escalation-routing

slug	escalation-routing
name	Escalation Routing
description	When a stage owner reports a real blocker (integrity FAIL after 3 retries; reviewer Reject; user-rejected outline), escalate to the human researcher with context.
version	0.1.0
metadata	{"sources":[{"mode":"port-original","author":"Jannes Stubbemann","added_in":"0.1.0"}]}

Escalation Routing

Port-original skill. Hand-authored for this Agent Company; not from upstream Imbad0202/academic-research-skills. Owned by the CEO role.

When to fire

The CEO fires this skill only when a stage owner cannot proceed and the issue is not resolvable within the pipeline's normal protocols. This is the off-ramp from the linear pipeline — not a routine handoff.

What counts as a real blocker

Trigger	Source	Why it escalates
Integrity gate 2.5 FAIL after 3 retries	integrity-officer	The 7-mode failure checklist could not be cleared. Pipeline contract forbids further silent retries.
Integrity gate 4.5 FAIL	integrity-officer	Zero-tolerance gate — no retries permitted.
Reviewer Reject decision at Stage 3	reviewer	Pipeline ends; the user needs to decide whether to redirect the work, scope down, or abandon.
Revision-loop cap hit (2 loops complete) at 3'	reviewer / pipeline-orchestration	Hard cap reached. Further iteration is frame-lock.
User rejects outline at checkpoint 2 after 3 attempts	checkpoint-coordination	The pipeline can't second-guess the user's intent indefinitely.
Authorship / ethics question raised	any stage	Out of scope for the pipeline by design.
Citation hallucination flagged but unresolvable	researcher / writer	Cannot proceed without verifying or removing the claim.

What does NOT count as a blocker

• A reviewer Major decision (handle via revision coaching → Stage 4).
• A SUSPECTED flag at 2.5 that becomes CLEAR on retry.
• A user revision request mid-stage (route back to the stage owner via pipeline-orchestration).
• An external API blip (deep-research / S2 verification) — retry with backoff first.

Misclassifying these as blockers turns the pipeline into a panic loop. Let the stage owners do their job before escalating.

Outputs

An escalation packet for the human researcher:

trigger: <one of the trigger labels above>
stage: <stage-id where it occurred>
artifact: <pointer to the failing artifact>
machine_report: <verbatim — integrity report, reviewer decision letter, etc.>
attempted_recoveries: [<what the stage owner tried before escalating>]
options_for_user:
  - <option 1: e.g. "Override the integrity gate (not recommended)">
  - <option 2: e.g. "Restart Stage N with revised inputs">
  - <option 3: e.g. "Abandon the pipeline">
suggested_action: <CEO's recommendation, with one-line justification>

Boundaries

• The CEO does not unilaterally override an integrity gate. Override is a user decision, surfaced as an option but never selected by the agent.
• Do not paraphrase the machine_report. Verbatim only — paraphrasing hides SUSPECTED flags and reviewer concerns.
• Do not loop back into the pipeline on the user's behalf. Wait for the user's explicit choice from options_for_user.
• If the trigger is an authorship / ethics question, do not propose options at all. Hand the question to the user with no agent-generated framing.

Output protocol

Write the escalation packet as a high-priority note on the work item. Tag the human researcher (not another agent). Pipeline state remains paused at the failing stage until the user responds.