Agent Atlas / Runtimes and workbenches

shepherd-agents/shepherd

A task runtime that treats an agent's output as a retained proposal, keeps authority in typed bindings, and makes settlement an explicit one-time decision.

Agent runtime Scope profile Reported + sourced Reviewed July 21, 2026
Intended operator

Developers reviewing and settling isolated agent-produced changes.

Primary surfaces

task runtime / retained changesets / typed repository handles

Tracked repository

shepherd-agents/shepherd

Teaching mechanism

The proposal, not the patch, is the result

A retained run keeps changes beside the working tree until a reviewer selects, applies, releases, or discards the output once.

Evidence limitProject-owned tests and documentation do not establish an independent security audit or broad production use.
Inspect the source
System map status

Reporting is still in progress.

This scope profile names the project's place in the field and one useful mechanism. It does not claim that every runtime boundary has been inspected.

Learn Through This Project

7 lessons
Chapter 3 Tool Calls: Contract, Authorization, Execution Chapter 4 Loops, Workflows, and Recovery Chapter 5 Delegation Is a Distributed System Chapter 7 The Approval Trap Chapter 8 The Human Control Loop Chapter 9 Trust Must Make Its Case Chapter 10 The Future Has Three Branches

Compare Its Boundaries

7 labs
Comparison labTool ContractsComparison labDelegation ReceiptsComparison labApproval BoundariesComparison labHuman WorkbenchComparison labSessions And RecoveryComparison labEvidence And EvaluationComparison labMaturity Signals

Latest Reporting

2 articles
Shepherd Source Profile

July 13, 2026 — The project's v0.3.0 source keeps a task's changes beside the working tree as a retained changeset, then makes settlement explicit and one-time. shepherd-agents/shepherd

 Shepherd Makes Safety Evidence A Release Story

July 8, 2026 — Shepherd's 0.3.0 release commit is a Daily Story because Derek Chong did not only ship features; the public release note makes executed safety evidence part of the project contract. shepherd-agents/shepherd

Primary Sources

Shepherd repository

Primary task-runtime, permission, and retained-output source.

Open Questions

  • Can future composition features preserve one-time settlement and explicit custody?

Evidence state describes what this Atlas profile can support today. It is not a product score and it is not evidence that uninspected capabilities are absent.