Loki Mode - OpenClaw Skill

When to use

• User asks to "build", "implement", or "develop" a feature from a PRD
• User provides a requirements document and wants autonomous execution
• User says "loki mode" or references autonomous development
• User wants to run a full SDLC cycle on a codebase

Prerequisites

• loki

  CLI installed on the host (via

  npm install -g loki-mode

  or Homebrew)
• One of: Claude Code, Codex CLI, or Gemini CLI installed
• Corresponding API key set (ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY, or GOOGLE_API_KEY)

How to invoke

Start a session

Use the bash tool with background mode:

bash(command: "loki start <prd-path> --bg --yes --no-dashboard", pty: true, background: true, workdir: "<project-dir>")

Key flags:

• --bg

  : Background mode (session outlives the tool call)

• --yes

  : Skip confirmation prompts

• --no-dashboard

  : Avoid port conflicts in sandboxed environments

• --provider <claude|codex|gemini>

  : Select AI provider (default: claude)

• --budget <amount>

  : Set cost limit in USD (auto-pause when exceeded)

Monitor progress

Poll status every 30 seconds:

bash(command: "loki status --json", workdir: "<project-dir>")

The JSON output contains:

• version

  : Loki Mode version string

• status

  : inactive, running, paused, stopped, completed, unknown

• phase

  : Current SDLC phase (e.g., BOOTSTRAP, DISCOVERY, ARCHITECTURE, DEVELOPMENT, QA, DEPLOYMENT)

• iteration

  : Current iteration number

• provider

  : Which AI provider is active (claude, codex, gemini)

• pid

  : Process ID of the running session (null if not running)

• elapsed_time

  : Seconds since session start

• dashboard_url

  : URL of the web dashboard (null if disabled)

• task_counts

  : Object with

  total

  ,

  completed

  ,

  failed

  ,

  pending

  counts

For budget tracking (not in JSON output), read the budget file directly:

bash(command: "cat .loki/metrics/budget.json 2>/dev/null || echo '{}'", workdir: "<project-dir>")

Budget JSON fields:

budget_limit

,

budget_used

Report progress to channel

After each poll, summarize changes:

• Phase transitions ("Moved from ARCHITECTURE to DEVELOPMENT")
• Task completion counts ("12/20 tasks complete, 0 failed")
• Elapsed time ("Running for 45 minutes")
• Error states that need attention (failed tasks > 0, status is unknown)

If budget tracking is active, include cost in updates:

• "Estimated cost: $4.50 / $50.00 budget"

Control commands

• Pause:

  bash(command: "loki pause", workdir: "<project-dir>")

• Resume:

  bash(command: "loki resume", workdir: "<project-dir>")

• Stop:

  bash(command: "loki stop", workdir: "<project-dir>")

• Status:

  bash(command: "loki status", workdir: "<project-dir>")

• Logs:

  bash(command: "loki logs --tail 50", workdir: "<project-dir>")

Session complete

When status becomes "stopped" or "completed":

1. Run

   loki status --json

   for final summary
2. Run

   git log --oneline -20

   to show commits made
3. Report final task counts, elapsed time, and duration
4. If council verdict exists, include it:

   cat .loki/council/report.md

Critical rules

• ALWAYS use --bg flag (session must outlive the tool call)
• ALWAYS use --yes flag (no confirmation prompts in non-interactive channels)
• NEVER run loki in the OpenClaw workspace directory itself
• Poll status rather than watching stdout (background mode detaches)
• If session crashes, check

  loki logs

  before restarting
• Respect budget limits -- include cost in every progress update when tracking is active
• The --no-dashboard flag is recommended to avoid port conflicts in sandboxed environments