JW-ASTClaw: A Generalizable Multi-Agent Framework for Autonomous Solar Telescope and Its Implementation within Chinese Meridian Project
We present the first deployment of an end-to-end autonomous control system driven by a large language model (LLM) on an operational solar telescope-the Solar Full-disk Multi-layer Magnetograph (SFMM), named JW-ASTClaw. This system employs a multi-agent framework adopting a decoupled three-layer architecture (perception-decision-execution) interconnected through the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which addresses real-time adaptive scheduling under complex environmental conditions while achieving high portability: the perception and decision logic are reused unchanged across instruments, requiring only telescope-specific command interfaces to be adapted. Three perception agents-data-quality-agent, cloud-analyzer-agent, and flare-detector-agent-encode senior observer expertise, including wind jitter detection via limb-ring standard deviation, projected-circle zonal cloud analysis, and multi-band active region identification, as LLM-callable rules, while a central reasoning engine performs multi-source fusion and conflict resolution. The system supports graceful degradation from cloud LLM to local inference and finally to rule-based fallback, designed for remote field stations with unstable connectivity. Cross-season validation on archival data demonstrates 100% cloud detection with zero false positives across 10 distinct observation dates, with active-region counts and positions closely matching the NOAA Solar Region Summary (SRS) reports (102 vs. 100 across 10 separate validation dates). These capabilities significantly improve scientific-intent-driven observation accessibility, enable rapid flare response for space weather monitoring, enhance data usability under adverse conditions, and increase observability during partially cloudy periods.