How do I install the Council skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add kai-cli/council in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Council safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Council?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Council free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Council?

kai-cli (@kai-cli) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Council by kai-cli — Agent Skill

Name: Council
Author: kai-cli

File contents

Customization

Before executing, check for user customizations at: ~/.claude/skills/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.

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 specialized agents discuss topics in rounds, respond to each other's points, and surface insights through intellectual friction.

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.

When executing a workflow, output this notification directly:

Running the **WorkflowName** workflow in the **Council** skill to ACTION...

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`	Agent roles, perspectives, voice mapping
`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 experts respond to each other's actual points.

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 30-90 seconds.

Examples

"Council: Should we use WebSockets or SSE?"
-> Invokes DEBATE workflow -> 3-round transcript

"Quick council check: Is this API design reasonable?"
-> Invokes QUICK workflow -> Fast perspectives

"Council with security: Evaluate this auth approach"
-> DEBATE with Security agent added

Integration

Works well with:

RedTeam - Pure adversarial attack after collaborative discussion
Development - Before major architectural decisions
Research - Gather context before convening the council

Best Practices

Use QUICK for sanity checks, DEBATE for important decisions
Add domain-specific experts as needed (security for auth, etc.)
Review the transcript - insights are in the responses, not just positions
Trust multi-agent convergence when it occurs

Last Updated: 2025-12-20

---name: councildescription: Multi-agent debate system. USE WHEN council, debate, perspectives, agents discuss. SkillSearch('council') for docs.---## Customization**Before executing, check for user customizations at:**`~/.claude/skills/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.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 SkillMulti-agent debate system where specialized agents discuss topics in rounds, respond to each other's points, and surface insights through intellectual friction.**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 RoutingRoute to the appropriate workflow based on the request.**When executing a workflow, output this notification directly:**```Running the **WorkflowName** workflow in the **Council** skill to ACTION...```| 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` | Agent roles, perspectives, voice mapping || `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 experts respond to each other's actual points.**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 30-90 seconds.## Examples```"Council: Should we use WebSockets or SSE?"-> Invokes DEBATE workflow -> 3-round transcript"Quick council check: Is this API design reasonable?"-> Invokes QUICK workflow -> Fast perspectives"Council with security: Evaluate this auth approach"-> DEBATE with Security agent added```## Integration**Works well with:**- **RedTeam** - Pure adversarial attack after collaborative discussion- **Development** - Before major architectural decisions- **Research** - Gather context before convening the council## Best Practices1. Use QUICK for sanity checks, DEBATE for important decisions2. Add domain-specific experts as needed (security for auth, etc.)3. Review the transcript - insights are in the responses, not just positions4. Trust multi-agent convergence when it occurs---**Last Updated:** 2025-12-20

Frequently asked questions

Council