Spawn Instance

${var} — Name and purpose of the new instance, e.g. crypto-tracker: monitor DeFi protocols and token movements. If empty, the skill will ask via notification what kind of instance to create and stop.

Today is ${today}. Create a new Aeon instance by forking this repo, configuring it for a specific purpose, and registering it in the fleet.

Security Model

This skill creates the repo and configuration but does NOT propagate secrets. The new instance is inert until the owner manually sets secrets (ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, etc.). This is intentional — each instance should have its own API keys for billing isolation and blast-radius containment.

Steps

1. Parse the var to extract instance name and purpose:

   • Format: name: purpose (e.g. crypto-tracker: monitor DeFi protocols)
   • If var is empty, log to memory/logs/${today}.md and send a notification asking the owner to re-run with a var, then stop.
   • Derive the repo name: aeon-{name} (e.g. aeon-crypto-tracker)
   • Sanitize: lowercase, hyphens only, max 40 chars

2. Check the fleet registry — read memory/instances.json (create if missing). If an instance with the same name already exists and is not archived, log a warning and stop.

   The registry format:

   jsonCopy

   {
     "instances": [
       {
         "name": "crypto-tracker",
         "repo": "OWNER/aeon-crypto-tracker",
         "purpose": "monitor DeFi protocols and token movements",
         "created": "2026-04-08",
         "status": "pending_secrets",
         "skills_enabled": ["token-movers", "defi-monitor", "heartbeat"],
         "parent": "aaronjmars/aeon"
       }
     ]
   }
   

3. Determine the owner for the new repo:

   bashCopy

   OWNER=$(gh api user --jq '.login')
   

4. Fork the repo into the owner's account with the custom name:

   bashCopy

   gh repo fork aaronjmars/aeon --fork-name "aeon-{name}" --clone=false
   

   If the fork already exists (gh returns an error), check if it's already registered. If not, proceed to configure it.

   Note: gh repo fork may not support --fork-name in all versions. If it fails, fall back to:

   bashCopy

   gh api repos/aaronjmars/aeon/forks -X POST -f name="aeon-{name}"
   

5. Wait for fork availability — GitHub forks are async. Poll until ready:

   bashCopy

   for i in 1 2 3 4 5; do
     gh api "repos/${OWNER}/aeon-{name}" --jq '.full_name' 2>/dev/null && break
     sleep 5
   done
   

6. Select skills for the instance based on its purpose. Analyze the purpose string and choose from the available skills. Use these heuristics:

   • crypto/defi/token purpose: enable token-movers, token-alert, defi-monitor, wallet-digest, trending-coins, heartbeat
   • research/papers/academic purpose: enable paper-digest, paper-pick, research-brief, deep-research, heartbeat
   • social/twitter/x purpose: enable fetch-tweets, tweet-digest, write-tweet, reply-maker, heartbeat
   • news/digest purpose: enable morning-brief, rss-digest, hn-digest, reddit-digest, heartbeat
   • dev/code/github purpose: enable github-monitor, github-issues, pr-review, code-health, changelog, heartbeat
   • general or unclear: enable morning-brief, heartbeat, reflect
   • Always include heartbeat for health monitoring.

7. Clone the fork, configure it, and push:

   bashCopy

   # Clone into a temp directory
   TMPDIR=$(mktemp -d)
   gh repo clone "${OWNER}/aeon-{name}" "$TMPDIR/repo"
   cd "$TMPDIR/repo"
   git config user.name "aeonframework"
   git config user.email "aeonframework@proton.me"
   

   a. Write a customized aeon.yml: Read the parent's aeon.yml as a base. Enable only the selected skills. Keep all others disabled. Preserve the structure and comments.

   b. Write SETUP.md to the repo root:

   markdownCopy

   # Aeon Instance Setup
   
   This is a managed Aeon instance spawned from [parent-repo].
   
   ## Purpose
   {purpose description}
   
   ## Activate This Instance
   
   Go to **Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions** and add these secrets:
   
   ### Required
   | Secret | Description |
   |--------|------------|
   | `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` | Claude API key — get one at console.anthropic.com |
   
   ### Recommended
   | Secret | Description |
   |--------|------------|
   | `TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN` | Telegram bot token for notifications |
   | `TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID` | Telegram chat ID for notifications |
   
   ### Optional (depends on enabled skills)
   | Secret | Description |
   |--------|------------|
   | `COINGECKO_API_KEY` | For crypto skills |
   | `XAI_API_KEY` | For X/Twitter skills |
   | `DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL` | Discord notifications |
   | `SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL` | Slack notifications |
   
   ## Enabled Skills
   {list of enabled skills with descriptions}
   
   ## Fleet Parent
   This instance is managed by `{parent-repo}`.
   The parent can dispatch skills and monitor health via the `fleet-control` skill.
   
   ## Security Note
   This instance has NO access to the parent's secrets.
   Each instance maintains its own API keys and credentials.
   

   c. Update the CLAUDE.md to reference the parent: Add a line under the "About This Repo" section: - Managed instance of {parent-repo}. Purpose: {purpose}.

   d. Clear the parent's memory — reset memory/MEMORY.md to a fresh state for the child, remove memory/logs/* contents, clear memory/cron-state.json to {}. Keep memory/topics/ empty. The child starts with a clean slate.

   e. Commit and push:

   bashCopy

   git add -A
   git commit -m "chore: configure instance — {purpose}"
   git push origin main
   

   f. Clean up:

   bashCopy

   rm -rf "$TMPDIR"
   

8. Enable GitHub Actions on the fork (forks have Actions disabled by default):

   bashCopy

   gh api "repos/${OWNER}/aeon-{name}/actions/permissions" -X PUT -f enabled=true -f allowed_actions=all
   

9. Register the instance — update memory/instances.json in the parent repo: Add the new instance entry with status: "pending_secrets".

10. Log to memory — append to memory/logs/${today}.md:

    Copy

    ## spawn-instance
    - Created new instance: ${OWNER}/aeon-{name}
    - Purpose: {purpose}
    - Skills enabled: {list}
    - Status: pending_secrets (owner must add API keys)
    

11. Send notification via ./notify:

    Copy

    *New Aeon Instance Created*
    
    Repo: {OWNER}/aeon-{name}
    Purpose: {purpose}
    Skills: {comma-separated list of enabled skills}
    
    Status: PENDING SECRETS — instance is inert until you add API keys.
    
    Quick setup:
    1. Go to https://github.com/{OWNER}/aeon-{name}/settings/secrets/actions
    2. Add ANTHROPIC_API_KEY (required)
    3. Add TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN + TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID (recommended)
    
    See SETUP.md in the repo for full instructions.
    

Write complete, working code. No TODOs or placeholders.