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+---
+name: execute-pipe
+intent: parallel, pipeline, pipe, fan-out, concurrent, batch, etl, transform, compose
+description: Compose execute_code and execute_tool into sequential pipelines with optional parallel fan-out stages. Use for multi-step data processing, parallel independent operations, and ETL workflows.
+---
+
+# Execute Pipeline Patterns
+
+## Principle: smart data, dumb code
+
+The primitives stay simple. Complexity lives in the data schema and the skill (here), not in the tools themselves. Design pipelines around data shape, not around clever tool use.
+
+## Tools
+
+| Tool | What it does |
+|---|---|
+| `execute_code` | Run one or more code snippets. Multiple steps run in parallel; single step returns raw output. |
+| `execute_pipe` | Chain stages sequentially, piping stdout → stdin. Each stage: `{code}`, `{tool, args}`, or `{parallel: [steps]}`. |
+| `execute_tool` | Run a named script from `ollie/t`. Used inside `execute_pipe` as a `{tool}` stage. |
+
+## execute_code: parallel fan-out
+
+Single step — raw output:
+```json
+{"steps": [{"code": "wc -l file.txt"}]}
+```
+
+Multiple steps — run concurrently, results under `=== step N ===` headers:
+```json
+{"steps": [
+  {"code": "wc -l a.txt"},
+  {"code": "wc -l b.txt"},
+  {"tool": "count-lines.sh", "args": ["c.txt"]}
+]}
+```
+
+Tool steps and inline code steps can be mixed freely. Tool steps are trusted (no pattern validation); inline code steps are validated before execution.
+
+## Language selection
+
+How the interpreter is chosen depends on step type:
+
+| Step type | How language is determined |
+|---|---|
+| `{code}` | `language` field; defaults to `bash` if absent |
+| `{tool}` | shebang line in the script (`#!/usr/bin/env python3`, etc.); `language` field is ignored |
+
+Supported `language` values for inline code: `bash`, `python3`, `perl`, `lua`, `awk`, `sed`, `jq`, `ed`, `expect`, `bc`.
+
+Do not set `language` on a tool step — it has no effect and will mislead readers of the call.
+
+Results are always in submission order, regardless of completion order.
+
+## execute_pipe: sequential pipeline
+
+Each stage's stdout becomes the next stage's stdin.
+
+```json
+{"pipe": [
+  {"code": "grep ERROR app.log"},
+  {"code": "sort"},
+  {"code": "uniq -c"}
+]}
+```
+
+Tool stage:
+```json
+{"pipe": [
+  {"tool": "fetch-metrics.sh", "args": ["--last=1h"]},
+  {"code": "jq '.[] | select(.latency > 500)'"}
+]}
+```
+
+## execute_pipe: parallel stage
+
+A `{parallel: [...]}` stage fans out concurrently. Each step is `{code}` or `{tool, args}`. Outputs are concatenated in submission order and fed as a single stream to the next stage.
+
+```json
+{"pipe": [
+  {"parallel": [
+    {"tool": "fetch-app1.sh"},
+    {"tool": "fetch-app2.sh"},
+    {"code": "cat /var/log/app3.log"}
+  ]},
+  {"code": "grep ERROR"},
+  {"code": "wc -l"}
+]}
+```
+
+**Rule: use the same tool across all parallel steps in a stage.** Parallel steps that produce the same output schema concatenate cleanly. Parallel steps with disparate schemas produce an incoherent stream.
+
+## ETL pattern: disparate schemas
+
+When parallel steps produce different output schemas, normalize each before merging. Use an inner pipe as the transform stage.
+
+```json
+{"pipe": [
+  {"parallel": [
+    {"code": "jq -r '.name' users.json"},
+    {"code": "awk -F: '{print $1}' /etc/passwd"}
+  ]},
+  {"code": "sort -u"},
+  {"tool": "dedup.py"}
+]}
+```
+
+Here both parallel steps produce newline-delimited names (same schema). The `sort -u` stage then deduplicates the merged stream.
+
+If normalization requires multiple steps, extract it as a named tool in `ollie/t` and reference it with `{tool}`.
+
+## Timeout
+
+`timeout` applies per stage (default: 30s). A pipeline of N stages can run up to N × timeout seconds total. Set explicitly for long-running stages.
+
+## When to use which pattern
+
+| Situation | Pattern |
+|---|---|
+| One independent operation | `execute_code` single step |
+| N independent operations, same output schema | `execute_code` parallel steps, or `execute_pipe` parallel stage |
+| N operations feeding one transform | `execute_pipe` with parallel first stage |
+| Multi-step data transform | `execute_pipe` sequential stages |
+| Reusable transform logic | `execute_tool` or named script in `ollie/t` |