docs: cross-agent enforcement architecture design

Comprehensive design covering:
- Abstract layers (message passing, memory, enforcement)
- Four enforcement strategies:
  - Hook-based (Claude/Gemini)
  - Orchestrator-enforced (OpenCode/Codex)
  - Validator sidecar (universal)
  - Proxy-based (API interception)
- Circuit breakers (semantic drift, three-strike, budget)
- Adversarial reviewer pattern
- State flow diagram
- Implementation phases

Based on web research via orch (gemini --websearch).

Addresses: skills-8sj

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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dan 2026-01-09 19:51:09 -08:00
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{"id":"skills-8d9","title":"Add conversational patterns to orch skill","description":"## Context\nThe orch skill currently documents consensus and single-shot chat, but doesn't\nteach agents how to use orch for multi-turn conversations with external AIs.\n\n## Goal\nAdd documentation and patterns for agent-driven conversations where the calling\nagent (Claude Code) orchestrates multi-turn dialogues using orch primitives.\n\n## Patterns to document\n\n### Session-based multi-turn\n```bash\n# Initial query\nRESPONSE=$(orch chat \"Analyze this\" --model claude --format json)\nSESSION=$(echo \"$RESPONSE\" | jq -r .session_id)\n\n# Continue conversation\norch chat \"Elaborate on X\" --model claude --session $SESSION\n\n# Inspect state\norch sessions info $SESSION\norch sessions show $SESSION --last 2 --format text\n```\n\n### Cross-model dialogue\n```bash\n# Get one model's take\nCLAUDE=$(orch chat \"Review this\" --model claude --format json)\nCLAUDE_SAYS=$(echo \"$CLAUDE\" | jq -r '.responses[0].content')\n\n# Ask another model to respond\norch chat \"Claude said: $CLAUDE_SAYS\n\nWhat's your perspective?\" --model gemini\n```\n\n### When to use conversations vs consensus\n- Consensus: quick parallel opinions on a decision\n- Conversation: deeper exploration, follow-up questions, iterative refinement\n\n## Files\n- skills/orch/SKILL.md\n\n## Related\n- orch-c3r: Design: Session introspection for agent-driven conversations (in orch repo)","status":"closed","priority":2,"issue_type":"feature","created_at":"2025-12-18T19:57:28.201494288-08:00","updated_at":"2025-12-29T15:34:16.254181578-05:00","closed_at":"2025-12-29T15:34:16.254181578-05:00","close_reason":"Added conversational patterns section to orch SKILL.md: sessions, cross-model dialogue, iterative refinement, consensus vs chat guidance."}
{"id":"skills-8ma","title":"worklog skill: remove org-mode references, use markdown instead","description":"The worklog skill currently references org-mode format (.org files) in the template and instructions. Update to use markdown (.md) instead:\n\n1. Update ~/.claude/skills/worklog/templates/worklog-template.org → worklog-template.md\n2. Convert org-mode syntax to markdown (#+TITLE → # Title, * → ##, etc.)\n3. Update skill instructions to reference .md files\n4. Update suggest-filename.sh to output .md extension\n\nContext: org-mode is less widely supported than markdown in tooling and editors.","status":"closed","priority":2,"issue_type":"task","created_at":"2025-12-31T08:43:55.761429693-05:00","created_by":"dan","updated_at":"2026-01-02T00:13:05.338810905-05:00","closed_at":"2026-01-02T00:13:05.338810905-05:00","close_reason":"Migrated worklog skill from org-mode to markdown. Template, scripts, and SKILL.md updated. Backward compatible with existing .org files."}
{"id":"skills-8nl","title":"Fix: Gemini path restrictions for skills (skills-bo8)","description":"Concrete fix for Gemini not reading ~/.claude/skills/.\n\n## Problem\nGemini's ReadFile tool restricts to workspace directories.\nSymlinked ~/.claude/skills/ is blocked.\n\n## Options\n\n### A: Copy skills into workspace\n- Add skills/ to project repos\n- Pro: Works immediately\n- Con: Duplication, sync issues\n\n### B: Shell workaround in skill\n- Use \\`cat\\` instead of ReadFile\n- Pro: No duplication\n- Con: Fragile, skill must know about limitation\n\n### C: Configure Gemini allowed paths\n- Research if Gemini has path config\n- Pro: Clean solution\n- Con: May not exist\n\n### D: MCP server for skills\n- Skills exposed via MCP\n- Pro: Agent-agnostic\n- Con: Complexity, user said not interested in MCP\n\n## Deliverable\nWorking solution for Gemini to read skills","status":"closed","priority":2,"issue_type":"task","created_at":"2026-01-09T19:32:57.683370528-08:00","created_by":"dan","updated_at":"2026-01-09T19:35:28.05552467-08:00","closed_at":"2026-01-09T19:35:28.05552467-08:00","close_reason":"Fix found: Gemini includeDirectories setting"}
{"id":"skills-8sj","title":"Design: Cross-agent enforcement architecture","description":"Unified design for cross-agent quality gates and coordination.\n\nConsolidates: skills-3gk, skills-3ja, skills-thk, skills-6fu\n\n## Abstract Layers\n\n### 1. Message Passing Layer\n- **Purpose:** Async agent coordination, session handoffs\n- **Interface:** post(topic, message), read(topic), reply(id, message)\n- **Requirements:** Append-only, git-mergeable, agent-attributed\n\n### 2. Memory Layer \n- **Purpose:** Persistent work items, review state\n- **Interface:** create(issue), update(id, state), query(filters)\n- **Requirements:** Cross-session, dependency tracking, searchable\n\n### 3. Enforcement Layer\n- **Purpose:** Quality gates, completion blocking\n- **Interface:** check_gate(session) -\u003e allow/block, register_reviewer(session)\n\n## Enforcement Strategies\n\n| Agent | Mechanism | Strength |\n|-------|-----------|----------|\n| Claude Code | Stop hook | Mechanical |\n| Gemini CLI | Stop hook | Mechanical |\n| OpenCode | Orchestrator | Protocol |\n| Codex | Orchestrator | Protocol |\n| Any | Wrapper script | External |\n\n## State Schema\n\n```\nreview_state:\n session_id: string\n status: pending | in_review | approved | rejected\n worker_agent: string\n reviewer_agent: string\n issues_found: [issue_ids]\n approved_at: timestamp\n```\n\n## Circuit Breakers\n- Semantic drift detection\n- Three-strike tool failures \n- Budget/time limits\n\n## Deliverables\n1. Architecture diagram\n2. Interface definitions\n3. State schema\n4. Hook configuration templates\n5. Orchestrator flow pseudocode","status":"open","priority":2,"issue_type":"task","created_at":"2026-01-09T19:33:31.801684987-08:00","created_by":"dan","updated_at":"2026-01-09T19:33:31.801684987-08:00"}
{"id":"skills-8sj","title":"Design: Cross-agent enforcement architecture","description":"Unified design for cross-agent quality gates and coordination.\n\nConsolidates: skills-3gk, skills-3ja, skills-thk, skills-6fu\n\n## Abstract Layers\n\n### 1. Message Passing Layer\n- **Purpose:** Async agent coordination, session handoffs\n- **Interface:** post(topic, message), read(topic), reply(id, message)\n- **Requirements:** Append-only, git-mergeable, agent-attributed\n\n### 2. Memory Layer \n- **Purpose:** Persistent work items, review state\n- **Interface:** create(issue), update(id, state), query(filters)\n- **Requirements:** Cross-session, dependency tracking, searchable\n\n### 3. Enforcement Layer\n- **Purpose:** Quality gates, completion blocking\n- **Interface:** check_gate(session) -\u003e allow/block, register_reviewer(session)\n\n## Enforcement Strategies\n\n| Agent | Mechanism | Strength |\n|-------|-----------|----------|\n| Claude Code | Stop hook | Mechanical |\n| Gemini CLI | Stop hook | Mechanical |\n| OpenCode | Orchestrator | Protocol |\n| Codex | Orchestrator | Protocol |\n| Any | Wrapper script | External |\n\n## State Schema\n\n```\nreview_state:\n session_id: string\n status: pending | in_review | approved | rejected\n worker_agent: string\n reviewer_agent: string\n issues_found: [issue_ids]\n approved_at: timestamp\n```\n\n## Circuit Breakers\n- Semantic drift detection\n- Three-strike tool failures \n- Budget/time limits\n\n## Deliverables\n1. Architecture diagram\n2. Interface definitions\n3. State schema\n4. Hook configuration templates\n5. Orchestrator flow pseudocode","status":"in_progress","priority":2,"issue_type":"task","created_at":"2026-01-09T19:33:31.801684987-08:00","created_by":"dan","updated_at":"2026-01-09T19:37:55.87091058-08:00"}
{"id":"skills-8v0","title":"Consolidate skill list definitions (flake.nix + ai-skills.nix)","description":"Skill list duplicated in:\n- flake.nix (lines 15-27)\n- modules/ai-skills.nix (lines 8-18)\n\nIssues:\n- Manual sync required when adding skills\n- No validation that referenced skills exist\n\nFix:\n- Single source of truth for skill list\n- Consider generating one from the other\n\nSeverity: MEDIUM","status":"closed","priority":3,"issue_type":"task","created_at":"2025-12-24T02:51:14.432158871-05:00","updated_at":"2026-01-03T12:06:23.731969973-08:00","closed_at":"2026-01-03T12:06:23.731969973-08:00","close_reason":"Created skills.nix as single source of truth for skill names and descriptions. Updated flake.nix and Home Manager module to use it."}
{"id":"skills-8y6","title":"Define skill versioning strategy","description":"Git SHA alone is insufficient. Need tuple approach:\n\n- skill_source_rev: git SHA (if available)\n- skill_content_hash: hash of SKILL.md + scripts\n- runtime_ref: flake.lock hash or Nix store path\n\nQuestions to resolve:\n- Do Protos pin to versions (stable but maintenance) or float on latest (risky)?\n- How to handle breaking changes in skills?\n- Record in wisp trace vs proto definition?\n\nFrom consensus: both models flagged versioning instability as high severity.","status":"closed","priority":2,"issue_type":"task","created_at":"2025-12-23T19:49:30.839064445-05:00","updated_at":"2025-12-23T20:55:04.439779336-05:00","closed_at":"2025-12-23T20:55:04.439779336-05:00","close_reason":"ADRs revised with orch consensus feedback"}
{"id":"skills-9af","title":"spec-review: Add spike/research task handling","description":"Tasks like 'Investigate X' can linger without clear outcomes.\n\nAdd to REVIEW_TASKS:\n- Flag research/spike tasks\n- Require timebox and concrete outputs (decision record, prototype, risks)\n- Pattern for handling unknowns","status":"closed","priority":3,"issue_type":"task","created_at":"2025-12-15T00:23:26.887719136-08:00","updated_at":"2025-12-15T14:08:13.441095034-08:00","closed_at":"2025-12-15T14:08:13.441095034-08:00"}

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# Cross-Agent Enforcement Architecture
> **Date:** 2026-01-09
> **Status:** Draft
> **Issue:** skills-8sj
> **Research:** Web research via orch (gemini --websearch)
## Executive Summary
Design for quality gates and agent coordination that works across Claude Code, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, and Codex - regardless of which agent plays orchestrator, worker, or reviewer.
**Core principle:** External enforcement, not internal trust. The orchestrator/infrastructure enforces gates, not agent prompts.
---
## Abstract Layers
### Layer 1: Message Passing
**Purpose:** Async agent coordination, session handoffs, status updates
| Requirement | Description |
|-------------|-------------|
| Append-only | No overwrites, git-mergeable |
| Agent-attributed | Know which agent posted (model, role) |
| Topic-based | Namespaced conversations |
| Git-native | Lives in repo, auto-commits |
**Interface:**
```
post(topic, message, metadata) -> message_id
read(topic, since?) -> [messages]
reply(message_id, message) -> message_id
```
**Implementation options:**
- jwz (emes) - Zig, full-featured
- JSONL files with watcher
- beads extension
**Recommended format:** JSONL with sentinel trick for merge-safety
```jsonl
{"id": "01ABC", "topic": "review:session-123", "agent": "claude", "body": "Starting review", "ts": 1736456789}
{"id": "01ABD", "topic": "review:session-123", "agent": "gemini", "body": "APPROVED", "ts": 1736456800}
<!-- SENTINEL -->
```
---
### Layer 2: Memory
**Purpose:** Persistent work items, review state, dependencies
| Requirement | Description |
|-------------|-------------|
| Cross-session | Survives compaction, restarts |
| Dependency tracking | Issue X blocks issue Y |
| Queryable | Find by status, type, assignee |
| Git-native | Versioned with code |
**Interface:**
```
create(issue) -> issue_id
update(id, fields) -> issue
query(filters) -> [issues]
close(id, reason) -> issue
```
**Implementation:** beads (already have this)
**Review state schema:**
```yaml
review_state:
session_id: string
status: pending | in_review | approved | rejected
worker_agent: string # e.g., "claude-sonnet-4.5"
reviewer_agent: string # e.g., "gemini-pro"
issues_found: [issue_ids] # beads issues if rejected
attempts: number # for circuit breaker
created_at: timestamp
updated_at: timestamp
```
---
### Layer 3: Enforcement
**Purpose:** Quality gates that block completion until approved
**Key insight:** Enforcement must be EXTERNAL to the worker agent. You cannot trust an agent to enforce its own gates.
---
## Enforcement Strategies
### Strategy A: Hook-Based (Claude Code, Gemini CLI)
For agents with lifecycle hooks, use Stop hook to block exit.
```json
{
"hooks": {
"Stop": [{
"hooks": [{
"type": "command",
"command": "review-gate check",
"timeout": 30
}]
}]
}
}
```
**review-gate CLI:**
```bash
#!/bin/bash
# review-gate check
SESSION_ID=${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID:-$(cat .state/session_id)}
STATE=$(bd show "review:$SESSION_ID" --format json 2>/dev/null)
if [ -z "$STATE" ]; then
# No review registered - allow exit
exit 0
fi
STATUS=$(echo "$STATE" | jq -r '.status')
case "$STATUS" in
approved)
exit 0 # Allow exit
;;
rejected|pending|in_review)
echo "BLOCKED: Review not approved. Status: $STATUS"
echo "Spawn reviewer with: /review"
exit 1 # Block exit
;;
esac
```
**Strength:** Mechanical - agent cannot bypass
---
### Strategy B: Orchestrator-Enforced (OpenCode, Codex, any)
For agents without hooks, orchestrator controls the session.
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ORCHESTRATOR (shell script or agent) │
│ │
│ 1. Start worker session │
│ 2. Worker does task, signals "done" │
│ 3. Orchestrator checks: Is review registered? │
│ NO → Accept done, exit │
│ YES → Spawn reviewer, wait for verdict │
│ 4. If APPROVED → Exit │
│ 5. If REJECTED → Feed issues back to worker, loop │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
**Implementation:**
```bash
#!/bin/bash
# orchestrator.sh
# Start worker
opencode --session worker-123 --prompt "$TASK"
# Check if review needed
if bd show "review:worker-123" 2>/dev/null; then
# Spawn reviewer
claude --session reviewer-123 --prompt "Review work in session worker-123.
Post APPROVED or REJECTED with issues to beads."
# Check verdict
VERDICT=$(bd show "review:worker-123" --format json | jq -r '.status')
if [ "$VERDICT" != "approved" ]; then
# Feed back to worker
ISSUES=$(bd list --blocked-by "review:worker-123")
opencode --session worker-123 --prompt "Fix these issues: $ISSUES"
# Loop...
fi
fi
```
**Strength:** Works with any agent that can run in a script
---
### Strategy C: Validator Sidecar (Universal)
Agent outputs to staging area. Validator checks before "done" is accepted.
```
Worker Agent Validator
│ │
├─── writes to staging/ ──────►│
│ │
├─── signals "done" ──────────►│ checks artifacts
│ │
│◄── PASS or FAIL + reasons ───┤
│ │
└─── if FAIL, retry ──────────►│
```
**Validator checks:**
- Does output file exist?
- Does code compile/lint?
- Do tests pass?
- Does schema validate?
**Strength:** Works without any agent cooperation - pure infrastructure
---
### Strategy D: Proxy-Based (API interception)
Intercept critical tool calls, require approval before execution.
```
Agent ──► Proxy ──► Tool
[If critical tool]
Pause, notify human
Wait for approval
Execute or reject
```
**Critical tools:** write_file, bash (rm, deploy), send_email, git push
**Strength:** Agent perceives slow response or permission error - no special logic needed
---
## Circuit Breakers
Prevent infinite loops when worker keeps failing review.
### Semantic Drift Detection
```python
def check_semantic_drift(thoughts: list[str], threshold=0.95) -> bool:
"""Return True if agent is stuck repeating itself."""
if len(thoughts) < 3:
return False
embeddings = embed(thoughts[-3:])
similarities = pairwise_cosine(embeddings)
return all(sim > threshold for sim in similarities)
```
**Action:** Inject "You are stuck. Try completely different approach."
### Three-Strike Rule
```python
tool_errors = defaultdict(list)
def on_tool_error(tool: str, args: dict, error: str):
sig = hash(f"{tool}:{args}:{error}")
tool_errors[tool].append(sig)
if tool_errors[tool][-3:].count(sig) >= 3:
inject("STOP. Same error 3 times. Use different tool/approach.")
tool_errors[tool].clear()
```
### Budget Limits
```python
MAX_REVIEW_ATTEMPTS = 3
MAX_TOKENS_PER_TASK = 50000
MAX_TIME_PER_TASK = 1800 # 30 minutes
def check_limits(session):
if session.review_attempts >= MAX_REVIEW_ATTEMPTS:
escalate_to_human("Review failed 3 times")
return ABORT
if session.tokens_used >= MAX_TOKENS_PER_TASK:
escalate_to_human("Token budget exceeded")
return ABORT
if session.elapsed >= MAX_TIME_PER_TASK:
escalate_to_human("Time limit exceeded")
return ABORT
return CONTINUE
```
---
## Adversarial Review Pattern
The reviewer works for the USER, not the worker agent.
### Reviewer Prompt Template
```markdown
# Adversarial Reviewer
You are reviewing work done by another agent. Your job is to find problems.
## Ground Truth
The USER requested: [original user prompt]
## Your Methodology
1. Read the user's EXACT words, not the agent's summary
2. Examine ALL changes (git diff, file contents)
3. ASSUME errors exist - find them
4. Steel-man the work, then systematically attack it
5. Use orch for second opinions on non-trivial findings
## Your Tools (READ-ONLY)
- Read, Grep, Glob (examine files)
- Bash (git diff, git log only)
- orch (second opinions)
- bd (file issues)
## Your Decision
Post to beads topic "review:{session_id}":
If APPROVED:
- Status: approved
- Summary: Brief confirmation
If REJECTED:
- Status: rejected
- Create beads issues for each problem found
- Link issues to review topic
```
### Multi-Model Verification
For high-stakes work, use orch for consensus:
```bash
orch consensus "Review this code change for security issues:
$(git diff HEAD~1)
Is this safe to deploy?" gemini claude deepseek --mode critique
```
---
## State Flow Diagram
```
┌─────────────────┐
│ Task Received │
└────────┬────────┘
┌────────▼────────┐
│ Worker Starts │
│ (any agent) │
└────────┬────────┘
┌────────▼────────┐
│ Worker Done │
└────────┬────────┘
┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
│ │ │
┌────────▼────────┐ │ ┌────────▼────────┐
│ Hook Check │ │ │ Orchestrator │
│ (Claude/Gem) │ │ │ Check (others) │
└────────┬────────┘ │ └────────┬────────┘
│ │ │
└──────────────┼──────────────┘
┌────────▼────────┐
│ Review Needed? │
└────────┬────────┘
┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
│ NO │ │ YES
│ │ │
┌────────▼────────┐ │ ┌────────▼────────┐
│ Exit Allowed │ │ │ Spawn Reviewer │
└─────────────────┘ │ └────────┬────────┘
│ │
│ ┌────────▼────────┐
│ │ Reviewer Checks │
│ └────────┬────────┘
│ │
│ ┌────────▼────────┐
│ │ APPROVED? │
│ └────────┬────────┘
│ │
│ ┌──────────┼──────────┐
│ │ YES │ │ NO
│ │ │ │
│ ▼ │ ┌────▼────────┐
│ EXIT │ │ File Issues │
│ │ │ Loop Back │
│ │ └─────────────┘
```
---
## Implementation Phases
### Phase 1: Hook-based for Claude/Gemini
1. Create `review-gate` CLI
2. Add hooks.json to skills
3. Test with simple approve/reject flow
### Phase 2: Orchestrator for others
1. Create orchestrator.sh wrapper
2. Integrate with beads for state
3. Test with OpenCode/Codex
### Phase 3: Circuit breakers
1. Add attempt tracking to beads
2. Implement budget limits
3. Add semantic drift detection (optional)
### Phase 4: Reviewer skill
1. Create adversarial reviewer prompt
2. Integrate with orch for second opinions
3. Test cross-agent review scenarios
---
## File Structure
```
skills/review-gate/
├── SKILL.md # Reviewer skill
├── .claude-plugin/
│ └── plugin.json
├── skills/
│ └── review-gate.md
├── hooks/
│ └── hooks.json # Stop hook config
├── scripts/
│ ├── review-gate # CLI for gate checks
│ └── orchestrator.sh # Wrapper for non-hook agents
└── templates/
└── reviewer-prompt.md # Adversarial reviewer template
```
---
## Open Questions
1. **Session ID passing:** How does Stop hook know which session to check?
2. **Cross-agent spawning:** Can Claude spawn Gemini reviewer? Via what mechanism?
3. **Beads schema:** Need `review:` topic type or use existing issues?
4. **Circuit breaker storage:** In beads or separate state file?
---
## References
- [alice/idle (emes)](https://github.com/evil-mind-evil-sword/idle)
- [jwz (emes)](https://github.com/evil-mind-evil-sword/jwz)
- [LangGraph](https://langchain-ai.github.io/langgraph/)
- Web research via orch (gemini --websearch)