weakincentives 0.20.0

Tools for developing and optimizing side effect free background agents

WINK (Weak Incentives) - Agent Reference

Dense technical guide for AI coding agents. WINK is a Python 3.12+ library for building deterministic, side-effect-free background agents with typed prompts, immutable sessions, and provider-agnostic adapters.

Core Philosophy

The prompt is the agent. Prompts are hierarchical documents where sections bundle instructions and tools together. No separate tool registry; capabilities live in the prompt definition.

Event-driven state. All mutations flow through pure reducers processing typed events. State is immutable and inspectable via snapshots.

Provider-agnostic. Same agent definition works across OpenAI, LiteLLM, and Claude Agent SDK via adapter abstraction.

---

Guiding Principles

Definition vs Harness

WINK separates what you own from what the runtime provides:

Agent Definition (you own and iterate):

• Prompt - A structured decision procedure, not a loose string
• Tools - The capability surface; the only place side effects occur
• Policies - Enforceable invariants constraining tool use and state
• Feedback - "Are we done?" checks preventing premature termination

Execution Harness (runtime-owned):

• Planning/act loop driving tool calls
• Sandboxing and permissions (filesystem, shell, network)
• Retries, throttling, crash recovery
• Deadlines, budgets, operational guardrails

The harness keeps changing (and increasingly comes from vendor runtimes), but your agent definition should not. WINK makes the definition a first-class artifact you can version, review, test, and port across runtimes.

The Prompt is the Agent

Most frameworks treat prompts as afterthoughts—templates glued to separately registered tool lists. WINK inverts this: you define an agent as a single hierarchical document where each section bundles its own instructions and tools.

PromptTemplate[ReviewResponse]
├── MarkdownSection (guidance)
├── WorkspaceDigestSection     ← auto-generated codebase summary
├── MarkdownSection (reference docs, progressive disclosure)
├── PlanningToolsSection       ← contributes planning_* tools
│   └── (nested planning docs)
├── VfsToolsSection            ← contributes ls/read_file/write_file/...
│   └── (nested filesystem docs)
└── MarkdownSection (user request)

Why this matters:

1. Co-location - Instructions and tools live together. The section that explains filesystem navigation provides the read_file tool. Documentation can't drift from implementation.

2. Progressive disclosure - Nest child sections to reveal advanced capabilities when relevant. The LLM sees numbered, hierarchical headings.

3. Dynamic scoping - Each section has an enabled predicate. Disable a section and its entire subtree—tools included—disappears from the prompt.

4. Typed all the way down - Sections are parameterized with dataclasses. Placeholders are validated at construction time. Tools declare typed params and results.

Policies Over Workflows

Prefer declarative policies over prescriptive workflows.

A workflow encodes how to accomplish a goal—a predetermined sequence that fractures when encountering unexpected situations. A policy encodes what the goal requires—constraints the agent must satisfy while remaining free to find any valid path.

Workflow (brittle):              Policy (flexible):
1. Read the file                 - File must be read before overwriting
2. Parse the AST                 - Tests must pass before deployment
3. Generate patch                - Sensitive ops require confirmation
4. Write file
5. Run tests

When workflow step 3 fails, the agent is stuck. When a policy check fails, the agent can reason about alternatives that satisfy the constraint.

Key policy characteristics:

• Declarative - State what must be true, not how to make it true
• Composable - Policies combine via conjunction (all must allow)
• Fail-closed - When uncertain, deny; let the agent adapt
• Observable - Explain denials to enable self-correction

Transactional Tools

Tool calls are atomic transactions. When a tool fails:

1. Session state rolls back to pre-call state
2. Filesystem changes revert
3. Error result returned to LLM with guidance

Failed tools don't leave partial state. This enables aggressive retry and recovery strategies.

One Sentence Summary

"You write the agent definition (prompt, tools, policies, feedback); the runtime owns the harness (planning loop, sandboxing, orchestration). WINK keeps the definition portable while runtimes evolve."

---

Accessing Documentation

After installing WINK, use wink docs to access bundled documentation:

wink docs --reference   # This file (API reference)
wink docs --guide       # Usage guide with tutorials
wink docs --specs       # All specification documents
wink docs --changelog   # Release history

# Combine flags for multiple sections
wink docs --reference --specs

# Pipe to clipboard or other tools
wink docs --specs | pbcopy
wink docs --guide | llm "Summarize key concepts"

Available documentation:

• --reference - Dense API reference (this file)
• --guide - Step-by-step usage guide with examples
• --specs - Design specifications (adapters, sessions, tools, etc.)
• --changelog - Version history and breaking changes

---

Module Map

weakincentives                    # Top-level exports
weakincentives.prompt             # Prompt authoring, sections, tools
weakincentives.prompt.overrides   # Hash-based prompt iteration
weakincentives.runtime            # Session, events, lifecycle, mailbox
weakincentives.runtime.session    # Slice ops, reducers, snapshots
weakincentives.runtime.events     # Dispatcher, event types
weakincentives.runtime.mailbox    # Message queues
weakincentives.adapters           # Provider base, config, throttling
weakincentives.adapters.openai    # OpenAIAdapter
weakincentives.adapters.litellm   # LiteLLMAdapter
weakincentives.adapters.claude_agent_sdk  # ClaudeAgentSDKAdapter
weakincentives.contrib.tools      # VFS, planning, asteval, podman
weakincentives.contrib.optimizers # WorkspaceDigestOptimizer
weakincentives.contrib.mailbox    # RedisMailbox
weakincentives.resources          # Dependency injection
weakincentives.filesystem         # Filesystem protocol
weakincentives.evals              # Evaluation framework
weakincentives.serde              # Dataclass serialization
weakincentives.dbc                # Design-by-contract decorators
weakincentives.formal             # TLA+ specification embedding
weakincentives.skills             # Agent Skills support
weakincentives.types              # JSON type aliases

---

Import Cheatsheet

Essential Imports

# Top-level exports
from weakincentives import (
    Prompt,
    MarkdownSection,
    Tool,
    ToolContext,
    ToolResult,
    Budget,
    BudgetTracker,
    Deadline,
)

# Prompt system
from weakincentives.prompt import (
    PromptTemplate,
    Section,
    SectionVisibility,
    ToolExample,
    RenderedPrompt,
)

# Runtime
from weakincentives.runtime import (
    Session,
    InProcessDispatcher,
    MainLoop,
    MainLoopConfig,
    MainLoopRequest,
    PromptExecuted,
    ToolInvoked,
    Snapshot,
    append_all,
    replace_latest,
    upsert_by,
)

# Adapters
from weakincentives.adapters.openai import OpenAIAdapter
from weakincentives.adapters.litellm import LiteLLMAdapter
from weakincentives.adapters import PromptResponse

# Contrib tools
from weakincentives.contrib.tools import (
    PlanningToolsSection,
    PlanningStrategy,
    Plan,
    PlanStep,
    VfsToolsSection,
    HostMount,
    VfsPath,
    WorkspaceDigestSection,
    WorkspaceDigest,
    AstevalSection,
    PodmanSandboxSection,
    PodmanSandboxConfig,
)

# Serde
from weakincentives.serde import dump, parse, schema, clone

# Resources
from weakincentives.resources import Binding, Scope, ResourceRegistry

# Tool policies
from weakincentives.prompt import (
    ReadBeforeWritePolicy,
    SequentialDependencyPolicy,
    PolicyDecision,
    PolicyState,
    ToolPolicy,
)

# Feedback providers
from weakincentives.prompt import (
    DeadlineFeedback,
    Feedback,
    FeedbackProvider,
    FeedbackProviderConfig,
    FeedbackTrigger,
)

Claude Agent SDK

from weakincentives.adapters.claude_agent_sdk import (
    ClaudeAgentSDKAdapter,
    ClaudeAgentSDKClientConfig,
    ClaudeAgentWorkspaceSection,
    HostMount,  # Different from contrib.tools.HostMount
    IsolationConfig,
    NetworkPolicy,
    SandboxConfig,
    # Task completion
    TaskCompletionChecker,
    TaskCompletionContext,
    TaskCompletionResult,
    PlanBasedChecker,
    CompositeChecker,
)

---

Minimal Working Example

from dataclasses import dataclass

from weakincentives import Prompt, MarkdownSection
from weakincentives.prompt import PromptTemplate
from weakincentives.adapters.openai import OpenAIAdapter
from weakincentives.runtime import Session


@dataclass(slots=True, frozen=True)
class TaskParams:
    objective: str


@dataclass(slots=True, frozen=True)
class TaskResult:
    summary: str
    steps: list[str]


template = PromptTemplate[TaskResult](
    ns="myapp",
    key="task-agent",
    name="task_agent",
    sections=(
        MarkdownSection[TaskParams](
            title="Task",
            key="task",
            template="Complete: ${objective}",
        ),
    ),
)

session = Session()
adapter = OpenAIAdapter(model="gpt-4o-mini")
prompt = Prompt(template).bind(TaskParams(objective="Review the auth module"))
response = adapter.evaluate(prompt, session=session)
result: TaskResult = response.output

---

Core Patterns

1. Prompt Construction

PromptTemplate is the immutable blueprint. Prompt wraps it with bindings.

from dataclasses import dataclass

from weakincentives import Prompt
from weakincentives.prompt import PromptTemplate, MarkdownSection


@dataclass(slots=True, frozen=True)
class OutputType:
    answer: str


# Template: defines structure, typed output
template = PromptTemplate[OutputType](
    ns="namespace",  # Required: grouping
    key="prompt-key",  # Required: unique identifier
    name="prompt_name",  # Optional: display name
    sections=(MarkdownSection(title="Task", key="task", template="Do something"),),
)

# Prompt: wraps template, binds parameters
prompt = Prompt(template)

# Render to inspect
rendered = prompt.render()
print(rendered.text)  # Markdown content
print(rendered.tools)  # Tool tuple

2. Sections

All sections inherit from Section. Most common: MarkdownSection.

from dataclasses import dataclass

from weakincentives.prompt import MarkdownSection, SectionVisibility


@dataclass(slots=True, frozen=True)
class ReviewParams:
    focus: str


section = MarkdownSection[ReviewParams](
    title="Review Guidelines",  # Rendered as heading
    key="review-guidelines",  # Unique within prompt
    template="Focus on: ${focus}",  # Template.substitute syntax
    default_params=ReviewParams(focus="correctness"),
    tools=(),  # Tools attached to section
    children=(),  # Nested sections
    visibility=SectionVisibility.FULL,  # Or SUMMARY for progressive disclosure
    summary="Guidelines available.",  # Shown when visibility=SUMMARY
    accepts_overrides=True,  # Allow prompt overrides
)

Placeholder syntax: ${field_name} from the params dataclass.

Children: Nest sections for hierarchy. Heading levels auto-increment.

3. Tools

Tools are typed with params and result dataclasses.

from dataclasses import dataclass, field

from weakincentives import Tool, ToolContext, ToolResult


@dataclass(slots=True, frozen=True)
class SearchParams:
    query: str = field(metadata={"description": "Search query"})
    limit: int = field(default=10, metadata={"description": "Max results"})


@dataclass(slots=True, frozen=True)
class SearchResult:
    snippets: tuple[str, ...]

    def render(self) -> str:
        return "\n".join(f"- {s}" for s in self.snippets)


def search_handler(
    params: SearchParams,
    *,
    context: ToolContext,
) -> ToolResult[SearchResult]:
    # Access session state
    # plan = context.session[Plan].latest()

    # Access resources
    fs = context.filesystem  # Shorthand for context.resources.get_optional(Filesystem)

    # Check deadline
    if context.deadline and context.deadline.remaining().total_seconds() < 5:
        return ToolResult.error("Deadline too close")

    # Do work...
    snippets = ("result1", "result2")

    # Return typed result
    return ToolResult.ok(SearchResult(snippets=snippets), message="Found 2 results")


# Create tool
search_tool = Tool[SearchParams, SearchResult](
    name="search",
    description="Search for content",
    handler=search_handler,
)

ToolResult constructors:

• ToolResult.ok(value, message="...") - Success with typed value
• ToolResult.error("message") - Failure, value=None

4. Tool Examples

Provide representative invocations for documentation and few-shot learning.

from dataclasses import dataclass, field

from weakincentives import Tool, ToolContext, ToolResult
from weakincentives.prompt import ToolExample


@dataclass(slots=True, frozen=True)
class LookupParams:
    entity_id: str = field(metadata={"description": "ID to fetch"})


@dataclass(slots=True, frozen=True)
class LookupResult:
    entity_id: str
    url: str


def lookup_handler(
    params: LookupParams, *, context: ToolContext
) -> ToolResult[LookupResult]:
    result = LookupResult(entity_id=params.entity_id, url="https://example.com/...")
    return ToolResult.ok(result, message=f"Fetched {result.entity_id}")


lookup_tool = Tool[LookupParams, LookupResult](
    name="lookup_entity",
    description="Fetch information for an entity ID.",
    handler=lookup_handler,
    examples=(
        ToolExample(
            description="Basic lookup",
            input=LookupParams(entity_id="abc-123"),
            output=LookupResult(entity_id="abc-123", url="https://example.com/abc-123"),
        ),
    ),
)

5. Sessions

Redux-style immutable state container with typed slices.

from weakincentives.runtime import Session, InProcessDispatcher, Snapshot
from weakincentives.runtime import replace_latest, append_all
from weakincentives.contrib.tools import Plan

# Create session
session = Session()  # Creates InProcessDispatcher internally

# Query state
plan = session[Plan].latest()  # Most recent or None
all_plans = session[Plan].all()  # All values as tuple
active = session[Plan].where(lambda p: p.status == "active")
exists = session[Plan].exists()  # Boolean

# Mutations (all dispatch events internally)
# session[Plan].seed(initial_plan)  # Initialize/replace slice
# session[Plan].append(new_plan)    # Append via default reducer
session[Plan].clear()  # Clear all

# Snapshots
snapshot = session.snapshot()
session.restore(snapshot)

Built-in reducers (from weakincentives.runtime):

• append_all - Always append (default)
• replace_latest - Keep only most recent
• upsert_by(key_fn) - Replace by key
• replace_latest_by(key_fn) - Latest per key

6. Adapters

Provider-agnostic evaluation interface.

from weakincentives.adapters.openai import OpenAIAdapter
from weakincentives.adapters.litellm import LiteLLMAdapter
from weakincentives.adapters import PromptResponse
from weakincentives.errors import DeadlineExceededError

# Basic
adapter = OpenAIAdapter(model="gpt-4o")

# LiteLLM (multi-provider)
adapter = LiteLLMAdapter(model="claude-3-sonnet-20240229")

# Evaluate
response = adapter.evaluate(
    prompt,
    session=session,
    deadline=deadline,  # Optional
    budget=budget,  # Optional
    budget_tracker=tracker,  # Optional
)

# Response fields
response.output  # Parsed dataclass (OutputType)
response.text  # Raw text
response.prompt_name  # Prompt identifier

7. Claude Agent SDK Adapter

Native Claude Code capabilities with hermetic isolation.

import os

from weakincentives.adapters.claude_agent_sdk import (
    ClaudeAgentSDKAdapter,
    ClaudeAgentSDKClientConfig,
    ClaudeAgentWorkspaceSection,
    HostMount,
    IsolationConfig,
    NetworkPolicy,
    SandboxConfig,
)
from weakincentives.runtime import Session

session = Session()

# Create workspace (materializes files to temp dir)
workspace = ClaudeAgentWorkspaceSection(
    session=session,
    mounts=(
        HostMount(
            host_path="/path/to/project",
            mount_path="project",
            include_glob=("*.py", "*.md"),
            exclude_glob=("__pycache__/*",),
            max_bytes=5_000_000,
        ),
    ),
    allowed_host_roots=("/path/to",),
)

# Configure isolation
adapter = ClaudeAgentSDKAdapter(
    model="claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
    client_config=ClaudeAgentSDKClientConfig(
        permission_mode="bypassPermissions",  # Auto-approve tools
        cwd=str(workspace.temp_dir),
        isolation=IsolationConfig(
            api_key=os.environ["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"],
            network_policy=NetworkPolicy.no_network(),  # API only
            sandbox=SandboxConfig(enabled=True),
        ),
    ),
)

# Use and cleanup
# response = adapter.evaluate(prompt, session=session)
workspace.cleanup()

Isolation modes:

• NetworkPolicy.no_network() - API access only
• NetworkPolicy(allowed_domains=("docs.python.org",)) - Specific domains
• SandboxConfig(enabled=True) - OS-level sandboxing

8. Tool Policies

Enforce sequential dependencies between tool invocations.

from weakincentives.prompt import (
    ReadBeforeWritePolicy,
    SequentialDependencyPolicy,
    PolicyDecision,
)

# Read-before-write: must read existing files before overwriting
rbw_policy = ReadBeforeWritePolicy(
    read_tools=frozenset({"read_file"}),
    write_tools=frozenset({"write_file", "edit_file"}),
)

# Sequential dependency: enforce tool ordering
seq_policy = SequentialDependencyPolicy(
    dependencies={
        "deploy": frozenset({"test", "build"}),  # deploy requires test AND build
        "build": frozenset({"lint"}),  # build requires lint
    }
)

Policy behavior:

• ReadBeforeWritePolicy: New files can be created freely; existing files must be read first. Tracks read paths in session PolicyState slice.
• SequentialDependencyPolicy: Tool B requires tool A to have succeeded. Tracks invoked tools in session PolicyState slice.

9. Feedback Providers

Deliver ongoing progress feedback during unattended execution.

from weakincentives.prompt import (
    DeadlineFeedback,
    FeedbackProviderConfig,
    FeedbackTrigger,
)

# Built-in: deadline feedback (warns about remaining time)
deadline_config = FeedbackProviderConfig(
    provider=DeadlineFeedback(warning_threshold_seconds=120),
    trigger=FeedbackTrigger(every_n_seconds=30),  # Check every 30 seconds
)

Trigger conditions (OR'd together):

• every_n_calls - Run after N tool calls since last feedback
• every_n_seconds - Run after N seconds elapsed

10. Task Completion Checkers

Verify agents complete all tasks before stopping. Critical for unattended agents.

from weakincentives.adapters.claude_agent_sdk import (
    ClaudeAgentSDKAdapter,
    ClaudeAgentSDKClientConfig,
    PlanBasedChecker,
    CompositeChecker,
)
from weakincentives.contrib.tools import Plan

# Plan-based: ensure all plan steps are "done"
adapter = ClaudeAgentSDKAdapter(
    client_config=ClaudeAgentSDKClientConfig(
        task_completion_checker=PlanBasedChecker(plan_type=Plan),
    ),
)

Hook integration (Claude Agent SDK):

1. PostToolUse Hook: After StructuredOutput, checker verifies completion. If incomplete, adds feedback to encourage continuation.
2. Stop Hook: Before allowing stop, checker verifies. If incomplete, signals needsMoreTurns: True.

11. Contrib Tools

VFS (Virtual Filesystem):

from pathlib import Path

from weakincentives.contrib.tools import VfsToolsSection, HostMount, VfsPath
from weakincentives.runtime import Session

session = Session()

vfs = VfsToolsSection(
    session=session,
    mounts=(
        HostMount(
            host_path="./repo",
            mount_path=VfsPath(("workspace",)),
            include_glob=("*.py",),
            exclude_glob=("*.pyc",),
            max_bytes=600_000,
        ),
    ),
    allowed_host_roots=(Path("."),),
)
# Tools: ls, read_file, write_file, edit_file, glob, grep, rm

Planning:

from weakincentives.contrib.tools import (
    PlanningToolsSection,
    PlanningStrategy,
    Plan,
)
from weakincentives.runtime import Session

session = Session()

planning = PlanningToolsSection(
    session=session,
    strategy=PlanningStrategy.PLAN_ACT_REFLECT,
)
# Tools: planning_setup_plan, planning_add_step, planning_update_step, planning_read_plan

# Query plan state
plan = session[Plan].latest()
if plan:
    for step in plan.steps:
        print(f"[{step.status}] {step.title}")

12. Resources

Dependency injection with scoped lifecycles.

from weakincentives.resources import Binding, Scope, ResourceRegistry


class Config:
    pass


class HTTPClient:
    pass


# Build registry
registry = ResourceRegistry.of(
    Binding(Config, lambda r: Config()),
    Binding(HTTPClient, lambda r: HTTPClient()),
)

Scopes:

• Scope.SINGLETON - Once per context (default)
• Scope.TOOL_CALL - Fresh per tool invocation
• Scope.PROTOTYPE - Fresh every resolution

13. Serialization

from dataclasses import dataclass

from weakincentives.serde import dump, parse, schema, clone


@dataclass(frozen=True)
class MyData:
    value: int


data = MyData(value=42)

# Serialize dataclass to dict
d = dump(data)

# Parse dict to dataclass
obj = parse(MyData, d)

# JSON schema
json_schema = schema(MyData)

# Deep clone
copy = clone(data)

14. Design-by-Contract

from weakincentives.dbc import require, ensure, invariant, pure


@require(lambda x: x > 0)
@ensure(lambda result: result >= 0)
def compute(x: int) -> int:
    return x * 2


@invariant(lambda self: self.count >= 0)
class Counter:
    count: int = 0


@pure  # Validates no side effects
def hash_value(x: str) -> int:
    return hash(x)

---

Best Practices

Agent Design

1. Plan first: Use PlanningToolsSection to structure work before acting
2. Verify completion: Enable TaskCompletionChecker for unattended agents
3. Set budgets: Always configure Budget with token limits
4. Use deadlines: Set wall-clock limits via Deadline
5. Provide feedback: Configure FeedbackProvider for long-running tasks

Tool Implementation

1. Type everything: Use @dataclass(slots=True, frozen=True) for params/results
2. Document params: Add metadata={"description": "..."} to all fields
3. Handle failures gracefully: Return ToolResult.error(), don't raise
4. Check deadlines: Early-exit if context.deadline.remaining() is low
5. Access resources properly: Use context.resources.get(Protocol)

Session Management

1. Snapshot before risky operations: session.snapshot() enables rollback
2. Use typed slices: Query via session[Type].latest(), not raw access
3. Dispatch events: Never mutate state directly; use session.dispatch()
4. Register reducers early: Call session[Type].register() before dispatching

Prompt Authoring

1. Keep sections focused: One concern per section
2. Use progressive disclosure: Set visibility=SUMMARY for verbose content
3. Attach tools to relevant sections: Tools should be near their instructions
4. Apply policies at appropriate level: Section-level for local constraints, prompt-level for global ones

---

Decision Trees

Which Adapter?

Need Claude Code native tools? → ClaudeAgentSDKAdapter
Need multi-provider support?   → LiteLLMAdapter
OpenAI only?                   → OpenAIAdapter

Which Workspace Tool?

Claude Agent SDK mode?         → ClaudeAgentWorkspaceSection
Need shell execution?          → PodmanSandboxSection
Standard file ops only?        → VfsToolsSection

Which Reducer?

Recording every event?         → append_all (default)
Only latest value matters?     → replace_latest
Keyed upsert (like cache)?     → upsert_by(key_fn)
Complex state transitions?     → @reducer decorator on dataclass

Session vs Resource State?

Agent state (plans, results)?  → Session slices
Runtime deps (HTTP, DB)?       → ResourceRegistry
Filesystem state?              → Filesystem via resources

---

Common Pitfalls

1. Forgetting slots=True, frozen=True on dataclasses - breaks serde
2. Missing ${} in templates - use ${field} not {field}
3. Tool handler signature - must be (params, *, context: ToolContext)
4. ToolResult return - use .ok() or .error(), not raw constructor
5. Session mutations - all go through dispatch(), use accessor methods
6. Resource access outside context - use with prompt.resources: block
7. Duplicate tool names - raises PromptValidationError
8. Hash mismatch in overrides - stale overrides silently filtered

---

Event Types

from weakincentives.runtime import (
    PromptRendered,  # After render, before provider call
    PromptExecuted,  # After all tools and parsing
    ToolInvoked,  # After each tool handler
    TokenUsage,  # Token consumption data
)

---

Error Hierarchy

WinkError                       # Base for all WINK errors
├── DeadlineExceededError       # Wall-clock limit hit
├── BudgetExceededError         # Token limit breached
├── ToolValidationError         # Tool params invalid
├── PromptError                 # Prompt system errors
│   ├── PromptValidationError   # Construction failures
│   ├── PromptRenderError       # Render failures
│   ├── OutputParseError        # Structured output invalid
│   └── VisibilityExpansionRequired  # Progressive disclosure request
├── SnapshotRestoreError        # Snapshot restore failed
└── TransactionError            # Transaction failed

---

Development Commands

uv sync && ./install-hooks.sh   # Setup

make format      # ruff format (88-char)
make lint        # ruff check --preview
make typecheck   # ty + pyright strict
make test        # pytest, 100% coverage required
make check       # ALL checks - run before commit

make bandit      # Security scan
make deptry      # Dependency analysis
make pip-audit   # Vulnerability scan

---

File Layout

src/weakincentives/
├── adapters/           # OpenAI, LiteLLM, Claude Agent SDK
│   └── claude_agent_sdk/
├── cli/                # wink CLI
├── contrib/
│   ├── tools/          # Planning, VFS, asteval, podman, workspace digest
│   ├── optimizers/     # WorkspaceDigestOptimizer
│   └── mailbox/        # RedisMailbox
├── dataclasses/        # FrozenDataclass utilities
├── dbc/                # @require, @ensure, @invariant, @pure
├── debug/              # Log collector, session inspection
├── evals/              # Evaluation framework
├── filesystem/         # Filesystem protocol
├── formal/             # TLA+ embedding
├── optimizers/         # Optimizer framework
├── prompt/             # Sections, tools, rendering, overrides
│   └── overrides/      # LocalPromptOverridesStore
├── resources/          # DI with Binding, Scope
├── runtime/
│   ├── events/         # Dispatcher, event types
│   ├── mailbox/        # Message queue protocol
│   └── session/        # Session, slices, reducers
│       └── slices/     # MemorySlice, JsonlSlice
├── serde/              # dump, parse, schema, clone
├── skills/             # Agent Skills support
└── types/              # JSONValue, type aliases

---

Key Specs

Read before modifying related code:

Spec	Topic
specs/PROMPTS.md	Prompt system, composition, overrides
specs/SESSIONS.md	Session lifecycle, events, budgets
specs/TOOLS.md	Tool registration, planning tools, policies
specs/FEEDBACK_PROVIDERS.md	Trajectory feedback, stall detection
specs/TASK_COMPLETION.md	Task completion verification
specs/ADAPTERS.md	Provider adapters, throttling
specs/CLAUDE_AGENT_SDK.md	SDK adapter, isolation, MCP
specs/WORKSPACE.md	VFS, Podman, asteval
specs/DBC.md	Design-by-contract patterns
specs/RESOURCE_REGISTRY.md	Dependency injection
specs/MAIN_LOOP.md	MainLoop orchestration
specs/MAILBOX.md	Message queue abstraction

---

Quick Reference

PromptTemplate

PromptTemplate[OutputT](
    ns: str,                    # Namespace (required)
    key: str,                   # Unique key (required)
    name: str | None,           # Display name
    sections: tuple[Section],   # Ordered sections
)

MarkdownSection

MarkdownSection[ParamsT](
    title: str,                 # Heading text
    key: str,                   # Unique key
    template: str,              # ${field} syntax
    default_params: ParamsT,
    tools: tuple[Tool],
    children: tuple[Section],
    visibility: SectionVisibility,
    summary: str,               # For SUMMARY visibility
    enabled: Callable[[ParamsT], bool],
    accepts_overrides: bool,
)

Tool

Tool[ParamsT, ResultT](
    name: str,                  # ^[a-z0-9_-]{1,64}$
    description: str,           # 1-200 chars
    handler: ToolHandler,
    examples: tuple[ToolExample],
    accepts_overrides: bool,
)

# Handler signature
def handler(params: ParamsT, *, context: ToolContext) -> ToolResult[ResultT]

ToolContext

context.session           # Session
context.deadline          # Deadline | None
context.budget_tracker    # BudgetTracker | None
context.resources         # ScopedResourceContext (from prompt)
context.filesystem        # Filesystem | None (shorthand)
context.prompt            # PromptProtocol
context.rendered_prompt   # RenderedPromptProtocol | None
context.adapter           # ProviderAdapterProtocol

Session

session[T].latest()       # T | None
session[T].all()          # tuple[T, ...]
session[T].where(pred)    # tuple[T, ...]
session[T].exists()       # bool
session[T].seed(value)    # Initialize slice
session[T].append(value)  # Dispatch to reducers
session[T].clear()        # Clear slice
session[T].register(E, reducer)  # Register reducer
session.dispatch(event)   # Broadcast dispatch
session.snapshot()        # Snapshot
session.restore(snap)     # Restore from snapshot

Budget

Budget(
    deadline: Deadline | None,
    max_total_tokens: int | None,
    max_input_tokens: int | None,
    max_output_tokens: int | None,
)

tracker = BudgetTracker(budget)
tracker.record_cumulative(eval_id, usage)
tracker.check()  # Raises BudgetExceededError

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Example: Complete Agent

See code_reviewer_example.py for production patterns:

• Structured output types
• VFS/Planning tool sections
• MainLoop implementation
• Event subscription
• Prompt overrides
• Claude Agent SDK mode

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Alpha Status

All APIs may change without backward compatibility. No deprecation warnings; unused code is deleted completely.

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License

Apache License 2.0