> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: /llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Lobster
> Typed workflow runtime for Moltbot — composable pipelines with approval gates.
# Lobster
Lobster is a workflow shell that lets Moltbot run multi-step tool sequences as a single, deterministic operation with explicit approval checkpoints.
## Hook
Your assistant can build the tools that manage itself. Ask for a workflow, and 30 minutes later you have a CLI plus pipelines that run as one call. Lobster is the missing piece: deterministic pipelines, explicit approvals, and resumable state.
## Why
Today, complex workflows require many back-and-forth tool calls. Each call costs tokens, and the LLM has to orchestrate every step. Lobster moves that orchestration into a typed runtime:
* **One call instead of many**: Moltbot runs one Lobster tool call and gets a structured result.
* **Approvals built in**: Side effects (send email, post comment) halt the workflow until explicitly approved.
* **Resumable**: Halted workflows return a token; approve and resume without re-running everything.
## Why a DSL instead of plain programs?
Lobster is intentionally small. The goal is not "a new language," it's a predictable, AI-friendly pipeline spec with first-class approvals and resume tokens.
* **Approve/resume is built in**: A normal program can prompt a human, but it can’t *pause and resume* with a durable token without you inventing that runtime yourself.
* **Determinism + auditability**: Pipelines are data, so they’re easy to log, diff, replay, and review.
* **Constrained surface for AI**: A tiny grammar + JSON piping reduces “creative” code paths and makes validation realistic.
* **Safety policy baked in**: Timeouts, output caps, sandbox checks, and allowlists are enforced by the runtime, not each script.
* **Still programmable**: Each step can call any CLI or script. If you want JS/TS, generate `.lobster` files from code.
## How it works
Moltbot launches the local `lobster` CLI in **tool mode** and parses a JSON envelope from stdout.
If the pipeline pauses for approval, the tool returns a `resumeToken` so you can continue later.
## Pattern: small CLI + JSON pipes + approvals
Build tiny commands that speak JSON, then chain them into a single Lobster call. (Example command names below — swap in your own.)
```bash theme={null}
inbox list --json
inbox categorize --json
inbox apply --json
```
```json theme={null}
{
"action": "run",
"pipeline": "exec --json --shell 'inbox list --json' | exec --stdin json --shell 'inbox categorize --json' | exec --stdin json --shell 'inbox apply --json' | approve --preview-from-stdin --limit 5 --prompt 'Apply changes?'",
"timeoutMs": 30000
}
```
If the pipeline requests approval, resume with the token:
```json theme={null}
{
"action": "resume",
"token": "<resumeToken>",
"approve": true
}
```
AI triggers the workflow; Lobster executes the steps. Approval gates keep side effects explicit and auditable.
Example: map input items into tool calls:
```bash theme={null}
gog.gmail.search --query 'newer_than:1d' \
| clawd.invoke --tool message --action send --each --item-key message --args-json '{"provider":"telegram","to":"..."}'
```
## JSON-only LLM steps (llm-task)
For workflows that need a **structured LLM step**, enable the optional
`llm-task` plugin tool and call it from Lobster. This keeps the workflow
deterministic while still letting you classify/summarize/draft with a model.
Enable the tool:
```json theme={null}
{
"plugins": {
"entries": {
"llm-task": { "enabled": true }
}
},
"agents": {
"list": [\
{\
"id": "main",\
"tools": { "allow": ["llm-task"] }\
}\
]
}
}
```
Use it in a pipeline:
```lobster theme={null}
clawd.invoke --tool llm-task --action json --args-json '{
"prompt": "Given the input email, return intent and draft.",
"input": { "subject": "Hello", "body": "Can you help?" },
"schema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"intent": { "type": "string" },
"draft": { "type": "string" }
},
"required": ["intent", "draft"],
"additionalProperties": false
}
}'
```
See [LLM Task](/tools/llm-task) for details and configuration options.
## Workflow files (.lobster)
Lobster can run YAML/JSON workflow files with `name`, `args`, `steps`, `env`, `condition`, and `approval` fields. In Moltbot tool calls, set `pipeline` to the file path.
```yaml theme={null}
name: inbox-triage
args:
tag:
default: "family"
steps:
- id: collect
command: inbox list --json
- id: categorize
command: inbox categorize --json
stdin: $collect.stdout
- id: approve
command: inbox apply --approve
stdin: $categorize.stdout
approval: required
- id: execute
command: inbox apply --execute
stdin: $categorize.stdout
condition: $approve.approved
```
Notes:
* `stdin: $step.stdout` and `stdin: $step.json` pass a prior step’s output.
* `condition` (or `when`) can gate steps on `$step.approved`.
## Install Lobster
Install the Lobster CLI on the **same host** that runs the Moltbot Gateway (see the [Lobster repo](https://github.com/moltbot/lobster)), and ensure `lobster` is on `PATH`.
If you want to use a custom binary location, pass an **absolute** `lobsterPath` in the tool call.
## Enable the tool
Lobster is an **optional** plugin tool (not enabled by default).
Recommended (additive, safe):
```json theme={null}
{
"tools": {
"alsoAllow": ["lobster"]
}
}
```
Or per-agent:
```json theme={null}
{
"agents": {
"list": [\
{\
"id": "main",\
"tools": {\
"alsoAllow": ["lobster"]\
}\
}\
]
}
}
```
Avoid using `tools.allow: ["lobster"]` unless you intend to run in restrictive allowlist mode.
Note: allowlists are opt-in for optional plugins. If your allowlist only names
plugin tools (like `lobster`), Moltbot keeps core tools enabled. To restrict core
tools, include the core tools or groups you want in the allowlist too.
## Example: Email triage
Without Lobster:
```
User: "Check my email and draft replies"
→ clawd calls gmail.list
→ LLM summarizes
→ User: "draft replies to #2 and #5"
→ LLM drafts
→ User: "send #2"
→ clawd calls gmail.send
(repeat daily, no memory of what was triaged)
```
With Lobster:
```json theme={null}
{
"action": "run",
"pipeline": "email.triage --limit 20",
"timeoutMs": 30000
}
```
Returns a JSON envelope (truncated):
```json theme={null}
{
"ok": true,
"status": "needs_approval",
"output": [{ "summary": "5 need replies, 2 need action" }],
"requiresApproval": {
"type": "approval_request",
"prompt": "Send 2 draft replies?",
"items": [],
"resumeToken": "..."
}
}
```
User approves → resume:
```json theme={null}
{
"action": "resume",
"token": "<resumeToken>",
"approve": true
}
```
One workflow. Deterministic. Safe.
## Tool parameters
### `run`
Run a pipeline in tool mode.
```json theme={null}
{
"action": "run",
"pipeline": "gog.gmail.search --query 'newer_than:1d' | email.triage",
"cwd": "/path/to/workspace",
"timeoutMs": 30000,
"maxStdoutBytes": 512000
}
```
Run a workflow file with args:
```json theme={null}
{
"action": "run",
"pipeline": "/path/to/inbox-triage.lobster",
"argsJson": "{\"tag\":\"family\"}"
}
```
### `resume`
Continue a halted workflow after approval.
```json theme={null}
{
"action": "resume",
"token": "<resumeToken>",
"approve": true
}
```
### Optional inputs
* `lobsterPath`: Absolute path to the Lobster binary (omit to use `PATH`).
* `cwd`: Working directory for the pipeline (defaults to the current process working directory).
* `timeoutMs`: Kill the subprocess if it exceeds this duration (default: 20000).
* `maxStdoutBytes`: Kill the subprocess if stdout exceeds this size (default: 512000).
* `argsJson`: JSON string passed to `lobster run --args-json` (workflow files only).
## Output envelope
Lobster returns a JSON envelope with one of three statuses:
* `ok` → finished successfully
* `needs_approval` → paused; `requiresApproval.resumeToken` is required to resume
* `cancelled` → explicitly denied or cancelled
The tool surfaces the envelope in both `content` (pretty JSON) and `details` (raw object).
## Approvals
If `requiresApproval` is present, inspect the prompt and decide:
* `approve: true` → resume and continue side effects
* `approve: false` → cancel and finalize the workflow
Use `approve --preview-from-stdin --limit N` to attach a JSON preview to approval requests without custom jq/heredoc glue. Resume tokens are now compact: Lobster stores workflow resume state under its state dir and hands back a small token key.
## OpenProse
OpenProse pairs well with Lobster: use `/prose` to orchestrate multi-agent prep, then run a Lobster pipeline for deterministic approvals. If a Prose program needs Lobster, allow the `lobster` tool for sub-agents via `tools.subagents.tools`. See [OpenProse](/prose).
## Safety
* **Local subprocess only** — no network calls from the plugin itself.
* **No secrets** — Lobster doesn't manage OAuth; it calls clawd tools that do.
* **Sandbox-aware** — disabled when the tool context is sandboxed.
* **Hardened** — `lobsterPath` must be absolute if specified; timeouts and output caps enforced.
## Troubleshooting
* **`lobster subprocess timed out`** → increase `timeoutMs`, or split a long pipeline.
* **`lobster output exceeded maxStdoutBytes`** → raise `maxStdoutBytes` or reduce output size.
* **`lobster returned invalid JSON`** → ensure the pipeline runs in tool mode and prints only JSON.
* **`lobster failed (code …)`** → run the same pipeline in a terminal to inspect stderr.
## Learn more
* [Plugins](/plugin)
* [Plugin tool authoring](/plugins/agent-tools)
## Case study: community workflows
One public example: a “second brain” CLI + Lobster pipelines that manage three Markdown vaults (personal, partner, shared). The CLI emits JSON for stats, inbox listings, and stale scans; Lobster chains those commands into workflows like `weekly-review`, `inbox-triage`, `memory-consolidation`, and `shared-task-sync`, each with approval gates. AI handles judgment (categorization) when available and falls back to deterministic rules when not.
* Thread: [https://x.com/plattenschieber/status/2014508656335770033](https://x.com/plattenschieber/status/2014508656335770033)
* Repo: [https://github.com/bloomedai/brain-cli](https://github.com/bloomedai/brain-cli)Last updated on: