ask

name	ask
disable-model-invocation	true
description	Ask the Cerberus model panel an arbitrary question
argument-hint	[--debate] [--mode <name>] [--max-rounds <n>] [--consensus <majority|all|any>] [--context-file <path>] [--prompt-file <path> | -- <prompt>]

Host-Neutral Execution

Before running any Bash snippet in this skill, run the shared Cerberus resolver below. It lazily builds and executes bin/cerberus from the configured plugin root.

# --- shared resolver (canonical body; identical across all callers) ---
set +u
if [ -n "${CODEX_THREAD_ID:-}" ] || [ -n "${PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" ]; then
    host=codex
elif [ -n "${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}" ] || [ -n "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}" ] || [ -n "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}" ]; then
    host=claude
else
    host="${CERBERUS_HOST:-}"
    if [ "$host" = claude-code ]; then
        host=claude
    fi
fi
root="${CERBERUS_ROOT:-}"
if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" = codex ]; then
    root="${PLUGIN_ROOT:-}"
fi
if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" = codex ] && [ -n "${CODEX_THREAD_ID:-}" ]; then
    cache_home="${HOME:-}"
    [ -n "$cache_home" ] || cache_home="${USERPROFILE:-}"
    if [ -n "$cache_home" ]; then
        cache_file="$cache_home/.codex/cerberus/sessions/$CODEX_THREAD_ID/plugin-root"
        if [ -r "$cache_file" ]; then
            IFS= read -r root < "$cache_file" || true
        fi
    fi
fi
if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" != codex ]; then
    root="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}"
    [ -n "$root" ] || root="${PLUGIN_ROOT:-}"
fi
if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" != codex ]; then
    skill_dir="${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}"
    if [ -n "$skill_dir" ]; then
        root="$(cd "$skill_dir/../.." && pwd)"
    fi
fi
[ -n "$root" ] || { echo "cerberus: plugin root not set; set CERBERUS_ROOT and retry" >&2; exit 127; }
bin="$root/bin/cerberus"
export CERBERUS_ROOT="$root"
claude_session="${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}"
if [ "$host" = claude ]; then
    export CERBERUS_HOST=claude
elif [ "$host" = codex ]; then
    export CERBERUS_HOST=codex
fi
if [ "$host" = codex ] && [ -n "${CODEX_THREAD_ID:-}" ]; then
    export CERBERUS_HOST=codex CERBERUS_SESSION_ID="$CODEX_THREAD_ID"
elif [ "$host" = claude ] && [ -n "$claude_session" ]; then
    export CERBERUS_HOST=claude CERBERUS_SESSION_ID="${CERBERUS_SESSION_ID:-$claude_session}"
fi
command -v make >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "cerberus: make not found on PATH; install make and retry." >&2; exit 127; }
if ! make -q -C "$root" build >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    command -v go >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "cerberus: Go >= 1.22 not found on PATH; install Go and retry." >&2; exit 127; }
    echo "cerberus: building... (this happens once after clone or upgrade)" >&2
    start=$(date +%s)
    make -C "$root" build >&2 || exit $?
    end=$(date +%s)
    echo "cerberus: build complete in $((end-start))s" >&2
fi
# --- shared resolver above; per-caller exec below (allowed to diverge) ---
exec "$bin" "$@"

Use bin/cerberus through the configured plugin root when invoking Cerberus commands below.

Ask

Send any prompt to the Cerberus reviewer panel. Use --debate to route the prompt through the multi-round debater process before synthesizing the answer.

Usage

/cerberus:ask "Should we ship this plan?"
/cerberus:ask --debate "Compare the two migration options and recommend one"
/cerberus:ask --mode max --debate --prompt-file /tmp/question.md
/cerberus:ask -- --prompt text that starts with a dash

The CLI accepts --mode, --max-rounds, --consensus, --context-file, --prompt-file, --debate, plus arbitrary prompt text after --.

Run the Panel

Use the Bash tool to run spawn-ask, wait for completion, and save the machine-readable result. Set the Bash timeout to 1800000ms (30 minutes).

artifact_path=$(set +u; if [ -n "${CODEX_THREAD_ID:-}" ] || [ -n "${PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" ]; then host=codex; elif [ -n "${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}" ] || [ -n "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}" ] || [ -n "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}" ]; then host=claude; else host="${CERBERUS_HOST:-}"; if [ "$host" = claude-code ]; then host=claude; fi; fi; root="${CERBERUS_ROOT:-}"; if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" = codex ]; then root="${PLUGIN_ROOT:-}"; fi; if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" = codex ] && [ -n "${CODEX_THREAD_ID:-}" ]; then cache_home="${HOME:-}"; [ -n "$cache_home" ] || cache_home="${USERPROFILE:-}"; if [ -n "$cache_home" ]; then cache_file="$cache_home/.codex/cerberus/sessions/$CODEX_THREAD_ID/plugin-root"; if [ -r "$cache_file" ]; then IFS= read -r root < "$cache_file" || true; fi; fi; fi; if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" != codex ]; then root="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}"; [ -n "$root" ] || root="${PLUGIN_ROOT:-}"; fi; if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" != codex ]; then skill_dir="${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}"; if [ -n "$skill_dir" ]; then root="$(cd "$skill_dir/../.." && pwd)"; fi; fi; [ -n "$root" ] || { echo "cerberus: plugin root not set; set CERBERUS_ROOT and retry" >&2; exit 127; }; bin="$root/bin/cerberus"; export CERBERUS_ROOT="$root"; claude_session="${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}"; if [ "$host" = claude ]; then export CERBERUS_HOST=claude; elif [ "$host" = codex ]; then export CERBERUS_HOST=codex; fi; if [ "$host" = codex ] && [ -n "${CODEX_THREAD_ID:-}" ]; then export CERBERUS_HOST=codex CERBERUS_SESSION_ID="$CODEX_THREAD_ID"; elif [ "$host" = claude ] && [ -n "$claude_session" ]; then export CERBERUS_HOST=claude CERBERUS_SESSION_ID="${CERBERUS_SESSION_ID:-$claude_session}"; fi; command -v make >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "cerberus: make not found on PATH; install make and retry." >&2; exit 127; }; if ! make -q -C "$root" build >/dev/null 2>&1; then command -v go >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "cerberus: Go >= 1.22 not found on PATH; install Go and retry." >&2; exit 127; }; echo "cerberus: building... (this happens once after clone or upgrade)" >&2; start=$(date +%s); make -C "$root" build >&2 || exit $?; end=$(date +%s); echo "cerberus: build complete in $((end-start))s" >&2; fi; "$bin" artifact-path)
review_dir=$(dirname "$artifact_path")
result_file="$review_dir/ask-result.json"

set +u; if [ -n "${CODEX_THREAD_ID:-}" ] || [ -n "${PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" ]; then host=codex; elif [ -n "${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}" ] || [ -n "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}" ] || [ -n "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}" ]; then host=claude; else host="${CERBERUS_HOST:-}"; if [ "$host" = claude-code ]; then host=claude; fi; fi; root="${CERBERUS_ROOT:-}"; if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" = codex ]; then root="${PLUGIN_ROOT:-}"; fi; if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" = codex ] && [ -n "${CODEX_THREAD_ID:-}" ]; then cache_home="${HOME:-}"; [ -n "$cache_home" ] || cache_home="${USERPROFILE:-}"; if [ -n "$cache_home" ]; then cache_file="$cache_home/.codex/cerberus/sessions/$CODEX_THREAD_ID/plugin-root"; if [ -r "$cache_file" ]; then IFS= read -r root < "$cache_file" || true; fi; fi; fi; if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" != codex ]; then root="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}"; [ -n "$root" ] || root="${PLUGIN_ROOT:-}"; fi; if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" != codex ]; then skill_dir="${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}"; if [ -n "$skill_dir" ]; then root="$(cd "$skill_dir/../.." && pwd)"; fi; fi; [ -n "$root" ] || { echo "cerberus: plugin root not set; set CERBERUS_ROOT and retry" >&2; exit 127; }; bin="$root/bin/cerberus"; export CERBERUS_ROOT="$root"; claude_session="${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}"; if [ "$host" = claude ]; then export CERBERUS_HOST=claude; elif [ "$host" = codex ]; then export CERBERUS_HOST=codex; fi; if [ "$host" = codex ] && [ -n "${CODEX_THREAD_ID:-}" ]; then export CERBERUS_HOST=codex CERBERUS_SESSION_ID="$CODEX_THREAD_ID"; elif [ "$host" = claude ] && [ -n "$claude_session" ]; then export CERBERUS_HOST=claude CERBERUS_SESSION_ID="${CERBERUS_SESSION_ID:-$claude_session}"; fi; command -v make >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "cerberus: make not found on PATH; install make and retry." >&2; exit 127; }; if ! make -q -C "$root" build >/dev/null 2>&1; then command -v go >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "cerberus: Go >= 1.22 not found on PATH; install Go and retry." >&2; exit 127; }; echo "cerberus: building... (this happens once after clone or upgrade)" >&2; start=$(date +%s); make -C "$root" build >&2 || exit $?; end=$(date +%s); echo "cerberus: build complete in $((end-start))s" >&2; fi; "$bin" spawn-ask $ARGUMENTS
set +u; if [ -n "${CODEX_THREAD_ID:-}" ] || [ -n "${PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" ]; then host=codex; elif [ -n "${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}" ] || [ -n "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}" ] || [ -n "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}" ]; then host=claude; else host="${CERBERUS_HOST:-}"; if [ "$host" = claude-code ]; then host=claude; fi; fi; root="${CERBERUS_ROOT:-}"; if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" = codex ]; then root="${PLUGIN_ROOT:-}"; fi; if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" = codex ] && [ -n "${CODEX_THREAD_ID:-}" ]; then cache_home="${HOME:-}"; [ -n "$cache_home" ] || cache_home="${USERPROFILE:-}"; if [ -n "$cache_home" ]; then cache_file="$cache_home/.codex/cerberus/sessions/$CODEX_THREAD_ID/plugin-root"; if [ -r "$cache_file" ]; then IFS= read -r root < "$cache_file" || true; fi; fi; fi; if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" != codex ]; then root="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}"; [ -n "$root" ] || root="${PLUGIN_ROOT:-}"; fi; if [ -z "$root" ] && [ "$host" != codex ]; then skill_dir="${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}"; if [ -n "$skill_dir" ]; then root="$(cd "$skill_dir/../.." && pwd)"; fi; fi; [ -n "$root" ] || { echo "cerberus: plugin root not set; set CERBERUS_ROOT and retry" >&2; exit 127; }; bin="$root/bin/cerberus"; export CERBERUS_ROOT="$root"; claude_session="${CLAUDE_SESSION_ID}"; if [ "$host" = claude ]; then export CERBERUS_HOST=claude; elif [ "$host" = codex ]; then export CERBERUS_HOST=codex; fi; if [ "$host" = codex ] && [ -n "${CODEX_THREAD_ID:-}" ]; then export CERBERUS_HOST=codex CERBERUS_SESSION_ID="$CODEX_THREAD_ID"; elif [ "$host" = claude ] && [ -n "$claude_session" ]; then export CERBERUS_HOST=claude CERBERUS_SESSION_ID="${CERBERUS_SESSION_ID:-$claude_session}"; fi; command -v make >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "cerberus: make not found on PATH; install make and retry." >&2; exit 127; }; if ! make -q -C "$root" build >/dev/null 2>&1; then command -v go >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "cerberus: Go >= 1.22 not found on PATH; install Go and retry." >&2; exit 127; }; echo "cerberus: building... (this happens once after clone or upgrade)" >&2; start=$(date +%s); make -C "$root" build >&2 || exit $?; end=$(date +%s); echo "cerberus: build complete in $((end-start))s" >&2; fi; "$bin" wait --json --finalize --timeout 1800 --poll-interval 3 > "$result_file" || true

printf 'ASK_RESULT=%s\nREVIEW_DIR=%s\n' "$result_file" "$review_dir"

Synthesize the Answer

After the Bash command completes, read the saved ASK_RESULT JSON and the reviewer files under REVIEW_DIR/reviews/.

Use this synthesis order:

1. Treat each reviewer JSON summary as that reviewer's direct answer.
2. If aggregate.json exists, use it to understand the final debate round, strategies, and merged caveats.
3. Include disagreements only when they materially affect the answer.
4. Keep the final response focused on the user's question, not on Cerberus mechanics.

Do not stop immediately after spawning; this command is meant to return the synthesized answer in the current conversation.