git:20260922.abb039e to git:20261006.b4e1a91

41 added, 51 removed. Audit A to A.

---

name: staff-session

- description: "PM-GATED, never from a subagent. Agent Teams review for architecture calls."

- allowed-tools: ["Agent", "Read", "Write", "Bash", "Glob", "Grep", "TaskCreate", "TaskUpdate", "TaskList", "TaskGet", "SendMessage"]

+ description: "PM-GATED, never from a subagent. Chatty-Workflow review for architecture calls."

+ allowed-tools: ["Agent", "Read", "Write", "Bash", "Glob", "Grep", "Workflow"]

argument-hint: "--mode plan|review --tier standard|full [--members \"the Staff Engineer,the Director of Engineering,...\"] <input>"

---

- # Staff Session — Agent Teams Planning and Review Driver

- **`standard`/`full` tier requires agent teams** — `CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS=1` in

- `settings.json`'s `env`, applied at SESSION START and not toggleable mid-session. Without it every

- named `Agent` call here is an ordinary background subagent and no team forms. `--tier lightweight`

- does not depend on this — see Step 2.

+ # Staff Session — Chatty-Workflow Planning and Review Driver

- The EM scopes the work, selects the team, spawns all teammates, and is **freed**; the team then

- debates and synthesizes autonomously. Roles, models and counts: `pipelines/staff-session/

- team-protocol.md` § Team Roles — read there, don't re-derive.

+ The EM scopes the work, selects the debaters, fires ONE background `Workflow`, and is **freed**; the

+ Workflow then runs the debate as rounds and synthesizes autonomously. Roles, models and counts:

+ `pipelines/staff-session/team-protocol.md` § Roles — read there, don't re-derive. Doctrine:

+ `coordinator/docs/wiki/dispatching-parallel-agents/chatty-workflows.md`.

**Lightweight tier falls through to single-reviewer dispatch via `/review` (plan) or

- `/review-code` (code) — no team created.**

+ `/review-code` (code) — no Workflow fired.**

## Arguments

`$ARGUMENTS`:

- `--mode plan|review` — required.

- `--tier lightweight|standard|full` — required. `lightweight` → single-reviewer dispatch.

`standard` = 2 debaters. `full` = 3-5 debaters.

- `--members "persona-a,persona-b,..."` — optional override of auto-selection.

- `<input>` — required. Plan mode: objectives document/text. Review mode: artifact path.

## Step 1 — Parse Arguments and Setup

Parse `--mode`, `--tier` (both required — fail with usage message if missing), `--members`

(optional), remaining text as `<input>`.

Generate run ID (`YYYY-MM-DD-HHhMM`), spawn timestamp, topic slug from input. Create

`docs/research/{run-id}-workdir/` (shared paper-trail convention with

`/coordinator:notebooklm-research` — detail: wiki). Set output path: plan mode →

`docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-{topic-slug}.md`; review mode →

`state/review-findings/YYYY-MM-DD-{topic-slug}-staff-review.md`. Advisory path:

`{scratch-dir}/advisory.md`.

Announce: "Running `/staff-session --mode {mode} --tier {tier}` on '{topic}'."

## Step 2 — Tier Routing

- **`--tier lightweight`:** do NOT create a team. Route to `/review` (plan artifacts) or

+ **`--tier lightweight`:** do NOT fire a Workflow. Route to `/review` (plan artifacts) or

`/review-code` (code artifacts) with the specified member (default `the Staff Engineer`). Announce and

**STOP — the rest of this command does not execute.**

- **`standard`/`full`:** forms a team. `CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS` is `"1"` by default and

- this skill forms one on that default — every named `Agent` call anywhere becomes a teammate that

- returns no result. Continue to Step 3.

+ **`standard`/`full`:** fires the chatty Workflow. Continue to Step 3.

## Step 3 — Scope (EM Direct)

Write `{scratch-dir}/scope.md` per the template in `pipelines/staff-session/templates-and-fields.md`

§ Step 3. Plan mode: EM writes objectives and constraints only — never the plan. Review mode: EM

provides artifact path and focus areas only — never pre-formed findings.

- ## Step 4 — Select Team Composition

+ ## Step 4 — Select Debaters

`--members` specified → those exact slugs are the debater list.

Not specified → match topic + scope to a domain category (the one piece of genuine judgment this

step retains). For `--tier full`, judgment-select 1-3 additional personas and append to an

explicit override list.

**Resolve the roster via the CLI, not a hand-maintained table:**

Shape W (rung 0) — ladder and shapes: `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/snippets/resolve-coordinator-bin.md`.

`& "$env:COORDINATOR_SETTINGS_HOME\bin\staff-session-assemble.exe" --session-mode <plan|review> (--domain-signal "<category>" | --slug <slug> [--slug <slug> ...]) --json`

Returns `{personas: [{slug, agent_file, subagent_type}, ...], narration, source}`. Fails loud

(usage exit) on an unresolvable domain signal, unknown slug, or `the Director of Engineering` as a debater — surface that

error to the PM verbatim. `the Director of Engineering` is never a valid debater slug — fixed synthesizer identity

- (`coordinator:eng-director`), spawned separately in Step 6. Resolver mechanics: wiki.

+ (`coordinator:eng-director`), the Workflow's synthesizer stage in Step 6. Resolver mechanics: wiki.

Debater count from the resolved roster: `standard` = 2 (default pair), `full` = 3-5 (default pair

+ judgment-selected additions).

- Announce composition to PM before creating the team, using the resolved `personas[].slug`:

+ Announce composition to PM before firing the Workflow, using the resolved `personas[].slug`:

> "I'll run this with **{Persona A}** and **{Persona B}** [+ **{Persona C}**...] debating, plus a

> staff synthesizer. Proceeding."

- ## Step 5 — Create Tasks

+ ## Step 5 — Fill Prompts

- Order matters — earlier task IDs are referenced in blocking-chain setup.

+ The prompt templates in `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/pipelines/staff-session/` are not filled by hand: the

+ manifest `staff-session.manifest.yaml` names them, and the Workflow reads per-run values from

+ `scope.md`. Complete `{scratch-dir}/scope.md` with the run fields, the output and advisory paths,

+ and the Roster table from Step 4's `personas[]` (`slug`, `subagent_type` as `agent_type`,

+ persona name, perspective, `agent_file`) — see `pipelines/staff-session/templates-and-fields.md`

+ § Template vocabulary and the brief. Create `{scratch-dir}/mail/`.

- 1. **Synthesizer task** (created first, blocked by all debaters below): subject "Synthesize all

- debater positions into final {plan|findings}"; description points to reading

- `{scratch-dir}/*-position.md`, writing `{output-path}` + `{scratch-dir}/synthesis.md`, and

- `{scratch-dir}/advisory.md` if warranted. Save as `{synthesizer-task-id}`.

- 2. **Debater tasks** (one per persona, no blockers on creation): subject "{Persona Name}:

- {mode} session on {topic}"; description points to `{scratch-dir}/scope.md`, the mode-specific

- research/debate/write instruction, output to `{scratch-dir}/{persona-slug}-position.md`, DONE

- to synthesizer. Collect all IDs.

- 3. `TaskUpdate(taskId: "{synthesizer-task-id}", addBlockedBy: [<all debater task IDs>])`.

+ ## Step 6 — Fire the Workflow

- ## Step 6 — Spawn All Teammates

+ Emit the Workflow from the manifest; the EM supplies the brief and roster, never a script. CLI

+ resolved per `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/snippets/resolve-coordinator-bin.md` (Shape W, rung 0, on a

+ PowerShell host: `& "$env:COORDINATOR_SETTINGS_HOME\bin\emit-dispatch-workflow.exe" --pipeline

+ staff-session ...` with the same flags):

- Read the planner/reviewer/synthesizer prompt templates from

- `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/pipelines/staff-session/`. For each debater, read the persona identity

- excerpt from `personas[].agent_file` (Step 4's roster), injected at `[PERSONA_IDENTITY]`. Fill all

- `[BRACKETED_FIELD]` placeholders — see `pipelines/staff-session/templates-and-fields.md` § Step 6

- for the full field list.

+ ${COORDINATOR_SETTINGS_HOME:-${CLAUDE_HOME:-$HOME}/.coordinator-claude-settings}/bin/emit-dispatch-workflow --pipeline staff-session --brief {scratch-dir}/scope.md --flag mode=<plan|review> --list roster=<slug>=<agent_type>,<slug>=<agent_type>,... --out {scratch-dir}/staff-session.workflow.mjs

- **Spawn ALL teammates in a single message (parallel):** one `Agent(name: "{persona-slug}", model:

- "opus", subagent_type: "{personas[i].subagent_type}", prompt: <filled prompt>)` per debater

- (subagent_type from Step 4's roster, never hardcoded — e.g. game-dev personas use `game-dev:`,

- not `coordinator:`), followed by `TaskUpdate(taskId: "{debater-id}", owner: "{persona-slug}")`;

- then `Agent(name: "synthesizer", model: "opus", subagent_type: "coordinator:eng-director", prompt:

- <filled synthesizer prompt>)` + its `TaskUpdate`.

+ `--brief` is the path to `scope.md` (a missing file is refused); `--list roster` carries one

+ `slug=agent_type` per debater from the Roster table Step 5 wrote (`agent_type` is Step 4's

+ `subagent_type`, never hardcoded — e.g. game-dev personas use `game-dev:`, not `coordinator:`);

+ `--flag mode` is the session mode, and an absent one is refused. Fire the printed `Workflow` line as ONE background `Workflow`. The graph is

+ `staff-session.manifest.yaml`: round 1 (all debaters in parallel), one rebuttal round for each

+ debater with unread mail, then the synthesizer (`coordinator:eng-director`) as overseer, the only

+ output to the EM. Ordering is the manifest's `depends_on`; there are no tasks or `blockedBy`.

## Step 7 — EM Is Freed

- After spawning, announce:

+ After firing, announce:

> "Staff session running on '**{topic}**' with **{N} debaters** ({names}) + **1 synthesizer**.

- > Debate phase: floor 3 min, ceiling {MAX_MINUTES} min. Synthesizer unblocks when all debaters

- > complete. I'm available for other work — I'll be notified when the synthesizer completes."

+ > Round 1 positions and challenges, one rebuttal round, then synthesis. I'm available for other

+ > work — I'll be notified when the Workflow completes."

- **You are now free to continue with the PM.** Do not poll, monitor, or send WRAP_UP — the team

- self-governs via `team-protocol.md`.

+ **You are now free to continue with the PM.** Do not poll, monitor, or message the agents — the

+ script self-governs via `team-protocol.md`.

- ## Step 8 — On Completion Notification

+ ## Step 8 — On Workflow Completion Notification

1. Read `{output-path}`; verify substantive content (not just headers/a stub).

2. Mode-specific verification: plan mode → `## Implementation Plan` section with

tasks/files/steps, and the marker `**Review:** Staff session ({participants}) — debated and

synthesized. Ready for enrichment.` present byte-exact (this line is the single authoritative

producer copy `enrich-and-review`'s gate matches against — never hand-type a second copy).

Review mode → findings structured with severities/persona attributions, `## Verdict` line

present.

3. Check for advisory: `test -f {scratch-dir}/advisory.md`; read if present.

4. Commit the output artifact (scoped): `git add -- {output-path}` then `git commit -m

"staff-session: {mode} — {topic-slug}" -- {output-path}`. Then commit the paper trail as an

explicit file list, not the whole workdir: `git add -- {scratch-dir}/scope.md

{scratch-dir}/*-position.md {scratch-dir}/synthesis.md {scratch-dir}/advisory.md` then

`git commit -m "staff-session: paper trail — {topic-slug}" -- {scratch-dir}/scope.md

{scratch-dir}/*-position.md {scratch-dir}/synthesis.md {scratch-dir}/advisory.md` (omit

`advisory.md` from both commands when the synthesizer wrote none) — the archive op in item 5

cannot archive an untracked workdir; detail: wiki.

5. Archive-and-cleanup: invoke `fleet.archive_paper_trail` with `run_id={run-id}`,

`topic_slug={topic-slug}`, `dry_run=false`. Moves `{scratch-dir}` to

`docs/research/archive/YYYY-MM-DD-{topic-slug}/`, lands one scoped commit, removes the source

tree. Safe no-op on re-run. Mechanics and CLI-trampoline caveat: wiki.

- 6. Team auto-cleans on session exit — no explicit teardown.

- 7. Present to PM: mode-specific framing ("ready for `/enrich-and-review`" / "synthesized

+ 6. Present to PM: mode-specific framing ("ready for `/enrich-and-review`" / "synthesized

findings"), 2-3 bullet executive summary, output path, and — if advisory exists — a pointer to

the archived advisory.

## Error Handling

See `pipelines/staff-session/templates-and-fields.md` § Error Handling Matrix for the full

- failure-mode → action table (debater crash, synthesizer failure, DONE-not-received, debate loops,

+ failure-mode → action table (debater crash, synthesizer failure, Workflow refusal, non-convergence,

unknown slug, missing output).