# Firstmate Orca

Load when switching to Orca, spawning or supervising Orca-backed work, smoke-testing...

- Repository: https://github.com/kunchenguid/firstmate (8480 stars)
- Category: Testing
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add kunchenguid/firstmate --skill firstmate-orca -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add kunchenguid/firstmate --skill firstmate-orca -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add kunchenguid/firstmate --skill firstmate-orca -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add kunchenguid/firstmate --skill firstmate-orca -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Load when switching to Orca, spawning or supervising Orca-backed work, smoke-testing Orca backend behavior, debugging Orca task state, or reconciling Orca-backed task metadata.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# firstmate-orca

Use this as the operator checklist for Firstmate's experimental Orca runtime backend.
It does not replace `AGENTS.md`, `docs/orca-backend.md`, or `harness-adapters`.

Orca is a runtime backend, not an agent harness.
The runtime backend owns the task endpoint and, for Orca, the task worktree.
The harness is the agent process launched inside that endpoint, such as `claude`, `codex`, `opencode`, `pi`, `pi-signed`, `grok`, or `kimi`.
Load `harness-adapters` for harness-specific launch, interrupt, resume, trust-dialog, and skill-invocation facts.

Implementation details, metadata fields, teardown guarantees, and limitations live in `docs/orca-backend.md`.
`docs/verification/runtime-backends.md` "Orca" owns active smoke evidence.
Prefer the `bin/fm-*` helpers over raw `orca` commands.
Use raw `orca` only when the helper surface cannot answer the inspection question, and keep the recorded firstmate metadata as the task identity.

## Preflight

Work from the current firstmate home or repo root.
If `FM_HOME` is set, remember that operational state lives under `$FM_HOME` while the helper scripts still run from this repo's `bin/`.

Before switching or spawning against Orca:

- Confirm Orca is intentionally selected through `--backend orca`, `FM_BACKEND=orca`, or local `config/backend`.
- Confirm the Orca app is running and the backend readiness checks pass before expecting spawn to work.
- Inspect active `state/*.meta` records before changing backend selection.
- Treat a backend switch as affecting future spawns only; existing tasks keep their recorded backend.
- Reconcile watcher wakes before unrelated work, especially if Orca tasks are already in flight.

## Spawn

Use `bin/fm-spawn.sh` so firstmate creates the brief, worktree, terminal, metadata, status file, and watcher surface together.
Pass `--backend orca` for a one-off Orca task, or rely on the already-selected Orca backend when that selection is intentional.

The rest: https://github.com/kunchenguid/firstmate/blob/HEAD/.agents/skills/firstmate-orca/SKILL.md