curiositech/orchestrator

Orchestrator (DEPRECATED)

This skill is deprecated. Use dag-orchestrator instead.

DECISION POINTS

IF user explicitly requests "orchestrator" skill
├─ Check deprecation awareness:
│  ├─ User knows it's deprecated → Guide to dag-orchestrator equivalent
│  └─ User unaware → Explain deprecation + redirect
└─ Provide specific migration path based on use case

IF user mentions orchestration without skill name
├─ Simple task sequencing → Direct to dag-orchestrator basic mode
├─ Complex multi-step workflow → Guide to dag-orchestrator HTDAG
├─ Agent coordination → Use dag-orchestrator multi-agent features
└─ Legacy system integration → Assess dag-orchestrator compatibility

IF existing code references orchestrator
├─ Basic coordination calls → Map to dag-orchestrator syntax
├─ Custom orchestration patterns → Manual migration required
├─ Integration dependencies → Check dag-orchestrator equivalents
└─ Performance-critical paths → Validate dag-orchestrator performance

IF migration resistance encountered
├─ Feature concerns → Demonstrate dag-orchestrator superiority
├─ Learning curve → Provide step-by-step migration
├─ Technical debt → Plan gradual transition strategy
└─ Team coordination → Establish migration timeline

FAILURE MODES

Silent Skill Usage

• Detection: Agent attempts to invoke orchestrator without deprecation notice
• Diagnosis: Missed deprecation check or automated skill selection
• Fix: Always check skill status before invocation; redirect with explanation

Feature Parity Anxiety

• Detection: "dag-orchestrator doesn't do X like orchestrator did"
• Diagnosis: Incomplete feature mapping or misunderstood capabilities
• Fix: Provide detailed capability comparison table with examples

Migration Procrastination

• Detection: Continued orchestrator references despite alternatives shown
• Diagnosis: Change resistance or perceived migration complexity
• Fix: Break migration into small steps; show immediate benefits

Hybrid Skill Confusion

• Detection: User requests both orchestrator and dag-orchestrator for same task
• Diagnosis: Unclear on skill consolidation and unified architecture
• Fix: Explain skill evolution and demonstrate single-skill solution

Legacy Lock-in

• Detection: "Can't change because existing system depends on orchestrator"
• Diagnosis: Hard dependencies or undocumented integration points
• Fix: Dependency audit, compatibility layer, phased migration plan

WORKED EXAMPLES

Complete Migration: Multi-Stage Data Pipeline

Scenario: User has existing orchestrator-based pipeline: extract → transform → validate → load

Step 1 - Detection: User says: "Update my orchestrator workflow for the new data source" Agent detects: orchestrator skill reference

Step 2 - Deprecation Notice: "I notice you're referencing the orchestrator skill, which has been deprecated. Let me upgrade your workflow to use dag-orchestrator, which provides better performance and error handling."

Step 3 - Capability Mapping:

• Old: orchestrator.sequence([extract, transform, validate, load])
• New: dag-orchestrator.create_pipeline({nodes: [extract, transform, validate, load], dependencies: [extract→transform, transform→validate, validate→load]})

Step 4 - Enhanced Features Demo:

• Show parallel execution capabilities: extract + metadata_fetch
• Demonstrate error recovery: retry policies on each stage
• Display monitoring: real-time progress tracking

Step 5 - Migration Execution:

• Convert workflow definition
• Test with sample data
• Validate performance improvements (30% faster execution)
• Document new monitoring capabilities

Outcome: User gains improved workflow with better error handling and observability.

QUALITY GATES

• [ ] Deprecation notice clearly communicated to user
• [ ] dag-orchestrator alternative provided for specific use case
• [ ] Migration path documented with concrete steps
• [ ] Feature parity demonstrated or gaps acknowledged
• [ ] Performance/capability improvements highlighted
• [ ] Legacy code references identified and replacement provided
• [ ] User confirms understanding of skill consolidation
• [ ] No silent fallback to deprecated orchestrator occurs
• [ ] dag-orchestrator syntax demonstrated with working examples
• [ ] Integration compatibility verified for existing systems

NOT-FOR BOUNDARIES

Do NOT attempt to use orchestrator skill for:

• New workflow creation → Use dag-orchestrator
• Complex orchestration patterns → Use dag-orchestrator with HTDAG
• Multi-agent coordination → Use dag-orchestrator multi-agent features
• Performance-critical orchestration → Use optimized dag-orchestrator
• Error-prone workflow management → Use dag-orchestrator with retry policies

For these specific needs, delegate to dag-orchestrator:

• Wave-based execution → dag-orchestrator.wave_execution()
• Dynamic task decomposition → dag-orchestrator.adaptive_decomposition()
• Parallel processing → dag-orchestrator.parallel_execution()
• Conditional branching → dag-orchestrator.conditional_nodes()
• Real-time monitoring → dag-orchestrator.progress_tracking()

Escalation scenarios:

• If dag-orchestrator truly lacks required functionality → File enhancement request
• If migration timeline conflicts with deadlines → Create compatibility bridge
• If legacy systems cannot integrate → Design adapter pattern

Boundary enforcement: Never execute orchestrator skill calls; always redirect through deprecation process to dag-orchestrator equivalent.