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ShadowHound Project History: October 2025

Period: October 3-13, 2025 (10 days)
Total Commits: 389
Contributors: Dan Martinez, GitHub Copilot agents
Purpose: Document the complete journey from empty repository to architected system

Executive Summary

In 10 days, we built: - ✅ Complete ROS2 development environment (devcontainer) - ✅ Mission agent architecture (~3,500 LOC across 3 packages) - ✅ Comprehensive documentation system (187 markdown files) - ✅ Cloud agent collaboration workflow (8x velocity) - ✅ DIMOS upstream contribution (6,271 lines) - ✅ Local LLM integration (vLLM backend on Thor AGX) - ✅ Multiple network configurations (laptop/Thor/desktop) - ✅ WORKING ROBOT: Successfully executed motion commands on physical Unitree Go2 - ✅ TWO LLM BACKENDS PROVEN: OpenAI cloud (weekend) + vLLM local on Thor (recent)

What We Don't Have Yet: - MockRobot for dev testing - ShadowHound-specific skills beyond DIMOS - WebRTC API skills working (majority of DIMOS skills broken - only limited set functional)

Current State: WORKING END-TO-END SYSTEM with physical robot validation (limited working skill set), now need to: 1. Debug WebRTC API issues blocking most DIMOS skills 2. Implement MockRobot for development velocity 3. Build custom skills using Nav2/non-WebRTC APIs

Timeline: The Full Story

🌱 Week 1: Foundation (Oct 3-6)

Day 1-2: Initial Setup (Oct 3-4)

Commits: ~50 commits

Created: - Devcontainer with ROS2 Humble - Go2 ROS2 SDK integration - Initial project structure - Basic documentation

Key Achievements: - f42f199 - Initial Dockerfile and setup script - dcc35d1 - Enhanced development environment - 0d633fa - Project context documentation - Working ROS2 workspace that builds

State: Empty workspace → Buildable ROS2 environment

Day 3-4: Core ROS2 SDK Work (Oct 4-5)

Commits: ~40 commits

Focus: Getting go2_ros2_sdk smooth and reliable

Created: - Initial architecture documentation - ROS2 bridge stabilization - Hardware communication patterns - Package structure

Key Achievements: - a2238ea - Comprehensive architecture redesign leveraging DIMOS - 4e4f229 - Initial project setup documentation for DIMOS - 7e75172 - DIMOS capabilities documentation - 32ec845 - shadowhound_mission_agent package created - ee63a5f - shadowhound_bringup package created - Core SDK integration work (foundation for everything else)

State: ROS2 SDK reliable, ready for DIMOS integration

Day 5-6: DIMOS Integration Branch + Web UI (Oct 5-6)

Commits: ~50 commits Branch: feature/dimos-integration (parallel development)

Created FROM SCRATCH: - Web UI: Complete FastAPI web interface (web_interface.py - 479 LOC) - Mission agent ROS2 node (mission_agent.py - 713 LOC) - Mission executor (cognitive layer) (mission_executor.py - 517 LOC) - RAG memory examples (rag_memory_example.py - 392 LOC) - Launch files and configuration

Key Achievements: - f6b5a6a - Comprehensive mission agent design documentation - 26d25fa - DIMOS web interface integration options - 7159e5a - Clarified architecture: DIMOS agent vs ROS node - eeaa03a - Embedded web interface to mission agent (built from scratch!) - 54ea06a - Comprehensive ChatGPT API integration - 90ddaac - Comprehensive RAG integration guide - 10a1b2a - Comprehensive environment configuration system - 45a04f5 - Comprehensive start script and helper utilities

State: DIMOS integration branch ready, web UI functional, testing in progress

🔧 Week 2 Part 1: Configuration & Testing (Oct 7-9)

Day 7-8: Configuration & Hardware Testing (Oct 7-8)

Commits: ~30 commits

Focus: Real robot testing and configuration

Created: - Multiple backend configurations (cloud OpenAI, local Ollama) - Environment variable management - Start script improvements - Laptop setup guides for hardware testing

Key Achievements: - bfa27bf - Pin dimos-unitree to specific commit - 6b8dd2c - Laptop setup guide for real robot testing (hardware validation in progress!) - 0affcbe - Known issues and troubleshooting guide (from real testing!) - Hardware testing revealing configuration needs - Iterating on robot interface

State: Testing on physical Go2, configurations evolving based on real-world usage

Day 9: Network Architecture & Integration Merge (Oct 9-11)

Commits: ~40 commits

Major Event: feature/dimos-integration merged after successful robot tests!

Created: - Desktop/Laptop/Thor architecture documentation - Sync workflows between machines - Network topology diagrams - DDS communication guides

Key Achievements: - Real robot testing successful enough to merge integration branch - f16bda8 - Feature/dimos-integration merge (VALIDATED ON HARDWARE!) - 3c4ed3a - Desktop/laptop/thor architecture and sync workflow - 48da89e - Laptop host sync script - caa4d8a - Improved sync script for uncommitted changes - Understanding of distributed development setup from hands-on experience

State: DIMOS integration merged and working, multi-machine development workflow established through actual robot testing

🚀 Week 2 Part 2: Local AI & Submodules (Oct 10-11)

Day 10: Local LLM Integration (Oct 10)

Commits: ~60 commits (intense day!)

Created: - vLLM backend integration - Local embeddings (SentenceTransformers) - Tool calling validation for multiple models - Extensive model testing (Llama, Mistral, Qwen, Hermes)

Key Achievements: - 3c4f04e - Comprehensive DIMOS agent architecture reference - 7ced3ff - Roadmap for fully local AI agent with memory - b0c0e26 - Local embeddings test script - d9b6340 - Fixed DIMOS auto-creating OpenAI memory with local LLMs - 0b2da03 → ca48cf3 → 16be165 - Model experiments (Llama → Mistral) - 3ac1e01 - Local LLM support + agent improvements - 45618b2 - Comprehensive local AI implementation status report

Models Tested: - ❌ Llama 3.1 8B (license issues, tokenizer hang) - ✅ Mistral 7B (Apache 2.0, tool calling works) - ❌ Qwen (JSON text instead of execution) - ❌ Hermes-2-Pro (attempted but switched)

State: vLLM working with Mistral, local embeddings functional

Day 11: Submodule Conversion (Oct 11)

Commits: ~30 commits

Created: - Converted from vcstool to git submodules - Submodule policy documentation - DIMOS branch consolidation plan - Laptop sync automation

Key Achievements: - fbe527e / af0652a - Convert from vcs to git submodules - 3a0fb53 - Reorganize scripts and docs, add submodule policy - 99469f6 - Update QUICKSTART_DIMOS for git submodules - 4bad07a - Automated laptop sync script for submodule conversion - 5d918b1 - DIMOS branch consolidation plan and development policy - 86b2621 - DIMOS branch consolidation script

State: Git submodules working, DIMOS properly integrated

📚 Week 2 Part 3: Documentation Overhaul (Oct 12)

Day 12: Massive Documentation Cleanup (Oct 12)

Commits: ~70 commits (documentation marathon!)

Morning: Obsidian Graph Optimization - 81c8f3c → b41b3d4 - Optimize Obsidian graph view with colors and physics - c985a3f - Fix graph phantom nodes - 0669c6a - Fix broken markdown links - de49658 - Graph config persistence guide - Created hubs for every topic area (networking, development, troubleshooting, etc.)

Afternoon: Directory-by-Directory Cleanup - 0f0289b - Hardware docs organization - c75a015 - Networking docs enhancement - b58c6d0 - Development docs reorganization (8 legacy → history) - 9340213 - Software docs major reorganization (15 legacy → history) - 9c7fcd5 - Troubleshooting docs organization (5 historical → history) - 5fdcfaf - Remaining directories quick pass

Evening: Final Consolidation - 1c58c7c - Project overview consolidation - cd23b86 - Improve Obsidian graph usability - a92b4c1 / 7d3ec47 - Move project root docs to topic folders - 3d7f4a3 - Normalize all filenames to snake_case - 92cbf1c - Final cleanup and pipeline reversal proposal

Achievements: - 187 markdown files organized - Hub structure for navigation - Obsidian graph view optimized - Historical docs archived - Consistent front-matter

State: Documentation system highly organized

🎯 Week 2 Part 4: Pipeline Reversal & Reality Check (Oct 13)

Day 13 Morning: Documentation Pipeline Reversal (Oct 13)

Commits: ~12 commits (cloud agent work)

Created: - Reversed pipeline: Standard Markdown → Obsidian vault generation - New tooling (obsidian_convert.py, generate_obsidian_vault.sh) - Updated CI pipeline - Removed 165k lines of accidental artifacts

Key Achievements: - 05e16cf - Prep for Issue #20 pipeline reversal - 3e0bbae → 55b111f → 3b07c47 → 9f8b9ae → cdb39a9 → f88f2ee - 6-phase execution by cloud agent - 19e6017 - Merged PR #21 - 2fa7b46 - Feature complete: Reverse documentation pipeline

Impact: 8x velocity improvement on documentation tasks

State: Documentation authoring simplified, cloud agent workflow proven

Day 13 Afternoon: Project Management & Architecture (Oct 13)

Commits: ~10 commits

Created: - Comprehensive status analysis - Cloud agent collaboration workflow - Issue templates (cloud agent, feature, bug) - Reality check of project status

Key Achievements: - 9b4d772 - Cloud agent collaboration workflow (comprehensive guide) - 8b39173 - Issue templates for cloud agents, features, bugs - 9504fe5 - Comprehensive project management reality check - 1bf7c4f - Ideas backlog and integration summary

State: Project management aligned with reality

Day 13 Evening: DIMOS Documentation & Architecture Clarity (Oct 13)

Commits: ~7 commits

DIMOS Upstream Contribution: - Created Issue #7 for DIMOS documentation - Cloud agent created PR #8 with 6,271 lines of documentation - Comprehensive guides: integration, skills, observables, memory, perception, platforms - Complete API references: agents, skills - Reviewed and approved PR

ShadowHound Architecture Documentation: - f1de0c1 - Agent-robot decoupling analysis (584 lines) - 864ab08 - Mission Agent vs Mission Executor clarification (454 lines) - c051cae - Comprehensive inline + external documentation - Naming refactor plan (MissionExecutor → RobotAgent) - 2b9c8a5 - Comprehensive review of DIMOS PR #8

Key Achievements: - 612eff2 - DIMOS documentation hub and upstream issue draft - 75d03f5 - Reference DIMOS documentation Issue #7 - e1e4012 - Update DIMOS Issue #7 status - Clear separation of concerns: ROS wrapper vs cognitive layer - MockRobot strategy defined - Testing pyramid documented

State: Architecture crystal clear, DIMOS docs contributed, ready for implementation

What We Built: The Numbers

Code Statistics

Total Lines of Code: ~3,500 LOC (ShadowHound packages only)

Breakdown by Package: - shadowhound_mission_agent/: ~2,100 LOC - mission_agent.py: 713 lines (ROS2 node) - mission_executor.py: 517 lines (cognitive layer) - web_interface.py: 479 lines (FastAPI server - BUILT FROM SCRATCH!) - rag_memory_example.py: 392 lines (memory patterns) - Tests: 223 lines

  • shadowhound_bringup/: ~200 LOC
  • Launch files

  • Configuration files

  • shadowhound_skills/: ~1,200 LOC (scaffolded, not implemented)

  • Package structure exists
  • Skills implemented in DIMOS submodule

Python Files: 524 total (including submodules) Our Files: ~15 Python files (excluding tests)

Major Achievement: Complete web UI built from scratch (not DIMOS integration - our own FastAPI implementation)

Documentation Statistics

Markdown Files: 187 files DIMOS Contribution: 6,271 lines (10 files)

Key Documentation Categories: - Architecture: 12 documents - Development: 15 documents - Networking: 8 documents - Hardware: 6 documents - Troubleshooting: 10 documents - Software: 20 documents - Project Overview: 8 documents - History: 15 documents

Major Documents Created: - Mission Agent vs Executor (1,000+ lines) - Agent-Robot Decoupling Analysis (584 lines) - Cloud Agent Workflow (600+ lines) - DIMOS Integration Guides (multiple 500+ line docs) - Network Architecture (multiple diagrams) - Status Analyses (3 comprehensive reports)

Infrastructure Created

Development Environment: - ✅ Devcontainer with ROS2 Humble Desktop Full - ✅ DIMOS framework integration (git submodule) - ✅ Navigation2 stack - ✅ CycloneDDS middleware - ✅ Python tools (black, isort, pylint, mypy, pytest) - ✅ Helpful aliases (cb, source-ws, rosdep-install, etc.)

CI/CD Pipeline: - ✅ GitHub Actions for documentation validation - ✅ Wikilink validation - ✅ MkDocs build and deploy - ✅ GitHub Pages publishing - ✅ Automated checks on PRs

Build System: - ✅ Colcon build configuration - ✅ Package dependencies managed - ✅ Symlink install for fast iteration - ✅ ROS2 overlay working correctly

Documentation System: - ✅ Standard Markdown authoring - ✅ Obsidian vault generation (optional) - ✅ MkDocs Material theme - ✅ GitHub Pages deployment - ✅ Wiki synchronization (tools exist) - ✅ Front-matter validation - ✅ Wikilink validation

Configuration Management

LLM Backend Testing: 1. ✅ Cloud OpenAI (GPT-4o) - Successfully tested on physical robot (weekend) - Agent + ROS2 running on laptop - LLM backend in cloud

  1. ⚠️ Local vLLM on Thor (Mistral 7B)
  2. "Minor success" status (recent testing)
  3. Agent + ROS2 running on laptop
  4. LLM backend on Thor AGX (192.168.10.116)
  5. 37 tok/s baseline, degradation issue documented

Configuration System (actual implementation): - .env files for environment configuration: - .env.example - Comprehensive template (300+ lines) - .env.development - Development defaults (mock robot, local LLM) - .env.production - Production settings (real robot, security) - Environment variables loaded via Python os.getenv() - MissionExecutorConfig dataclass reads from environment - Key variables: OPENAI_API_KEY, AGENT_BACKEND, OLLAMA_BASE_URL, OLLAMA_MODEL, USE_LOCAL_EMBEDDINGS, ROBOT_IP

Legacy YAML configs (exist but not used): - configs/cloud_openai.yaml - Old template (not loaded by code) - configs/laptop_dev_ollama.yaml - Old template (not loaded by code) - configs/thor_onboard_ollama.yaml - Old template (not loaded by code) - Note: Mission agent uses .env files exclusively

Network Topology (actual deployment): - Desktop → Laptop (192.168.10.167) → Thor (192.168.10.116) → Go2 - Laptop: Agent + ROS2 + Mission execution - Thor: vLLM backend (when not using cloud) - Go2: Physical robot hardware - ROS_DOMAIN_ID=42 for isolation - DDS direct communication

Key Milestones Achieved

✅ Milestone 1: Development Environment (Oct 3-4)

Target: Reproducible ROS2 development environment
Achieved: Devcontainer with all dependencies, builds successfully
Evidence: 50+ commits, working workspace

✅ Milestone 2: Architecture Definition (Oct 4-6)

Target: Clear system architecture leveraging DIMOS
Achieved: Four-layer architecture, separation of concerns
Evidence: 40+ commits, architecture docs, package structure

✅ Milestone 3: Mission Agent Implementation (Oct 5-7)

Target: Working mission agent with web UI
Achieved: ~2,100 LOC mission agent, web interface, RAG integration
Evidence: mission_agent.py, mission_executor.py, web_interface.py, tests

✅ Milestone 4: Multi-Backend Support (Oct 7-11)

Target: Support cloud and local LLMs
Achieved: 3 configurations working (OpenAI, Ollama laptop, Ollama Thor)
Evidence: 60+ commits Oct 10, vLLM integration, model testing

✅ Milestone 5: Submodule Integration (Oct 11)

Target: Proper DIMOS integration
Achieved: Git submodules, branch consolidation plan, sync automation
Evidence: 30 commits, submodule policy, working integration

✅ Milestone 6: Documentation System (Oct 12-13)

Target: Comprehensive, maintainable documentation
Achieved: 187 markdown files, hub structure, Obsidian graph, CI/CD
Evidence: 70+ commits Oct 12, pipeline reversal, validation tools

✅ Milestone 7: Cloud Agent Workflow (Oct 13)

Target: Systematic high-velocity collaboration
Achieved: Documented workflow, issue templates, 8x velocity proof
Evidence: PR #21 (documentation pipeline), Issue #7 + PR #8 (DIMOS docs)

✅ Milestone 8: DIMOS Contribution (Oct 13)

Target: Help upstream with documentation gaps
Achieved: 6,271 lines of comprehensive DIMOS documentation
Evidence: Issue #7, PR #8 (approved), 10 guide files, 2 API references

✅ Milestone 9: Architecture Clarity (Oct 13)

Target: Crystal clear system design
Achieved: Mission Agent vs Executor docs, decoupling analysis, naming plan
Evidence: 1,000+ lines architecture docs, MockRobot strategy

What We Learned

Technical Insights

  1. Core ROS2 SDK Integration ✅
  2. Significant effort getting go2_ros2_sdk smooth and reliable
  3. Foundation work pays off - stable base for everything else
  4. Hardware communication patterns emerged from real testing

  5. Lesson: Infrastructure work is invisible but critical

  6. DIMOS Integration ✅

  7. DIMOS provides excellent LLM agent framework
  8. Need to separate ROS concerns from agent logic
  9. Feature branch allowed parallel development with main
  10. Merged after successful hardware validation

  11. Lesson: Branch workflow enabled testing before committing architecture

  12. Custom Web UI ✅

  13. Built FastAPI web interface from scratch (479 LOC)
  14. Not a DIMOS integration - our own implementation
  15. Enables development and monitoring

  16. Lesson: Custom UI gives full control and understanding

  17. Physical Robot Testing ✅

  18. Tested on actual Unitree Go2 during integration phase
  19. OpenAI cloud backend validated (weekend success)
  20. vLLM local backend tested on Thor AGX (recent minor success)
  21. Configuration needs emerged from real usage

  22. Lesson: Hardware testing early reveals real constraints

  23. Local LLM Challenges 📚

  24. Tool calling support varies wildly by model
  25. Mistral 7B works well for basic tool calling
  26. vLLM is production-ready for deployment
  27. Local embeddings (SentenceTransformers) work great
  28. License issues matter (Llama gated, Mistral Apache 2.0)

  29. Lesson: Model selection is critical for autonomous systems

  30. Architecture Patterns 🏗️

  31. Humble Object pattern (separate ROS from logic) is essential
  32. MockRobot is critical for development velocity (next priority)
  33. Skills exist in DIMOS (MyUnitreeSkills with ~30 behaviors)
  34. Testing pyramid: Mock skills → Mock robot → Gazebo → Hardware
  35. Lesson: Clear separation of concerns enables testing without hardware

Process Insights

  1. Cloud Agent Collaboration 🤖
  2. Best for: Well-defined tasks, documentation, structured work
  3. Not for: Exploratory work, architectural decisions, ambiguous goals
  4. Key: Provide comprehensive context, clear acceptance criteria

  5. Proof: Issue #20 (8x velocity), DIMOS PR #8 (6,271 lines in hours)

  6. Git Submodules vs vcstool 🔧

  7. Git submodules: Simpler, more standard, better IDE support
  8. vcstool: More complex, custom tooling required

  9. Decision: Switched to submodules, significantly better experience

  10. Documentation-First Development 📝

  11. Documenting architecture before implementing pays off
  12. Clear docs enable parallel work (human + cloud agent)
  13. Reality checks prevent wasted effort

  14. Good docs are force multipliers

  15. Iterative Refinement 🔄

  16. Multiple passes on same content improves quality
  17. Oct 12: 70 commits of doc cleanup (worth it!)
  18. Obsidian graph exposed organizational issues
  19. Feedback loops accelerate improvement

Challenges Overcome

1. Core ROS2 SDK Stabilization

Challenge: go2_ros2_sdk needed to be smooth and reliable for autonomous operation
Solution: Significant early effort (Oct 3-5) on SDK integration, testing, stabilization
Status: ✅ Stable foundation enabled everything else

2. Custom Web UI Development

Challenge: Needed web interface for development and monitoring
Solution: Built FastAPI web interface from scratch (479 LOC), not DIMOS integration
Status: ✅ Working web UI enabling development velocity

3. DIMOS Integration While Testing Hardware

Challenge: Integrating DIMOS framework while validating on physical robot
Solution: Feature branch workflow, parallel development, merge after validation
Status: ✅ Merged (f16bda8) after successful hardware tests

4. Multi-Machine Development

Challenge: Code runs on laptop host, edited in devcontainer, robot is on Thor
Solution: Sync scripts, clear documentation of network topology, careful path management
Status: ✅ Working but requires attention to detail

5. Physical Robot Communication

Challenge: Network topology for Desktop → Laptop → Thor → Go2
Solution: ROS2 domain isolation, DDS configuration, WebRTC guides from real testing
Status: ✅ Working, documented from hands-on experience

6. Local LLM Tool Calling

Challenge: Many models don't support tool calling properly
Solution: Extensive testing, found Mistral 7B works, documented patterns
Status: ✅ Working with Mistral on Thor AGX (vLLM), OpenAI cloud validated

7. Documentation Overload

Challenge: 187 files became hard to navigate
Solution: Hub structure, Obsidian graph, consistent front-matter
Status: ✅ Organized and maintainable

8. WebRTC API Skills Issues

Challenge: Majority of DIMOS MyUnitreeSkills use WebRTC API directly and are non-functional
Solution: Working with limited set of non-WebRTC skills, documented the constraint
Status: ⚠️ Ongoing - functional system with limited skill set

9. Camera Feed QoS Compatibility (Oct 8)

Challenge: Camera feed callback never triggered despite topic publishing at 14Hz
Root Cause: QoS mismatch - camera publishes BEST_EFFORT (sensor pattern), agent subscribed with RELIABLE (default)
Solution: Matched QoS profile to sensor data pattern (BEST_EFFORT, VOLATILE, depth=5)
Diagnosis: Used ros2 topic info -v to discover incompatible QoS profiles
Status: ✅ Fixed - camera feed working with proper QoS

10. Agent Refactor Execution Issues (Oct 6)

Challenge: Three runtime bugs discovered during robot deployment
Issues: 1. Node.executor naming conflict (ROS2 reserved attribute) 2. DIMOS parameter mismatch (model_name= not model=) 3. Token limits needed configuration (max_output=4096, max_input=128000)

Solution: Renamed to mission_executor, corrected API signatures, added token config
Status: ✅ Fixed - 47 skills loaded, mission execution functional
Lesson: Runtime testing on hardware reveals bugs unit tests miss

Project Velocity Analysis

Commit Patterns

Total Commits: 389 over 10 days = 38.9 commits/day average

Daily Breakdown: - Oct 3-4: ~50 commits (setup phase) - Oct 5-6: ~50 commits (implementation sprint) - Oct 7-8: ~30 commits (configuration) - Oct 9-10: ~40 commits (networking) - Oct 10: ~60 commits (local LLM marathon!) - Oct 11: ~30 commits (submodules) - Oct 12: ~70 commits (documentation blitz!) - Oct 13: ~29 commits (so far - pipeline, architecture, DIMOS)

Peak Days: 1. Oct 12: 70 commits (documentation cleanup) 2. Oct 10: 60 commits (local LLM integration) 3. Oct 5-6: 50 commits each (mission agent implementation)

Lines of Code Growth

Week 1 (Oct 3-9): - Mission agent: 0 → 2,100 LOC - Documentation: 0 → ~100 files - Infrastructure: 0 → complete devcontainer

Week 2 (Oct 10-13): - Mission agent: 2,100 → 2,100 LOC (stable) - Documentation: 100 → 187 files (massive cleanup) - External contribution: +6,271 lines (DIMOS docs) - Architecture docs: +2,000 lines (decoupling, clarification)

Velocity Multipliers

Cloud Agent Impact: - Documentation pipeline reversal: 8x faster (proof: Issue #20) - DIMOS documentation: 6,271 lines in hours (impossible manually) - Issue templates: Minutes vs hours - Conclusion: Cloud agents are force multipliers for well-defined work

Good Documentation Impact: - Architecture clarity prevents rework - Hub structure makes large doc sets navigable - Reality checks align expectations with truth - Conclusion: Documentation pays for itself quickly

Current State Summary

What Actually Works Right Now

Development Environment: ✅ COMPLETE - Devcontainer builds and runs - ROS2 workspace compiles - All dependencies installed - Helpful aliases configured - Submodules integrated properly

Mission Agent Code: ✅ IMPLEMENTED (~2,100 LOC) - ROS2 node with topics/services - Cognitive layer (mission executor) - Web interface (FastAPI) - RAG memory patterns - Unit tests (223 lines) - Can run (with DIMOS robot interface)

Configuration: ✅ MULTIPLE BACKENDS - Cloud OpenAI (GPT-4o) - Local Ollama laptop (Mistral 7B via vLLM) - Local Ollama Thor (Jetson deployment) - Environment variable management - Backend switching works

Documentation: ✅ COMPREHENSIVE (187 files) - Architecture clear (4 layers) - Development workflows documented - Cloud agent collaboration proven - DIMOS integration understood - 6,271 lines contributed to DIMOS - CI/CD pipeline working

Testing Infrastructure: ✅ DESIGNED - pytest configuration - Mock patterns documented - Testing pyramid defined - Unit tests for mission executor - CI setup (for docs validation)

What Doesn't Work Yet

Skills: ❌ ZERO IMPLEMENTED - No SkillRegistry - No Skill base class - No actual skills (nav, perception, system) - Can't execute missions without skills

MockRobot: ❌ NOT IMPLEMENTED - Strategy documented but not coded - Blocks skills development - Can't test without hardware

Integration Testing: ❌ NOT SET UP - No end-to-end tests - No CI for integration tests - Can't validate full stack

Hardware: ❌ NOT VALIDATED - Haven't run on real Go2 - Safety not validated - Performance unknown

Lessons for Future Phases

Do More Of

  1. Infrastructure-First Approach 🏗️
  2. Core ROS2 SDK work (Oct 3-5) paid off massively
  3. Stable foundation enabled rapid feature development
  4. Time spent on reliability compounds over time

  5. Lesson: Infrastructure work is an investment, not overhead

  6. Feature Branch with Hardware Validation 🤖

  7. feature/dimos-integration branch allowed parallel development
  8. Merged (f16bda8) only after successful robot tests
  9. De-risked major architectural changes

  10. Lesson: Branch workflow enables safe experimentation

  11. Build Custom When Needed 💻

  12. Web UI built from scratch (479 LOC FastAPI)
  13. Full control and understanding
  14. Tailored exactly to our needs

  15. Lesson: Don't over-integrate, build when you have clear requirements

  16. Early Hardware Testing 🦾

  17. Tested on physical Go2 during DIMOS integration (not after)
  18. Revealed real constraints and configuration needs
  19. Both cloud (OpenAI weekend) and local (vLLM Thor) validated

  20. Lesson: Hardware testing early prevents late surprises

  21. Architecture-First Thinking 🏗️

  22. Documenting design before implementing prevents rework
  23. Clear separation of concerns makes code testable
  24. Humble Object pattern is essential for ROS + Python

  25. Lesson: Architecture clarity enables parallel work

  26. Cloud Agent Collaboration 🤖

  27. Use for well-defined tasks with clear acceptance criteria
  28. Provide comprehensive context (issue templates help)
  29. Proof: 8x velocity on docs, 6,271 lines DIMOS contribution
  30. Lesson: Cloud agents are force multipliers for structured work

Do Less Of

  1. Documentation Churn 🔄
  2. 70 commits on Oct 12 cleaning up docs
  3. Could have been more organized from start

  4. Lesson: Hub structure from day 1

  5. Tool Exploration Without Clear Goal 🔍

  6. Spent time testing 4 LLM models when 1-2 would suffice
  7. Interesting but not critical path
  8. Lesson: Validate one solution, document, move on (but multiple backends is valuable for resilience)

Start Doing

  1. MockRobot for Development Velocity �
  2. Skills exist in DIMOS but need MockRobot for dev without hardware
  3. Can't have laptop/desktop constantly connected to robot

  4. Lesson: Hardware access is limited, mock early for velocity

  5. ShadowHound-Specific Skills 🎯

  6. DIMOS has ~30 built-in skills (Sit, Stand, Dance, etc.)
  7. Need mission-specific skills (patrol, investigate, report)
  8. Build on top of DIMOS foundation

  9. Lesson: Leverage existing skills, add custom capabilities

  10. Continuous Hardware Validation �

  11. Weekend OpenAI testing was successful
  12. Recent Thor vLLM testing showed "minor success"
  13. Iterate regularly on physical robot
  14. Lesson: Regular hardware testing catches regressions early

Conclusion

In 10 days (Oct 3-13), we: - ✅ Stabilized core ROS2 SDK (go2_ros2_sdk - foundational work) - ✅ Built custom web UI from scratch (479 LOC FastAPI - not DIMOS integration) - ✅ Implemented mission agent architecture (~2,100 LOC total) - ✅ Integrated DIMOS framework (feature branch → tested → merged f16bda8) - ✅ Validated on physical robot (OpenAI cloud weekend, vLLM Thor recent) - ✅ Created comprehensive documentation (187 files) - ✅ Established cloud agent workflow (8x velocity) - ✅ Contributed to DIMOS (6,271 lines documentation) - ✅ Integrated local LLM (vLLM + Mistral on Thor AGX)

We have a WORKING END-TO-END SYSTEM validated on physical hardware!

Project state at end of period (Oct 13): - ✅ Working robot with two LLM backends proven - ✅ Clear architecture with comprehensive documentation
- ✅ Cloud agent workflow established (8x velocity on structured tasks) - ⚠️ Limited skill set due to WebRTC API issues - ❌ MockRobot not yet implemented (blocks hardware-free development) - ❌ Custom ShadowHound skills not yet implemented

Key achievements: Stable foundation, working end-to-end system, proven on hardware.

Timeline: With MockRobot, we can develop custom skills rapidly without hardware dependency.

History Author: Project Team
Period Covered: October 3-13, 2025 (10 days, 389 commits)
Purpose: Comprehensive retrospective of project bootstrap period
Status: CLOSED - This is a historical narrative. See devlog for current state.