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+# ai-cli-dispatch
+
+Dispatch AI CLI coding tasks to available clients (Codex, Claude Code, OpenCode) with automatic discovery, version checking, and execution.
+
+## Scope
+
+- discover installed AI CLI clients on the host
+- report client versions and availability
+- dispatch a prompt to a specific client by name
+- auto-resolve the best client from prompt keywords
+- forward arguments natively to each client
+
+The tool is a lightweight sync-only dispatcher. It does not implement streaming, chat sessions, or ACP orchestration. For ACP-based harnesses, see `docs/openclaw-acp-orchestration.md`.
+
+## Setup
+
+From the repo or installed skill directory:
+
+```bash
+cd tools/ai-cli-dispatch
+npm install
+```
+
+The dispatcher itself requires only Node.js 20+ and `npm`. The actual AI CLI clients (`codex`, `claude`, `opencode`) are discovered from the host `PATH`; they are not bundled.
+
+## Commands
+
+```bash
+ai-cli-dispatch list [--json|--text]
+ai-cli-dispatch run --client <client> --prompt <prompt> [--json|--text]
+ai-cli-dispatch dispatch <prompt> [--client <client>] [--json|--text]
+ai-cli-dispatch --help
+```
+
+### `list`
+
+Discover and report all supported clients.
+
+```bash
+ai-cli-dispatch list --json
+```
+
+Example JSON output:
+
+```json
+[
+  {
+    "name": "codex",
+    "path": "/usr/local/bin/codex",
+    "version": "1.2.3",
+    "found": true
+  },
+  {
+    "name": "claude",
+    "found": false
+  },
+  {
+    "name": "opencode",
+    "path": "/opt/homebrew/bin/opencode",
+    "version": "0.5.1",
+    "found": true
+  }
+]
+```
+
+Use `--text` for human-readable checkmarks:
+
+```bash
+ai-cli-dispatch list --text
+```
+
+### `run`
+
+Execute a prompt directly through a named client.
+
+```bash
+ai-cli-dispatch run --client codex --prompt "refactor this function"
+ai-cli-dispatch run --client claude --prompt "add tests for auth middleware"
+ai-cli-dispatch run --client opencode --prompt "migrate to ESM"
+```
+
+The prompt is forwarded with each client’s native argument shape:
+
+| Client | Arguments passed |
+|---|---|
+| `codex` | `exec "<prompt>"` |
+| `claude` | `-p "<prompt>"` |
+| `opencode` | `"<prompt>"` |
+
+### `dispatch`
+
+Auto-resolve the client from prompt keywords, then execute.
+
+```bash
+ai-cli-dispatch dispatch "use claude to write tests"
+ai-cli-dispatch dispatch "codex refactor auth module"
+ai-cli-dispatch dispatch "opencode migrate to ESM"
+```
+
+Keyword matching is case-insensitive and ordered:
+
+1. `--client` flag (highest precedence)
+2. `"open code"` (spaced variant) → `opencode`
+3. `"claude"` → `claude`
+4. `"codex"` → `codex`
+5. `"opencode"` → `opencode`
+6. `defaultClient` from config (lowest precedence)
+
+Override auto-resolution explicitly:
+
+```bash
+ai-cli-dispatch dispatch "fix the bug" --client claude
+```
+
+## Client Discovery
+
+Discovery searches `PATH` in this order for each client name:
+
+1. `codex` — OpenAI Codex CLI
+2. `claude` — Anthropic Claude Code
+3. `opencode` — OpenCode CLI
+
+The search uses `which` (or `where` on Windows) first, then falls back to a manual `PATH` directory scan. If a binary is found, `--version` is invoked to extract a semver string.
+
+## Configuration
+
+Optional config file:
+
+```text
+~/.openclaw/ai-cli-dispatch.json
+```
+
+Example:
+
+```json
+{
+  "paths": {
+    "codex": "/usr/local/bin/codex",
+    "claude": "/opt/homebrew/bin/claude"
+  },
+  "defaultClient": "claude"
+}
+```
+
+Resolution priority for paths and default client (highest to lowest):
+
+1. CLI flag (`--client`, `--codex-path`, etc.)
+2. Environment variable (`AI_CLI_CODEX_PATH`, `AI_CLI_DEFAULT_CLIENT`, etc.)
+3. Config file (`paths`, `defaultClient`)
+4. `which` / `where` discovery
+
+Supported env vars:
+
+| Variable | Purpose |
+|---|---|
+| `AI_CLI_CODEX_PATH` | Override `codex` binary path |
+| `AI_CLI_CLAUDE_PATH` | Override `claude` binary path |
+| `AI_CLI_OPENCODE_PATH` | Override `opencode` binary path |
+| `AI_CLI_DEFAULT_CLIENT` | Override default client (`codex`, `claude`, or `opencode`) |
+
+## Output Model
+
+Default output is JSON. Use `--text` to stream raw `stdout`/`stderr` directly.
+
+JSON success shape (`run` and `dispatch`):
+
+```json
+{
+  "stdout": "...",
+  "stderr": "...",
+  "exitCode": 0
+}
+```
+
+JSON error shape:
+
+```json
+{
+  "error": "..."
+}
+```
+
+Exit codes:
+
+| Code | Meaning |
+|---|---|
+| `0` | Success |
+| `1` | Missing/unknown command, missing argument, unknown client, resolution failure, or execution error |
+
+## Error Handling Guidance
+
+### `Client "<name>" not found or not installed`
+
+Meaning: the requested client binary is not on `PATH` and not overridden by config.
+
+Actions:
+
+1. Confirm the client is installed (`codex --version`, `claude --version`, etc.)
+2. Check that its directory is on `PATH`
+3. Or override the path in `~/.openclaw/ai-cli-dispatch.json`
+
+### `Prompt cannot be empty`
+
+Meaning: the prompt string was empty or whitespace-only.
+
+Action: supply a non-empty `--prompt` or positional prompt argument.
+
+### `Execution timed out after 300000ms`
+
+Meaning: the client subprocess did not finish within the default 5-minute timeout.
+
+Action: the client may be waiting for interactive input or the task is too large. Break the prompt into smaller pieces, or run the client directly to diagnose.
+
+### `Could not resolve client from prompt`
+
+Meaning: `dispatch` found no matching keyword and no `defaultClient` is configured.
+
+Action: include a client name in the prompt (e.g., `"use claude to ..."`) or set `defaultClient` in config.
+
+## Common Flows
+
+### Check what is installed
+
+```bash
+ai-cli-dispatch list --json
+```
+
+### Run a quick task through a specific client
+
+```bash
+ai-cli-dispatch run --client codex --prompt "fix lint errors in src/app.ts"
+```
+
+### Let the tool pick the client from the prompt
+
+```bash
+ai-cli-dispatch dispatch "claude: add unit tests for utils.ts"
+```
+
+### Force a client when the prompt is ambiguous
+
+```bash
+ai-cli-dispatch dispatch "review this PR" --client claude
+```
+
+## Coexistence with ACP
+
+`ai-cli-dispatch` is a direct subprocess dispatcher. It runs the client binary synchronously and returns its output. It is not an ACP agent and does not participate in ACP orchestration.
+
+- Use `ai-cli-dispatch` when you need a quick, local, one-shot CLI execution.
+- Use ACP (`docs/openclaw-acp-orchestration.md`) when you need session-bound coding harnesses with thread context, multi-turn review, or orchestrator-managed verification gates.
+
+## Implementation Notes
+
+- The dispatcher is TypeScript/Node.js with a single external dependency (`minimist`).
+- Client arguments are hardcoded per tool to match each client’s stable CLI contract.
+- The default timeout is 5 minutes (`300_000` ms).
+- On Windows, discovery uses `where` instead of `which` and `.exe` extensions are assumed.