| name | alterlab-ssci-orchestrator |
| description | Coordinates a social-science study through the stage-gated methods pipeline — question then design-gate then measurement-gate then sampling-gate then the right analysis module then inference-gate then reporting — holding a single YAML Design Passport that each gate reads and appends, and enforcing gate order with PASS / WARN / BLOCK semantics (design-gate and inference-gate are fail-closed). It is thin: it routes and holds the artifact, it does not run analysis itself. Use when a researcher describes a whole social-science study end to end, asks to run the methods pipeline or a full methodology review, or wants the design-to-inference workflow coordinated rather than a single step. For a single stage trigger that gate directly (alterlab-ssci-design-gate, -measurement-gate, -sampling-gate, -inference-gate); for multi-agent execution mechanics see alterlab-workflow-orchestration. Part of the AlterLab Academic Skills suite. |
| license | MIT |
| allowed-tools | Read Bash(python:*) |
| compatibility | No API key required. A thin discipline-enforcing pipeline coordinator; it dispatches to sibling gate/analysis skills that run locally. Extends the composition patterns of alterlab-workflow-orchestration. |
| metadata | {"skill-author":"AlterLab","version":"1.1.0","depends_on":"alterlab-ssci-design-gate, alterlab-ssci-measurement-gate, alterlab-ssci-sampling-gate, alterlab-ssci-reflexivity-gate, alterlab-ssci-inference-gate; dispatches to alterlab-causal-inference, alterlab-sem-psychometrics, alterlab-qca, alterlab-sna, alterlab-abm-mesa, alterlab-text-as-data, alterlab-survey-analysis, alterlab-qualitative-analysis, alterlab-multilevel-models, alterlab-meta-analysis, alterlab-missing-data; extends alterlab-workflow-orchestration"} |
SSci Orchestrator — Route the Study, Hold the Passport, Enforce the Gates
Skill type: DISCIPLINE-ENFORCING (thin coordinator). This is the conductor of the
social-science methods spine. It does no analysis. It walks a study through the gates in
order, carries a single Design Passport between them, and refuses to let a stage run before
its prerequisite gate has passed. For the actual routing/refusal logic, each gate owns its own
skill; this skill owns sequence and hand-off.
The Core Rule
NO STAGE RUNS BEFORE ITS GATE PASSES. THE PASSPORT IS THE SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH.
A methods pipeline fails when stages run out of order — sampling sized before the design is
fixed, a causal estimator run before the identifying assumption is pinned, a discussion written
before the claim is audited. The orchestrator makes the order non-optional and makes every gate's
verdict visible in one artifact.
When to Use This Skill
- "Walk me through designing and analyzing this whole study."
- "Run the methods pipeline / a full methodology review on my project."
- "I have a research question, some data, and a survey — take it from design to inference."
- The user's ask spans more than one gate/module and needs coordination.
Does NOT Trigger
| The request is really about… | Route to | Why not this skill |
|---|
| A single stage (design, measurement, sampling, or claim audit) | the matching alterlab-ssci-*-gate | Trigger the gate directly; no orchestration needed. |
| Running one analysis method (DiD, CFA, QCA, SNA, ABM, text) | the matching analysis module | The module does it; the orchestrator only dispatches. |
| Multi-agent execution mechanics (fan-out, judge panels) | alterlab-workflow-orchestration | General composition engine; this skill is the social-science-specific spine on top of it. |
| A non-methods task (writing prose, literature search) | alterlab-paper-writer / alterlab-deep-research | Outside the methods pipeline. |
The Pipeline
research question
└─> [design-gate] ── pins design_type + identifying_assumption ──▶ (MANDATORY: BLOCK-capable)
└─> [measurement-gate] quantitative constructs ─┐
[reflexivity-gate] qualitative/interpretivist ─┴─▶ (measurement-stage analog)
└─> [sampling-gate] ── frame + method + size logic ──▶ (WARN default)
└─> [ANALYSIS MODULE] ── dispatched by design_type / data (see routing table) ──▶
└─> [inference-gate] ── audits claims vs design/sample ──▶ (MANDATORY: BLOCK-capable)
└─> reporting
