alterlab-ssci-orchestrator

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