feat(agent-os): run Firstmate as a portable Kubernetes agent

.agents/skills/bootstrap-diagnostics/SKILL.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 name: bootstrap-diagnostics
 description: >-
   Agent-only handling playbook for session-start bootstrap diagnostics.
-  Use whenever the session-start digest's bootstrap section prints any diagnostic or capability line - MISSING, NEEDS_GH_AUTH, TANGLE, CREW_HARNESS_OVERRIDE, CREW_DISPATCH, FLEET_SYNC, SECONDMATE_SYNC, SECONDMATE_LIVENESS, TASKS_AXI, NUDGE_SECONDMATES, or FMX - or when a standalone bin/fm-bootstrap.sh run prints one.
+  Use whenever the session-start digest's bootstrap section prints any diagnostic or capability line - MISSING, MISSING_MANUAL, BACKEND_INVALID, NEEDS_GH_AUTH, TANGLE, CREW_HARNESS_OVERRIDE, CREW_DISPATCH, FLEET_SYNC, SECONDMATE_SYNC, SECONDMATE_LIVENESS, TASKS_AXI, NUDGE_SECONDMATES, or FMX - or when a standalone bin/fm-bootstrap.sh run prints one.
   A silent bootstrap section means all good and needs no skill load.
 user-invocable: false
 metadata:
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ The inline rules in `AGENTS.md` section 3 still bind: detect, then consent, then
   For `no-mistakes`, this also covers an installed version older than 1.31.2, because crewmate validation briefs delegate gate mechanics to no-mistakes' version-matched guidance.
   For `tasks-axi`, this also covers an installed build that fails the compatibility probe (`docs/configuration.md` "Backlog backend" owns the definition); `config/backlog-backend=manual` only suppresses the `TASKS_AXI: available` capability line, not this missing-tool report.
   For `quota-axi`, bootstrap requires it because crew-dispatch `quota-balanced` may call it; `bin/fm-dispatch-select.sh` still degrades at runtime when quota data is unavailable.
+- `MISSING_MANUAL: <tool> (instructions: <url>)` - tell the captain why the tool is required and give them the printed instructions URL, but do not pass the tool to `bin/fm-bootstrap.sh install`; wait for the captain to complete the manual installation, then rerun session start to confirm the dependency is present.
+- `BACKEND_INVALID: <name> (known: <names>)` - the resolved runtime backend has no verified dependency or lifecycle contract, so do not dispatch work until the invalid `FM_BACKEND` or `config/backend` value is corrected to one of the listed backends.
 - `NEEDS_GH_AUTH` - ask the captain to run `! gh auth login` (interactive; you cannot run it for them).
 - `TANGLE: <remediation>` - the primary checkout is stranded on a feature branch instead of its default branch; `AGENTS.md` section 8 explains why this guard exists and what it protects.
   The work is safe on that branch ref; restore the primary to its default branch with the printed `git -C <root> checkout <default>`, then re-validate that branch in a proper worktree.
@@ -39,7 +41,7 @@ The inline rules in `AGENTS.md` section 3 still bind: detect, then consent, then
 - `TASKS_AXI: available` - a default-backend capability fact, not a problem; record it silently and use `AGENTS.md` section 10 for backlog mutations.
   It prints only when `config/backlog-backend` is absent or set to `tasks-axi` and the shared compatibility probe passes (`docs/configuration.md` "Backlog backend").
   If the backend is not opted out and `tasks-axi` is missing or incompatible, bootstrap reports the `MISSING: tasks-axi` line but firstmate still hand-edits routine backlog updates and never blocks work.
-  If `config/backlog-backend=manual`, firstmate hand-edits routine backlog updates and bootstrap does not suggest installing `tasks-axi`.
+  If `config/backlog-backend=manual`, firstmate hand-edits routine backlog updates and suppresses only this capability line; a missing or incompatible `tasks-axi` is still handled by the `MISSING` rule above.
 - `NUDGE_SECONDMATES: fm-<id>...` - the secondmate sweep fast-forwarded one or more *running* secondmate homes to firstmate's current version and their instruction surface (`AGENTS.md`, `bin/`, or `.agents/skills/`) actually changed; send a one-line re-read nudge with `FM_HOME=<this-firstmate-home> bin/fm-send.sh <id> 'firstmate was updated to the latest - please re-read your AGENTS.md to pick up the new instructions.'` unless `FM_HOME` is already set to the active firstmate home.
   This mirrors `/updatefirstmate`'s `nudge-secondmates:` report: it is a gentle steer, never an interruption, and the fast-forward already landed safely.
   A secondmate that was skipped, already current, or whose advance changed no instructions is not listed and must not be disturbed.

.agents/skills/fmx-respond/SKILL.md

@@ -50,9 +50,10 @@ How the reply lands depends on whether the work finishes during this turn:
 - **Work that spawns a real, longer-running job** (dispatching a crewmate, a scout investigation, a ship task) cannot report an outcome yet, so it follows **acknowledge first -> act -> follow up on completion**:
   1. **Acknowledge first.** Post an immediate, public-safe reply that you have the captain's order and are on it (the normal answer endpoint, via `bin/fm-x-reply.sh`). This is the legitimate, work-backed version of "aye, will do": it is paired with actually starting the work in the same turn, never a promise left empty.
   2. **Act.** Dispatch the work through the normal lifecycle right away.
-  3. **Link it for the follow-up, before clearing the inbox.** Associate the spawned task with this mention so completion follow-ups can be posted later: `bin/fm-x-link.sh <task-id> <request_id>` (records the request id, a timestamp, a follow-up counter, and reply-platform context).
+  3. **Link it for the follow-up, before clearing the inbox.** Associate the spawned task with this mention so completion follow-ups can be posted later: `bin/fm-x-link.sh <task-id> <request_id>` (records the request id, a timestamp, a follow-up counter, and reply platform/budget context).
      Do this right after the task is spawned, and always **before** removing the inbox file (step 2f).
-     `bin/fm-x-link.sh` reads the mention's platform from the still-present inbox payload, so linking before cleanup is what keeps a longer Discord follow-up on the Discord budget instead of the X 280-char one; if the inbox is already gone it falls back to an authoritative relay lookup by request_id and, failing even that, warns loudly - but the local link-before-cleanup order is the fast, correct path, so keep it.
+     Linking before cleanup lets `bin/fm-x-link.sh` copy the context directly from the inbox, while the durable per-request context recorded by the poll preserves it independently for delayed and concurrent follow-ups.
+     The exact resolution and fail-safe posting contract is owned by `docs/configuration.md`.
      If a recovery respawns the same relay request onto a successor task, relink with the paired `--carry-count <n> --carry-ts <epoch>` flags plus any prior `x_platform=` and `x_reply_max_chars=` as `--carry-platform <x|discord> --carry-max <n>` so the successor keeps the consumed follow-up count, original 7-day window, and reply split budget.
   4. **Follow up on genuine milestones, sparingly.** Firstmate gets up to **three** follow-ups per mention, within a 7-day window, chained in the same thread - spend them only on changes the captain would actually want to hear about (e.g. investigation done and a build started, work shipped or ready, or the task failing), never on routine internal churn.
      The task's final outcome - shipped / reported / merged / failed - is always posted with `--final`, which clears the link regardless of how many follow-ups remain.
@@ -137,7 +138,8 @@ Treat `state/x-inbox/` as the source of truth and process **every** file you fin
    c. **Act on an actionable request through the normal lifecycle.** Treat it exactly as a captain prompt typed in session: run ordinary intake (resolve the project), then file the backlog item, dispatch a crewmate, start a scout, or ship through the gate - whatever the request calls for.
       **Destructive, irreversible, or security-sensitive work is the exception** (X mode is a public, relayed channel and does not carry full in-session trust): do not execute it from the mention. Flag it to the captain through the normal trusted channel first - the same carve-out as `yolo` (AGENTS.md §1, §7) - act only on the captain's word, and in step 2d say only that it has been flagged for the captain.
       **If the request spawned a real, longer-running task** (you ran `bin/fm-spawn.sh`), link that task to this mention so milestone and completion follow-ups can be posted: `bin/fm-x-link.sh <task-id> <request_id>`.
-      **Link here, in step 2c, before the step 2f inbox cleanup** - `bin/fm-x-link.sh` reads the mention's reply platform from the still-present inbox payload, so linking after the file is removed strands a longer Discord follow-up on the X 280-char budget (it then falls back to a relay lookup and, failing that, a loud warning, but the correct order avoids both).
+      **Link here, in step 2c, before the step 2f inbox cleanup** - `bin/fm-x-link.sh` can copy both the mention's reply platform and explicit budget from the still-present inbox payload without a relay lookup.
+      If that local context is incomplete it uses the durable resolution contract in `docs/configuration.md` and warns loudly, while the follow-up path refuses to post unless both values can be resolved authoritatively.
       Then step 2d's reply is an **acknowledgement** ("on it, captain"), and genuine milestone updates plus the final outcome come later as follow-ups (see "Completion follow-up" below), with the terminal one posted using `--final`.
       If the work completed in this turn (a backlog item filed, a question answered), there is no task to link and step 2d reports the outcome directly.
    d. **Compose the reply.** For a **question**, answer `.text` from the fleet state gathered in step 1. For an **actionable request that completed now**, report the outcome of step 2c (what was done, or - for escalated work - that it has been flagged for the captain). For an **actionable request that spawned a linked task**, acknowledge that you have the order and are on it - milestone updates and the final outcome follow later as completion follow-ups, so do not promise a result you do not yet have. Either way keep it short, in firstmate's voice, and public-safe.
@@ -163,7 +165,7 @@ Treat `state/x-inbox/` as the source of truth and process **every** file you fin
       It posts nothing, stops the re-offer, and prevents the offline auto-reply; it echoes the `request_id` and exits 0 on success (it honors `FMX_DRY_RUN` like `bin/fm-x-reply.sh`, recording the would-be dismiss to `state/x-outbox/` instead of posting). Do **not** call `bin/fm-x-reply.sh` for a skip.
    f. **On success (a posted reply, or a relay dismiss for a skip), remove that inbox file:** `rm -f state/x-inbox/<request_id>.json` (and your temporary reply file).
       This is the local idempotency guard - a cleared file is never answered twice.
-      For an acknowledged actionable request that spawned a task, this cleanup comes **after** the step 2c link, never before: `bin/fm-x-link.sh` reads the reply platform from this inbox payload, so removing it first would strand the follow-up on the wrong split budget.
+      For an acknowledged actionable request that spawned a task, this cleanup comes **after** the step 2c link, never before, so the link can copy the reply platform and budget directly from the inbox payload.
    g. **On failure** (a non-zero exit from `bin/fm-x-reply.sh` or `bin/fm-x-dismiss.sh`), leave that inbox file in place, move on to the next, and do not retry blindly.
       If you had already acted on this mention in step 2c before the post failed, do **not** redo that work on a later drain - check whether it is already done (e.g. the backlog item exists, the crewmate is already running) and only retry the reply.
       If a reply or dismiss fails twice, surface it to the captain as a blocker with the stderr detail; for live post failures include the relay's HTTP status when available.
@@ -197,6 +199,7 @@ This skill's own responsibility during the mention-handling turn is linking the
   When the update carries one real visual artifact, add `--image <path>`; the helper forwards it to `bin/fm-x-reply.sh --followup` so the same image contract used for ordinary replies applies here too.
 - On a terminal wake (PR merged / scout report / local merge / failed), firstmate posts the task's **final** outcome ("done, here's the result"; for a failure, an honest "this one didn't pan out") with `bin/fm-x-followup.sh <task-id> --final --text-file <path>`, which always clears the link after that post regardless of how many follow-ups remain under the cap.
 - Every follow-up is held to the exact same public-safety bar as every reply here: outcomes only, no task ids, internals, captain-private material, or secrets. Past the window, past the cap, or on the relay's own rejection of an exhausted binding, a follow-up attempt is skipped silently and the link is cleared - never treated as a failure worth retrying.
+- If either a follow-up's platform or explicit budget cannot be authoritatively resolved from per-request context, inbox payload, or relay answer, `bin/fm-x-followup.sh` does NOT post it: the fail-safe holds it (the link is kept, exit non-zero) rather than use a local default. This is a retryable hold - a later milestone wake retries it once both values are recoverable.
 
 ## Notes