conductor-protocol

Conductor Protocol

A Claude Code plugin for multi-agent orchestration. Coordinate parallel Claude instances to prevent file conflicts, enforce priority alignment, and maintain visibility across all running agents.

The Problem

When running 3-5+ Claude instances simultaneously:

• Conflicting changes: Two agents edit the same file
• Strategic drift: Agents work on low-priority tasks
• Lost visibility: No idea what each instance is doing
• Wasted effort: Duplicate work or incompatible changes

The Solution

A lightweight coordination protocol where:

1. Each agent registers when starting a task
2. Agents claim files before editing them
3. A priority gate rejects misaligned work
4. A status dashboard shows all activity

Installation

Plugin Install

# Add the marketplace
claude plugin marketplace add MarioGiancini/conductor-protocol

# Install the plugin
claude plugin install conductor-protocol

Updating

# Update marketplace cache first
claude plugin marketplace update conductor-protocol

# Update the plugin
claude plugin update conductor-protocol@conductor-protocol

Quick Start

# 1. Start a task (registers you in the conductor)
/conductor start "Fix auth bug" --project pitchello --priority P1

# 2. Claim files before editing
/conductor claim src/api/users.ts src/lib/auth.ts

# 3. Do your work...

# 4. When done, release claims and log completion
/conductor done

# Anytime: Check what all instances are doing
/conductor status

Commands

Command	Description
/conductor start "task" --project --priority	Register a new task
/conductor status	Show all active instances
/conductor claim <files>	Lock files before editing
/conductor release [files]	Release file claims
/conductor done	Complete task and release all claims
/conductor align "task"	Check task against north-stars
/conductor conflicts	Show active conflicts
/conductor cleanup	Remove orphaned instances

How It Works

Instance Lifecycle

/conductor start "Fix auth bug" --project pitchello --priority P1
         │
         ▼
  ┌─────────────────┐
  │ Priority Check  │──Fail──▶ ⚠️ Drift warning
  └────────┬────────┘
           │ Pass
           ▼
/conductor claim src/auth.ts
         │
         ▼
  ┌─────────────────┐
  │ Conflict Check  │──Conflict──▶ ⚠️ File locked
  └────────┬────────┘
           │ Clear
           ▼
  ✅ Work on task
           │
           ▼
/conductor done
         │
         ▼
  ✅ Claims released, logged to history

Status Dashboard

/conductor status

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CONDUCTOR STATUS - 2026-01-17 10:30                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ACTIVE INSTANCES (3)                                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [itm-a1b2] pitchello       │ P1 │ Fix auth bug      │ 45m  │
│            └─ src/api/users.ts, src/lib/auth.ts             │
│                                                             │
│ [cur-c3d4] mission-control │ P1 │ Lead scoring API  │ 30m  │
│            └─ app/api/agent/leads/*                         │
│                                                             │
│ [web-e5f6] digital-self    │ P2 │ Content draft     │ 15m  │
│            └─ (no files claimed)                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ CONFLICTS: None                                             │
│ DRIFT WARNINGS: 1 (web-e5f6 working on P2 during P1 sprint) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

State Files

All state lives in ~/.conductor/:

File	Purpose
status.json	Current instance state and file claims
history.jsonl	Completed tasks log
sprint.json	Optional sprint focus configuration
conflicts.log	Conflict history for pattern analysis

Priority Levels

Level	Description	Examples
P1	Critical, sprint-blocking	Revenue features, production bugs
P2	Important, planned work	Backlog items, improvements
P3	Nice-to-have, opportunistic	Refactoring, documentation

Priority Gate Rule: During focused sprints, P3 work requires explicit override.

Integration

With Daily Workflows

• /daily-brief can show conductor status at session start
• /shutdown can run /conductor done to release claims

With Strategic Alignment

• /conductor align checks tasks against north-stars.md
• Sprint focus can be configured via ~/.conductor/sprint.json

Philosophy

"Progress should persist. Failures should evaporate. Conflicts should be prevented."