# Council > Run multi-judge consensus. Use when: an irreversible or high-stakes decision needs independent judges before committing — architecture forks, one-way doors, scoring options. - Skill: `majiayu000/council-6` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add majiayu000/council-6` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/majiayu000/council-6/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Security - Author: majiayu000 (https://skillmd.com/u/majiayu000) - Updated: 2026-09-09 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/majiayu000/council-6 --- # /council — Multi-Model Consensus Council Convene N independent reasoners over a shared briefing and return one synthesis. `--mode` selects the deliberation pattern — `brainstorm`, `debate`, or `verdict`. Everything else (`--focus`, `--depth`, `--runtime`, `--roster`) is an orthogonal knob. ## Loop position Cross-cutting judgment gate available at any [operating loop](../../docs/architecture/operating-loop.md) move where multi-model consensus is required: typically pre-flight on the slice plan (between moves 3 and 4), per-slice on non-mechanical correctness (move 6), and on the bead acceptance roll-up. Council does not own a loop move — it provides verdicts that other moves consume. Use it at slice level when a single test cannot capture taste; use it at bead level when acceptance examples are passing but the consumer-facing behavior still needs adversarial review. ## Quick Start ```bash /council validate this plan # verdict mode (the default) /council --mode=brainstorm caching approaches # brainstorm mode /council --mode=debate should we adopt event sourcing? # debate mode (named personas duel) /council --depth=quick validate recent # fast inline check /council --mode=brainstorm --focus=research k8s upgrade paths # research = focused brainstorm /council --roster=security-audit validate the auth system # preset persona roster /council --depth=deep --runtime=mixed --roster=leadership-quartet validate product thesis /council --adversarial validate the auth system # verdict over 2 adversarial rounds /council # infers mode from context ``` Council works independently — no RPI workflow, no ratchet chain, no `ao` CLI required. ## Modes — the deliberation taxonomy `--mode` selects one of exactly three deliberation patterns; `verdict` is the default. The taxonomy is frozen as an executable spec — [references/council-modes.feature](references/council-modes.feature). | `--mode` | Pattern | Synthesis | |----------|---------|-----------| | `brainstorm` | **diverge** — agents generate options independently before any cross-talk | ranked set of ideas, perspectives, risks (no PASS/WARN/FAIL) | | `debate` | **contend** — independent positions → adversarial 0–1000 cross-scoring → reveal round | ranked decision with recorded dissent | | `verdict` *(default)* | **converge** — agents judge the artifact against the bar independently | one PASS / WARN / FAIL with consolidated findings | `verdict` runs when `--mode` is omitted. `validate` is a verdict alias; `research` folds into `brainstorm` (`--focus=research`). When `--mode` is omitted council infers it from natural language — trigger words in [references/task-type-rigor-gate.md](references/task-type-rigor-gate.md). **Mode and focus are orthogonal.** `--mode` is the deliberation *pattern*; `--focus` is the *subject*. `--depth`, `--runtime`, and `--roster` are knobs, never modes. **Every mode runs the same lifecycle** — convene → brief → deliberate → synthesize → record — and `deliberate` always isolates each agent before any cross-talk. Full taxonomy, knob aliases (`--quick`/`--deep`/`--mixed`), and the lifecycle contract: [references/modes.md](references/modes.md). ### Spawn backend (MANDATORY) Council requires a runtime that can **spawn parallel subagents** and (for `debate` and `--adversarial`) **send messages between agents**. If no multi-agent capability is detected, fall back to `--depth=quick` (inline single-agent). Skills describe WHAT to do, not WHICH tool — see `skills/shared/SKILL.md` for the capability contract. Backend-specific spawn/wait/message/cleanup examples: - Claude Native Teams → `references/backend-claude-teams.md` · Codex Sub-Agents / CLI → `references/backend-codex-subagents.md` - Background Tasks → `references/backend-background-tasks.md` · Inline → `references/backend-inline.md` - Shared Claude feature contract → `skills/shared/references/claude-code-latest-features.md` (local mirror: `references/claude-code-latest-features.md`) See `references/cli-spawning.md` for the council-specific spawning flow (phases, timeouts, output collection). ## Debate mode (`--mode=debate`) `--mode=debate` convenes 2–4 named domain-expert personas who duel: each writes an independent verdict in character, every persona adversarially cross-scores every rival 0–1000, then a **mandatory reveal round** forces concessions and surfaces blind spots. Synthesis is a score matrix → a ranked decision with dissent kept verbatim. `dueling-idea-wizards` maps to `--mode=debate --focus=ideas`; the legacy expert-council command routes here. Constraints: personas decide and the orchestrator only counts; the briefing goes on disk, never through argv; the reveal is never skipped. Per-phase persona-slate / duel / reveal / score-matrix templates: [references/dueling-route.md](references/dueling-route.md). ### Aliases (absorbed skills) These trigger phrases route to `--mode=debate` — there is no separate skill (the former expert-council skill was absorbed here): | You typed | Runs | |-----------|------| | "expert-council \" | `/council --mode=debate ` | | "expert-council" (slate of named experts) | `/council --mode=debate` — persona slate confirmed in Phase 1 | | "expert council", "dueling council", "council of \" | `/council --mode=debate` | | "dueling-idea-wizards" | `/council --mode=debate --focus=ideas` | When invoked under any of these, run debate mode directly with the same arguments — do not run a separate workflow. ## Adversarial round (`--adversarial`) — a verdict intensifier `--adversarial` is a **verdict-mode** flag, not the debate mode. It runs `verdict` over two rounds — R1 independent verdicts, R2 steel-manning revision via backend messaging — for high-stakes verdicts where judges are likely to disagree (security audits, architecture decisions, migration plans). Skip it for routine validation where consensus is expected. Full protocol: [references/adversarial-protocol.md](references/adversarial-protocol.md). **Incompatibilities:** - `--depth=quick` and `--adversarial` cannot be combined. If both are passed, exit with error: "Error: --quick and --adversarial are incompatible." - `--adversarial` only applies to verdict mode. Combined with `--mode=brainstorm` or `--mode=debate`, exit with error: "Error: --adversarial is only supported with verdict mode." --- ## Architecture See [references/architecture-flow.md](references/architecture-flow.md) for the context-budget rule, full Phase 1→3 execution flow diagram, reviewer-config loading, graceful degradation table, effort levels, and pre-flight checks. --- ## Packet Format (JSON) See [references/packet-format.md](references/packet-format.md) for the full JSON packet schema (fields, output_schema, judge-prompt boundary rules) and the Empirical Evidence Rule for feasibility reviews. --- ## Perspectives > **Perspectives & Presets:** Use `Read` tool on `skills/council/references/personas.md` for persona definitions, preset configurations, and custom perspective details. **Auto-Escalation:** When `--preset` or `--perspectives` specifies more perspectives than the current judge count, automatically escalate judge count to match. The `--count` flag overrides auto-escalation. **Mixed-mode perspective assignment:** Under `--mixed`, the perspective list is built once and each perspective is assigned to one Claude judge **and** one Codex judge with identical prompt and packet. This produces head-to-head pairs (perspective × vendor) so verdict differences isolate the vendor variable. Without `--preset` or `--perspectives`, both vendors run 3 generic judges each (6 total). With a 4-perspective preset like `security-audit`, `plan-review`, or `leadership-quartet`, both vendors run those 4 perspectives (8 total). Do not split perspectives across vendors — symmetric pairing is the whole point of `--mixed`. --- ## Named Perspectives & Consensus See [references/consensus-and-output.md](references/consensus-and-output.md) for named-perspective usage (`--perspectives`, `--perspectives-file`, YAML format, flag priority), consensus verdict rules (PASS/WARN/FAIL combination table, DISAGREE resolution), and the finding-extraction flywheel protocol. See [references/personas.md](references/personas.md) for built-in presets. --- ## Explorer Sub-Agents > **Explorer Details:** Use `Read` tool on `skills/council/references/explorers.md` for explorer architecture, prompts, sub-question generation, and timeout configuration. **Summary:** Judges can spawn explorer sub-agents (`--explorers=N`, max 5) for parallel deep-dive research. Total agents = `judges * (1 + explorers)`, capped at MAX_AGENTS=12. --- ## Agent Prompts > **Agent Prompts:** Use `Read` tool on `skills/council/references/agent-prompts.md` for judge prompts (default and perspective-based), consolidation prompt, and debate R2 message template. --- ## Output Format & Consensus Rules Consensus verdict combination rules, DISAGREE handling, and the finding-extraction flywheel protocol live in [references/consensus-and-output.md](references/consensus-and-output.md). Full report templates (validate, brainstorm, research) and debate-report additions live in [references/output-format.md](references/output-format.md). All reports write to `.agents/council/YYYY-MM-DD--.md`. Findings extraction targets `.agents/council/extraction-candidates.jsonl`; see [references/finding-extraction.md](references/finding-extraction.md) for schema and classification heuristics. Core consensus rules: All PASS -> PASS; Any FAIL -> FAIL; Mixed PASS/WARN -> WARN; cross-vendor disagreement -> DISAGREE. --- ## Configuration **Minimum quorum:** 1 agent. **Recommended:** 80% of judges. On timeout, proceed with remaining judges and note in report. On user cancellation, shutdown all judges and generate partial report with INCOMPLETE marker. | Env var | Default | |---------|---------| | `COUNCIL_CLAUDE_MODEL` | sonnet | | `COUNCIL_EXPLORER_MODEL` | sonnet | | `COUNCIL_CODEX_MODEL` | gpt-5.3-codex | | `COUNCIL_TIMEOUT` | 120 | | `COUNCIL_EXPLORER_TIMEOUT` | 60 | | `COUNCIL_R2_TIMEOUT` | 90 | | Flag | Description | |------|-------------| | `--technique=` | Brainstorm technique (reverse, scamper, six-hats). See `references/brainstorm-techniques.md`. | | `--profile=` | Model quality profile (balanced, budget, fast, inherit, quality, thorough). See `references/model-profiles.md`. | See [references/flags-reference.md](references/flags-reference.md) for the full flag and environment variable reference (`COUNCIL_TIMEOUT`, `COUNCIL_CODEX_MODEL`, `--deep`, `--mixed`, `--adversarial`, `--evidence`, `--commit-ready`, `--preset`, `--profile`, and all other flags). --- ## CLI Spawning Commands > **CLI Spawning:** Use `Read` tool on `skills/council/references/cli-spawning.md` for team setup, Claude/Codex agent spawning, parallel execution, debate R2 commands, cleanup, and model selection. --- ## Examples See [references/examples-extended.md](references/examples-extended.md) for the full example catalog and walkthroughs (fast single-agent validation, adversarial debate, cross-vendor consensus with explorers). --- ## Troubleshooting See [references/troubleshooting.md](references/troubleshooting.md) for common error messages, causes, and solutions, plus the judge→council migration table. --- ## Multi-Agent Architecture See [references/multi-agent-architecture.md](references/multi-agent-architecture.md) for the deliberation protocol, communication rules, Ralph Wiggum compliance, degradation behavior, and judge naming convention. --- ## See Also - `skills/vibe/SKILL.md` — Complexity + council for code validation (uses `--preset=code-review` when spec found) - `skills/pre-mortem/SKILL.md` — Plan validation (uses `--preset=plan-review`, always 3 judges) - `skills/post-mortem/SKILL.md` — Work wrap-up (uses `--preset=retrospective`, always 3 judges + retro) - `skills/swarm/SKILL.md` — Multi-agent orchestration - `skills/using-atm/SKILL.md` — Out-of-session ATM substrate for long-running multi-agent review swarms - `skills/standards/SKILL.md` — Language-specific coding standards - `skills/research/SKILL.md` — Codebase exploration (complementary to `--mode=brainstorm --focus=research`) ## Reference Documents - [references/modes.md](references/modes.md) - [references/council-modes.feature](references/council-modes.feature) - [references/dueling-route.md](references/dueling-route.md) - [references/cross-vendor-duel-when-to-use.md](references/cross-vendor-duel-when-to-use.md) — Strategic call (when Opus+Codex is worth the cost) + score-symmetry diagnostic - [references/architecture-flow.md](references/architecture-flow.md) - [references/packet-format.md](references/packet-format.md) - [references/flags-reference.md](references/flags-reference.md) - [references/examples-extended.md](references/examples-extended.md) - [references/troubleshooting.md](references/troubleshooting.md) - [references/multi-agent-architecture.md](references/multi-agent-architecture.md) - [references/task-type-rigor-gate.md](references/task-type-rigor-gate.md) - [references/consensus-and-output.md](references/consensus-and-output.md) - [references/model-routing.md](references/model-routing.md) - [references/backend-background-tasks.md](references/backend-background-tasks.md) - [references/backend-claude-teams.md](references/backend-claude-teams.md) - [references/backend-codex-subagents.md](references/backend-codex-subagents.md) - [references/backend-inline.md](references/backend-inline.md) - [references/brainstorm-techniques.md](references/brainstorm-techniques.md) - [references/claude-code-latest-features.md](references/claude-code-latest-features.md) - [references/model-profiles.md](references/model-profiles.md) - [references/presets.md](references/presets.md) - [references/quick-mode.md](references/quick-mode.md) - [references/ralph-loop-contract.md](references/ralph-loop-contract.md) - [references/agent-prompts.md](references/agent-prompts.md) - [references/cli-spawning.md](references/cli-spawning.md) - [references/adversarial-protocol.md](references/adversarial-protocol.md) - [references/explorers.md](references/explorers.md) - [references/finding-extraction.md](references/finding-extraction.md) - [references/output-format.md](references/output-format.md) - [references/personas.md](references/personas.md) - [references/caching-guidance.md](references/caching-guidance.md) - [references/reviewer-config-example.md](references/reviewer-config-example.md) - [references/strategic-doc-validation.md](references/strategic-doc-validation.md) - [references/evidence-mode.md](references/evidence-mode.md) - [../shared/references/backend-background-tasks.md](../shared/references/backend-background-tasks.md) - [../shared/references/backend-claude-teams.md](../shared/references/backend-claude-teams.md) - [../shared/references/backend-codex-subagents.md](../shared/references/backend-codex-subagents.md) - [../shared/references/backend-inline.md](../shared/references/backend-inline.md) - [../shared/references/claude-code-latest-features.md](../shared/references/claude-code-latest-features.md) - [../shared/references/ralph-loop-contract.md](../shared/references/ralph-loop-contract.md)