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Markdown
---
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summary: "Typed workflow runtime for OpenClaw with resumable approval gates."
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title: Lobster
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read_when:
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- You want deterministic multi-step workflows with explicit approvals
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- You need to resume a workflow without re-running earlier steps
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---
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Lobster runs multi-step tool pipelines as one deterministic tool call, with
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explicit approval checkpoints and resume tokens. It sits one layer above
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detached background work: for orchestrating flows across many detached tasks,
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see [Task Flow](/automation/taskflow) (`openclaw tasks flow`); for the task
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activity ledger, see [Background Tasks](/automation/tasks).
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## Why
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Without Lobster, a multi-step job means many round-trip tool calls, with the
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model orchestrating every step. Lobster moves that orchestration into a typed
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runtime:
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- **One call instead of many**: a single Lobster tool call returns a structured
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result for the whole pipeline.
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- **Approvals built in**: side effects (send, post, delete) halt the workflow
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until explicitly approved.
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- **Resumable**: a halted workflow returns a token; approve and resume without
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re-running earlier steps.
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Lobster is a small, constrained DSL rather than a general scripting language:
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approve/resume is a durable, built-in primitive; pipelines are data (easy to
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log, diff, replay, review); the tiny grammar limits "creative" code paths so
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validation stays realistic; timeouts, output caps, sandbox checks, and
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allowlists are enforced by the runtime, not by each script. Each step can still
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call any CLI or script - generate `.lobster` files from other tooling if you
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want a richer authoring language.
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Without Lobster, a recurring email triage looks like:
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```text
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User: "Check my email and draft replies"
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→ openclaw calls gmail.list
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→ LLM summarizes
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→ User: "draft replies to #2 and #5"
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→ LLM drafts
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→ User: "send #2"
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→ openclaw calls gmail.send
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(repeat daily, no memory of what was triaged)
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```
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With Lobster, the same job is one call that halts for approval and resumes:
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```json
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{ "action": "run", "pipeline": "email.triage --limit 20", "timeoutMs": 30000 }
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```
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```json
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{
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"ok": true,
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"status": "needs_approval",
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"output": [{ "summary": "5 need replies, 2 need action" }],
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"requiresApproval": {
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"type": "approval_request",
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"prompt": "Send 2 draft replies?",
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"items": [],
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"resumeToken": "..."
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}
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}
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```
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## How it works
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OpenClaw runs Lobster workflows **in-process** using the bundled
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`@clawdbot/lobster` package as an embedded runner. No external `lobster`
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subprocess is spawned; the tool call returns a JSON envelope directly. If the
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pipeline halts for approval, the envelope carries a resume token (or a short
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approval ID) so you can continue later.
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## Enable
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Lobster is an **optional** plugin tool, not enabled by default. It ships
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bundled, so no separate install step is required - just allow the tool:
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```json
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{
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"tools": {
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"alsoAllow": ["lobster"]
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}
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}
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```
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Or per-agent:
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```json
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{
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"agents": {
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"list": [
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{
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"id": "main",
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"tools": {
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"alsoAllow": ["lobster"]
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}
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}
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]
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}
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}
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```
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<Note>
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`alsoAllow` adds `lobster` on top of the active tool profile without
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restricting other core tools. Use `tools.allow` only if you want a restrictive
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allowlist mode instead.
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</Note>
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The tool is disabled entirely for sandboxed tool contexts.
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If you need the standalone Lobster CLI for development or external pipelines
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(outside the embedded gateway runner), install it from the
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[Lobster repo](https://github.com/openclaw/lobster) and put `lobster` on
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`PATH`.
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## Pattern: small CLI + JSON pipes + approvals
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Build tiny commands that speak JSON, then chain them into one Lobster call.
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(Example command names below - swap in your own.)
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```bash
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inbox list --json
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inbox categorize --json
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inbox apply --json
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```
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```json
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{
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"action": "run",
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"pipeline": "exec --json --shell 'inbox list --json' | exec --stdin json --shell 'inbox categorize --json' | exec --stdin json --shell 'inbox apply --json' | approve --preview-from-stdin --limit 5 --prompt 'Apply changes?'",
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"timeoutMs": 30000
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}
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```
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If the pipeline requests approval, resume with the token:
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```json
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{
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"action": "resume",
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"token": "<resumeToken>",
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"approve": true
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}
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```
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Example: map input items into tool calls:
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```bash
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gog.gmail.search --query 'newer_than:1d' \
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| openclaw.invoke --tool message --action send --each --item-key message --args-json '{"provider":"telegram","to":"..."}'
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```
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## JSON-only LLM steps (llm-task)
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For a **structured LLM step** inside a workflow, enable the optional
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`llm-task` plugin tool and call it from Lobster:
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```json
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{
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"plugins": {
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"entries": {
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"llm-task": { "enabled": true }
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}
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},
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"agents": {
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"list": [
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{
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"id": "main",
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"tools": { "alsoAllow": ["llm-task"] }
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}
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]
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}
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}
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```
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### Important limitation: embedded Lobster vs `openclaw.invoke`
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The bundled Lobster plugin runs workflows **in-process** inside the gateway.
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In that embedded mode, `openclaw.invoke` does **not** automatically inherit a
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gateway URL/auth context for nested OpenClaw CLI tool calls.
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That means this pattern is **not currently reliable in the embedded runner**:
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```lobster
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openclaw.invoke --tool llm-task --action json --args-json '{ ... }'
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```
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Use the example below only when running the **standalone Lobster CLI** in an
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environment where `openclaw.invoke` is already configured with the correct
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gateway/auth context.
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```lobster
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openclaw.invoke --tool llm-task --action json --args-json '{
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"prompt": "Given the input email, return intent and draft.",
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"thinking": "low",
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"input": { "subject": "Hello", "body": "Can you help?" },
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"schema": {
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"type": "object",
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"properties": {
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"intent": { "type": "string" },
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"draft": { "type": "string" }
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},
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"required": ["intent", "draft"],
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"additionalProperties": false
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}
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}'
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```
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If you are using the embedded Lobster plugin today, prefer either:
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- a direct `llm-task` tool call outside Lobster, or
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- non-`openclaw.invoke` steps inside the Lobster pipeline until a supported
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embedded bridge is added.
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See [LLM Task](/tools/llm-task) for details and configuration options.
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## Workflow files (.lobster)
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Lobster can run YAML/JSON workflow files with `name`, `args`, `steps`, `env`,
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`condition`, and `approval` fields. Set `pipeline` to the file path in the tool
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call.
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```yaml
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name: inbox-triage
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args:
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tag:
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default: "family"
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steps:
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- id: collect
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command: inbox list --json
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- id: categorize
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command: inbox categorize --json
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stdin: $collect.stdout
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- id: approve
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command: inbox apply --approve
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stdin: $categorize.stdout
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approval: required
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- id: execute
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command: inbox apply --execute
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stdin: $categorize.stdout
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condition: $approve.approved
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```
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Notes:
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- `stdin: $step.stdout` and `stdin: $step.json` pass a prior step's output.
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- `condition` (or `when`) can gate steps on `$step.approved`.
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## Tool parameters
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### `run`
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```json
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{
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"action": "run",
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"pipeline": "gog.gmail.search --query 'newer_than:1d' | email.triage",
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"cwd": "workspace",
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"timeoutMs": 30000,
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"maxStdoutBytes": 512000
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}
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```
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Run a workflow file with args:
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```json
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{
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"action": "run",
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"pipeline": "/path/to/inbox-triage.lobster",
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"argsJson": "{\"tag\":\"family\"}"
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}
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```
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| Field | Default | Notes |
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| ---------------- | ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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| `pipeline` | required | Inline pipeline string, or a path ending in `.lobster`/`.yaml`/`.yml`/`.json` for a workflow file. |
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| `cwd` | gateway cwd | Relative working directory; must resolve inside the gateway working directory (absolute paths are rejected). |
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| `timeoutMs` | `20000` | Aborts the run if exceeded. |
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| `maxStdoutBytes` | `512000` | Aborts the run if captured stdout or stderr exceeds this size. |
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| `argsJson` | - | JSON string of args for a workflow file (ignored for inline pipelines). |
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### `resume`
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```json
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{
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"action": "resume",
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"token": "<resumeToken>",
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"approve": true
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}
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```
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`resume` accepts either `token` (the full resume token from `requiresApproval`)
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or `approvalId` (the short id from the same object) - use whichever the halted
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run returned. `approve` is required.
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### Managed Task Flow mode
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Passing `flowControllerId` and `flowGoal` on `run` (or `flowId` and
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`flowExpectedRevision` on `resume`) drives the call through the plugin
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runtime's managed [Task Flow](/automation/taskflow) API instead of returning
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a bare envelope: OpenClaw creates or resumes a durable flow record, applies the
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Lobster envelope to it (`waiting` on approval, `succeeded`/`failed` on
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completion), and returns `{ ok, envelope, flow, mutation }`. This mode requires
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a bound Task Flow runtime and is intended for plugin/controller code that needs
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durable flow state across gateway restarts, not typical ad hoc agent use.
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## Output envelope
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Lobster returns a JSON envelope with one of three statuses:
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- `ok` - finished successfully
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- `needs_approval` - paused; `requiresApproval` carries a `resumeToken` and a
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short `approvalId`, either of which can resume the run
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- `cancelled` - explicitly denied or cancelled
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The tool surfaces the envelope in both `content` (pretty JSON) and `details`
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(raw object).
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## Approvals
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If `requiresApproval` is present, inspect the prompt and decide:
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- `approve: true` - resume and continue side effects
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- `approve: false` - cancel and finalize the workflow
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Use `approve --preview-from-stdin --limit N` to attach a JSON preview to
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approval requests without custom jq/heredoc glue. Resume state is stored as
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small JSON files under the Lobster state directory (`~/.lobster/state` by
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default, override with `LOBSTER_STATE_DIR`); the token itself only encodes a
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pointer to that state, not the full pipeline state.
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## OpenProse
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OpenProse pairs well with Lobster: use `/prose` to orchestrate multi-agent
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prep, then run a Lobster pipeline for deterministic approvals. If a Prose
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program needs Lobster, allow the `lobster` tool for sub-agents via
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`tools.subagents.tools`. See [OpenProse](/prose).
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## Safety
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- **Local in-process only** - workflows execute inside the gateway process; no
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network calls from the plugin itself.
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- **No secrets** - Lobster doesn't manage OAuth; it calls OpenClaw tools that
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do.
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- **Sandbox-aware** - disabled when the tool context is sandboxed.
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- **Hardened** - timeouts and output caps enforced by the embedded runner.
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## Troubleshooting
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| Error | Cause / fix |
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| ------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| `lobster runtime timed out` | Pipeline exceeded `timeoutMs`. Increase it or split the pipeline. |
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| `lobster stdout exceeded maxStdoutBytes` (or `stderr`) | Captured output exceeded the cap. Raise `maxStdoutBytes` or reduce output. |
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| `run --args-json must be valid JSON` | `argsJson` (workflow-file runs) failed to parse. Fix the JSON string. |
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| `lobster runtime failed` (or another `runtime_error` message) | The embedded runtime returned an error envelope. Check gateway logs for details. |
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## Learn more
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- [Plugins](/tools/plugin)
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- [Plugin tool authoring](/plugins/building-plugins#registering-agent-tools)
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## Case study: community workflows
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One public example: a "second brain" CLI + Lobster pipelines that manage three
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Markdown vaults (personal, partner, shared). The CLI emits JSON for stats,
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inbox listings, and stale scans; Lobster chains those commands into workflows
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like `weekly-review`, `inbox-triage`, `memory-consolidation`, and
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`shared-task-sync`, each with approval gates. AI handles judgment
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(categorization) when available and falls back to deterministic rules when
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not.
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- Thread: [https://x.com/plattenschieber/status/2014508656335770033](https://x.com/plattenschieber/status/2014508656335770033)
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- Repo: [https://github.com/bloomedai/brain-cli](https://github.com/bloomedai/brain-cli)
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## Related
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- [Automation](/automation) - all automation mechanisms
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- [Tools Overview](/tools) - all available agent tools
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