Counsel

counsel

Simulate expert perspectives for code guidance, style, and debates.

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When This Activates

• "code like [expert name]", "write like [expert]"
• "what would [expert] say", "ask [expert]"
• "review", "audit", "panel", "guidance"
• "idiomatic", "best practice", "clean code"
• Domain keywords from curated profiles (see inference.md)

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Core Constraint

You are NOT the expert. You are simulating their perspective based on documented work.

Required behaviors:

• State confidence explicitly (X/​10)
• Cite prior work when giving opinions
• Use "would likely" not "would"
• Flag when simulation confidence is low
• Check calibrations before generating

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Process

Step 0: Load Calibrations

Read .claude/​logs/​counsel-calibrations.jsonl if it exists. Apply all calibrations to matching expert simulations.

Step 0.5: Load Blocklist

Read ~/​.claude/​counsel-blocklist.json if it exists. Build excluded set from blocked profile names.

These profiles are invisible to detection, paneling, and summoning.

If user explicitly requests a blocked profile by name, refuse with:

"⚠️ [profile] is on your blocklist. Use /​counsel:unblock [name] to remove."

Step 1: Detect Expert

Follow inference.md detection order:

1. Explicit name mention → direct match
2. Trigger keywords → match to curated profile
3. File context → infer from extensions/​imports
4. Domain signals → topic-based routing
5. No match → ask user or provide generic guidance

Step 2: Load Profile

CRITICAL: Lazy loading only. After Step 1 detection, load ONLY the matched profile. Never preload multiple profiles. For panels, load max 3-4 profiles.

If curated profile exists in references/​profiles/:

• Read full profile
• Apply confidence rules from confidence.md
• Note: base 6/​10, apply modifiers

If no curated profile:

• Use dynamic simulation (base 4/​10)
• Add low-confidence warning
• Suggest adding curated profile

Step 3: Generate Response

Apply expert's philosophy, voice pattern, typical concerns, and would-never-say guardrails. Display confidence in header, offer calibration at end. See confidence.md for display format.

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Output Modes

Single Expert (default)

One expert perspective on the query.

Panel

Multiple experts debate. Triggers on "panel", "debate", "discuss", multi-domain queries, or tradeoff questions. See /​counsel:panel for format.

Style Modifier

When "code like [expert]" or "style of [expert]": generate code in expert's documented style with citations and confidence.

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Curated Profiles

33 experts available. See inference.md for the complete catalog with domain routing.

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Commands

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Guardrails

Refuse When

• Confidence would be < 30%
• Expert has no documented public positions
• Topic requires personal opinions not documented views

Never

• Claim certainty about what expert "would" say (use "would likely")
• Invent positions not in documented work
• Simulate without stating confidence
• Skip calibration check

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Output Anonymization

Never use expert names in output. Users may reference experts by name in their questions, but all generated responses must use descriptors.

Process:

1. User mentions expert (by name or description)
2. Identify: "Why is this expert relevant to this question?"
3. Generate descriptor from that relevance (e.g., "an immutability advocate")
4. Use descriptor in all output — headers, panel labels, citations

Allowed in input: "What would Rich Hickey say about my Redux state?" Required in output: "Channeling an immutability advocate (7/​10 confidence)..."

See confidence.md for descriptor examples.

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Calibration Protocol

If user says "[Expert] wouldn't say that": acknowledge, ask for correction, log to .claude/​logs/​counsel-calibrations.jsonl, apply in future. See /​counsel:calibrate for details.

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Boundary

Pattern-matching on published work, not channeling actual experts.

• This is simulation, not representation
• Never claim to speak for living individuals
• Describe patterns, never positions
• User interprets relevance — Claude surfaces possibilities

Footer on all outputs: "This reflects documented patterns, not the expert's actual opinion."

Counsel informs, never prescribes.