---
name: swamp
description: >
  Swamp CLI — create and run models, build and validate workflows, query and
  manage data, store and retrieve vault secrets, develop and publish extensions,
  initialize repos, run reports, file issues, and troubleshoot errors. Triggers
  on swamp commands (swamp model, swamp workflow, swamp vault, swamp data),
  extension development, repo setup, or diagnostic questions. Do NOT use for
  getting started / onboarding (use swamp-getting-started), pull requests, git
  operations, worktree management, cron/agent scheduling, or general coding
  tasks unrelated to swamp.
---

# Swamp

## Core Concepts

- **Models** — typed definitions of resources (an EC2 instance, a DNS record, a
  GitHub repo). Each exposes **methods** (create, start, stop, destroy, sync)
  that operate on the real resource.
- **Data** — versioned state snapshots produced by method runs; other models
  reference them via CEL expressions.
- **Workflows** — declarative DAGs chaining model methods, wiring step outputs
  into step inputs.
- **Vaults** — secret storage (API keys, tokens) that models reference at
  runtime.
- **Extensions** — TypeScript packages adding model types, vault backends,
  datastores, and report generators; published to a registry.
- **Reports** — summaries of data across models for observability.
- **Grants** — authorization rules controlling who can do what on a swamp serve
  instance. Authored via CLI commands or YAML files in the `grants/` directory.
- **Serve** — exposes the repo over the network with TLS, authentication (token
  or OAuth via swamp-club), and grant-based authorization.

## Routing Table

Route to the right guide based on what the user needs.

| User intent                                                  | Guide                                                                          |
| ------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Models — create, run, edit, delete, search types             | [references/model/guide.md](references/model/guide.md)                         |
| Workflows — create, run, validate, DAG, history              | [references/workflow/guide.md](references/workflow/guide.md)                   |
| Data — list, query, versions, GC, delete                     | [references/data/guide.md](references/data/guide.md)                           |
| Vaults — create, store/read secrets, expressions             | [references/vault/guide.md](references/vault/guide.md)                         |
| Reports — run, configure, view, filter                       | [references/report/guide.md](references/report/guide.md)                       |
| Repository — init, upgrade, datastores, sources              | [references/repo/guide.md](references/repo/guide.md)                           |
| Extensions — create models/vaults/drivers/datastores/reports | [references/extension/guide.md](references/extension/guide.md)                 |
| Publishing — push extensions to registry, deprecate          | [references/extension-publish/guide.md](references/extension-publish/guide.md) |
| Issues — file bugs, features, security reports               | [references/issue/guide.md](references/issue/guide.md)                         |
| Run tracking — active runs, stale detection, diagnostics     | [references/model/guide.md](references/model/guide.md)                         |
| Architecture — which primitive to use, design trade-offs     | [references/architecture/guide.md](references/architecture/guide.md)           |
| Sharing — promote solo repo to team, datastore + vault setup | [references/share/guide.md](references/share/guide.md)                         |
| Serve — auth, grants, access control, tokens, OAuth          | [references/serve/guide.md](references/serve/guide.md)                         |
| Troubleshooting — errors, health checks, diagnostics         | [references/troubleshooting/guide.md](references/troubleshooting/guide.md)     |

## Common Commands

```bash
# Models
swamp model create <type> <name>               # create a model definition
swamp model @<type> method run <method> <name> # run a method on a model
swamp model get <name> --json                  # inspect current model state
swamp model type search [query]                # find available model types
swamp model list                               # list all models in the repo

# Data
swamp data list <name>                         # list data versions for a model
swamp data query <name> '<CEL predicate>'      # query data with CEL expressions
swamp data get <name>                          # get latest data snapshot

# Workflows
swamp workflow create <name>                   # create a new workflow
swamp workflow run <name>                      # execute a workflow
swamp workflow validate <name>                 # validate DAG before running
swamp workflow history <name>                  # view past workflow runs

# Run tracking
swamp run history                              # recent runs (last 24h)
swamp run history --active                     # what's running right now?
swamp run doctor                               # diagnose stale/orphaned runs
swamp run doctor --fix                         # auto-reap stale runs

# Vaults, Reports, Extensions
swamp vault create <type> <name>               # create a vault for secrets
swamp report run <name>                        # run a report
swamp extension init <name>                    # scaffold a new extension
```

## Rules

1. **Always load the guide first.** Before answering any swamp question, read
   the matching guide from the table above.
2. **Load deeper references as needed.** Each guide references additional files
   in its `references/` subdirectory — load those when the guide tells you to.
3. **Read guides selectively.** Each guide contains only essential reference
   (commands, rules, quick-start). If the guide doesn't answer your question,
   load its companion `reference.md` in the same directory for detailed
   walkthroughs. If the question spans topics, load both relevant guides but do
   NOT load `reference.md` files upfront — only on demand.
4. **Use the routing table, not memory.** Don't answer from cached knowledge
   about swamp commands — always load the current guide.
5. **Validate before acting.** Run `swamp workflow validate <name>` before
   `workflow run`, and inspect with `swamp model get <name> --json` to verify
   resource IDs before destructive methods (delete, stop, destroy). Proceed only
   when validation passes and the target is confirmed.
6. **On failure, route to troubleshooting.** If validation reports errors, a
   method run fails, or any command errors unexpectedly, load
   [references/troubleshooting/guide.md](references/troubleshooting/guide.md)
   and diagnose before retrying or changing the definition.
7. **Consult the architecture guide for design decisions.** Before choosing
   between primitives (model vs. workflow vs. extension vs. report) or
   explaining a design trade-off to a human, load
   [references/architecture/guide.md](references/architecture/guide.md) and cite
   the design doc or manual page you relied on.
8. **Use swamp commands, don't go around them.** Query data with
   `swamp data query`, not by grepping `.swamp/` files. Interact with resources
   through model methods, not raw CLI tools (`curl`, `aws`, `gcloud`, `kubectl`)
   when a model type already wraps the API — check with
   `swamp model type search`. Use `swamp help` for CLI discovery. Composing with
   swamp `--json` output (e.g. piping through `jq`) is fine — the anti-pattern
   is bypassing swamp entirely.