# command_center

Declare a `command_center` block to connect Squadron outbound to a remote command center instance — a central web UI that runs missions, watches live execution, and exposes webhooks across multiple Squadron deployments.

When a `command_center` block is present, `squadron engage` skips the local UI and opens a persistent websocket to the remote command center instead. Without the block, `squadron engage` launches the local UI by default (pass `--headless` to opt out entirely).

Beyond live execution, the command center can also receive per-mission [notifications](/missions/notifications) — a bell feed of `mission_completed` / `mission_failed` / `mission_stopped` events for missions that opt in.

## Minimal Example

```hcl
command_center {
  url           = "wss://command-center.example.com/ws"
  instance_name = "production-scraper"
}
```

The `instance_name` identifies this deployment in the command center UI — two Squadron processes with the same name will conflict, so pick something unique per host or environment.

## Full Example

```hcl
command_center {
  url                = "wss://command-center.example.com/ws"
  instance_name      = "production-scraper"
  auto_reconnect     = true
  reconnect_interval = 10
}
```

## Fields

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|-------|------|----------|---------|-------------|
| `url` | string | yes | — | WebSocket URL of the command center (`ws://` or `wss://`). Must end with the `/ws` path the server registers. |
| `instance_name` | string | yes | — | Unique identifier for this Squadron instance. Shown in the command center UI and used in webhook routes (`/webhooks/<instance_name>/<path>`). |
| `auto_reconnect` | bool | no | `false` | When `true`, Squadron keeps retrying on connection drops instead of exiting. Recommended for production. |
| `reconnect_interval` | number | no | `5` | Seconds to wait between reconnection attempts. Only used when `auto_reconnect = true`. |

## Using Variables

Credentials and environment-specific URLs should live in the vault:

```hcl
variable "cc_url" {
  secret = true
}

command_center {
  url           = vars.cc_url
  instance_name = "staging-worker"
}
```

Set the value with `squadron vars set cc_url wss://...`.

## Interaction with `squadron engage`

| Scenario | Behavior |
|----------|----------|
| No `command_center` block, no `--headless` | Launches local command center UI (default) |
| No `command_center` block, `--headless` | Runs fully headless (schedules and webhooks only) |
| `command_center` block present | Connects to the remote command center; local UI is skipped |
| `command_center` block present, `--headless` passed | Error — remove one or the other |

See [engage](/cli/engage) for the full command reference.

## Webhooks Across Instances

Each Squadron instance registered with the command center exposes its mission `trigger` blocks under `/webhooks/<instance_name>/<path>` on the command center's HTTP interface. The `instance_name` is what disambiguates webhooks when multiple Squadron deployments share one command center.

```hcl
mission "ingest" {
  trigger {
    webhook_path = "/ingest"
    secret       = vars.hook_secret
  }
  task "process" { objective = "Process incoming data" }
}
```

With `instance_name = "production-scraper"`, this mission is reachable at:

```
POST https://command-center.example.com/webhooks/production-scraper/ingest
```

See [Schedules & Triggers](/missions/schedules) for webhook details.

## Graceful Degradation

If the command center is unreachable at startup:

- With `auto_reconnect = true` — Squadron logs the failure, keeps retrying, and runs any local schedules in the meantime.
- With `auto_reconnect = false` — Squadron logs the failure once and continues without a command center connection. Config changes on disk trigger a reconnect attempt.

Either way, Squadron does not crash on a missing command center. This makes it safe to roll out config changes that depend on an eventually-available command center.

## Human Input Inbox

The command center exposes an **Inbox** surface for any agent call to [`builtins.human.ask`](/config/tools#human-input). New questions appear live; you pick a quick-reply button, toggle multi-select choices, or type a free-text answer. A toast + chime fire on every new question (chime works in backgrounded tabs), and resolutions clear in real time across every connected surface — Inbox, mission detail, gateways. See [Tools → Human Input](/config/tools#human-input) for the agent-side schema and [Gateways](/config/gateways) for surfacing questions outside the command center.

## See Also

- [engage](/cli/engage) — How to start Squadron
- [Variables](/config/variables) — Storing the command center URL and secrets
- [Schedules & Triggers](/missions/schedules) — Webhook routing through the command center
- [Gateways](/config/gateways) — Bridge `human.ask` to Discord, Slack, etc.