across different CLIs - There is no shared memory, no audit, no handoff - There is no conflict awareness and no way to replay The blackboard cuts straight through this. Every write appends a **tamper-evident, hash-chained entry** to an append-only `timeline`, so the entire history is auditable and replayable โ€” and any after-the-fact edit to an earlier entry breaks verification. ## Get Started in 2 Minutes Blackboard is the easiest way into the Octopus stack โ€” pure coordination memory that works today with just Claude Code and Cursor, no orchestrator required. One command sets everything up: ```bash npx octopus-blackboard quickstart ``` That single command: creates the local board (`.octoboard/`) if it isn't there, **auto-detects your MCP client** (`.claude/` โ†’ Claude Code, `.cursor/` โ†’ Cursor, โ€ฆ otherwise a generic snippet), prints the exact **paste-ready config** for it, and proves the board works with one write + one read. Then just: 1. **Paste** the printed config block into the file it names. 2. **Reload** your MCP client (restart it, or reopen the project). 3. **You're done.** Ask your agent to call `board_status`, then `board_note "hello"` โ€” that's your first board action, on a shared, tamper-evident timeline. Re-running `quickstart` is always safe: it never clobbers an existing board or its history. New to the idea of adopting a coordination layer *first*? See [**Why adopt Blackboard first**](https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-blackboard/blob/HEAD/docs/entry-point.md). ## Install ```bash npm install npm run build # compiles to dist/ ``` Requires Node โ‰ฅ 22. The board is a single SQLite file under `.octoboard/`, discovered by walking up from your working directory (like `.git`). ## See it in action [`examples/two-agents.sh`](https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-blackboard/blob/HEAD/examples/two-agents.sh) plays out the flagship scenario โ€” Claude Code and Codex sharing one board on the same repo: a claim conflict, a live same-file collision, a decision, attribution, a handoff that lands in the other agent's inbox, an AI review, the human-approval CI gate (blocked โ†’ passes), the accountability scorecard, blameโ†’narrative, and a verified hash chain with session signatures. Run it in an empty directory: ```bash bash examples/two-agents.sh # needs `octoboard` on PATH ``` ## CLI ```bash octoboard init # create .octoboard/ here octoboard status # who's on the board, right now octoboard note "Codex is refactoring auth middleware" octoboard claim trust-layer-policy-schema # claim work; warns on conflict octoboard message claude "Review policy edge cases before merge" octoboard decision "Use hash-chain audit log" --why "tamper-evidence" octoboard risk "Migration may break audit replay" --severity high octoboard file src/auth.ts --change modified --task trust-layer-policy-schema octoboard handoff claude "Tests pass except policy replay" --task trust-layer-policy-schema octoboard timeline # the full hash-chained history octoboard verify # confirm the chain is intact ``` Identity is set with `--as ` or the `OCTOBOARD_AGENT` environment variable. Point at a specific board with `--board ` or `OCTOBOARD_DIR`. ### Conflict awareness The board never blocks โ€” it *surfaces*. If two agents claim the same key, or touch the same task's files, both writes are recorded and the second agent is warned: ```text โš  CONFLICT: "trust-layer-policy-schema" is also held by codex. Both claims recorded. ``` ## AI attribution & shared development memory Git records who *pushed* a commit. It does not record which AI agent produced the code, in which session, on which machine, whether another AI reviewed it, or whether a human approved it. As AI-native development becomes common, accountability must move beyond Git authorship. The blackboard adds an attribution layer **on top of** Git โ€” it never rewrites history. Git stays the source of code; the blackboard becomes the source of attribution. ### Sessions A session is one continuous execution of an agent, and the unit attribution hangs off. Starting one makes every subsequent write attribute to it (the active session is remembered across CLI invocations, per agent): ```bash export OCTOBOARD_AGENT=claude OCTOBOARD_PROVIDER=anthropic \ OCTOBOARD_MODEL=claude-opus-4-8 OCTOBOARD_CLI=claude-code blackboard session start --label "auth work" # captures machine, branch, repo blackboard claim policy-engine blackboard file src/policy.ts --change modified # ... make a git commit ... blackboard link HEAD # attribute the commit's files blackboard session stop ``` Identity is fully provider-independent โ€” `--provider`, `--model`, `--cli`, or the matching `OCTOBOARD_*` env vars. Any AI CLI (local or cloud) can register itself with no assumptions about a specific vendor. ### Linking commits `blackboard link ` reads the files a commit touched (via Git) and records one attribution per file for the active session. Optionally it writes an additive `git notes` entry under `refs/notes/blackboard`: ```bash blackboard link HEAD --note blackboard attribute --file src/x.ts --actor human --name Ran # manual ``` ### Reviews ```bash blackboard review HEAD --by ai --name codex --outcome approved --note "tests pass" blackboard review HEAD --by human --name Ran --outcome approved ``` ### Querying the shared memory ```bash blackboard who src/auth.ts # git authors + AI sessions that touched it blackboard who src/auth.ts --line 42 # which session introduced this line blackboard explain HEAD # attribution + reviews + related decisions blackboard commits claude-code # which commits came from an AI / CLI blackboard unreviewed # AI commits never reviewed by a human blackboard joint claude codex # files modified by BOTH agents blackboard timeline --session # per-session HH:MM timeline ``` Example `explain`: ```text commit 5fa3095โ€ฆ Human Dev add auth produced by: ai claude [claude-opus-4-8] โ€” src/auth.ts reviews: human Ran: approved git note: blackboard: produced by claude-code (claude-opus-4-8), session 75b2b7e7โ€ฆ ``` Every attribution, review, session, and decision is also recorded in the hash-chained `timeline`, so the full accountability history is tamper-evident and replayable. `blackboard` and `octoboard` are the same command. ## Governance & accountability chain ![The accountability chain: agent does work โ†’ attribute the commit โ†’ export/import โ†’ CI gate blocks unreviewed AI โ†’ human approves โ†’ merge, all recorded on the tamper-evident timeline](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/octoryn/octopus-blackboard/HEAD/docs/diagrams/governance-chain.png) The point of attribution is to *enforce* something. The chain from work to a merge gate: ```text agent work โ†’ commit attribution โ†’ export/import โ†’ CI check โ†’ human-review gate ``` ### CI gate (`check`) Turn queries into an enforceable gate. Read-only โ€” it reports pass/fail and exits non-zero; the CI system decides what to do. The blackboard never blocks. ```bash # In CI, on a PR branch โ€” fail the build if any AI commit isn't human-APPROVED # (a rejected / changes-requested review does not clear the gate): blackboard check --range origin/main..HEAD --require-human-review echo $? # 0 = pass, 1 = violations blackboard check --verify-chain --require-attribution --range origin/main..HEAD blackboard check # default gate: verify chain + require human review ``` ### Portability (`export` / `import` / `trailers`) Attribution is local-first; these make it survive `git push` into a team board or CI: ```bash blackboard export --range origin/main..HEAD --out attribution.json # on the dev machine blackboard import attribution.json # on the team board / CI blackboard trailers HEAD # trailer lines for a commit message ``` `import` is idempotent (keyed by row id). The bundle carries attributions, reviews, sessions, and related decisions. ### Subscribe (`watch`) Complete the read/write/**subscribe**/message contract. Passive: it polls and reports; it never pushes work. ```bash blackboard watch --for claude # only messages/handoffs/conflicts addressed to me blackboard watch # the full stream blackboard watch --once # one-shot poll (for scripts) ``` ### Signed sessions (`sign` / `verify`) Minimal identity (v0): each session gets an Ed25519 keypair (private key stays local under `.octoboard/keys/`, gitignored). Signing the timeline head lets `verify` distinguish **trusted** state from merely asserted: ```bash blackboard sign # sign the current head with the active session key blackboard verify # chain integrity + which sessions have signed, trusted/stale ``` A session auto-signs its head on `session stop`. A signature over a head becomes **stale** the moment any earlier history is altered โ€” so tampering is visible even though the signature itself stays cryptographically valid. This is not yet a full PKI (no key distribution or revocation). ## Ingesting CLI transcripts Populate the board from a CLI's session transcript instead of calling the API by hand โ€” file edits, decisions, and notes flow onto the active session: ```bash blackboard ingest ~/.claude/transcript.jsonl --format claude-code blackboard ingest session.jsonl --format codex # also: gemini, grok blackboard ingest events.json --format generic --dry-run ``` `claude-code`/`codex`/`gemini`/`grok` use a conservative tool-use JSONL heuristic (it finds file edits from `file_path`/`notebook_path` and patch/write tool calls). `generic` reads a normalized schema โ€” the stable integration path for **any** CLI: ```json { "events": [ { "type": "file", "path": "src/auth.ts", "change": "modified" }, { "type": "decision", "title": "use ed25519", "rationale": "small keys" }, { "type": "note", "text": "left policy edge cases for review" } ] } ``` ## Team backend Boards stay local-first; sync shares the portable attribution records (never a board's private hash chain) into a team store โ€” a shared file or Postgres. ```bash blackboard sync push --target /shared/team.json # file (shared drive) blackboard sync pull --target postgres://host/blackboard # team database (needs `pg`) ``` `export` signs the bundle with your active session key; `import` verifies it and `import --require-signed` refuses unsigned or tampered bundles โ€” so imported attribution has origin authenticity, not just id-dedup. Tamper-evidence goes further than the in-DB chain if you anchor the head externally: ```bash blackboard anchor --git-note # record seq:hash on the commit (or --out file) blackboard verify --against git-note # prove history wasn't truncated/altered ``` Liveness and compliance: ```bash blackboard session heartbeat # mark your session alive (active vs stale) # `blackboard file ...` now warns if another LIVE session is editing the same file blackboard prune --before 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z # retention: drop old messages/ # evidence/file-changes (timeline kept) blackboard redact 42 --reason PII # hide a timeline entry's content ``` `prune` never touches the append-only timeline (the audit trail). `redact` blanks the content across every read path โ€” the timeline overlay *and* the underlying source row (a message body, evidence note, etc.) so `inbox`/`status`/ the dashboard can't leak it โ€” while keeping the hash chain valid. It is not cryptographic erasure: the original summary stays in the timeline row so the chain still verifies, so don't store secrets you must be able to destroy. For tamper-evidence against an attacker with database write access, anchor the head hash externally (a commit, a log, a second machine) โ€” `verify` shows an `unanchored` warning when it can't confirm the tail. ## Tasks & kanban Tasks are kanban cards โ€” number, content, owner (which agent / CLI), project, blast radius, risk, and live progress. **"Notifying an agent" is passive:** assigning a task drops a "please look at task #N" message in that agent's inbox; the agent reads it and decides to act โ€” the board never launches anyone. ![The read-only blackboard serve dashboard, a live kanban of tasks](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/octoryn/octopus-blackboard/HEAD/docs/kanban.png) *The live `blackboard serve` dashboard โ€” read-only, auto-refreshing. Each card shows the task number, progress bar, assignees, active-agent count (โšก), project, and a risk-coloured border.* ```bash blackboard task add auth-mw --title "Refactor auth middleware" \ --project octopus-api --impact "src/auth.ts, src/db.ts" --risk high blackboard assign 1 claude # โ†’ drops "please look at task #1 โ€ฆ" in claude's inbox blackboard progress 1 40 # โ†’ moves #1 to in-progress, 40% blackboard tasks # kanban view, grouped by status blackboard task show 1 # full card: owner, project, impact, risk, files ``` The read-only `serve` dashboard renders these as a live kanban (columns by status; each card shows number, title, a progress bar, assignees, active-agent count, project, and a risk-coloured left border). Agents drive it via the MCP tools `board_task_define`, `board_assign`, `board_progress`, `board_tasks` โ€” an agent calls `board_progress` as it works so the bar moves in real time. ## Visibility ```bash blackboard report # scorecard: review coverage %, AI/human ratio, per-agent blackboard blame src/auth.ts 42 # trace a line โ†’ the session that wrote it, and its # other work, decisions, and handoffs (blame โ†’ narrative) blackboard serve # read-only local web dashboard (http://localhost:4319) ``` The dashboard is dependency-free (`node:http`), strictly read-only (non-GET is refused), and auto-refreshes: live timeline, sessions, conflict/attribution state, and the accountability scorecard. ## MCP server โ€” connect any CLI The blackboard speaks standard MCP over stdio, so **any** MCP-capable client (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, VS Code, Windsurf, โ€ฆ) can read and write the board. Generate the exact config for your client in one step: ```bash blackboard mcp-config cursor # โ†’ ~/.cursor/mcp.json block blackboard mcp-config claude-code # โ†’ project .mcp.json block blackboard mcp-config codex # โ†’ ~/.codex/config.toml (TOML) blackboard mcp-config gemini # โ†’ ~/.gemini/settings.json block blackboard mcp-config vscode # โ†’ .vscode/mcp.json (servers block) blackboard mcp-config # โ†’ generic mcpServers JSON (any client) ``` Each prints where to paste it and the ready-to-use snippet, e.g.: ```json { "mcpServers": { "blackboard": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "octopus-blackboard-mcp"], "env": { "OCTOBOARD_AGENT": "cursor" } } } } ``` The agent identity defaults to the client name (so Cursor writes as `cursor`, Codex as `codex`); override with `--agent`. The board is auto-discovered from `.octoboard/` in the working directory, or pin it with `--dir`. Two CLIs pointed at the same `.octoboard/` now share one board โ€” that's the whole point. Tools exposed โ€” coordination: `board_status`, `board_timeline`, `board_note`, `board_claim`, `board_task_define`, `board_task`, `board_tasks`, `board_assign`, `board_progress`, `board_message`, `board_inbox`, `board_handoffs`, `board_decision`, `board_evidence`, `board_file_changed`, `board_risk`, `board_handoff`, `board_heartbeat`, `board_since`; attribution: `session_start`, `session_stop`, `board_link`, `board_attribute`, `board_review`, `board_who`, `board_explain`, `board_blame`, `board_unreviewed`, `board_report`; governance & portability: `board_check`, `board_export`, `board_import`, `board_trailers`, `board_sign`, `board_trust`, `board_prune`, `board_redact`, `board_ingest`. Each accepts an optional `agent` argument to override the acting identity per call. The recommended pattern: an agent calls `board_status` **before** starting work to see what everyone else is doing, and writes as it goes. ## Data model | Layer | Tables | Purpose | |---|---|---| | **Who is present** | `agents`, `sessions` | provider-independent identity, session context | | **What's happening** | `tasks`, `messages`, `handoffs` | coordination โ€” claim, message, hand off | | **Who produced what** | `attributions`, `reviews` | AI/human attribution & review, keyed by commit | | **Settled facts** | `decisions`, `evidence`, `files_changed`, `risks`, `timeline` | auditable shared memory | `timeline` is the append-only hash chain every other write also records into, so the board and its audit log can never diverge. ## Architecture ```text better-sqlite3 (local-first, default) + MCP server (read / write board) + CLI (octoboard ...) + hash-chain audit log (the timeline) + optional Postgres sync (portable attribution records) + optional git / file watcher (planned) ``` ## Status Public beta (v0.3). Working today: local SQLite board, CLI (`octoboard` / `blackboard`), MCP server, a verifiable hash-chained timeline, first-class sessions, provider-independent AI/human attribution keyed to Git commits, reviews, the query layer (`who`, `explain`, `commits`, `unreviewed`, `joint`), the read-only `serve` dashboard, signed import/export bundles, retention, redaction, quickstart, and MCP registry metadata/publishing workflow. Git integration is read-only plus additive `git notes` โ€” history is never rewritten. Team sync supports a shared JSON file and a Postgres target for portable attribution records; the board's private hash chain remains local by design. Change subscriptions and deeper Octopus cross-repo bridges are still roadmap work. ## License Apache-2.0 ยฉ Octoryn. See [LICENSE](https://github.com/octoryn/octopus-blackboard/blob/HEAD/LICENSE).