Overload Governance

What this skill is for

Use this skill to keep ACP deliberation usable under load by checking digest size, bridge exposure, and reading burden before release.

When to use it

• Reviewing a cycle config before routing or release.
• Checking whether digest item counts exceed configured limits.
• Interpreting overload metrics in benchmark or pilot evidence.

When not to use it

• Do not use it for generic analytics.
• Do not use it to suppress minority views solely because they add complexity.
• Do not use it as a substitute for routing or fairness review.

Inputs expected

• Cycle config
• Digests or routing outputs
• Participant count and contribution count
• Optional benchmark metrics

Preflight / prerequisites

1. Confirm configured maxDigestItems and maxBridgeItems.
2. Confirm whether the cycle is baseline or intervention.
3. Inspect the actual digest set, not only aggregate counts.

Workflow

1. Count digest items per participant.
2. Count bridge items per digest.
3. Compare counts to cycle config.
4. Look for repeated dominant-view items that consume attention budget.
5. Recommend release, revise, or escalate.

Decision rules / judgment criteria

• Hard config limits block release.
• Bridge exposure must be bounded, justified, and not tokenistic.
• Lower reading burden is not acceptable if it erases material issues.
• Load governance must be paired with omission review.

Escalation rules

Escalate when digest budget is exceeded, bridge budget is exceeded, unresolved questions are dropped for space, or load reductions erase a minority signal.

Available scripts

• scripts/check-load.mjs: inspect digest item counts and bridge counts against cycle load limits.

Outputs

• Load budget assessment
• Bridge budget assessment
• Overload risk notes
• Release/revise/escalate recommendation

Failure handling

If config is missing or invalid, stop and repair the cycle definition before judging release readiness.

Trust / safety notes

Load limits are constitutional constraints, not UX preferences. They must be explicit and inspectable.

Composition notes

Use with epistemic-routing, digest-and-explanation, and omission-critic in any high-volume workflow.

Examples to inspect next

Read examples/casebook.md for budget pass, budget failure, escalation, and anti-pattern cases.

Evaluation hooks

Run scripts/check-load.mjs and npm run skills:audit.