orchestrator-discipline

Orchestrator Discipline

Enforce delegation discipline for the orchestrator role in multi-agent Claude Code workflows. The orchestrator's context window is a shared resource across the entire session — agents get fresh context per task, the orchestrator does not.

What This Plugin Provides

1. PreToolUse Hooks (Structural Enforcement)

Two hooks fire automatically on every tool call:

Source File Read Warning — fires on Read and Grep targeting source/config/test files (.py, .toml, .yaml, .json, etc.). Injects a decision-point reminder asking: "Will you Edit/Write this file this turn?"

Diagnostic Command Gate — fires on Bash calls matching diagnostic commands (ty check, ruff check, mypy, pytest, eslint, cargo check, etc.). Reminds the orchestrator to delegate the command to an Explore agent instead.

Bash Built-In Tool Enforcement Gate — fires on Bash calls that should use built-in Claude Code tools (Read, Grep, Glob). Blocking — exits 2 to prevent the command and redirect to the correct tool. SOURCE: 28 violations in session e3280e97 (2026-03-02).

The Source File Read Warning and Diagnostic Command Gate are non-blocking — they inject additionalContext to surface the decision, not prevent it. The Bash Built-In Tool Enforcement Gate is blocking — it exits 2 to structurally enforce the rule.

2. Rules (Behavioral Constraints)

The rules/CLAUDE.md file is loaded into every session and provides:

• Read permission/prohibition lists with a falsifiable test
• Delegation constraint definitions (no exemption categories)
• Investigation escalation anti-pattern documentation
• Tool use denial protocol (HARD STOP — no workarounds)
• Bash built-in tool enforcement with kaizen evidence
• Diagnostic command delegation patterns
• Epistemic identity scoping for orchestrator role

3. Reference Material

See Investigation Escalation Anti-Pattern for the detailed pattern analysis, root cause diagnosis, and correct workflow alternatives.

When to Activate

This skill auto-loads via the plugin's hooks and rules. Manual activation is useful when:

• Reviewing whether the orchestrator is following delegation discipline
• Diagnosing context window waste in a session
• Training new orchestrator configurations on delegation patterns

Correct Orchestrator Workflow

flowchart TD
    Start([Task arrives]) --> Q1{Does orchestrator need<br>current codebase state?}
    Q1 -->|Yes| Explore["Delegate to Explore agent<br>with diagnostic command"]
    Q1 -->|No| Direct[Delegate implementation<br>to specialist agent]
    Explore --> Summary[Receive summary<br>from agent]
    Summary --> Q2{Scope changed?}
    Q2 -->|Yes| User[Present to user<br>for routing decision]
    Q2 -->|No| Direct
    User --> Direct
    Direct --> PostCheck["Spot-check agent output<br>(read deliverable only)"]

    Q1 -.->|WRONG| Self["Read source files yourself<br>Run diagnostics yourself"]
    Self -.->|Escalates to| Bypass["'This is simple enough<br>to do myself'"]

Hook Behavior Reference

Source File Read Warning

Triggers on: Read or Grep where target path matches:

• Extensions: .py, .toml, .yaml, .yml, .js, .ts, .jsx, .tsx, .json, .cfg, .ini, .env, .sh, .bash, .go, .rs, .rb, .java, .c, .cpp, .h, .hpp
• Test paths: directories named test/, tests/, spec/, __tests__/, or files matching test_*.py

Does NOT trigger on: .md, .txt, plan files, backlog items, CLAUDE.md, skill definitions

Bash Built-In Tool Enforcement Gate

Triggers on: Bash where command matches Bash-equivalent file operations:

• grep at start of command (standalone, not pipeline)
• find ... -name patterns
• ls at start of command (not ls -la)
• cat file.ext (file reads, not stdin)
• head -N, tail -N file.ext, sed -n 'N,Mp'

Blocking: YES — exits with code 2 to prevent the command and provide redirect message.

Does NOT trigger on: Pipeline uses (git log | grep, uv run | head), cat /dev/stdin, cat -, ls -la

SOURCE: 28 violations observed in session e3280e97 (2026-03-02); installed as structural enforcement.

Diagnostic Command Gate

Triggers on: Bash where command matches:

• Python: ty check, ruff check, mypy, pyright, basedpyright, pylint, pytest
• JavaScript/TypeScript: eslint, tsc --noEmit
• Rust: cargo check, cargo clippy
• Go: go vet
• Meta: pre-commit run, prek run

Does NOT trigger on: git status, ls, wc, uv run (without diagnostic subcommand), or any non-diagnostic bash command