Supervisor Mode on Discord

CoWork OS can run a strict Discord-native supervisor loop between two CoWork agents plus a human operator.

What It Does

• A watched output channel acts as the worker's publication surface.
• A dedicated coordination channel carries the protocol between the worker and supervisor.
• Mission Control receives the same escalation and resolution events, so operators do not need to live in Discord.

Protocol

CoWork uses four markers:

• [CW_STATUS_REQUEST]
• [CW_REVIEW_REQUEST]
• [CW_ESCALATION_NOTICE]
• [CW_ACK]

Rules:

• Exactly one valid marker per actionable coordination message.
• Exactly one configured peer bot mention per actionable coordination message.
• [CW_ACK] is terminal.
• One reply per turn.
• Exchange depth is capped at 3 messages.

Setup

1. Open Settings > Channels > Discord.
2. Configure the normal Discord bot credentials.
3. Enable Discord supervisor protocol.
4. Set:
   • coordination channel ID
   • watched output channel IDs
   • peer bot user IDs
   • worker agent role
   • supervisor agent role
   • human escalation channel or user
5. Save the Discord settings.
6. Add review and escalation policy to .cowork/SUPERVISOR.md.

Workspace Contract

When supervisor mode is enabled, CoWork reads .cowork/SUPERVISOR.md alongside the rest of the workspace kit. Use it to define:

• freshness windows
• evidence requirements
• escalation criteria
• output-channel quality checks
• worker vs supervisor boundaries

Do not store credentials or Discord IDs in this file.

Mission Control

Supervisor exchanges appear in the activity stream as Supervisor Exchange events. Escalated exchanges can be resolved from CoWork, and the resolution can optionally be mirrored back to Discord.

When To Use This

Use Discord supervisor mode when you want:

• a strict worker/supervisor split in Discord
• a machine-readable termination contract
• human escalation only when judgment is required

Use Heartbeat v3 and Mission Control alone when the work is internal to CoWork and does not require a Discord-native coordination lane.