Operum: Agents not starting correctly in new version

Issue Report

Reported by: PM Agent (Lead Connector team)
Date: 2026-02-18
Team ID: 3f19f3f9-0d74-4ebe-9ea8-a0cad5cd929a

Problem

Some agents are not starting correctly in the new version of Operum. Specifically, agent response files (engineer, tester, architect) are coming back empty on session startup, suggesting agents may not be initializing properly.

Observed Symptoms

• Agent response files are empty on session startup
• Trigger files from previous sessions persist without being cleared
• Agents may not be picking up trigger files correctly on new session start

Environment

• Platform: macOS (darwin 24.1.0)
• Shell: zsh
• Operum team directory: Application Support/operum/teams/

Steps to Reproduce

1. Start a new Operum session
2. Observe agent response files on startup — they are empty
3. Agents do not appear to self-report status on initialization

Expected Behavior

Agents should initialize, report their status, and pick up any pending trigger files on session start.

Impact

Medium — orchestration degrades gracefully but agent coordination reliability is reduced.