What is Musketeer

Musketeer is a local-first, CLI-based execution harness for role-separated workflows.

Core purpose

Musketeer provides:

• Role separation - three distinct roles (Originator, Cross-Examiner, Executor) with defined responsibilities
• Structured state - all run state is stored as human-readable YAML on disk
• Auditability - every run produces a traceable record of intent, constraints, plan, progress, and handoff
• Local-first operation - no external services required, everything runs on your machine

Design philosophy

Musketeer is built around the principle that execution should be auditable and governed. This means:

1. State is explicit - all state lives in .musketeer/ as YAML files you can read and version
2. Roles are separated - intent, review, and execution are handled by different roles
3. Handoffs are recorded - transitions between roles are captured on disk

Use cases

Musketeer is suited for scenarios where you need:

• Role-separated execution with clear accountability
• An audit trail of intent, constraints, and progress
• Local development without cloud dependencies
• Reproducible run state that can be inspected and versioned

Architecture overview

Musketeer uses a three-role architecture called the trio:

1. Originator - defines intent and plan
2. Cross-Examiner - challenges plan and sets constraints
3. Executor - applies changes and produces artifacts

This separation enforces accountability and auditability through explicit file ownership and handoffs.

See The trio model for details.