Subconductor

A persistent state machine and notification system for AI agents to manage complex, multi-step workflows via the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Subconductor prevents "context drift" by maintaining a single source of truth for project progress across multiple independent checklists. It stores these in a structured .subconductor/checklists/ directory along with a global .subconductor/checklists.md index file. It keeps the user informed through a robust notification system that triggers during long-running tasks or checklist completion. This allows agents to "remember" their exact state, completed milestones, and remaining blockers across multiple sessions and parallel workflows.

Quick Start

Add Subconductor to your MCP-compatible host (e.g., Claude Desktop or Gemini) using npx:

"subconductor": {
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["-y", "@psno/subconductor"]
}

Configuration Flags

You can customize the server behavior using the following flags:

• --disable-batch (or -b): Disable batch operation tools (get_pending_tasks, mark_tasks_done, unmark_tasks, add_tasks, remove_tasks).

• --disable-alerts (or -a): Disable all desktop notifications and the alert tool.

Tools Included

init_checklist

Initialize a new task checklist. This automatically creates a dedicated folder and registers the checklist in the central index.

• Arguments:

  • tasks (array): List of tasks to perform. Can be strings or objects with name and an optional note.

  • goal (string): The high-level objective of the workflow.

  • columns (string[], optional): Custom columns for the task table. Status, ID, and Name are always included.

• Effect: Creates a nested .subconductor/checklists/<goal-slug>/checklist.md file and updates the active pointer in .subconductor/checklists.md.

activate_checklist

Switch the active context to a different, previously initialized checklist.

• Arguments:

  • checklistName (string): The numeric ID from the index, or a partial string match of the checklist's goal name.

• Effect: Updates .subconductor/checklists.md to mark the targeted checklist as Active and all others as Idle.

archive_checklist

Moves a checklist to the archive directory to keep the active index clean.

• Arguments:

  • checklistIdentifier (string): The numeric ID from the index, or a partial string match of the checklist's goal name.

• Effect: Moves the checklist folder to .subconductor/archive/checklists/ and updates its status to Archived in the index table.

get_pending_task

Retrieves the next uncompleted task from the active checklist.

• Effect: Returns the first task with an ID prefix (e.g., (#1) Task Name). Returns DONE if all tasks are completed.

get_pending_tasks

Retrieves a batch of uncompleted tasks from the active checklist (requires batch tools enabled).

• Arguments:

  • count (number): The number of pending tasks to retrieve (default: 5).

• Effect: Returns a list of tasks with ID prefixes or DONE.

add_task

Appends a new task to the active checklist dynamically.

• Arguments:

  • name (string): The name of the task.

  • note (string, optional): An optional note.

• Effect: Appends the task, automatically assigns a monotonic immutable ID, and updates the completion header.

add_tasks

Appends multiple new tasks to the active checklist dynamically.

• Arguments:

  • tasks (array): List of tasks to add (objects with name and optional note).

• Effect: Appends all tasks sequentially, automatically assigning immutable IDs.

remove_task

Deletes a task from the active checklist.

• Arguments:

  • task (string): The task ID (e.g., "1") or the full task name.

• Effect: Removes the task row and updates the completion header. Note: Existing task IDs remain immutable and are not shifted.

remove_tasks

Deletes multiple tasks from the active checklist in a single batch operation.

• Arguments:

  • tasks (array): List of task IDs or names to remove.

• Effect: Removes all specified task rows safely.

mark_task_done

Updates a specific task's status to completed in the active checklist.

• Arguments:

  • task (string): The task ID (e.g., "1") or the full task name.

  • note (string, optional): An additional note or status message.

• Effect: Updates the status to Done and records the note in the Notes column. Automatically triggers a notification upon completion of the final task in the active checklist.

mark_tasks_done

Updates multiple tasks' statuses to completed in the active checklist.

• Arguments:

  • tasks (array): List of objects containing name (ID or task name) and an optional note.

• Effect: Marks all specified tasks as Done and evaluates overall checklist completion.

unmark_task

Reverts a completed task back to pending status.

• Arguments:

  • task (string): The task ID (e.g., "1") or the full task name.

• Effect: Reverts status to Pending (Idle), clears associated notes, and rolls back the completion goal header.

unmark_tasks

Reverts multiple completed tasks back to pending status in a single batch operation.

• Arguments:

  • tasks (array): List of task IDs or names to unmark.

• Effect: Reverts all specified tasks to Pending (Idle).

alert

Sends a system-level notification with sound and icon support.

• Arguments:

  • title (string): The title of the notification.

  • message (string): The message body.

  • status ('info' | 'warn' | 'error'): The severity level (default: 'info').

• Effect: Triggers a desktop notification with status-specific icons and sounds.

Resources

Changelog - Check out the latest changes.

License & Attribution

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

Important Attribution Requirement: In accordance with Section 4(d) of the Apache License, if you modify this software or build new features based on this codebase, you must retain the attribution to Paul Benchea as the original author. Please refer to the NOTICE file for specific details.

Built with the Model Context Protocol.