Thread Spawner

VerifiedCaution

Spawn and manage threads on a running claude-threads orchestrator. Enables parallel execution of epics, stories, or any tasks from within a Claude Code session.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
3509/3/2026
Claude Code
#orchestration#parallel-execution#git-worktree#cli#task-automation

Recommended for

Our review

Drives a running claude-threads orchestrator from inside a Claude Code session to spawn and monitor parallel threads through the `ct` CLI, each in an isolated git worktree.

Strengths

  • Lets you launch several epics or stories in parallel without blocking the current session
  • Git worktree isolation is enabled by default for remote threads
  • Auto-discovers a running orchestrator (`ct remote discover`) and reports connection status
  • Passes JSON context into prompt templates and supports `--wait` to block until a thread finishes

Limitations

  • Requires an already-running claude-threads API server and a CT_API_TOKEN environment variable
  • Tightly coupled to the external `ct` tooling; there is no fallback if the orchestrator is down
  • Does not document error handling, retries, or worktree cleanup after threads complete
When to use it

Use it when a claude-threads orchestrator is already running and you need to fan out several development tasks in parallel from your current session.

When not to use it

Skip it when no claude-threads API server is available, or when the task is small enough to handle directly in the current session.

Security analysis

Caution
Quality score88/100

The skill legitimately orchestrates local agent threads and isolated git worktrees. The main risks are exposing an API token on the command line and the potential for spawning many autonomous agents, but these are not inherently malicious and are typical of a multi-agent development workflow.

Findings
  • •API token passed via command-line flag (`--token $CT_API_TOKEN`) may be visible in process listings or shell history.
  • •Uses Bash to connect to a local network API and spawn multiple agent threads, which could lead to unintended parallel execution if misconfigured.
  • •Skill assumes the `ct` CLI is installed and functional, but no malicious or destructive commands are present.

Examples

Parallel epic implementation
Connect to the running claude-threads orchestrator and spawn parallel threads for epics 7A, 8A and 9A using bmad-developer.md, each with its own worktree based on develop and the epic_id in context.
CI fix thread
CI lint failed on PR 123. Spawn a fixer thread named ci-fix-pr-123 with bmad-fixer.md in an isolated worktree, passing pr_number 123 and failure 'test:lint' as context.
Monitor spawned threads
List all threads on the orchestrator, then show me the status and recent logs for the story-add-logout thread.

name: thread-spawner description: Spawn threads on running claude-threads orchestrator allowed-tools: Bash,Read version: "1.2.3"

Thread Spawner Skill

Spawn and manage threads on a running claude-threads orchestrator. Enables parallel execution of epics, stories, or any tasks from within a Claude Code session.

When to Use

  • Spawn parallel threads for epics/stories during BMAD workflow
  • Create background tasks from current Claude Code session
  • Coordinate multiple Claude Code instances
  • Run parallel implementations with isolated git worktrees

Prerequisites

  1. API Server Running: The orchestrator API must be running

    ct api start --token <your-token>
    
  2. Environment Variable: Set the API token

    export CT_API_TOKEN=<your-token>
    

Quick Start

Connect to Orchestrator

# Auto-discover running orchestrator
ct remote discover

# Or connect explicitly
ct remote connect localhost:31337 --token $CT_API_TOKEN

# Check connection status
ct remote status

Spawn Threads

Note: Remote threads ALWAYS use isolated git worktrees by default.

# Basic spawn (creates worktree automatically for remote)
ct spawn epic-7a --template bmad-developer.md

# Spawn with custom worktree base branch
ct spawn epic-7a --template bmad-developer.md --worktree-base develop

# Spawn with custom context
ct spawn story-123 --template developer.md --context '{"story_id":"123","title":"Add login"}'

# Spawn and wait for completion
ct spawn fix-ci --template fixer.md --wait

Multiple Parallel Threads

# Spawn multiple epics in parallel
ct spawn epic-7a --template bmad-developer.md --worktree --context '{"epic_id":"7A"}'
ct spawn epic-8a --template bmad-developer.md --worktree --context '{"epic_id":"8A"}'
ct spawn epic-9a --template bmad-developer.md --worktree --context '{"epic_id":"9A"}'

Commands Reference

Remote Connection

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | ct remote connect <host:port> | Connect to orchestrator API | | ct remote disconnect | Disconnect from remote | | ct remote status | Show connection status | | ct remote discover | Auto-discover running orchestrator |

Spawn

ct spawn <name> [options]

| Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | --template, -t <file> | Prompt template file | | --mode, -m <mode> | Thread mode (automatic, semi-auto, interactive) | | --context, -c <json> | Thread context as JSON | | --worktree, -w | Create with isolated git worktree (DEFAULT for remote) | | --no-worktree | Disable worktree isolation (not recommended) | | --worktree-base <branch> | Base branch for worktree (default: main) | | --wait | Wait for thread completion | | --remote | Force use of remote API | | --local | Force use of local database |

Use Cases

1. Parallel Epic Implementation (BMAD)

When the orchestrator assigns multiple epics, spawn them in parallel:

# Connect to orchestrator
ct remote connect localhost:31337 --token $CT_API_TOKEN

# Read epic assignments from artifacts
for epic_id in 7A 8A 9A; do
    ct spawn "epic-${epic_id}" \
        --template bmad-developer.md \
        --worktree \
        --worktree-base develop \
        --context "{\"epic_id\":\"${epic_id}\"}"
done

2. CI Fix Spawning

When CI fails, spawn a fixer thread:

ct spawn ci-fix-pr-123 \
    --template bmad-fixer.md \
    --worktree \
    --context '{"pr_number":"123","failure":"test:lint"}'

3. Story Implementation

Spawn threads for individual stories:

ct spawn story-add-logout \
    --template developer.md \
    --context '{"story_title":"Add logout button","acceptance_criteria":["Button in header","Clears session"]}'

4. Monitoring Spawned Threads

# List all threads
ct thread list

# Check specific thread status
ct thread status <thread-id>

# View thread logs
ct thread logs <thread-id>

Environment Variables

| Variable | Description | |----------|-------------| | CT_API_TOKEN | Authentication token for API | | CT_API_URL | API URL for auto-discovery | | N8N_API_TOKEN | Alternative token variable |

Architecture

External Claude Code Instance
     │
     ├── ct remote connect ──────────┐
     │                               │
     └── ct spawn ───────────────────┤
                                     │
                                     ▼
                           ┌─────────────────┐
                           │   API Server    │
                           │  (port 31337)    │
                           └────────┬────────┘
                                    │
                                    ▼
                           ┌─────────────────┐
                           │   Orchestrator  │
                           │   (threads.db)  │
                           └────────┬────────┘
                                    │
            ┌───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┐
            ▼                       ▼                       ▼
    ┌───────────────┐      ┌───────────────┐      ┌───────────────┐
    │   Thread 1    │      │   Thread 2    │      │   Thread 3    │
    │  (worktree)   │      │  (worktree)   │      │  (worktree)   │
    └───────────────┘      └───────────────┘      └───────────────┘

Security

  • All API requests require Authorization: Bearer <token> header
  • Token is stored in .claude-threads/remote.json after connecting
  • Token can be set via CT_API_TOKEN or --token flag
  • API server binds to localhost by default

See Also

Related skills