Workflows

Gas Town supports several workflow patterns for getting work done. Choose the one that best matches your needs and infrastructure.

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Choosing a Workflow

Workflow	Best For	Requires Tmux	Automation Level
Mayor Workflow (MEOW)	Complex multi-issue work	Yes	Full
Minimal Mode	Getting started, limited resources	No	Low
Manual Convoy	Fine-grained control	Optional	Medium
Formula Workflow	Repeatable processes	Optional	Medium
Code Review	Thorough parallel reviews	Yes	Full

Decision Tree

Workflow Comparison

Automation Spectrum

  Manual                                              Fully Automated
    |                                                        |
    |   Minimal    Manual Convoy    Formula    MEOW          |
    |------●-----------●--------------●---------●-----------|

• Minimal Mode: You create beads, sling work, and monitor manually. Gas Town provides persistence and tracking.
• Manual Convoy: You create convoys and assign issues yourself. Gas Town handles execution and merge.
• Formula Workflow: You select a predefined formula. Gas Town orchestrates the steps.
• Mayor Workflow: You describe work in natural language. The Mayor handles everything.

What Each Workflow Automates

Task	Minimal	Manual Convoy	Formula	MEOW
Create beads	Manual	Manual	Auto	Auto
Create convoy	Manual	Manual	Manual	Auto
Assign to rigs	Manual	Manual	Auto	Auto
Spawn polecats	Manual	Auto	Auto	Auto
Monitor progress	Manual	Manual	Auto	Auto
Handle failures	Manual	Manual	Partial	Auto
Merge code	Manual	Auto	Auto	Auto

Common Patterns Across Workflows

Regardless of which workflow you choose, several patterns are universal:

The Hook-Propulsion Loop

Every agent follows the same startup pattern:

gt prime           # Load context
gt hook            # Check for attached work
gt mail inbox      # Check for messages

The Polecat Lifecycle

Workers always follow the self-cleaning model:

Spawn -> Work -> Done -> Nuke

The Merge Pipeline

Completed work always flows through the Refinery:

Polecat pushes branch -> Witness sends MERGE_READY ->
Refinery rebases + tests -> Refinery merges to main

Convoy Tracking

All workflows use convoys (explicitly or implicitly) to track batch progress and auto-close when complete.

Getting Started

If you are new to Gas Town, start with the Mayor Workflow -- it is the recommended approach for most users. If you need to work without Tmux or want more hands-on control, try Minimal Mode first.

Mix and Match

These workflows are not mutually exclusive. You can use the Mayor for most work, drop to Manual Convoy for specific tasks, and run Formulas for specialized processes -- all in the same town.