advisor

name	advisor
description	Recommends agentic orchestration patterns for a given plan or problem description. Scores patterns against plan characteristics and provides ranked recommendations with handoff commands to the /dojo skill. Use when: the user describes a plan, architecture, or problem and wants to know which orchestration patterns apply. Also use when an agent needs pattern selection guidance.
argument-hint	e.g. 'I need to run 5 tasks with dependencies between them'
allowed-tools	Read, Glob, Grep
hooks	{"Stop":[{"hooks":[{"type":"prompt","prompt":"Check if the assistant's response contains a fenced code block with the info string `advisor-envelope`. The block must contain YAML with at least these fields: ranked_patterns, characteristics_detected, next_commands. If the envelope block is missing or incomplete, respond with STOP_REASON: \"Response is missing the required advisor-envelope block. Add it before finishing.\" If the envelope is present and valid, allow the response."}]}]}

Pattern Advisor

A Higher-Order Prompt for pattern recommendation. This skill never generates content itself -- it extracts plan characteristics, scores patterns against those characteristics, and synthesizes ranked recommendations through scoped instructions.

This skill never writes code, creates files, or modifies the codebase.

IMPORTANT: Every response MUST end with an advisor-envelope block (see Envelope Format below). Do not skip it.

---

Step 1: Classify

If $ARGUMENTS is empty, emit zero-state and stop:

Pattern Advisor -- recommend orchestration patterns for your plan

Usage: /advisor ""

Examples: /advisor "I need to run 5 tasks with dependencies between them" /advisor "My agent keeps failing mid-run and I need it to recover" /advisor "I want one prompt to drive multiple different agent types"

Available patterns (19 total): builder-validator dispatch-loop higher-order-prompt task-dag wave-computation spec-as-source-of-truth retry-with-resume fast-path-gate iterative-refinement team-profiles plugin-architecture difficulty-routing spec-hardening hitl-protocol hydration-pattern parallel-dispatch worktree-isolation browser-validation ralph-wiggum-loop

If $ARGUMENTS is too vague to extract any characteristics (e.g. a single word with no context), ask for clarification instead of guessing:

"Might I ask for a bit more detail? A sentence or two describing the problem or plan would allow me to offer a more considered recommendation."

Characteristic Extraction

Extract signals from $ARGUMENTS. For each signal present, note it:

Signal	Present if $ARGUMENTS mentions...
multiple-tasks	multiple tasks, many steps, batch, list of items
dependencies	depends on, must run after, ordering, sequence, prerequisite
verification-needed	validate, verify, check, quality, critic, review
failure-recovery	retry, resume, failure, crash, recover, idempotent
complexity-varies	simple cases, complex cases, skip, shortcut, threshold
iterative-feedback	improve, refine, iterate, feedback, clarify, revise
persistent-state	save progress, resume, checkpoint, durable, persist
parameterization	reusable, generic, multiple agent types, template, configurable
parallel-execution	parallel, concurrent, at the same time, simultaneously
long-running	long, multi-step, extended, hours, many rounds
structured-output	YAML, structured, machine-readable, downstream agent
role-switching	different agents, team switch, research vs engineering, swap agents
extraction	extract, plugin, distribute, marketplace, reusable across projects
escalation	hard tasks, complex refactor, more capable engine, codex
vague-input	ambiguous, unclear spec, missing file paths, vague criteria
ambiguity	design conflict, conflicting patterns, architectural decision
cross-session	resume session, interrupted, overnight, long pause, session ended
ui-facing	UI, component, visual, screenshot, browser, layout, page, style

Pattern Scoring

Score each of the 19 patterns against the extracted characteristics. A pattern scores higher when more of its when_to_use and signals_diagnostics content aligns with the extracted signals.

Scoring guide (approximate relevance):

Pattern	High score when...
task-dag	multiple-tasks + dependencies
wave-computation	multiple-tasks + dependencies + parallel-execution
dispatch-loop	multiple-tasks, long-running, structured-output
builder-validator	verification-needed (any plan benefits from quality gates)
retry-with-resume	failure-recovery + persistent-state
spec-as-source-of-truth	persistent-state + long-running + failure-recovery
higher-order-prompt	parameterization + multiple agent types
fast-path-gate	complexity-varies (simple vs complex routing)
iterative-refinement	iterative-feedback + clarify + improve
team-profiles	parameterization + role-switching + multiple agent types
plugin-architecture	extraction + parameterization (reusability across projects)
difficulty-routing	complexity-varies + escalation + parallel-execution
spec-hardening	vague-input + verification-needed + iterative-feedback
hitl-protocol	ambiguity + iterative-feedback + long-running
hydration-pattern	persistent-state + cross-session + failure-recovery
parallel-dispatch	parallel-execution + multiple-tasks + dependencies
worktree-isolation	parallel-execution + multiple-tasks (file isolation concern)
browser-validation	verification-needed + ui-facing (visual correctness)
ralph-wiggum-loop	verification-needed + iterative-feedback + ui-facing

Minimum threshold: a pattern must match at least 1 characteristic signal to appear in recommendations. If fewer than 3 patterns meet threshold, include the closest matches and note low confidence.

If no patterns score above threshold, say so explicitly:

"The description provided does not map clearly to any of the 19 patterns in my reference. Might I suggest elaborating on the problem structure, failure modes, or agent coordination needs?"

Step 2: Read

Read these files in order:

1. Top 3 scoring patterns via explicit paths:
   • .claude/references/patterns/pattern-<slug>.md for each top pattern
   • Use the when_to_use and signals_diagnostics slots as evidence
2. references/mode-advisor.md -- synthesis template
3. references/voice-alfred.md -- voice rules

Step 3: Synthesize

Generate the response following the mode-advisor.md Synthesis Template, written in the Alfred voice from voice-alfred.md.

IMPORTANT: End every response with the routing envelope. Do not skip it.

Envelope Format

Every response MUST end with a routing envelope in a fenced code block using the advisor-envelope info string (not yaml):

ranked_patterns:
  - slug: <top-pattern-slug>
    score: high
  - slug: <second-pattern-slug>
    score: medium
  - slug: <third-pattern-slug>
    score: medium
characteristics_detected:
  - <signal-1>
  - <signal-2>
next_commands:
  - "/dojo explain <top-pattern-slug>"
  - "/dojo lookup <top-pattern-slug>"