Dan Barrett is a creator of OpenProse, which expresses agent work as requirements and reusable contracts in Markdown. He presents an approach in which people specify outcomes and constraints while an agent uses its existing tools to carry out and assess the work.[4][3][1]
Start with OpenProse →
Links
X 
OpenProse repository Contributions
Specify an agreement that both execution and review can read
OpenProse treats a contract as a Markdown document at an address. A program can adopt other contracts for result format, source grounding or review, with each requirement applying in its stated scope. The executor produces a result and evidence; an evaluator judges what is satisfied, unmet or unresolved. Combining documents does not automatically resolve conflicting instructions, and running the agreement does not guarantee success.[1]
Demonstrate prose-driven work through a live task
In Kent Beck’s sponsored Genie Session, Barrett explains OpenProse and builds a coastal-information service live with Beck. The conversation makes the programming idea concrete: a written request supplies the intended result while the agent selects tools and implementation steps. The demonstration is one observed session, useful for understanding the interaction rather than measuring general reliability.[3]
Tools, writing & talks
Tools
Start here
OpenProseprose.mdAn experimental Markdown library and contract model for specifying, executing and evaluating agent work.
Read the short source-grounded brief example and follow its linked requirements. Markdown familiarity is enough for the model; trying it requires an agent harness and tools, and independent review still requires an actually separate reviewer.
Writing, research & talks
OpenProse's team demos multi-agent workflows written as declarative markdown contracts that Claude Code, Codex and other harnesses can run. Covers webhook and PR triggers, benchmarking runs against contracts, composing contracts, pinning a winning run, and a comparison with DSPy.
Catalog workOriginal source- Genie Lessons from Genie Sessions: Prose as a Programming Languagenewsletter.kentbeck.com
A live conversation and build demonstration with Kent Beck.
Guest and demonstrator[3]