docs/reference/process-packaging-implementation-2026-01-20
Process Packaging Implementation reference
This report originally documented a prototype that colocated example processes inside a skill package. The current public layout uses a different packaging model:
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Process Packaging Implementation
**Date:** 2026-01-20 **Task:** Todo #7 - Allow packaging processes with skills **Status:** Historical implementation note, updated for the current packaging model
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Summary
This report originally documented a prototype that colocated example processes inside a skill package. The current public layout uses a different packaging model:
- The built-in process library lives under
library/. - The Babysitter plugin source provides skill instructions and plugin behavior under
plugins/babysitter-unified/. - Project-local
.a5c/directories contain copied or customized assets for a specific workspace.
The canonical built-in source is no longer a plugin-internal process/ directory.
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Current Packaging Model
1. Built-in Library
The shipped process library is in library/. That is where public docs should point when they reference built-in processes, examples, methodologies, specializations, or shared assets.
Real examples in this repo include:
library/tdd-quality-convergence.jslibrary/tdd-quality-convergence.mdlibrary/examples/tdd-quality-convergence-example.jsonlibrary/methodologies/plan-and-execute.jslibrary/methodologies/ralph.jslibrary/methodologies/devin.js
2. Plugin Package
The plugin source lives under plugins/babysitter-unified/. It provides:
plugins/babysitter-unified/skills/babysit/SKILL.md- plugin metadata and installation behavior
- references and hook-related assets
The plugin does not currently ship the full process tree inside plugins/babysitter-unified/skills/babysit/.
3. Project-Local Assets
Project-local copies live under .a5c/, for example:
.a5c/processes/.a5c/skills/.a5c/agents/
Those are local copies, generated assets, or overrides. They are useful for customization, but they are not the repository’s built-in library location.
4. Active Library Binding
Babysitter resolves the active library through the process-library binding managed by the SDK and CLI.
babysitter process-library:active --jsonThat command reports the currently bound library root and revision.
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Current Discovery and Execution
Discovery
find library -name "*.js" -type fUse .a5c/processes/ only when you intentionally want project-local copies or overrides.
Execution
babysitter run:create \
--process-id tdd-quality-convergence \
--entry library/tdd-quality-convergence.js#process \
--inputs library/examples/tdd-quality-convergence-example.jsonIntegration
import { process as tddQualityConvergence } from './library/tdd-quality-convergence.js';
export async function deploymentProcess(inputs, ctx) {
return await tddQualityConvergence(inputs, ctx);
}If a team copies a built-in process into .a5c/processes/, they can update the entry path to the local copy explicitly.
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Migration from the Prototype
The January 2026 prototype assumed a skill could expose its own process tree as the public source of truth. The current guidance is:
1. Point public documentation at library/ for built-in processes. 2. Treat plugins/babysitter-unified/skills/babysit/SKILL.md as the skill entry point, not the process library root. 3. Describe .a5c/ paths only as project-local copies or overrides. 4. Use babysitter process-library:active --json when you need to confirm the active bound library.
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Public References
For the current user-facing explanation of this model, see:
docs/user-guide/features/process-library.mddocs/user-guide/features/process-definitions.mddocs/plugins.mddocs/reference/PROCESS_SELECTION.md
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Historical Note
This file preserves the intent of the original implementation report while replacing prototype-only paths with the current public model. References to skill-internal process directories from the January prototype should now be read as historical context rather than current repository structure.