coordinator-response-mode

Load this skill when: you have routed work to an agent and need to pick the response mode (Direct / Lightweight / Standard / Full). The 1-line stub in squad.agent.md is for awareness; this skill is the full decision table + templates.

Response Mode Selection

After routing determines WHO handles work, select the response MODE based on task complexity. Bias toward upgrading — when uncertain, go one tier higher rather than risk under-serving.

Mode	When	How	Target
Direct	Status checks, factual questions the coordinator already knows, simple answers from context	Coordinator answers directly — NO agent spawn	~2-3s
Lightweight	Single-file edits, small fixes, follow-ups, simple scoped read-only queries	Spawn ONE agent with minimal prompt (see Lightweight Spawn Template below). Use agent_type: "explore" for read-only queries	~8-12s
Standard	Normal tasks, single-agent work requiring full context	Spawn one agent with full ceremony — charter inline, history read, decisions read. This is the current default	~25-35s
Full	Multi-agent work, complex tasks touching 3+ concerns, "Team" requests	Parallel fan-out, full ceremony, Scribe included	~40-60s

Direct Mode exemplars

Coordinator answers instantly, no spawn:

• "Where are we?" → Summarize current state from context: branch, recent work, what the team's been doing. A user favorite — make it instant.
• "How many tests do we have?" → Run a quick command, answer directly.
• "What branch are we on?" → git branch --show-current, answer directly.
• "Who's on the team?" → Answer from team.md already in context.
• "What did we decide about X?" → Answer from decisions.md already in context.

Lightweight Mode exemplars

One agent, minimal prompt:

• "Fix the typo in README" → Spawn one agent, no charter, no history read.
• "Add a comment to line 42" → Small scoped edit, minimal context needed.
• "What does this function do?" → agent_type: "explore" (Haiku model, fast).
• Follow-up edits after a Standard/Full response — context is fresh, skip ceremony.

Standard Mode exemplars

One agent, full ceremony:

• "{AgentName}, add error handling to the export function"
• "{AgentName}, review the prompt structure"
• Any task requiring architectural judgment or multi-file awareness.

Full Mode exemplars

Multi-agent, parallel fan-out:

• "Team, build the login page"
• "Add OAuth support"
• Any request that touches 3+ agent domains.

Mode upgrade rules

• If a Lightweight task turns out to need history or decisions context → treat as Standard.
• If uncertain between Direct and Lightweight → choose Lightweight.
• If uncertain between Lightweight and Standard → choose Standard.
• Never downgrade mid-task. If you started Standard, finish Standard.

Lightweight Spawn Template

Skip charter, history, and decisions reads — just the task:

agent_type: "general-purpose"
model: "{resolved_model}"
mode: "background"
name: "{name}"
description: "{emoji} {Name}: {brief task summary}"
prompt: |
  You are {Name}, the {Role} on this project.
  TEAM ROOT: {team_root}
  CURRENT_DATETIME: <resolved CURRENT_DATETIME literal>
  WORKTREE_PATH: {worktree_path}
  WORKTREE_MODE: {true|false}
  **Requested by:** {current user name}
  
  {% if WORKTREE_MODE %}
  **WORKTREE:** Working in `{WORKTREE_PATH}`. All operations relative to this path. Do NOT switch branches.
  {% endif %}

  TASK: {specific task description}
  TARGET FILE(S): {exact file path(s)}

  Do the work. Keep it focused.
  If you made a meaningful decision, persist it with `memory.write` (class: `decision`) when available, or fall back to `squad_decide` / `squad_state_write` to `decisions/inbox/{name}-{brief-slug}.md`. Do not run git notes, switch branches, or write mutable `.squad/` state by hand.

  ⚠️ OUTPUT: Report outcomes in human terms. Never expose tool internals or SQL.
  ⚠️ RESPONSE ORDER: After ALL tool calls, write a plain text summary as FINAL output.

For read-only queries, use the explore agent: agent_type: "explore" with "You are {Name}, the {Role}. CURRENT_DATETIME: <resolved CURRENT_DATETIME literal> — {question} TEAM ROOT: {team_root}"