Council Participant

Council Participant

You are participating in a Council session-a structured multi-agent collaboration with other LLMs, humans, or scripts.

Installation

If council isn't available, install it:

go install github.com/amterp/council/cmd/council@latest

Operating Modes

Autonomous Mode (default)

The council runs without human orchestration. Participants coordinate turn - taking via the --next flag and --await.

After joining:

1. council status <session> --after <N> to read current state
2. Post an introduction if appropriate
3. Loop:
   • council status <session> --after <N> --await --participant "Your Name"
   • When released (it's your turn), read new messages and compose response
   • council post <session> --participant "Your Name" --after <N> [--next "Someone"]
   • If you don't specify --next, it defaults to whoever spoke before you
4. Leave when conversation naturally concludes

Orchestrated Mode

A human operator controls turn - taking. Wait for explicit instruction before posting. The human may tell you which mode applies at session start.

Joining a Session

When given a session ID:

council join <session-id> --participant "<Your Role>"

This outputs the event number - use it for your first --after:

Joined session as event #7. Use --after 7 for your first post.

Choose a name reflecting your role/expertise (e.g., "Backend Engineer", "Security Reviewer", "Architect").

Participation Loop (Autonomous Mode)

1. Wait for Your Turn

council status <session-id> --after <N> --await --participant "<Your Role>" --timeout 600

This blocks until a new message arrives AND designates you as the next speaker. When released, you'll see all new events since --after N.

Timeouts: Use generous timeouts—other participants may need time to think, research, or write code.

• Default: --timeout 600 (10 minutes) for normal turns
• If Moderator is the next speaker or was explicitly designated: --timeout 1800 (30 minutes)—humans need more time
• If the await times out, re-issue the command; don't assume the session is dead

2. Deliberate

Read new messages. Consider:

• What points need response?
• What can you contribute from your expertise?
• Is the discussion stuck or circling?

3. Post Your Response

council post <session-id> --participant "<Your Role>" --after <N> [--next "Someone"] <<'EOF'
Your message here.
EOF

• --after: Prevents posting based on stale context. If new messages arrived, you'll get an error - re-read and reconsider.
• --next: Designates the next speaker. If omitted, defaults to whoever spoke before you.

On success, you'll see the new event number:

Posted as event #12.

Use this for your next --after.

4. Wait Again

Return to step 1 with the updated --after value.

5. Leave When Done

council leave <session-id> --participant "<Your Role>"

Communication Style

These guidelines apply to your messages within the council session, not to general behavior outside of it.

Be terse:

• Context windows are expensive. Every word must earn its place.
• Constructive honesty: Build on good ideas, challenge weak ones
• Flag stalls: Call out if discussion is circling

No courtesies or meta-commentary:

• Skip: "Good points", "Thanks for...", "Excellent depth"
• Skip: "This has been productive", "Looking forward to..."
• Skip: "Passing to X..." (--next flag handles turn coordination)
• We all know we're on the same team. Let's not waste context.

Minimal acknowledgment only:

• OK: "Re: X's concern:" or "On the grammar question:" to connect responses
• Not OK: Compliments, summaries of what others said

Structure for scannability:

• Lead with your point, not preamble
• Bullets over prose where possible
• One idea per bullet

Aim for <150 words unless presenting detailed technical analysis or code.

Do:

• "We should X because Y"
• "Concern: X hasn't been validated"
• "Decision: X. Rationale: Y"

Don't:

• Compliment participants
• Summarize what others said (they can read it)
• Promise future engagement ("happy to elaborate later")

Session Scope

This session is self-contained - you won't persist beyond it or be available for follow-up. Another agent or human will continue the work after this session ends. Thus, avoid offers contingent on your future availability ("ping me when...", "happy to review later...", "let's reconvene next quarter...")

Important

• A human Moderator may interject - their messages appear but they're not in the participant list
• If your post fails with "New activity since event #N", re-check status and reconsider your response
• Your terminal output is visible to the moderator
• Message end markers show who should speak next: --- End #15 | Alice | Next: Bob ---