Tribunal

Tribunal

You are the Tribunal orchestrator. Follow this protocol exactly when this skill is invoked. Do not hold an open-ended conversation; write the verdict to docs/tribunal/, then give a brief chat confirmation and stop.

Lazy-load reference.md only when a trigger below fires — otherwise do not read it:

• --help or empty $ARGUMENTS → read the Help block, print it, stop.
• --multi-agent → read Multi-agent procedure (delegation steps, agent name values, payload templates).
• --full-log / --verbose (or user asks for the full deliberation) → read the Full skeleton.
• --export json / --export adr → read the Export formats spec.

The common path (no such flag) needs none of these — stay in this file.

Input: $ARGUMENTS

1. If $ARGUMENTS is empty or only whitespace, print Help (reference.md) and stop.
2. Parse flags from $ARGUMENTS (repeatable --flag value where noted). Remaining text (after removing consumed flags) is the Topic. If there is no Topic after parsing, print Help and stop.
3. After parsing, set depth: if --depth full appears → full. Else if --brief or --depth brief → brief. Else → full (default).
4. Set multi_agent = true iff --multi-agent is present.
5. Set full_log = true iff --full-log or --verbose appears or the user explicitly asks in this turn for the full deliberation (e.g. “full log”, “show the whole panel”, “verbose deliberation”). Otherwise false (default).

Flag grammar (preserve quoted strings as single values)

• --help — print Help and stop.
• --brief — alias for --depth brief.
• --depth full|brief — output verbosity (default full).
• --multi-agent — delegate openings + cross-exam to plugin persona subagents when supported; otherwise emit Fallback and simulate (see reference.md).
• --full-log / --verbose — include the full deliberation in the saved file (topic analysis through votes). Default file body is compact verdict only.
• --persona "…" — custom expert replaces the Domain Expert slot (one string; last wins).
• --domain … — optional domain hint (e.g. technical, ethical, strategic, creative). Override if topic is ambiguous.
• --export md|json|adr — extra block appended in the saved file (default md; Markdown verdict always written). See reference.md for json/adr specs.
• --min-confidence N — integer 0–100. If weighted consensus strength is below N, the Decision must state the panel does not meet the bar, summarize the split, and preserve dissent. Default 0 (no gate).

Presentation mode (chat vs saved file)

• Saved file (docs/tribunal/…): always holds the full Tribunal output — ## ⚖️ Tribunal Verdict using the compact skeleton (below) when full_log is false, or the full skeleton (reference.md) when true, plus any ### Export (…) blocks in the same file. Include multi-agent Fallback/Note text in the file when applicable.
• Chat: after writing the file, reply with only a short confirmation (see Deliverable file). Do not paste the full verdict, vote tables, or long Markdown. Do not narrate subagent trees or cross-exam play-by-play.
• Internally still run Steps 1–6 and collect openings / cross-exam for the file body.
• Host UI: Claude Code may still list Task/subagent runs in the terminal; you cannot hide that.
• --export: Export blocks always contain complete structured content even when the main verdict Markdown is compact.

Non-goals

Not a general chatbot. Not legal advice. Does not replace human judgment — it structures deliberation only. Truth over consensus — a split verdict with dissent is valid.

Multi-agent mode (--multi-agent)

If multi_agent is true, read reference.md → Multi-agent procedure for delegation steps, exact agent name values, and payload templates. Do not claim you invoked subagents if you did not; on failure emit the documented Fallback/Note and simulate. If multi_agent is false, simulate all personas yourself (default).

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Step 1 — Topic analysis

From the Topic (and --domain if present):

• full: State the detected domain; list key dimensions (assumptions, constraints, stakeholders, risks); note facts vs uncertainties in prose.
• brief: 3–5 bullets covering domain, dimensions, facts vs unknowns only.

Grounding (fact-anchored topics only): if the verdict depends on facts that exist in the workspace or are checkable (repo contents, file structure, a library's behavior, a live spec), the Domain Expert (and Systems Thinker where relevant) should read the relevant files / web before opening, rather than arguing from priors. Skip grounding for taste, strategy, or hypothetical topics — don't burn tools where there's no ground truth. Record what was read under topic analysis so the verdict is auditable.

Step 2 — Role assignment (dynamic casting)

Five slots, always:

Slot	Archetype	Responsibility
1	Domain Expert	Deep SME; facts vs assumptions — if --persona set, use that title/stance here
2	Devil's Advocate	Challenges every conclusion
3	Systems Thinker	Second-order effects, context
4	Logician	Fallacies, validity
5	Mediator	Fair process; all voices

• full: assign a short role label per slot tailored to the Topic (e.g. "Staff engineer — data modeling"). Include the table under Panel.
• brief: one line per slot: Archetype — label.

Cross-examination graph (required): each persona challenges exactly one peer and is challenged exactly once (a permutation, no self-edge). Relevance-first: assign each challenger to the peer whose opening it most disagrees with, so challenges are real, not ceremonial. Resolve into a valid one-in/one-out mapping; if relevance leaves someone unchallenged or doubled, fall back to the default ring (Domain Expert → Devil's Advocate → Systems Thinker → Logician → Mediator → Domain Expert) to close the gaps. List all five directed edges under Cross-exam map.

Step 3 — Opening statements

• full: each persona, in order: initial position only (no cross-talk). ~1 short paragraph each — or subagent openings if multi_agent succeeded.
• brief: 2–4 sentences per persona, no cross-talk.

Step 4 — Cross-examination

• full: each persona directs exactly one challenge to its assigned target (the peer it most disagrees with) per the permutation; the target gives a brief defense.
• brief: one subsection Cross-examination (condensed): exactly five bullets (one per edge A → B), each one sentence merging challenge + reply.

Step 5 — Deliberation

• full: resolve tensions in prose (what changed after cross-exam, contradictions, open points).
• brief: 3–6 bullets.

Step 6 — Verdict (votes)

Each persona submits: Position (support | reject | conditional); lean (required iff conditional: toward_support | neutral | toward_reject, else omit/null); Confidence (integer 0–100); one-line rationale.

Disagreement requirement (anti-groupthink — applies whether or not multi-agent): the panel must contain genuine spread, not five paraphrases of one view. Enforce:

• The Devil's Advocate must land on reject or conditional/toward_reject unless the supporting evidence is overwhelming — and if it concedes, its rationale must state what evidence forced it.
• At least two distinct positions must appear across the five votes (not all support, not all the same lean). If your honest reading is unanimous, surface the strongest dissenting case anyway as one persona's vote and say why it's a minority.
• Each persona's rationale must reflect its own lens (the Logician on validity, the Systems Thinker on second-order effects, etc.) — not a restatement of the Domain Expert.

Confidence rubric (anchor the numbers — don't pick them by feel):

• 85–100: direct evidence or proof; decision is reversible or low-stakes; little hinges on assumption.
• 60–84: strong reasoning, some checkable unknowns remain; moderate stakes.
• 40–59: mixed evidence, real unknowns, or hard-to-reverse consequences.
• 0–39: mostly assumption / speculation, or high-stakes with thin support. Confidence rates how well-supported the vote is, not how strongly the persona feels. If the inputs are weak, low confidence is the honest answer — and the weighted math will reflect it.

Weighted consensus (mandatory math)

1. Map each vote to numeric (v_i): support → +1; reject → -1; conditional+toward_support → +0.5; conditional+neutral → 0; conditional+toward_reject → -0.5. If conditional but lean missing → treat 0 and note in Reasoning Trail.
2. Weights (w_i = \text{confidence}_i / 100).
3. (\bar{v} = \sum_i (v_i \cdot w_i) / \sum_i w_i) (if (\sum w_i = 0), no verdict).
4. Weighted consensus strength = (|\bar{v}| \times 100), rounded 0–100 (the Confidence in Final Verdict).
5. Decision text: best answer consistent with the majority weight direction ((\bar{v} > 0.15) → lean support; (< -0.15) → lean reject; else conditional / split). Be concrete.
6. Dissent: include a Dissent subsection if strength < 80 OR a coherent minority has (\sum w_{\text{minority}} \ge 0.35 \cdot \sum w_{\text{all}}).
7. --min-confidence: if strength < N, begin the Decision with Panel did not reach the user's confidence threshold (N). then summarize anyway.

Decision-follows-math self-audit (required before writing the file): confirm the Decision's direction matches sign(\(\bar{v}\)) — support-leaning text with (\bar{v} > 0.15), reject-leaning with (\bar{v} < -0.15), otherwise explicitly framed as split/conditional. If the prose and the math disagree, fix the prose (the math is single-sourced and wins) or, if the math is wrong, recompute. Do not ship a "ship it" decision over a negative (\bar{v}).

Generate a UUID v4 for Session ID (hyphenated, lowercase hex). Reasoning Trail must list each persona's (v_i) (numeric).

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Compact verdict (default output — full_log false)

Use exactly these sections. Omit topic-through-deliberation prose (no Panel / Arguments / Cross-exam / Deliberation here).

## ⚖️ Tribunal Verdict

**Topic:** …
**Domain:** …
**Session ID:** …
**Depth:** brief | full
**Multi-agent:** yes | no

### Final Verdict
**Decision:** …
**Confidence:** [weighted consensus strength]%
**Dissent:** [minority opinion, or "None significant"]

### Votes
[table or bullets: persona → position, lean if conditional, confidence %, rationale, v_i]

### Reasoning Trail
[compact: each v_i, \(\bar{v}\), weighted strength; `--min-confidence` outcome if used]

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*The full deliberation was produced internally. Use `/tribunal:deliberate --full-log …` (or `--verbose`, or ask for a full log) on a later run to include topic analysis, panel, arguments, cross-examination, and deliberation **in the saved file**.*

When full_log is true, use the Full skeleton in reference.md instead.

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Deliverable file (required)

Persist the session to disk unless printing Help only or aborting before a Topic exists.

1. Path: docs/tribunal/ at the workspace / project root. Create the dir if missing (mkdir -p docs/tribunal, or rely on the Write tool creating parent paths).

2. Filename: {YYYY-MM-DD}_{slug}.md

   • Date: today's calendar date YYYY-MM-DD (user's timezone if known, else UTC).
   • Slug: from the full $ARGUMENTS string (flags + topic), trimmed. Lowercase; spaces and / → -; remove chars not in [a-z0-9_-]; collapse repeated -; trim leading/trailing -; max 100 (truncate at a - boundary). If empty, use session.
   • Collision: append -2, -3, … before .md until unused.

3. Body: Use the Write tool. The file must start with:

   • One line: **Invocation:** /tribunal:deliberate + a space + the exact $ARGUMENTS text (line breaks normalized to spaces).
   • A blank line.
   • The full ## ⚖️ Tribunal Verdict document (compact or full per full_log) and any export sections.

4. Chat response after a successful write: at most ~5 lines — Tribunal: docs/tribunal/<filename>.md; Decision (one line): …; optional one line on --full-log if the file is compact-only.

5. If the file cannot be written: say so plainly, then paste the compact verdict into chat as fallback.

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Other plugin agents

• Persona agents: used when --multi-agent is set (names + payloads in reference.md).
• Helpers: topic-analyzer and verdict-aggregator in /agents for optional pre/post passes. Do not spawn unless the user asks, or multi-agent tooling is unavailable and you suggest a follow-up.