RCP-CWK-031 Cowork MPCS Orchestrator

Manages the Multi-Persona Chat System (MPCS) lifecycle in Cowork

Five modes: INITIALIZE creates the persona session with state tracking, ROUTE dispatches tasks to the appropriate persona sub-agent, HANDOFF preserves state for session boundaries, RESUME restores context in a new session, and QUERY displays current status. Merges six former Studio recipes into a single orchestrator where the AI serves as the message bus via Task tool sub-agents.

Cowork MPCS Orchestrator

Cowork | Platform Bridges | Difficulty: Advanced | Time: 2–5 min per mode
Tags: Introduced in Beta, MPCS, Multi-Persona, Orchestrator, Auguste, Fernand, Alice, Julia, Sub-Agent, State, Bridge, Cowork

TL;DR

What It Does
Manages the Multi-Persona Chat System (MPCS) lifecycle in Cowork. Five modes: INITIALIZE creates the persona session with state tracking, ROUTE dispatches tasks to the appropriate persona sub-agent, HANDOFF preserves state for session boundaries, RESUME restores context in a new session, and QUERY displays current status. Merges six former Studio recipes into a single orchestrator where the AI serves as the message bus via Task tool sub-agents.
How It Works
Five operational modes dispatched from Step 0. INITIALIZE creates .mpcs-state.json with persona assignments (Auguste as Creator, Fernand as Validator), version tracking, and embedded Q&A queues. ROUTE loads state and dispatches to one of four task types: CV_WORKFLOW delegates to CWK-030 for full quality loops, GENERAL_CREATION spawns Auguste via CWK-008, GENERAL_VALIDATION spawns Fernand via CWK-008, and CUSTOM routes to any specified persona. After routing, state is updated with cycle count, version history, and latest author. HANDOFF creates a snapshot for the session boundary — the state file persists in the workspace. RESUME loads persisted state, validates integrity, displays restored context with version history and pending Q&A, and recommends the next action. QUERY displays a full status report.
What To Expect
A persistent .mpcs-state.json file that tracks the entire multi-persona workflow across sessions. Each ROUTE operation produces content through the delegated persona and updates the state. HANDOFF and RESUME enable seamless continuation across session boundaries. QUERY provides a read-only status snapshot at any time.
Best Results When You
Initialize with detailed requirements so persona sub-agents have sufficient context. Use CV_WORKFLOW task type for content that needs quality assurance. Use HANDOFF before ending a session with active MPCS work. Use RESUME at the start of the next session to restore context before continuing.
Typical Time
2–5 minutes per mode operation. INITIALIZE and QUERY are quick (under 2 minutes). ROUTE duration depends on the task type — CV_WORKFLOW inherits CWK-030 timing (10–30 minutes), while GENERAL tasks via CWK-008 are typically 5–15 minutes.
Difficulty
Advanced — understanding when to use which mode and task type requires familiarity with the MPCS persona system. The orchestrator handles complexity internally, but choosing the right routing for each task requires judgment about whether content needs full CV quality loops or simpler persona delegation.

How To Start

This recipe manages the MPCS lifecycle. Start with INITIALIZE, then use ROUTE for persona tasks, HANDOFF before session end, RESUME at session start, and QUERY for status checks at any time.

STEP 1Choose Mode

Select the operational mode and provide the parameters required for that mode.
Available parameters
  • mode · string · required
    Orchestrator operational mode: “INITIALIZE”, “ROUTE”, “HANDOFF”, “RESUME”, or “QUERY”.
  • project_name · string · required for INITIALIZE
    Name of the project or initiative being worked on.
  • content_type · string · required for INITIALIZE
    Type of content being produced: “recipe”, “documentation”, “persona”, “cookbook”, “specification”, “template”, or “other”.
  • content_name · string · required for INITIALIZE
    Human-readable name for the deliverable.
  • requirements · string · required for INITIALIZE
    Detailed creation requirements for the Creator persona (Auguste).
  • task_type · string · required for ROUTE
    What kind of persona task to route: “CV_WORKFLOW” (delegates to CWK-030), “GENERAL_CREATION” (Auguste via CWK-008), “GENERAL_VALIDATION” (Fernand via CWK-008), or “CUSTOM” (any persona).
  • target_persona · string · optional · default: auto
    Which persona to activate: “Auguste”, “Fernand”, “Alice”, “Julia”, or “auto” (selects based on task type).
  • task_description · string · required for GENERAL/CUSTOM
    What the persona should do. Required for non-CV_WORKFLOW task types.
  • state_file · string · optional · default: .mpcs-state.json
    Path to the MPCS state file. Used by RESUME if the file is in a non-default location.
  • git_checkpoint · boolean · optional · default: true
    Call CWK-005 after state-changing operations for crash protection.
  • tier · string · optional · default: E
    Persona expertise tier: B (beginner), A (advanced), E (expert).
  • research_files · list · optional · default: []
    Paths to reference files for the Creator persona.
  • specification_files · list · optional · default: []
    Paths to specs and constraints for the Validator persona.
Invocations
Initialize MPCS session
#H->AI::Directive: (Execute CWK-031 with mode="INITIALIZE", project_name="My Project", content_type="documentation", content_name="API Guide", requirements="…")
Route to CV Workflow
#H->AI::Directive: (Execute CWK-031 with mode="ROUTE", task_type="CV_WORKFLOW")
Resume from previous session
#H->AI::Directive: (Execute CWK-031 with mode="RESUME")

Usage Examples

EXAMPLE 1Initializing and routing a documentation project

User
Start an MPCS session for creating the deployment guide.
Cat
Initializing MPCS. State created: project “Deployment Guide”, content type “documentation”, Creator: Auguste (E), Validator: Fernand (E). Git checkpoint saved. Ready to route. User says: route to CV workflow. Cat dispatches to CWK-030. Auguste creates guide, Fernand validates. State updated: cycle 1 complete, status ROUTED.

EXAMPLE 2Resuming across session boundary

User
Resume the MPCS session from yesterday.
Cat
Loading .mpcs-state.json. Project: Deployment Guide. Content: API Guide. Cycles completed: 2. Latest version: v1.1. Latest author: Fernand. Status: ROUTED. 1 pending question for Creator. Recommended action: ROUTE with CV_WORKFLOW to continue revision. Proceed?

EXAMPLE 3Querying status mid-session

User
What is the current MPCS status?
Cat
MPCS Status Query. Project: Deployment Guide. Content: API Guide (documentation). Cycles: 3. Latest version: v2.0. Status: PASSED. Version history: v1.0 Auguste COMPLETED, v1.1 Fernand COMPLETED, v2.0 Auguste COMPLETED. No pending Q&A.

How AI Reads This Recipe

When this recipe is triggered, the AI manages the MPCS lifecycle through one of five modes. The AI should:
  1. Dispatch (Step 0). Read mode parameter and branch. All modes except INITIALIZE require .mpcs-state.json to exist — error if missing.
  2. Initialize (Step 1). Validate required parameters. Create .mpcs-state.json with persona assignments (Auguste as Creator, Fernand as Validator at the specified tier), version tracking, embedded Q&A queues, and reference file lists. Optional git checkpoint. Recommend ROUTE with CV_WORKFLOW as next step.
  3. Route (Step 2). Load state. Validate task_type. Auto-select persona if not specified. Dispatch: CV_WORKFLOW executes CWK-030, GENERAL tasks execute CWK-008 with the target persona, CUSTOM executes CWK-008 with any specified persona. Update state with cycle count, version history, and latest author.
  4. Handoff (Step 3). Load state. Create handoff snapshot with current state, project info, and resume instructions. The .mpcs-state.json file persists in the workspace across session boundaries.
  5. Resume (Step 4). Load state from file. Validate integrity. Display restored context with version history and pending Q&A. Determine recommended action based on status (INITIALIZED → start creation, ROUTED → continue, REVISION_NEEDED → revise, PASSED → complete).
  6. Query (Step 5). Load state. Display full snapshot: project info, cycle count, status, complete version history, file locations, and pending Q&A.
Error handling: missing state file → error with INITIALIZE instruction. CWK-030 failure during ROUTE → save partial state, report what succeeded. Sub-agent failure → log error, keep state consistent, suggest retry. Corrupted state → attempt recovery from git history.

When To Use This Recipe

Use this recipe when you need multi-persona collaboration on a deliverable with lifecycle management across sessions. Use it when you want persistent state tracking for ongoing persona-driven work, need to route different tasks to different personas, or are managing a workflow that spans multiple sessions and needs seamless continuation.
Do Not Use When
You only need a single Creator/Validator cycle without lifecycle management — use CWK-030 directly. For a one-off sub-agent task without state tracking, use CWK-008. For multi-phase project coordination across multiple projects, use CWK-034 (CPM Orchestrator) instead.

Recipe FAQ

What is the difference between CWK-031 and CWK-030?
CWK-030 runs a single Creator/Validator quality loop and exits. CWK-031 is the lifecycle manager — it initializes sessions, routes tasks (including delegating to CWK-030 for CV workflows), handles session boundaries via handoff/resume, and tracks state across the entire multi-persona engagement. Think of CWK-031 as the manager and CWK-030 as one of its execution engines.
What personas are available?
Auguste (Creator), Fernand (Validator), Alice, and Julia. Auto-selection routes CV_WORKFLOW to Auguste and Fernand, GENERAL_CREATION to Auguste, and GENERAL_VALIDATION to Fernand. CUSTOM tasks can target any persona explicitly.
How does state persist across sessions?
The .mpcs-state.json file lives in the workspace folder, which persists on the user’s computer across session boundaries. HANDOFF creates a snapshot for the session log, and RESUME loads the state file at the start of the next session.
What is the embedded Q&A system?
The state file tracks questions that personas generate during their work — questions for the Creator (from Fernand’s validation) and questions for the Validator (from Auguste’s creation). These are displayed during RESUME so they can be addressed in the next routing cycle.
When should I use HANDOFF vs just ending the session?
HANDOFF creates an explicit snapshot in the session log and confirms state is saved. The state file persists regardless, but HANDOFF ensures the handoff summary includes MPCS context for the session’s chat history record.
Can I route to multiple personas in parallel?
Not directly in this recipe. CV_WORKFLOW routes sequentially through Auguste then Fernand via CWK-030. For parallel execution, use CWK-008 directly with its parallel sub-agent patterns.

Version History

v1.00a — 2026-03-02
Initial creation. Merges Studio STU-010 (MPCS Init), STU-011 (Creator Session), STU-012 (Validator Session), STU-013 (File Handoff — eliminated, sub-agents share workspace), STU-014 (Session Handoff), and STU-015 (Resume) into a single orchestrator. Five operational modes with file-based state persistence. Routes to CWK-030 for CV workflows and CWK-008 for general persona tasks.

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Then start your session

Once CRAFT is in your project folder, open a new Cowork session and ask Claude to initialize. For example:

You

Please initialize my CRAFT session.

Claude

CRAFT session ready. Your project is loaded, your persona is active, and your recipes are available. What would you like to work on?

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