# Reasoning Orchestrator > Use for multi-step / ambiguous / end-to-end work — refactor a whole module, drive a vague ticket to a verified result, plan+build+verify a migration; coordinates the reasoning chain across skills. - Skill: `event4u-app/reasoning-orchestrator` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add event4u-app/reasoning-orchestrator` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/event4u-app/reasoning-orchestrator/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: event4u-app (https://skillmd.com/u/event4u-app) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/event4u-app/reasoning-orchestrator --- # reasoning-orchestrator The **primary coordination mechanism** of the Reasoning Discipline Protocol (roadmap L6). It is behavioral glue — like [`subagent-orchestration`](../subagent-orchestration/SKILL.md) and [`feature-planning`](../feature-planning/SKILL.md) — that sequences the discipline so it acts as one system instead of a buffet of optional steps. It **composes** the underlying skills/rules; it never re-implements them, and it adds **no new flow** (it is invoked within discovery/implementation, honoring `src/flows/README.md`). Engage per [`rdp-gate`](../../contexts/execution/rdp-gate.md): skip on trivial tasks; on a strong-reasoning host run **light / as suggestion** (it self- coordinates); on a standard host run the full chain. ## When to use Scope (eval-calibrated, L6): engage only for **interdependent multi-step** work — multiple steps whose ordering and handoffs matter (schema → API → job → UI; a staged migration; a cross-cutting refactor). **Not** for single-turn analysis (explain / name / yes-no / pick-X-or-Y / one-shot edit): there the ordered chain is a no-op and only adds tokens. - An interdependent **multi-step** task on a standard host. Analyze the dependency structure (what blocks what) before acting. - Work where a missed or out-of-order link (grounding, verification) compounds downstream. Do NOT use for trivial / linear / fully-specified tasks **or single-turn analysis** (the gate filters these), and do not let it duplicate the work of the skills it coordinates. > **Why scoped (L6, 2026-06-22).** A controlled distributed-vs-orchestrated eval > (N=16, independent rater) found the ordered chain gains **+19.2%** on > multi-step work but **−1.1%** (a no-op) on single-turn reasoning. The standard > host classifies multi-step vs single-turn at gate time with 16/16 accuracy, and > a misclassification degrades gracefully (wrong arm is still functional). The > revert trigger is a re-run of `tests/reasoning-layer-eval` (the eval is the > telemetry — this is a no-runtime package); RDP flip conditions are judged > per-mechanism, never on a univariate aggregate. Evidence: > `tests/reasoning-layer-eval/RESULTS-L6-largeN-2026-06-22.md`. ## When the agent should load this - A task is complex / ambiguous / long-horizon and the host is a standard model. - The reasoning steps are interdependent and a skipped link (grounding, verification) would compound downstream. - Several discipline skills would otherwise fire piecemeal — load this to make them act as one ordered chain instead of a buffet of optional steps. ## Procedure — the chain it enforces Each link **delegates** to the artifact that owns it (no duplication): 1. **ground** — close constraints/tools/info-gaps before designing ([`think-before-action` § Environment grounding](../../rules/think-before-action.md)); seed the read from the **repo** slot of the [context-spine](../../../docs/contracts/context-spine.md) when present. 2. **intent** — state the inferred goal + one recommendation, standard host only ([`improve-before-implement` § Intent inference](../../rules/improve-before-implement.md)). 3. **notes** — hypotheses/predictions/decisions/uncertainty to the notes file, not the response ([`notes-first-reasoning`](../../rules/notes-first-reasoning.md)). 4. **gather** — resolve the load-bearing unknown first ([`complexity-first-planning`](../complexity-first-planning/SKILL.md)); dispatch independent subtasks async ([`subagent-orchestration` § RDP](../subagent-orchestration/SKILL.md)), auto-triggered by the [`delegation-policy`](../../rules/delegation-policy.md) rule (gates on the emergency incident switch + host manifest — always-on orchestration carries no per-layer on/off setting). 5. **audit** — check progress against real tool results ([`verify-before-complete`](../../rules/verify-before-complete.md)). 6. **verify** — fresh-context verifier on the structural-complexity gate ([`adversarial-review` § RDP](../adversarial-review/SKILL.md)). ## Fail-safe If the orchestrator does not fire (gate off, or the host skips it), the individual skills/rules still apply on their own triggers — the discipline degrades gracefully to the distributed extensions rather than disappearing. The orchestrator's value is **coherence** (the links happen in order, with handoffs), not exclusivity. ## Output The task's actual deliverable, produced **through the chain** (analysis before action — grounding and the load-bearing-unknown resolution precede any edit): 1. **Outcome first** — the response leads with the result and its evidence. 2. **Reasoning stays in notes** — hypotheses / predictions / decisions live in the notes file, never dumped into the response. 3. **Chain honoured in order** — ground → intent → notes → resolve-hardest-first → audit → verify ran as ordered links (with handoffs), not a buffet. 4. **Verified before "done"** — no completion claim without the verifier link's evidence. ## Do NOT - Re-implement grounding / verification / planning here — **delegate**. - Create a new flow or a standalone pack — this is a skill invoked within existing flows. - Run the full chain on a strong-reasoning host or a trivial task — the gate says light/off. ## Gotchas - **Buffet collapse.** Without the orchestrator, the discipline skills fire independently and the chain's *order* is lost (verification before grounding, notes never written). The whole value is the ordered handoff — running the links out of sequence is the failure this skill prevents. - **Duplication creep.** Inlining a delegated step's logic here (re-doing the grounding instead of pointing at `think-before-action`) silently forks the behavior; the two copies then drift. Always delegate, never re-implement. - **Wrong host, full chain.** Running every link on a strong-reasoning host wastes tokens and reads as nagging — the gate says light/suggestion there. Forcing the full chain regardless of host is a cost regression, not rigor. ## Related Skills **WHEN to use this** - A complex / ambiguous / long-horizon task on a standard host where the reasoning links are interdependent. - Several discipline skills would otherwise fire piecemeal and need ordering. **WHEN NOT to use this** - Trivial / linear / fully-specified tasks — the [`rdp-gate`](../../contexts/execution/rdp-gate.md) filters these. - A single discipline step in isolation — invoke that skill/rule directly ([`think-before-action`](../../rules/think-before-action.md), [`verify-before-complete`](../../rules/verify-before-complete.md)) instead of the whole chain. - Needing the rationale behind the protocol — read [`frontier-reasoning-operating-profile`](../../../../docs/guidelines/agent-infra/frontier-reasoning-operating-profile.md).