---

name: process-watch description: Analyze system processes and resource usage to diagnose runaway CPU/memory/IO, identify culprits, and propose next diagnostic steps. Use when investigating performance spikes or leaks.

Process Watch

Comprehensive system process monitoring. Goes beyond basic top to show:

• CPU & memory usage
• Disk I/O per process
• Network connections
• Open files & handles
• Port bindings
• Process trees

Commands

List processes

process-watch list [--sort cpu|mem|disk|name] [--limit 20]

Top resource consumers

process-watch top [--type cpu|mem|disk|net] [--limit 10]

Process details

process-watch info <pid>
# Shows: CPU, memory, open files, network connections, children, environment

Find by name

process-watch find <name>
# e.g., process-watch find chrome

Port bindings

process-watch ports [--port 3000]
# What's listening on which port?

Network connections

process-watch net [--pid <pid>] [--established]

Kill process

process-watch kill <pid> [--force]
process-watch kill --name "chrome" [--force]

Watch mode

process-watch watch [--interval 2] [--alert-cpu 80] [--alert-mem 90]
# Continuous monitoring with threshold alerts

System summary

process-watch summary
# Quick overview: load, memory, disk, top processes

Examples

# What's eating my CPU?
process-watch top --type cpu

# What's on port 3000?
process-watch ports --port 3000

# Details on a specific process
process-watch info 1234

# Kill all Chrome processes
process-watch kill --name chrome

# Watch with alerts
process-watch watch --alert-cpu 90 --alert-mem 85

Platform Support

• Desktop: Full support
• Linux: Full support
• Windows: Partial (basic process list, no lsof equivalent)

Compliance

• Check against GOLD Industry Standards guide in ~/.codex/AGENTS.override.md

Scope and triggers

• Use this skill when the task matches its description and triggers.
• If the request is outside scope, route to the referenced skill.

Required inputs

• User request details and any relevant files/links.

Deliverables

• A structured response or artifact appropriate to the skill.
• Include schema_version: 1 if outputs are contract-bound.

Constraints

• Redact secrets/PII by default.
• Avoid destructive operations without explicit user direction.

Validation

• Run any relevant checks or scripts when available.
• Fail fast and report errors before proceeding.

Philosophy

• Favor clarity, explicit tradeoffs, and verifiable outputs.

• Encourage variation: adapt steps for different contexts and enable creative exploration.

Anti-patterns

• Avoid vague guidance without concrete steps.
• Do not invent results or commands.

Procedure

1. Clarify scope and inputs.
2. Execute the core workflow.
3. Summarize outputs and next steps.

• If context differs, customize steps to fit the situation.

Antipatterns

• Do not add features outside the agreed scope.

Remember

The agent is capable of extraordinary work in this domain. Use judgment, adapt to context, and push boundaries when appropriate.

Scripts

• scripts/process-watch.py

References

• references/contract.yaml
• references/evals.yaml

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Philosophy and tradeoffs

• Use this skill when consistent decision-making matters more than one-off execution because project context should drive the approach.
• Principle and mindset: prioritize tradeoffs and constraints over rigid checklists; understand why each step exists.
• Ask this to keep outcomes robust: Why is this the right default, and what could change this outcome?
• How do we adapt if constraints shift?
• What evidence is needed before choosing one path over another?

Anti-patterns and caveats

• Avoid applying this playbook generically without checking repository-specific context.
• NEVER skip required validation gates when behavior changes.
• DO NOT use this skill as a rigid replacement for engineering judgment.
• DON'T ignore warnings or assume one pattern fits all repos.
• Common pitfall: treating anti-patterns as optional.
• Incorrect assumptions here can lead to fragile guidance.
• Warning: wrong sequencing can create avoidable regressions.

Variation and adaptation

• Vary the workflow by team size, risk, and deployment target.
• Use different strategies for small, medium, and large changes.
• Adapt recommendations to the specific environment and avoid repetitive templates.
• Avoid generic or cookie-cutter responses; craft context-specific alternatives.
• Keep outputs diverse and not repetitive.
• Converge on a custom path only after evidence review.
• Different constraints should produce different, non-generic recommendations.

Empowering execution style

• Be capable of exploring multiple options and enabling the team to make safe decisions.
• Unlock confidence by explaining options and tradeoffs clearly.
• Feel free to be creative while staying rigorous and precise.
• Push boundaries with practical alternatives when simple recipes fail.
• Enable outcomes-oriented problem solving.

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Decision feedback protocol (required):

• If post-run feedback capture is enabled for this runtime, emit a non-blocking post_run_feedback event via request_user_input after result delivery.
• Capture: decision (accepted|partial|rejected|deferred), outcome (good|neutral|bad|unknown), and confidence (high|medium|low).
• Persist with: python3 utilities/skill-creator/scripts/record_skill_feedback.py --skill-path <path/to/SKILL.md> --decision <...> --outcome <...> --confidence <...> --notes "...".
• The recorder tags subject (for example ui, code_review, backend, security) for cross-domain quality analytics.

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