/install checklist
Checklist 📋
Collaborative task checklist manager for AI agents with advanced execution modes.
🎯 When to Use
Use this skill when:
- Multi-agent collaboration - Multiple AI agents need to coordinate
- Sequential tasks - Steps must execute in order
- Parallel tasks - Steps can run simultaneously
- Looping workflows - Repeat until condition is met
- Complex coordination - Avoid deadlocks and infinite loops
🌐 Execution Modes
1. Sequential (串行)
Steps execute one after another:
A → B → C → D
2. Parallel (并行)
Steps execute simultaneously:
A
B ← Branch together
C
3. Loop (循环)
Repeat until exit condition:
while condition:
A → B
if exit_condition:
break
⚡ Quick Commands
Execution Control
# Set execution mode
checklist mode sequential # 串行
checklist mode parallel # 并行
checklist mode loop # 循环
# Configure loop
checklist loop set 5 # Set max 5 iterations
checklist loop condition "\x3Cexpr>" # Set exit condition
checklist loop count # Show current loop count
# Run checklist
checklist run # Execute with current mode
checklist run --dry-run # Preview without executing
# Safety
checklist check # Check for deadlocks
checklist validate # Validate entire workflow
Agent Commands
checklist agent register \x3Cname>
checklist agent use \x3Cname>
checklist assign \x3Citem> \x3Cagent>
checklist claim
checklist status
Task Commands
checklist create \x3Ctemplate>
checklist done \x3Citem>
checklist depend \x3Citem> \x3Cdep>
checklist tree
🔄 Execution Modes Detail
Sequential Mode
✅ Sequential: Items execute in order
1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5
✅ Item 3 can only start after Item 2 completes
Parallel Mode
✅ Parallel: Items in same "group" run together
Group 1: [1, 2] (parallel)
↓
Group 2: [3, 4] (parallel)
↓
Group 3: [5] (final)
Loop Mode
✅ Loop: Repeat until exit condition
Loop Config:
- Max iterations: 5 (default, configurable)
- Exit conditions:
- All items done
- Custom condition met
- Manual break
Loop Example:
Iteration 1: [1, 2, 3] → Check exit → Continue
Iteration 2: [1, 2, 3] → Check exit → Continue
Iteration 3: [1, 2, 3] → Exit condition met → Stop
🛡️ Safety Features
1. Loop Protection
# Default: Max 5 iterations
checklist loop set 5
# After 5 loops, automatically exits
# Even if not all items complete
2. Exit Conditions
# Exit when specific item done
checklist loop condition "item.5.done == true"
# Exit when all required items done
checklist loop condition "all_required_done"
# Exit when iteration count reached
checklist loop condition "count >= 5"
3. Deadlock Prevention
# Check for potential deadlocks
checklist check
🔍 Deadlock Detection:
- Circular dependencies: NONE
- Unreachable items: NONE
- Agent conflicts: NONE
✅ Workflow is safe to execute
4. Validation
# Validate entire workflow
checklist validate
🔍 Validation:
- All items have valid references: ✅
- No circular dependencies: ✅
- Agents assigned: 3/15
- Max loop iterations: 5
- Exit condition: defined
✅ Checklist is valid
📋 Usage Examples
Example 1: Sequential Deployment
User: Deploy app sequentially
AI: [Execute: checklist create deploy]
[Execute: checklist mode sequential]
✅ Mode: Sequential
Execution Order:
⏳ 1. Run tests
⏳ 2. Build
⏳ 3. Deploy to staging
⏳ 4. Verify
⏳ 5. Deploy to prod
Example 2: Parallel Testing
User: Run tests in parallel
AI: [Execute: checklist create test-suite]
[Execute: checklist mode parallel]
✅ Mode: Parallel
Parallel Groups:
Group 1 (concurrent):
🔄 Unit tests
🔄 Integration tests
🔄 Lint checks
↓ All complete →
Group 2:
✅ Generate report
Example 3: Loop with Exit
User: Poll API until successful, max 5 times
AI: [Execute: checklist create api-poll]
[Execute: checklist mode loop]
[Execute: checklist loop set 5]
[Execute: checklist loop condition "item.3.done == true"]
Loop Config:
- Max iterations: 5
- Exit: item #3 (API success)
- Current: 0/5
Iteration 1:
⏳ 1. Send request
⏳ 2. Check response
⏳ 3. Verify success
→ Not done, continue...
Iteration 3:
⏳ 1. Send request
⏳ 2. Check response
✅ 3. Verify success ← Exit condition met!
🔄 Loop exited at iteration 3
✅ Exit condition satisfied
Example 4: Deadlock Prevention
User: Create conflicting dependencies
AI: [Execute: checklist add "Task A"]
[Execute: checklist add "Task B"]
[Execute: checklist depend 1 2]
[Execute: checklist depend 2 1]
[Execute: checklist check]
🔍 Deadlock Detection:
⚠️ WARNING: Circular dependency detected!
1 → 2 → 1
Resolution suggestions:
- Remove one dependency
- Merge into single item
✅ Checklist NOT safe - fix before running
🔧 Implementation
Loop State
{
"loop": {
"enabled": true,
"mode": "sequential|parallel|loop",
"max_iterations": 5,
"current_iteration": 0,
"exit_condition": "item.3.done == true",
"exit_reason": "condition_met|max_reached|manual"
}
}
Safety Checks
Before Execution:
1. Validate all references ✓
2. Check circular dependencies ✓
3. Verify agents available ✓
4. Check loop config ✓
5. Confirm exit condition ✓
During Execution:
- Monitor for infinite loops
- Track iteration count
- Check exit conditions
After Execution:
- Final validation
- Generate completion report
🎯 Best Practices
1. Always Set Exit Conditions
# Good
checklist loop condition "item.success.done == true"
# With timeout
checklist loop set 10
2. Use Sequential for Dependent Tasks
checklist mode sequential
checklist depend 2 1
checklist depend 3 2
3. Use Parallel for Independent Tasks
checklist mode parallel
# Items in same group run together
4. Check Before Running
checklist check # Deadlock check
checklist validate # Full validation
5. Monitor Loop Count
checklist loop count # Show current iteration
⚠️ Important Notes
Loop Safety
| Scenario | Behavior |
|---|---|
| No exit condition | Uses max_iterations (default: 5) |
| Exit condition never met | Stops at max_iterations |
| Deadlock detected | Blocks execution, shows warning |
| Circular dependency | Prevents running, suggests fix |
Maximum Limits
| Limit | Default | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Loop iterations | 5 | 100 |
| Parallel items | 10 | 50 |
| Total items | 100 | 500 |
🦞 Summary
One line: Complex task → Choose mode (sequential/parallel/loop) → Set safety limits → Run with confidence → Automatic exit
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install checklist - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/checklist - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
What is Checklist?
Collaborative task checklist manager for AI agents with sequential, parallel, and looping execution. Features agent coordination, dependencies, deadlock prev... It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 365 downloads so far.
How do I install Checklist?
Run "/install checklist" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is Checklist free?
Yes, Checklist is completely free, licensed under MIT-0. You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does Checklist support?
Checklist is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created Checklist?
It is built and maintained by wel liu (@welliu); the current version is v1.2.1.