| name | second-opinion |
| description | Get an honest second opinion on any artifact — writing, design docs, product specs, or code — from a DIFFERENT AI model in a fresh process. Builds a review brief and dispatches it via `roster second-opinion` to the codex/gemini/claude CLI (whichever differs from the current host), then renders the structured verdict. Triggers on /second-opinion or when the user asks for another model's take / a cross-model review / fresh eyes on a draft, plan, or diff. |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| trigger_conditions | ["User invokes /second-opinion","User asks for a second opinion, another model's take, or fresh eyes on an artifact"] |
second-opinion
Ask a different AI to review something — in a separate process, with its own model and no memory of this conversation. That independence is the point: the reviewer can't be primed by what you (or I) already concluded, so it catches what an agent inheriting this chat's context would rationalize away.
Works on anything: an essay draft, landing-page copy, a PRD, a design doc, a plan, a code diff. The engine is roster second-opinion; this skill is the chat front door that owns brief quality and host choice.
Data-egress notice (first use per session)
Before the FIRST dispatch in a session, state plainly and get a go-ahead:
This sends the artifact to the reviewer's provider — codex → OpenAI, gemini → Google, claude → Anthropic — under your own logged-in subscription for that tool. OK to proceed?
Skip the notice on subsequent dispatches in the same session unless the target host changes.
Host selection (always pass --host)
You know which tool you are running in; the CLI does not. Always pass --host set to the first installed host that differs from the current one, so the default is genuinely cross-model:
| Running in | Try in order |
|---|
| Claude Code | codex, then gemini |
| Codex CLI | claude, then gemini |
| Gemini CLI | codex, then claude |
Check installs with roster doctor --json (or just try; HOST_NOT_INSTALLED / BINARY_NOT_FOUND name the fix). The user can override with an explicit host request — honor it, including same-model (fresh context still has value; say so).
Building the dispatch
- Identify the artifact(s). A file path is best (
--stdin for pasted text, --diff [ref] for working-tree changes). Never re-type the artifact into the prompt — the CLI reads it.
- Sharpen the ask. Turn the user's request into 2-4 concrete review questions and pass them via
--message. "Review this" produces mush; "Does the intro bury the lede? Is the pricing section credible to a CFO?" produces findings.
- Dispatch:
roster second-opinion draft.md --host codex \
--message "1) Does the intro bury the lede? 2) Is the tone right for CTOs? 3) What would you cut?" \
--json
Use --json and render the verdict yourself (below). Add --timeout <sec> for large artifacts (default 180).
Rendering the verdict
From the JSON envelope:
- Lead with
summary.
- Then findings grouped
major → minor → nit → praise, each with its location and confidence when present.
structured: false means the reviewer answered in prose — show raw and say it's unstructured. It does not mean approval.- On
ok: false, show message and each failure's remedy verbatim — especially HOST_NOT_SUBSCRIPTION, which means the preflight refused to spawn so nothing bills an API key. Do not work around a preflight refusal; fix the environment or pick another host.
Evaluation discipline
Not every finding is right. Coach the user (or apply, if you're driving):
- Factual/consistency findings — usually real; act.
- Taste findings (tone, structure) — weigh against the artifact's audience; the reviewer doesn't know it.
- "You should also do X" scope findings — defer unless blocking.
- Cite adopted findings as " 2nd-pass: …" so reasoning stays traceable.
Subscription safety (do not bypass)
The CLI fail-closes: each host has a preflight that refuses to spawn unless the child is provably on the user's logged-in subscription (no API keys in env, no apiKeyHelper, no Bedrock/Vertex). Never route around it — never invoke reviewer CLIs directly with API-key env vars, and never suggest exporting a key to "make it work". If the preflight refuses, surface the remedies and stop.
Failure modes
roster not on PATH → npm i -g @firatcand/roster.HOST_NOT_INSTALLED / BINARY_NOT_FOUND → offer a different --host or the tool's install link.HOST_NOT_SUBSCRIPTION → show remedies verbatim; suggest another host meanwhile.TIMEOUT → retry with --timeout 360 or a smaller artifact.- Reviewer returns nothing useful → re-dispatch once with sharper
--message questions; then report honestly.
