Council

What this skill does

## Customization

**Before executing, check for user customizations at:**
`~/.claude/PAI/USER/SKILLCUSTOMIZATIONS/Council/`

If this directory exists, load and apply any PREFERENCES.md, configurations, or resources found there. These override default behavior. If the directory does not exist, proceed with skill defaults.


## MANDATORY: Voice Notification (REQUIRED BEFORE ANY ACTION)

**You MUST send this notification BEFORE doing anything else when this skill is invoked.**

1. **Send voice notification**:
   ```bash
   curl -s -X POST http://localhost:31337/notify \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"message": "Running the WORKFLOWNAME workflow in the Council skill to ACTION"}' \
     > /dev/null 2>&1 &
   ```

2. **Output text notification**:
   ```
   Running the **WorkflowName** workflow in the **Council** skill to ACTION...
   ```

**This is not optional. Execute this curl command immediately upon skill invocation.**

# Council Skill

Multi-agent debate system where custom-composed agents discuss topics in rounds, respond to each other's points, and surface insights through intellectual friction.

## CRITICAL: Custom Agents Only

**ALL council members MUST be custom-composed agents created via the Agents skill's ComposeAgent tool (`bun run ~/.claude/skills/Agents/Tools/ComposeAgent.ts`). NEVER use built-in agent types (Architect, Designer, Engineer, PerplexityResearcher, Silas, etc.).**

Built-in types are generic and topic-ignorant. Council debates require agents with:
- Domain expertise tailored to the specific debate topic
- Unique voices and personalities via ComposeAgent
- Distinct analytical approaches that create genuine friction

See `CouncilMembers.md` for full agent composition instructions.

**Key Differentiator from RedTeam:** Council is collaborative-adversarial (debate to find best path), while RedTeam is purely adversarial (attack the idea). Council produces visible conversation transcripts; RedTeam produces steelman + counter-argument.


## Workflow Routing

Route to the appropriate workflow based on the request.

| Trigger | Workflow |
|---------|----------|
| Full structured debate (3 rounds, visible transcript) | `Workflows/Debate.md` |
| Quick consensus check (1 round, fast) | `Workflows/Quick.md` |
| Pure adversarial analysis | RedTeam skill |

## Quick Reference

| Workflow | Purpose | Rounds | Output |
|----------|---------|--------|--------|
| **DEBATE** | Full structured discussion | 3 | Complete transcript + synthesis |
| **QUICK** | Fast perspective check | 1 | Initial positions only |

## Context Files

| File | Content |
|------|---------|
| `CouncilMembers.md` | How to compose custom agents for councils (ComposeAgent) |
| `RoundStructure.md` | Three-round debate structure and timing |
| `OutputFormat.md` | Transcript format templates |

## Core Philosophy

**Origin:** Best decisions emerge from diverse perspectives challenging each other. Not just collecting opinions - genuine intellectual friction where domain-specific experts respond to each other's actual points.

**Agents:** Every council uses custom-composed agents via the Agents skill. This gives each member a unique voice, personality, and domain expertise tailored to the topic. Generic built-in agents produce generic debate. Custom agents produce sharp, informed debate.

**Speed:** Parallel execution within rounds, sequential between rounds. A 3-round debate of 4 agents = 12 agent calls but only 3 sequential waits. Complete in 40-90 seconds.

## Examples

```
"Council: Should we use WebSockets or SSE?"
-> Compose 4 custom agents with relevant traits (real-time, frontend, ops, research)
-> DEBATE workflow -> 3-round transcript

"Quick council check: Is this API design reasonable?"
-> Compose 4 custom agents with API-relevant traits
-> QUICK workflow -> Fast perspectives

"Council: Is AI overhyped?"
-> Compose agents: AI builder, security skeptic, pragmatic engineer, evidence analyst
-> DEBATE workflow -> 3-round transcript
```

## Integration

**Depends on:**
- **Agents skill** - ComposeAgent tool for creating all council members

**Works well with:**
- **RedTeam** - Pure adversarial attack after collaborative discussion
- **Research** - Gather context before convening the council

## Best Practices

1. Use QUICK for sanity checks, DEBATE for important decisions
2. Design agent traits around the specific topic, not generic roles
3. Review the transcript - insights are in the responses, not just positions
4. Trust multi-agent convergence when it occurs
5. NEVER use built-in agent types — ALWAYS use ComposeAgent

---

**Last Updated:** 2026-03-18

## Gotchas

- **Council uses the Agents skill (ComposeAgent) for custom agents — NOT built-in agent types.** Never use Designer, Architect, etc. for Council debates.
- **Debates need genuine disagreement to be valuable.** If all agents agree, the topic may not warrant Council.
- **More agents ≠ better debate.** 4-6 well-composed agents outperform 12 generic ones.

## Execution Log

After completing any workflow, append a single JSONL entry:

```bash
echo '{"ts":"'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'","skill":"Council","workflow":"WORKFLOW_USED","input":"8_WORD_SUMMARY","status":"ok|error","duration_s":SECONDS}' >> ~/.claude/PAI/MEMORY/SKILLS/execution.jsonl
```

Replace `WORKFLOW_USED` with the workflow executed, `8_WORD_SUMMARY` with a brief input description, and `SECONDS` with approximate wall-clock time. Log `status: "error"` if the workflow failed.