Remote Work Skill

Execute amplihack tasks on remote Azure VMs using the /amplihack:remote command.

When to Use

Use this skill when you want to:

• Run long-running tasks on remote VMs
• Leverage more powerful Azure compute
• Distribute work across multiple machines
• Isolate experimental or risky work
• Work in specific Azure regions

How It Works

When you say things like:

• "Run this remotely"
• "Execute on an eastus VM"
• "Offload this to Azure"
• "Use a remote machine for this"

I will:

1. Extract your task description
2. Detect region preferences (if mentioned)
3. Recommend appropriate VM size based on task complexity
4. Execute /amplihack:remote with proper options
5. Guide you on accessing results

Region Detection

I automatically detect Azure regions from your request:

• "eastus", "east us" → --region eastus
• "westus", "west us" → --region westus
• "centralus" → --region centralus
• (and other Azure regions)

VM Size Recommendations

Based on your task complexity keywords:

Small (size s): Quick analysis, simple fixes

• Keywords: "quick", "simple", "small", "analyze"
• Size: s (8GB RAM)

Medium (size m): Standard development work

• Keywords: "implement", "feature", "refactor"
• Size: m (64GB RAM) - default

Large (size l): Complex refactoring, large codebases

• Keywords: "large", "comprehensive", "complex", "entire codebase"
• Size: l (128GB RAM)

Extra Large (size xl): Intensive compute tasks

• Keywords: "intensive", "heavy", "massive"
• Size: xl (256GB RAM)

Instructions

When activated:

1. Parse the user's request to extract:

   • The task description
   • Region preference (if mentioned)
   • Complexity hints for VM sizing

2. Determine VM size based on keywords:

   • Default to "m" unless keywords suggest otherwise
   • Use "s" for simple/quick tasks
   • Use "l" for large/complex tasks
   • Use "xl" for intensive/massive tasks

3. Construct the command:

   /amplihack:remote --region {region} --vm-size {size} auto "{task}"
   

   If no region mentioned, omit --region (uses azlin default)

4. Execute the command using the SlashCommand tool

5. Guide the user on next steps:

   • Results will be in .claude/runtime/logs/remote/
   • Git branches in remote-exec/ namespace
   • How to view logs and integrate changes

Examples

Example 1: Simple with Region

User: "Run this analysis remotely on an eastus VM"

Your Response:

I'll execute this analysis on a remote Azure VM in eastus.

Detected:
- Task: analysis work
- Region: eastus
- Size: s (small - suitable for analysis)

Executing: /amplihack:remote --region eastus --vm-size s auto "analysis work"

Then use SlashCommand tool to execute it.

Example 2: Large Refactoring

User: "I need to offload this comprehensive refactoring to Azure, use westus2"

Your Response:

I'll execute this comprehensive refactoring on a remote Azure VM in westus2.

Detected:
- Task: comprehensive refactoring
- Region: westus2
- Size: l (large - for comprehensive work)

Executing: /amplihack:remote --region westus2 --vm-size l auto "comprehensive refactoring"

Example 3: No Region Specified

User: "Run this remotely"

Your Response:

I'll execute this task on a remote Azure VM using your default region.

Detected:
- Task: [extract from context]
- Region: default (from azlin config)
- Size: m (medium - standard)

Executing: /amplihack:remote --vm-size m auto "[task]"

Result Integration

After execution completes, guide the user:

Remote execution complete!

Results:
- Logs: .claude/runtime/logs/remote/
- Branches: Check `git branch -r | grep remote-exec`
- Integration: Review changes and merge if ready

To view logs:
  cat .claude/runtime/logs/remote/remote-exec-*.log

To merge remote changes:
  git fetch
  git merge remote-exec/main

Error Handling

If the command fails, explain common issues:

Secrets Detected: "Remote execution blocked - secrets found in repository. Please remove hardcoded secrets and use .env files instead."

Azlin Not Configured: "Azlin is not configured. Please run: azlin configure"

Timeout: "Task timed out. The VM has been preserved for inspection. Use azlin connect <vm-name> to investigate."

Best Practices

Remind users:

• Keep git state clean before remote execution
• Use .env for secrets (never hardcode)
• Monitor Azure costs with azlin list
• Clean up VMs after debugging with azlin kill <vm-name>

Token Budget

• Core instructions: ~1,200 tokens
• Examples and guidance: ~400 tokens
• Total: ~1,600 tokens (well under 2,000 limit)

See Also

• /amplihack:remote - Direct command interface
• Azlin documentation: https://github.com/rysweet/azlin
• Remote execution module: .claude/tools/amplihack/remote/README.md