pheromone-protocol

source	shipped
name	pheromone-protocol
description	Use when pheromone signals are present in your assembled context and you need to interpret and comply with them
type	colony
domains	["pheromones","protocol","signals","compliance"]
agent_roles	["builder","watcher","scout","chaos","oracle","architect","colonizer","route_setter","archaeologist","chronicler","keeper","tracker","probe","weaver","auditor","gatekeeper","includer","measurer","sage","ambassador"]
priority	normal
version	1.0

Pheromone Protocol

Purpose

Pheromone signals are the colony's steering mechanism. Every agent must know how to read, interpret, and comply with them. This skill standardizes signal handling across all 22 agent roles.

Signal Types and Required Response

REDIRECT -- Hard Constraint

REDIRECT signals are non-negotiable. You MUST comply.

• If a REDIRECT says "avoid pattern X", you must not use pattern X in any code you write, any recommendation you make, or any approach you take.
• REDIRECTs marked [error-pattern] come from repeated colony failures (midden threshold). These are lessons learned the hard way -- treat them with extra seriousness.
• If complying with a REDIRECT conflicts with your task, report the conflict as a blocker rather than violating the REDIRECT.
• In your output, explicitly acknowledge each REDIRECT and state how you complied.

FOCUS -- Prioritize This Area

FOCUS signals direct your attention. You SHOULD prioritize.

• When choosing between approaches, prefer the one aligned with active FOCUS signals.
• FOCUS areas receive extra effort: more thorough analysis, additional test coverage, deeper investigation.
• If your task touches a FOCUS area, give it proportionally more attention than non-focused areas.
• You may deprioritize (but not ignore) non-focused areas to spend more time on focused ones.

FEEDBACK -- Preference Adjustment

FEEDBACK signals are calibration from past experience. You may incorporate flexibly.

• Use FEEDBACK to adjust patterns: coding style, naming conventions, architectural preferences.
• You may deviate from FEEDBACK with good reason, but note the deviation in your output.
• FEEDBACK accumulates -- multiple FEEDBACK signals pointing the same direction carry more weight than a single one.

Signal Conflict and History Awareness

When multiple signals overlap, preserve the strongest actionable guidance:

• A REDIRECT overrides conflicting FOCUS or FEEDBACK.
• Recent reinforced signals carry more weight than old weak signals.
• If two active signals conflict at the same priority, surface the conflict instead of silently choosing one.
• When a signal changes worker behavior, mention that influence in the result summary.

Role-Specific Adaptations

Different roles adapt signal handling to their function:

Role	REDIRECT Adaptation	FOCUS Adaptation
Builder	Avoid flagged patterns in code	Write extra tests for focused areas
Watcher	Flag violations in review	Deeper checks on focused areas
Scout	Exclude flagged approaches from research	Prioritize focused topics
Chaos	Test flagged patterns for regression	Focus chaos testing on focused areas
Route Setter	Exclude flagged approaches from plans	Weight focused areas in phase design
Architect	Reject designs using flagged patterns	Center architecture around focused areas

All other roles follow the general protocol above.

Compliance Reporting

In your output summary, include a signal compliance section:

Signal Compliance:
- REDIRECT "no inline styles": Complied -- used Tailwind utility classes throughout
- FOCUS "security": Applied -- added input validation to all endpoints
- FEEDBACK "prefer composition": Followed -- used composition pattern for new components

If no signals were present in your context, note: "No active pheromone signals."

Signal Absence

If your context contains no pheromone signals section, this means either:

• No signals are currently active (normal for new colonies).
• The signals section was trimmed for token budget (normal under compact mode).

In either case, proceed with your task using default judgment. Do not treat signal absence as an error.