02901dfec7
ADRs: - Update 0008-honor, 0009-courage, 0013-overflow, 0015-plausibility - Add 0017-hosted-coding-assistant-architecture RFCs: - 0032: per-repo AWS profile configuration (draft) - 0033: round-scoped dialogue files (impl + plan) - 0034: comprehensive config architecture (accepted) - 0036: expert output discipline (impl) - 0037: single source protocol authority (draft) - 0038: SDLC workflow discipline (draft) - 0039: ADR architecture greenfield clarifications (impl) - 0040: divorce financial analysis (draft) - 0042: alignment dialogue defensive publication (draft) Spikes: - Read tool token limit on assembled dialogues - RFC ID collision root cause - Expert agent output too long - Judge writes expert outputs - Blue MCP server on superviber infrastructure - Playwright MCP multiple window isolation Dialogues: 16 alignment dialogue records Code: - blue-core: forge module enhancements - blue-mcp: env handlers and server updates - alignment-expert agent improvements - alignment-play skill refinements - install.sh script Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
97 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
97 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
# RFC 0037: Single-Source Protocol Authority
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| **Status** | Draft |
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| **Date** | 2026-01-26 |
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| **Dialogue** | [Remove SKILL.md / build_judge_protocol Redundancy](/tmp/blue-dialogue/remove-skill-protocol-redundancy/dialogue.md) |
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| **Depends On** | RFC 0033 (round-scoped dialogue files), RFC 0036 (expert output discipline) |
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---
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## Summary
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The alignment dialogue system had two sources of truth describing the same workflow: `SKILL.md` (315-line skill file) and `build_judge_protocol()` in `dialogue.rs` (Rust function generating runtime JSON). This RFC strips SKILL.md to a thin entry point (73 lines) and establishes `build_judge_protocol()` as the sole authority for all runtime behavior.
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## Problem
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`SKILL.md` and `build_judge_protocol()` both contained:
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- Round workflow steps (7-step process)
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- Agent prompt template structure
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- File architecture (scoreboard.md, tensions.md, round-N.summary.md)
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- Artifact writing instructions
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- Context instructions for round 1+
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- Scoring dimensions and convergence criteria
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When one changed, the other had to change. They had already drifted — SKILL.md lacked artifact writing instructions while the protocol included them, causing the Judge to skip writing scoreboard.md, tensions.md, and round-N.summary.md.
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**Root cause**: SKILL.md tried to be both a discovery document and a runtime specification.
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## Analysis (from 5-Expert Alignment Dialogue)
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The dialogue explored three approaches and reached 5/5 convergence on Approach C (validated redundancy). However, post-dialogue review overruled that conclusion: **we don't need to build for human operators**. SKILL.md is not read by humans browsing documentation — it's loaded by the skill system at invocation time, immediately before `blue_dialogue_create` returns the Judge Protocol.
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This makes Approach A (strip SKILL.md) correct. The dialogue's concern about "orphaning human operators" was based on a false premise.
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## Solution
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### Strip SKILL.md to Entry Point
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SKILL.md retains only:
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- **Frontmatter** — name, description (required by skill system)
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- **Usage** — invocation syntax and parameters
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- **How It Works** — 3-line summary: call `blue_dialogue_create`, get protocol, follow it
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- **Expert Selection** — pastry names and tier distribution
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- **Blue MCP Tools** — tool names and one-line descriptions
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- **Key Rules** — 3 rules (don't participate, spawn parallel, follow protocol)
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- **The Spirit of the Dialogue** — philosophy (unique to SKILL.md, not in protocol)
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SKILL.md does NOT contain:
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- Round workflow steps
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- Agent prompt template (or any description of it)
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- File architecture diagram
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- Artifact writing instructions
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- Context instructions for round 1+
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- Scoring dimensions or formulas
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- Convergence criteria
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- `.dialogue.md` format specification
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All of the above live exclusively in `build_judge_protocol()`.
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### Authority Hierarchy
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| Source | Role | Contains |
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|--------|------|----------|
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| `build_judge_protocol()` | Runtime protocol | Everything: workflow, prompts, file paths, scoring, convergence |
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| `SKILL.md` | Thin entry point | Invocation syntax, parameters, "call blue_dialogue_create and follow the protocol" |
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There is no overlap to validate. No sync test needed.
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## What Changed
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- **SKILL.md**: 315 lines → 73 lines. Removed all workflow, scoring, file architecture, template details, and `.dialogue.md` format specification.
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- **No code changes**: `build_judge_protocol()` is unchanged. It was already correct.
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- **No new tests**: No validation test needed — there's nothing to validate when there's no duplication.
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## What Does NOT Change
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- **Runtime behavior** — `build_judge_protocol()` output is unchanged
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- **File architecture** — RFC 0033 round-scoped files unchanged
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- **Agent prompt template** — RFC 0036 structural template unchanged
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- **Scoring** — ALIGNMENT = Wisdom + Consistency + Truth + Relationships, unbounded
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## Risks
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**SKILL.md may be too thin for an LLM that hasn't seen the protocol yet.** The Judge reads SKILL.md before calling `blue_dialogue_create`. If SKILL.md provides zero context about what to expect, the Judge may not know to call `blue_dialogue_create` in the first place. **Mitigation**: SKILL.md retains the "How It Works" section with the 3-step flow (create → receive protocol → follow it), which is sufficient orientation.
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## Test Plan
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- [ ] Run alignment dialogue with stripped SKILL.md — verify Judge follows protocol correctly
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- [ ] Verify artifact files (scoreboard.md, tensions.md, round-N.summary.md) still written
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- [ ] Run `cargo test` — existing tests pass (protocol unchanged)
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---
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*"Right then. Let's get to it."*
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— Blue
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