| name | delegation-review |
| description | Standalone dispatch approval — scans #needs-X tags, presents grouped approval menu, executes tag transitions. Triggers: "review delegations", "dispatch approval", "what needs dispatching", "delegation review". |
| version | 3 |
| tier | lightweight |
Standalone dispatch approval for reviewing pending #needs-X and stale #next-X tags across sessions.
Note: This is a utility skill — no session activation. Operates standalone or within an existing session context. Can be invoked manually at any time.
GATE CHECK — Do NOT proceed until ALL are filled in:
Output this block in chat with every blank filled:
Boot proof:
- COMMANDS.md — §CMD spotted:
________
- INVARIANTS.md — ¶INV spotted:
________
- SIGILS.md — §FEED spotted:
________
[!!!] If ANY blank above is empty: STOP. Go back to step 1 and load the missing file. Do NOT proceed until every blank is filled.
Delegation Review Protocol (The Dispatcher's Console)
Lightweight utility for reviewing pending #needs-X tags and approving them for daemon dispatch (#delegated-X) or immediate next-skill execution (#next-X). The requester-side counterpart to /delegation-claim (worker-side claiming). No session activation, no log file, no debrief.
0. Parse Arguments (Scope Filter)
Check if a scope argument was provided:
- No argument (
/delegation-review): Scan ALL #needs-* tags + ALL stale #next-* tags across sessions/.
- Session argument (
/delegation-review sessions/2026_02_10_TOPIC): Scope to that session directory only.
- Tag argument (
/delegation-review #needs-implementation): Scan only that specific tag across sessions/.
Store the resolved scope and tag filter for Step 1.
1. Scan for Pending Work
Scan for #needs-* tags (excluding #needs-review and #needs-rework, which are handled by /review):
engine tag find '#needs-*' [scope] --tags-only --context
engine tag find '#next-*' [scope] --tags-only --context
If no #needs-* or #next-* tags found:
"No pending delegation items found. Nothing to review."
Return control. Skill is done.
2. Group by Tag Type
Organize results into two categories:
A. Pending Dispatch (#needs-X)
Group by tag noun (e.g., all #needs-implementation together, all #needs-chores together). For each group, note:
- Tag type: e.g.,
#needs-implementation
- Target skill: e.g.,
/implement (from §TAG_DISPATCH)
- File count: How many items in this group
- Files: List of file paths carrying the tag
B. Stale Next-Skill Items (#next-X)
Group by tag noun. These are items that were claimed for immediate next-skill execution but never picked up. For each:
- Tag type: e.g.,
#next-implementation
- Target skill: e.g.,
/implement
- Age: How long since the tag was applied (from file mtime)
- Files: List of file paths
3. Read Request Context
For each file in each group, read enough context to present a meaningful summary:
- REQUEST files (filename contains
REQUEST): Read Topic, Context, and Expectations fields
- Debrief/other files: Read the H1 heading and first paragraph for summary
- Inline tags: Read the surrounding section (nearest heading above to next heading)
4. Present Dispatch Approval
A. Pending Dispatch Groups (#needs-X)
For each tag-type group, execute §CMD_DISPATCH_APPROVAL algorithm:
Provide context before the question — list each item with a 1-line summary:
#needs-[noun] — [N] items pending:
[file1.md] — [1-line summary][file2.md] — [1-line summary]
Then present via AskUserQuestion (multiSelect: false):
"Dispatch approval — #needs-[noun] ([N] items):"
- "Approve all [N] for daemon dispatch ->
#delegated-[noun]" — Flip all items for async daemon processing
- "Claim all [N] for next skill ->
#next-[noun]" — Mark for immediate execution in the next skill session
- "Review individually" — Walk through each item to approve/claim/defer/dismiss
- "Defer all" — Leave as
#needs-[noun] for later
Execute choices:
- Approve all: For each file,
engine tag swap [file] '#needs-[noun]' '#delegated-[noun]'.
- Claim all for next skill: For each file,
engine tag swap [file] '#needs-[noun]' '#next-[noun]'. Then write state passing to DIALOGUE.md (per §CMD_DISPATCH_APPROVAL step 5a) if a session is active.
- Review individually: For each file, present: Approve (
#delegated-X) / Claim for next skill (#next-X) / Defer (keep #needs-X) / Dismiss (remove tag entirely).
- Defer all: No action. Tags remain as
#needs-X.
B. Stale Next-Skill Items (#next-X)
For each stale #next-X group, present via AskUserQuestion (multiSelect: false):
"Stale #next-[noun] — [N] items never picked up:"
[file1.md] — [1-line summary] (age: [N] hours/days)
"What should happen to these stale #next-[noun] items?"
- "Re-route to daemon ->
#delegated-[noun]" — Swap to daemon dispatch path
- "Keep as
#next-[noun]" — Leave for next skill pickup
- "Dismiss all" — Remove tags (work no longer needed)
Execute choices:
- Re-route: For each file,
engine tag swap [file] '#next-[noun]' '#delegated-[noun]'.
- Keep: No action.
- Dismiss: For each file,
engine tag remove [file] '#next-[noun]'.
5. Report and Return
After all groups are processed:
Dispatch review summary:
- Approved for daemon: [N] items
- Claimed for next skill: [M] items
- Re-routed from stale: [K] items
- Deferred: [P] items
- Dismissed: [Q] items
Return control. No debrief. No session deactivation. No next-skill menu.
Constraints
- No session activation (
¶INV_DELEGATE_IS_NESTABLE pattern): This skill does not call engine session activate. It can be invoked standalone or mid-skill.
- No REQUEST/RESPONSE templates:
/delegation-review does not accept delegation requests itself. It IS the dispatch approver.
- Human approval required (
¶INV_DISPATCH_APPROVAL_REQUIRED): Every #needs-X -> #delegated-X or #needs-X -> #next-X transition requires explicit user approval. No auto-flipping.
- Excludes review/rework tags:
#needs-review and #needs-rework are handled by /review, not this skill. Filter them out of scan results.
- Stale detection:
#next-X items older than 24 hours are considered "stale" and surfaced for re-routing. This is a soft heuristic — the user decides.
- Graceful degradation (
¶INV_GRACEFUL_DEGRADATION): Works without fleet/daemon. Tags persist on disk. The user can invoke /delegation-review at any time to process accumulated #needs-X items manually.
