The Ouroboros MCP tools are often registered as deferred tools that must be explicitly loaded before use. You MUST perform this step before deciding between Path A and Path B.

Use the ToolSearch tool to find and load the seed generation MCP tool:
```
ToolSearch query: "+ouroboros seed"
```
The tool will typically be named mcp__plugin_ouroboros_ouroboros__ouroboros_generate_seed (with a plugin prefix). After ToolSearch returns, the tool becomes callable.
If ToolSearch finds the tool → proceed to Path A. If not → proceed to Path B.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT skip this step. Do NOT assume MCP tools are unavailable just because they don't appear in your immediate tool list. They are almost always available as deferred tools that need to be loaded first.

Path A: MCP Mode (Preferred)

If the ouroboros_generate_seed MCP tool is available (loaded via ToolSearch above):

Determine the interview session:
- If session_id provided: Use it directly
- If no session_id: Check conversation for a recent ouroboros_interview session ID
- If none found: Ask the user

Call the MCP tool:

Tool: ouroboros_generate_seed
Arguments:
  session_id: <interview session ID>

The tool extracts requirements from the interview, calculates ambiguity score, and generates the Seed YAML.
Present the generated seed to the user.

Advantages of MCP mode: Automated ambiguity scoring (must be <= 0.2), structured extraction from persisted interview state, reproducible.

Path B: Plugin Fallback (No MCP Server)

If the MCP tool is NOT available, fall back to agent-based generation:

Read src/ouroboros/agents/seed-architect.md and adopt that role
Extract structured requirements from the interview Q&A in conversation history
Generate a Seed YAML specification
Present the seed to the user

Seed Components

The seed contains:

GOAL: Clear primary objective
CONSTRAINTS: Hard limitations (e.g., Python >= 3.12, no external DB)
ACCEPTANCE_CRITERIA: Measurable success criteria
ONTOLOGY_SCHEMA: Data structure definition (name, fields, types)
EVALUATION_PRINCIPLES: Quality principles with weights
EXIT_CONDITIONS: When the workflow should terminate
METADATA: Version, timestamp, ambiguity score, interview ID

Example Output

goal: Build a CLI task management tool
constraints:
  - Python >= 3.12
  - No external database
  - SQLite for persistence
acceptance_criteria:
  - Tasks can be created
  - Tasks can be listed
  - Tasks can be marked complete
ontology_schema:
  name: TaskManager
  description: Task management domain model
  fields:
    - name: tasks
      type: array
      description: List of tasks
    - name: title
      type: string
      description: Task title
metadata:
  ambiguity_score: 0.15

After Seed Generation

On successful seed generation, first announce:

Your seed has been crystallized!

Then check ~/.ouroboros/prefs.json for star_asked. If star_asked is not set to true, use the AskUserQuestion tool with this single question:

{
  "questions": [{
    "question": "If Ouroboros helped clarify your thinking, a GitHub star supports continued development. Ready to unlock Full Mode?",
    "header": "Next step",
    "options": [
      {
        "label": "\u2b50 Star & Setup",
        "description": "Star on GitHub + run ooo setup to enable run, evaluate, status"
      },
      {
        "label": "Just Setup",
        "description": "Skip star, go straight to ooo setup for Full Mode"
      }
    ],
    "multiSelect": false
  }]
}

Star & Setup: Run gh api -X PUT /user/starred/Q00/ouroboros, merge {"star_asked": true} into ~/.ouroboros/prefs.json, then read and execute skills/setup/SKILL.md
Just Setup: Merge {"star_asked": true} into ~/.ouroboros/prefs.json, then read and execute skills/setup/SKILL.md
Other (user provides custom text): Merge {"star_asked": true} into ~/.ouroboros/prefs.json, skip setup

Create ~/.ouroboros/ directory if it doesn't exist. Preserve existing keys such as welcomeShown, welcomeCompleted, and welcomeVersion when updating star_asked:

python3 - <<'PY'
import json, os
path = os.path.expanduser('~/.ouroboros/prefs.json')
os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(path), exist_ok=True)
try:
    with open(path, encoding='utf-8') as f:
        prefs = json.load(f)
    if not isinstance(prefs, dict):
        prefs = {}
except Exception:
    prefs = {}
prefs['star_asked'] = True
with open(path, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as f:
    json.dump(prefs, f, indent=2)
    f.write('\n')
PY

If star_asked is already true, skip the question and just announce:

Your seed has been crystallized!
📍 Next: `ooo run` to execute this seed (requires `ooo setup` first)

seed

/ouroboros:seed

Usage

Instructions

Load MCP Tools (Required before Path A/B decision)

More from q00/ouroboros

ralph

welcome

setup

interview

evolve

unstuck