# Lifecycle and approvals tools

Two tool groups govern agent lifecycle management and config changes.
The server scopes both to the caller's **own subtree** (topology-enforced
per `topology.json`: a child, a child's child, every agent below them —
plus the caller itself). No privileged class exists to belong to; the
root agent reaches every agent purely because the check is transitive and
everything sits under it.

## `lifecycle` tool group

No operator approval required. The caller's own subtree.

### `kill(name)`

Graceful stop. Container state is preserved; recreating the agent
reuses prior config and credentials.

### `start(name)`

Start a stopped sub-agent.

### `restart(name)`

Stop + start in one call.

### `update(name)`

Rebuild: re-applies the current hyperhive flake + `agent.nix`,
then restarts. Idempotent — safe to call repeatedly. Used in response
to `needs_update` system events.

### `list_containers()`

List the caller's whole **subtree** with running status — children,
their children, every agent below them. The calling agent is part of its
own subtree, so it appears in its own listing; a leaf agent gets a
one-row answer naming itself.

## `approvals` tool group

Config changes and new-agent spawns route through the operator
approval queue. Topology-enforced the same way.

### `request_init_config(name, description?)`

Step 1 of spawning a new sub-agent. Queues an `InitConfig`
approval; on operator approve, hive-c0re seeds the proposed config
repo at `/agents/<name>/config/agent.nix` with a default template and
delivers a `config_ready` system event. Then edit `agent.nix`, commit,
and the operator **spawns** the agent (the dashboard `◆ R3QU3ST SP4WN`
button / `Spawn` approval, routed via `HostRequest::RequestSpawn`),
which creates the container from that config.

Subsequent config changes go through a **forge PR** on the agent's
`agent-configs/<name>` repo (queues a `MergeConfigPr` approval on
open/update — no MCP tool involved), not a tool call. See
`docs/agent-lifecycle/approvals.md`.

`name` must be either unused — in which case the caller becomes its
parent on approval — or an agent already in the caller's subtree whose
config is being re-seeded. The server refuses a name that exists outside
that subtree, so one agent can't hijack another's.

Only **direct** children's config repos are bind-mounted into a parent's
container, though (`bind_child_agent_dirs`, driven by
`topology::children_of`). The server accepts re-seeding an agent further
down the subtree, and that still leaves the caller without a local copy
to edit afterwards.

Fails if a proposed config repo for `name` already exists.
`name` is ≤ 9 characters.

### `request_update_meta_inputs(inputs?, description?)`

Queue an approval to run `nix flake update [inputs...]` on the meta
flake. Pass specific input names (for example `["bitburner-agent"]`) or omit
/ pass `[]` for all inputs. Returns immediately; the lock update runs
on operator approval.

**Doesn't** trigger container rebuilds — call `update(name)` on affected
agents after the approval resolves.

## Boundary summary

| Operation                               | Requires approval? | Scope                              |
| --------------------------------------- | ------------------ | ---------------------------------- |
| `kill` / `start` / `restart` / `update` | No                 | Own subtree                        |
| `list_containers`                       | No                 | Own subtree, caller included       |
| `request_init_config`                   | Yes (InitConfig)   | Unused name, or one in own subtree |
| `request_update_meta_inputs`            | Yes (MetaUpdate)   | Meta flake (global)                |

## See also

- [`docs/agent-lifecycle/approvals.md`](../agent-lifecycle/approvals.md) — full approval flow, kinds,
  helper events (`config_ready`, `approval_resolved`), flake.lock
  validation.