diverge-codex

name	diverge-codex
description	Delegate creative divergence to a fresh Codex subagent before implementation. Use when the user explicitly asks Codex to delegate brainstorming, obtain an independent Codex context, or keep implementation separate from approach generation. Generate 3–5 conceptually distinct approaches, pause for selection, then assign the selected approach for implementation.

Diverge with a fresh Codex context

Use a fresh subagent to reduce anchoring from the lead agent's conversation history. Same brainstorm-then-select discipline as $diverge; both contexts run Codex, so this buys a clean context rather than cross-model diversity — never describe it as an independent model family.

Read ../diverge/references/creative-preference-optimization.md only when the user asks for the rationale or when refining the creativity criteria.

Gate delegation

Delegate only when the user explicitly invokes $diverge-codex or asks for a subagent, independent context, or delegated brainstorm. If the skill was loaded implicitly without such a request, run the ordinary $diverge workflow locally.

Phase 1: brief the brainstormer

Extract the task, hard constraints, existing artifacts, and acceptance criteria. Spawn one fresh Codex subagent with only the task-local context it needs, withholding your own preferred solution or likely implementation. Give it this contract:

Generate 3–5 conceptually distinct approaches to TASK. Do not implement.

Label every approach [Novel], [Surprising], [Diverse], or [Conventional].
Include at least one [Novel] and one [Surprising] approach. For each, provide:
1. Core mechanism — one sentence.
2. How it works and why it differs — two or three sentences.
3. Main tradeoff — one sentence.

Do not restate one idea with different vocabulary. Return only the approaches.

Phase 2: present and pause

Check that the response contains 3–5 mechanically distinct approaches and satisfies the required labels. If it does not, send one focused correction to the same subagent.

Present the approaches without silently ranking, filtering, or rewriting them. Ask the user to select one approach or request a compatible synthesis. Stop before implementation.

Phase 3: implement after selection

Send the selected approach, original task, constraints, and acceptance checks back to the same subagent when possible. Require it to implement the user's selected mechanism rather than substituting another, preserve unrelated user changes, run proportionate checks, and return changed files, verification evidence, and any residual risk.

The lead agent owns integration. Inspect the resulting diff and verification output, fix integration defects, and report the final outcome.

Codex-plugin result-handling guidance (stop after presenting review findings) applies to code-review handoffs, not here: Phase 3 begins only after the user has selected an approach, and the selected approach is meant to be implemented and integrated, not merely reported.

Fallbacks

• If subagents are unavailable, state that the independent-context path is unavailable and run $diverge locally.
• If the brainstorm subagent fails or returns empty output, retry once with a shorter brief, then fall back locally.
• If the selected approaches cannot be combined without changing the requested behavior, explain the incompatibility before proposing a hybrid.