[Sprint 21] Sync Squad coordinator and workflow templates

.github/skills/agent-collaboration/SKILL.md

@@ -15,16 +15,13 @@ The coordinator's spawn prompt already instructs agents to read decisions.md and
 ## Patterns
 
 ### Worktree Awareness
-
 Use the `TEAM ROOT` path provided in your spawn prompt. All `.squad/` paths are relative to this root. If TEAM ROOT is not provided (rare), run `git rev-parse --show-toplevel` as fallback. Never assume CWD is the repo root.
 
 ### Decision Recording
-
 After making a decision that affects other team members, write it to:
 `.squad/decisions/inbox/{your-name}-{brief-slug}.md`
 
 Format:
-
 ```
 ### {date}: {decision title}
 **By:** {Your Name}
@@ -33,15 +30,12 @@ Format:
 ```
 
 ### Cross-Agent Communication
-
 If you need another team member's input, say so in your response. The coordinator will bring them in. Don't try to do work outside your domain.
 
 ### Reviewer Protocol
-
 If you have reviewer authority and reject work: the original author is locked out from revising that artifact. A different agent must own the revision. State who should revise in your rejection response.
 
 ## Anti-Patterns
-
 - Don't read all agent charters — you only need your own context + decisions.md
 - Don't write directly to `.squad/decisions.md` — always use the inbox drop-box
 - Don't modify other agents' history.md files — that's Scribe's job

.github/skills/coordinator-init-mode/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+---
+name: "coordinator-init-mode"
+description: "The complete two-phase Init Mode protocol the Squad coordinator runs when no team exists yet in the current repo. Phase 1 = propose the team (no files created, wait for user confirm). Phase 2 = create .squad/ scaffolding, casting state, .gitattributes for merge drivers, and the always-on built-ins (Scribe, Ralph, Rai, Fact Checker). Loaded on demand when the coordinator detects no .squad/team.md exists."
+allowedTools: []
+confidence: high
+domain: squad-internals
+source: "Extracted from squad.agent.md as part of the slimming effort (bradygaster/squad#1308). Behaviour unchanged — coordinator loads this satellite skill when init mode is detected (no .squad/team.md present)."
+---
+
+> **Load this skill when:** you detect that no `.squad/team.md` exists in the resolved team root — that means this is a fresh repo or a repo that has never been squadified, and Init Mode is the right path. The short stub in `squad.agent.md` tells you to load this skill; the full two-phase protocol lives here.
+>
+> **⚠️ Eager-execution exception:** Init Mode is the ONE exception to the eager-execution / parallel-fan-out doctrine. Phase 1 MUST end with a user confirmation before any file is created. Do not bypass.
+
+## Phase 1: Propose the Team
+
+No team exists yet. **Propose one — but DO NOT create any files until the user confirms.**
+
+1. **Identify the user.** Run `git config user.name` to learn who you're working with. Use their name in conversation (e.g., *"Hey {user}, what are you building?"*). Store their name (NOT email) in `team.md` under Project Context. **Never read or store `git config user.email`** — email addresses are PII and must not be written to committed files.
+2. Ask: *"What are you building? (language, stack, what it does)"*
+3. **Cast the team.** Before proposing names, run the Casting & Persistent Naming algorithm (see the canonical Casting reference at `.squad/templates/casting-reference.md`):
+   - Determine team size: pick **4–5 cast (user-domain) agents**, then add the **4 always-on built-ins** (Scribe + Ralph + Rai + Fact Checker — see their dedicated sections in `squad.agent.md`). A typical fresh squad has **8–9 total roster entries**, not 4–5.
+   - Determine assignment shape from the user's project description.
+   - Derive resonance signals from the session and repo context.
+   - Select a universe. Allocate character names from that universe.
+   - Scribe is always "Scribe" — exempt from casting.
+   - Ralph is always "Ralph" — exempt from casting.
+   - Rai is always "Rai" — exempt from casting.
+   - Fact Checker is always "Fact Checker" — exempt from casting (same pattern as Scribe / Ralph / Rai).
+4. Propose the team with their cast names. Example (names will vary per cast):
+
+```
+🏗️  {CastName1}  — Lead          Scope, decisions, code review
+⚛️  {CastName2}  — Frontend Dev  React, UI, components
+🔧  {CastName3}  — Backend Dev   APIs, database, services
+🧪  {CastName4}  — Tester        Tests, quality, edge cases
+📋  Scribe       — (silent)      Memory, decisions, session logs
+🔄  Ralph        — (monitor)     Work queue, backlog, keep-alive
+🛡️  Rai         — (background)  RAI awareness, content safety
+🔍  Fact Checker — (verifier)    Verification + Devil's Advocate
+```
+
+5. Use the `ask_user` tool to confirm the roster. Provide choices so the user sees a selectable menu:
+   - **question:** *"Look right?"*
+   - **choices:** `["Yes, hire this team", "Add someone", "Change a role"]`
+
+**⚠️ STOP. Your response ENDS here. Do NOT proceed to Phase 2. Do NOT create any files or directories. Wait for the user's reply.**
+
+---
+
+## Phase 2: Create the Team
+
+**Trigger:** The user replied to Phase 1 with confirmation ("yes", "looks good", or similar affirmative), OR the user's reply to Phase 1 is a task (treat as implicit "yes").
+
+> If the user said "add someone" or "change a role," go back to Phase 1 step 3 and re-propose. **Do NOT enter Phase 2 until the user confirms.**
+
+6. Create the `.squad/` directory structure (see `.squad/templates/` for format guides or use the standard structure: `team.md`, `routing.md`, `ceremonies.md`, `decisions.md`, `decisions/inbox/`, `casting/`, `agents/`, `orchestration-log/`, `skills/`, `log/`, `rai/`).
+
+**Casting state initialization:** Copy `.squad/templates/casting-policy.json` to `.squad/casting/policy.json` (or create from defaults). Create `registry.json` (entries: persistent_name, universe, created_at, legacy_named: false, status: "active") and `history.json` (first assignment snapshot with unique assignment_id).
+
+**Seeding:** Each agent's `history.md` starts with the project description, tech stack, and the user's name so they have day-1 context. Agent folder names are the cast name in lowercase (e.g., `.squad/agents/ripley/`). The Scribe's charter includes maintaining `decisions.md` and cross-agent context sharing. Rai's charter is seeded from the `Rai-charter.md` template, and `.squad/rai/policy.md` is seeded from `rai-policy.md`. Fact Checker's charter is seeded from `fact-checker-charter.md` and `.squad/fact-checker/policy.md` is seeded from `fact-checker-policy.md`.
+
+**Team.md structure:** `team.md` MUST contain a section titled exactly `## Members` (not "## Team Roster" or other variations) containing the roster table. This header is hard-coded in GitHub workflows (`squad-heartbeat.yml`, `squad-issue-assign.yml`, `squad-triage.yml`, `sync-squad-labels.yml`) for label automation. If the header is missing or titled differently, label routing breaks.
+
+**Merge driver for append-only files:** Create or update `.gitattributes` at the repo root to enable conflict-free merging of `.squad/` state across branches:
+
+```
+.squad/decisions.md merge=union
+.squad/agents/*/history.md merge=union
+.squad/log/** merge=union
+.squad/orchestration-log/** merge=union
+.squad/rai/audit-trail.md merge=union
+```
+
+The `union` merge driver keeps all lines from both sides, which is correct for append-only files. This makes worktree-local strategy work seamlessly when branches merge — decisions, memories, and logs from all branches combine automatically.
+
+7. Say: *"✅ Team hired. Try: '{FirstCastName}, set up the project structure'"*
+
+8. **Post-setup input sources** (optional — ask after team is created, not during casting):
+   - **PRD/spec:** *"Do you have a PRD or spec document? (file path, paste it, or skip)"* → If provided, follow PRD Mode flow.
+   - **GitHub issues:** *"Is there a GitHub repo with issues I should pull from? (owner/repo, or skip)"* → If provided, follow GitHub Issues Mode flow.
+   - **Human members:** *"Are any humans joining the team? (names and roles, or just AI for now)"* → If provided, add per Human Team Members section.
+   - **Copilot agent:** *"Want to include @copilot? It can pick up issues autonomously. (yes/no)"* → If yes, follow Copilot Coding Agent Member section and ask about auto-assignment.
+   - These are additive. **Don't block** — if the user skips or gives a task instead, proceed immediately.

.github/skills/coordinator-response-mode/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+---
+name: "coordinator-response-mode"
+description: "Selecting WHO handles work is the Routing table; selecting HOW they handle it (Direct, Lightweight, Standard, Full) is Response Mode. This skill contains the complete decision table, exemplar prompts for each mode, the Lightweight spawn template, and the upgrade rules. Squad coordinator loads this on demand once routing has identified the agent — to pick the right ceremony level for the task."
+allowedTools: []
+confidence: high
+domain: squad-internals
+source: "Extracted from squad.agent.md as part of the slimming effort (bradygaster/squad#1308). Behaviour unchanged — coordinator loads this satellite skill after Routing, before spawn."
+---
+
+> **Load this skill when:** you have routed work to an agent and need to pick the response mode (Direct / Lightweight / Standard / Full). The 1-line stub in `squad.agent.md` is for awareness; this skill is the full decision table + templates.
+
+## Response Mode Selection
+
+After routing determines WHO handles work, select the response MODE based on task complexity. **Bias toward upgrading** — when uncertain, go one tier higher rather than risk under-serving.
+
+| Mode | When | How | Target |
+|------|------|-----|--------|
+| **Direct** | Status checks, factual questions the coordinator already knows, simple answers from context | Coordinator answers directly — NO agent spawn | ~2-3s |
+| **Lightweight** | Single-file edits, small fixes, follow-ups, simple scoped read-only queries | Spawn ONE agent with minimal prompt (see Lightweight Spawn Template below). Use `agent_type: "explore"` for read-only queries | ~8-12s |
+| **Standard** | Normal tasks, single-agent work requiring full context | Spawn one agent with full ceremony — charter inline, history read, decisions read. This is the current default | ~25-35s |
+| **Full** | Multi-agent work, complex tasks touching 3+ concerns, "Team" requests | Parallel fan-out, full ceremony, Scribe included | ~40-60s |
+
+## Direct Mode exemplars
+
+Coordinator answers instantly, no spawn:
+
+- *"Where are we?"* → Summarize current state from context: branch, recent work, what the team's been doing. A user favorite — make it instant.
+- *"How many tests do we have?"* → Run a quick command, answer directly.
+- *"What branch are we on?"* → `git branch --show-current`, answer directly.
+- *"Who's on the team?"* → Answer from `team.md` already in context.
+- *"What did we decide about X?"* → Answer from `decisions.md` already in context.
+
+## Lightweight Mode exemplars
+
+One agent, minimal prompt:
+
+- *"Fix the typo in README"* → Spawn one agent, no charter, no history read.
+- *"Add a comment to line 42"* → Small scoped edit, minimal context needed.
+- *"What does this function do?"* → `agent_type: "explore"` (Haiku model, fast).
+- Follow-up edits after a Standard/Full response — context is fresh, skip ceremony.
+
+## Standard Mode exemplars
+
+One agent, full ceremony:
+
+- *"{AgentName}, add error handling to the export function"*
+- *"{AgentName}, review the prompt structure"*
+- Any task requiring architectural judgment or multi-file awareness.
+
+## Full Mode exemplars
+
+Multi-agent, parallel fan-out:
+
+- *"Team, build the login page"*
+- *"Add OAuth support"*
+- Any request that touches 3+ agent domains.
+
+## Mode upgrade rules
+
+- If a Lightweight task turns out to need history or decisions context → treat as Standard.
+- If uncertain between Direct and Lightweight → choose Lightweight.
+- If uncertain between Lightweight and Standard → choose Standard.
+- **Never downgrade mid-task.** If you started Standard, finish Standard.
+
+## Lightweight Spawn Template
+
+Skip charter, history, and decisions reads — just the task:
+
+```
+agent_type: "general-purpose"
+model: "{resolved_model}"
+mode: "background"
+name: "{name}"
+description: "{emoji} {Name}: {brief task summary}"
+prompt: |
+  You are {Name}, the {Role} on this project.
+  TEAM ROOT: {team_root}
+  CURRENT_DATETIME: <resolved CURRENT_DATETIME literal>
+  WORKTREE_PATH: {worktree_path}
+  WORKTREE_MODE: {true|false}
+  **Requested by:** {current user name}
+
+  {% if WORKTREE_MODE %}
+  **WORKTREE:** Working in `{WORKTREE_PATH}`. All operations relative to this path. Do NOT switch branches.
+  {% endif %}
+
+  TASK: {specific task description}
+  TARGET FILE(S): {exact file path(s)}
+
+  Do the work. Keep it focused.
+  If you made a meaningful decision, persist it with `memory.write` (class: `decision`) when available, or fall back to `squad_decide` / `squad_state_write` to `decisions/inbox/{name}-{brief-slug}.md`. Do not run git notes, switch branches, or write mutable `.squad/` state by hand.
+
+  ⚠️ OUTPUT: Report outcomes in human terms. Never expose tool internals or SQL.
+  ⚠️ RESPONSE ORDER: After ALL tool calls, write a plain text summary as FINAL output.
+```
+
+For **read-only queries**, use the explore agent: `agent_type: "explore"` with `"You are {Name}, the {Role}. CURRENT_DATETIME: <resolved CURRENT_DATETIME literal> — {question} TEAM ROOT: {team_root}"`

.github/skills/coordinator-source-of-truth/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+---
+name: "coordinator-source-of-truth"
+description: "The complete file-by-file source-of-truth hierarchy for Squad: which files are authoritative, which are derived/append-only, who may write each one, who may read each one, and the precedence rules when they conflict. Squad coordinator loads this on demand when it needs to resolve a write conflict, decide where a piece of state belongs, or answer a 'who owns this file' question."
+allowedTools: []
+confidence: high
+domain: squad-internals
+source: "Extracted from squad.agent.md as part of the slimming effort (bradygaster/squad#1308). Behaviour unchanged — coordinator loads this satellite skill when a routing decision needs the full hierarchy."
+---
+
+> **Load this skill when:** the coordinator (or any agent) needs to resolve a "where does this state belong?" or "who is allowed to write this file?" question — e.g., when about to write `.squad/decisions.md`, when reviewing whether an agent broke the append-only rule, when answering a user question about Squad's file layout, or when adjudicating a conflict between two files. The short summary in `squad.agent.md` is for routing; this skill is the full reference.
+
+## State backend note
+
+Files below marked as **"Derived / append-only"** are **mutable state** — agents access them with runtime state tools (`squad_state_read`, `squad_state_write`, `squad_state_append`, `squad_state_delete`, `squad_state_list`). The runtime decides whether the configured backend stores them on disk, git-native state, or an external provider. Files marked as **"Authoritative"** are **static config** and always live on disk regardless of backend.
+
+## File hierarchy
+
+| File | Status | Who May Write | Who May Read |
+|------|--------|---------------|--------------|
+| `.github/agents/squad.agent.md` | **Authoritative governance.** All roles, handoffs, gates, and enforcement rules. | Repo maintainer (human) | Squad (Coordinator) |
+| `.squad/decisions.md` | **Authoritative decision ledger.** Single canonical location for scope, architecture, and process decisions. | Squad (Coordinator) — append only | All agents |
+| `.squad/team.md` | **Authoritative roster.** Current team composition. | Squad (Coordinator) | All agents |
+| `.squad/routing.md` | **Authoritative routing.** Work assignment rules. | Squad (Coordinator) | Squad (Coordinator) |
+| `.squad/ceremonies.md` | **Authoritative ceremony config.** Definitions, triggers, and participants for team ceremonies. | Squad (Coordinator) | Squad (Coordinator), Facilitator agent (read-only at ceremony time) |
+| `.squad/casting/policy.json` | **Authoritative casting config.** Universe allowlist and capacity. | Squad (Coordinator) | Squad (Coordinator) |
+| `.squad/casting/registry.json` | **Authoritative name registry.** Persistent agent-to-name mappings. | Squad (Coordinator) | Squad (Coordinator) |
+| `.squad/casting/history.json` | **Derived / append-only.** Universe usage history and assignment snapshots. | Squad (Coordinator) — append only | Squad (Coordinator) |
+| `.squad/agents/{name}/charter.md` | **Authoritative agent identity.** Per-agent role and boundaries. | Squad (Coordinator) at creation; agent may not self-modify | Squad (Coordinator) reads to inline at spawn; owning agent receives via prompt |
+| `.squad/agents/{name}/history.md` | **Derived / append-only.** Personal learnings. Never authoritative for enforcement. | Owning agent (append only), Scribe (cross-agent updates, summarization) | Owning agent only |
+| `.squad/agents/{name}/history-archive.md` | **Derived / append-only.** Archived history entries. Preserved for reference. | Scribe | Owning agent (read-only) |
+| `.squad/orchestration-log/` | **Derived / append-only.** Agent routing evidence. Never edited after write. | Scribe | All agents (read-only) |
+| `.squad/log/` | **Derived / append-only.** Session logs. Diagnostic archive. Never edited after write. | Scribe | All agents (read-only) |
+| `.squad/templates/` | **Reference.** Format guides for runtime files. Not authoritative for enforcement. | Squad (Coordinator) at init | Squad (Coordinator) |
+| `.squad/rai/policy.md` | **Authoritative RAI policy.** Check categories, terminology standards, and opt-out rules. | Squad (Coordinator) at init; Rai may propose updates via decisions inbox | Rai, All agents (read-only) |
+| `.squad/rai/audit-trail.md` | **Derived / append-only.** RAI review evidence log. Redacted — never contains raw secrets or harmful content. | Rai (append only) | Rai, Squad (Coordinator) |
+| `.squad/fact-checker/policy.md` | **Authoritative verification + Devil's Advocate policy.** Confidence rating taxonomy, hard anti-fabrication rules, mode triggers, opt-out model. | Squad (Coordinator) at init; Fact Checker may propose updates via decisions inbox | Fact Checker, All agents (read-only) |
+| `.squad/fact-checker/audit-trail.md` | **Derived / append-only.** Verification verdicts + DA brief evidence log. Succinct — verdict + citation, never raw source material. | Fact Checker (append only) | Fact Checker, Squad (Coordinator) |
+| `.squad/plugins/marketplaces.json` | **Authoritative plugin config.** Registered marketplace sources. | Squad CLI (`squad plugin marketplace`) | Squad (Coordinator) |
+
+## Rules
+
+1. **If `squad.agent.md` and any other file conflict, `squad.agent.md` wins.** It is the only file with hard governance authority.
+2. **Append-only files must never be retroactively edited** to change meaning. They are diagnostic and audit-trail material. Corrections go in a new entry that references the prior one.
+3. **Agents may only write to files listed in their "Who May Write" column above.** Violations are a contract bug; runtime state-backends will refuse the write on non-local backends.
+4. **Non-coordinator agents may propose decisions** in their responses, but only Squad (Coordinator) records accepted decisions in `.squad/decisions.md`.