Council
Customization
Before executing, check for user customizations at:
~/.claude/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.
MANDATORY: Voice Notification (REQUIRED BEFORE ANY ACTION)
You MUST send this notification BEFORE doing anything else when this skill is invoked.
-
Send voice notification:
curl -s -X POST http://localhost:31337/notify \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"message": "Running the WORKFLOWNAME workflow in the Council skill to ACTION"}' \ > /dev/null 2>&1 & -
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 custom-composed agents discuss topics in rounds, respond to each other's points, and surface insights through intellectual friction.
CRITICAL: Custom Agents Only
ALL council members MUST be custom-composed agents created via the Agents skill's ComposeAgent tool (bun run ~/.claude/skills/Agents/Tools/ComposeAgent.ts). NEVER use built-in agent types (Architect, Designer, Engineer, PerplexityResearcher, Silas, etc.).
Built-in types are generic and topic-ignorant. Council debates require agents with:
- Domain expertise tailored to the specific debate topic
- Unique voices and personalities via ComposeAgent
- Distinct analytical approaches that create genuine friction
See CouncilMembers.md for full agent composition instructions.
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.
| 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 |
How to compose custom agents for councils (ComposeAgent) |
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 domain-specific experts respond to each other's actual points.
Agents: Every council uses custom-composed agents via the Agents skill. This gives each member a unique voice, personality, and domain expertise tailored to the topic. Generic built-in agents produce generic debate. Custom agents produce sharp, informed debate.
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 40-90 seconds.
Examples
"Council: Should we use WebSockets or SSE?"
-> Compose 4 custom agents with relevant traits (real-time, frontend, ops, research)
-> DEBATE workflow -> 3-round transcript
"Quick council check: Is this API design reasonable?"
-> Compose 4 custom agents with API-relevant traits
-> QUICK workflow -> Fast perspectives
"Council: Is AI overhyped?"
-> Compose agents: AI builder, security skeptic, pragmatic engineer, evidence analyst
-> DEBATE workflow -> 3-round transcript
Integration
Depends on:
- Agents skill - ComposeAgent tool for creating all council members
Works well with:
- RedTeam - Pure adversarial attack after collaborative discussion
- Research - Gather context before convening the council
Best Practices
- Use QUICK for sanity checks, DEBATE for important decisions
- Design agent traits around the specific topic, not generic roles
- Review the transcript - insights are in the responses, not just positions
- Trust multi-agent convergence when it occurs
- NEVER use built-in agent types — ALWAYS use ComposeAgent
Last Updated: 2026-03-18
Gotchas
- Council uses the Agents skill (ComposeAgent) for custom agents — NOT built-in agent types. Never use Designer, Architect, etc. for Council debates.
- Debates need genuine disagreement to be valuable. If all agents agree, the topic may not warrant Council.
- More agents ≠ better debate. 4-6 well-composed agents outperform 12 generic ones.
Execution Log
After completing any workflow, append a single JSONL entry:
echo '{"ts":"'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'","skill":"Council","workflow":"WORKFLOW_USED","input":"8_WORD_SUMMARY","status":"ok|error","duration_s":SECONDS}' >> ~/.claude/PAI/MEMORY/SKILLS/execution.jsonl
Replace WORKFLOW_USED with the workflow executed, 8_WORD_SUMMARY with a brief input description, and SECONDS with approximate wall-clock time. Log status: "error" if the workflow failed.
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