Code Debate Protocol

A protocol for two coding agents (Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex, or any other) to debate code changes through a shared file (DEBATE.md). Both agents receive this same prompt. Role is determined by the first argument.

This skill assumes the two debate participants are started externally by a human in separate sessions. It is not a peer-orchestration skill.

How to use

Open two terminal tabs with coding agents (same or different). Invoke this skill in each, specifying role and subject:

• /code-debate A <subject> — opener, creates DEBATE.md with the first analysis
• /code-debate B <subject> — responder, waits for DEBATE.md then replies

Role detection

Your role is determined by the first argument ($0):

• A → you are Agent A (opener). Create DEBATE.md and write the opening position.
• B → you are Agent B (responder). Poll and wait for DEBATE.md to exist, then read it and respond.

If no role argument is provided, fall back to file existence:

• If DEBATE.md does not exist → you are Agent A (opener).
• If DEBATE.md already exists → you are Agent B (responder).

Do not ask the user which role to play.

Non-simulation guardrails (MUST)

• Never write content for the opposite role.
• Never simulate, fabricate, or placeholder the other agent's response.
• Never append both sides of a debate from one process.
• Never create, spawn, launch, delegate to, summon, or recruit the opposite debate role.
• Never use spawn_agent, send_input, tmux supervision, background shell automation, or any other tool to manufacture the missing peer.
• Role is immutable for the run: once detected as Agent A or Agent B, keep that role until ## CONSENSUS.
• If you are about to write the opposite role, stop and report protocol violation instead of writing.
• After appending your section, only poll. Do not append another turn unless checksum changed and turn order confirms it is now your turn.
• If checksum does not change, keep polling until timeout or ## CONSENSUS.
• On timeout, append only a timeout ## CONSENSUS from your own role.

Checksum command

Use a portable checksum. Pick the first available:

CKSUM() { { md5sum "$1" 2>/dev/null || md5 -q "$1" 2>/dev/null || shasum "$1"; } | awk '{print $1}'; }

Define this function before running the poll loop.

Shell requirement

Run polling commands in bash. The timeout example uses Bash's SECONDS.

Turn order enforcement

Before appending a section, check the last ## heading in DEBATE.md:

• After ## Opening → only Agent B may append ## Response 1.
• After ## Response N → only Agent A may append ## Follow-up N (or ## CONSENSUS).
• After ## Follow-up N → only Agent B may append ## Response N+1.

If it is not your turn, re-read the file and go back to polling.

Before appending, also verify the last signature line role:

• If the last signature is your role, it is not your turn.
• Append only when heading order and signature role both allow your turn.

Polling discipline (critical)

• After starting a poll loop, keep polling until one of these happens:
  • checksum changed
  • timeout reached
  • ## CONSENSUS exists
• Do not stop early just to report that polling started.
• When checksum changes, immediately read DEBATE.md and continue the protocol.
• Stop only when ## CONSENSUS exists or timeout handling completes.
• Polling is mandatory after every append. Do not return control to the user between append and poll completion.
• After checksum change, do not ask the user what to do next. Immediately take the next protocol step for your role only.

Hard Exit Gate (MUST)

• After entering this protocol, do not send any user-facing status/progress/completion message until one of these is true:
  • DEBATE.md contains ## CONSENSUS, or
  • timeout handling completed per role rules.
• Messages like "started", "waiting", "polling", "done", or "completed" before the stop condition are protocol violations.
• If you accidentally replied early, treat that reply as invalid and immediately resume the protocol loop.

Pre-Reply Check (MUST)

• Before any user-facing reply, run this gate:
  • If DEBATE.md exists and does not contain ## CONSENSUS, do not reply; continue append/poll flow immediately.
  • If terminal timeout condition is reached, perform the timeout terminal action for your role, then stop.

Blocking Poll Requirement (MUST)

• After every append (## Opening, ## Response N, ## Follow-up N), run one blocking poll loop.
• Do not return control early while polling.
• Exit the loop only on checksum change, ## CONSENSUS, or timeout.

Conflict Override

• This protocol overrides default responsiveness/progress-update behavior.
• Do not pause for confirmations between turns.
• Do not emit intermediary "in progress" messages while the debate is active.

Completion criteria (MUST)

• A debate run is only complete when one of these is true:
  • ## CONSENSUS exists, or
  • timeout handling completed and timeout ## CONSENSUS was appended.
• It is a protocol violation to stop after writing ## Opening, ## Response N, or ## Follow-up N without entering the poll loop.
• If DEBATE.md does not yet contain ## CONSENSUS, you must still be in the protocol loop (append or poll).
• Never send a “done”/“completed” status while waiting for the other agent; continue polling instead.
• Never pause to request user confirmation between turns. Continue autonomously within your assigned role until consensus/timeout.

Agent A (opener) flow

1. The debate subject is: $1 (the arguments after the role). Analyze it (run git show, git diff, gh pr view, read files, etc. as appropriate).
2. Write your analysis to DEBATE.md using the file format below.
3. Compute the file's checksum using CKSUM DEBATE.md.
4. Poll for changes (5-second interval, 10-minute timeout):

   PREV=$(CKSUM DEBATE.md); SECONDS=0; while true; do sleep 5; if grep -q '^## CONSENSUS' DEBATE.md; then break; fi; NOW=$(CKSUM DEBATE.md); if [ "$NOW" != "$PREV" ]; then break; fi; if [ "$SECONDS" -ge 600 ]; then echo "TIMEOUT"; break; fi; done
   

   This step is blocking and mandatory; do not exit the workflow before it finishes.
5. If timed out → append ## CONSENSUS noting the timeout and stop.
6. Read Agent B's reply.
7. If all points are resolved → append a ## CONSENSUS section summarizing agreed outcomes and stop.
8. Otherwise append a ## Follow-up N section addressing unresolved points, then go to step 3.
9. Do not ask the user to choose between follow-up or consensus; Agent A must decide and append immediately.

Agent B (responder) flow

1. Ensure DEBATE.md exists before reading:
   • If it exists, read it immediately.
   • If it does not exist (for example, you were explicitly designated as Agent B), start polling and wait until it exists, then read it.
   • If timeout is reached before the file exists, stop with a timeout result. Do not create DEBATE.md as Agent B and do not start Agent A yourself. Example:

   SECONDS=0; while [ ! -f DEBATE.md ]; do sleep 5; if [ "$SECONDS" -ge 600 ]; then echo "TIMEOUT waiting for DEBATE.md"; exit 0; fi; done
   

2. The debate subject is: $1 (the arguments after the role). Analyze it (run git show, git diff, gh pr view, read files, etc. as appropriate).
3. Verify it is your turn (check the last ## heading). Example:

   LAST=$(grep -E '^## ' DEBATE.md | tail -n1)
   

   If not your turn, poll until it is.
4. Append a ## Response N section with a point-by-point reply.
5. Compute the file's checksum.
6. Poll for changes (same loop with 10-minute timeout). This step is blocking and mandatory; do not exit the workflow before it finishes.
7. If timed out → append ## CONSENSUS noting the timeout and stop.
8. Read Agent A's follow-up.
9. If the file contains ## CONSENSUS → stop, debate is over.
10. Otherwise go to step 3.
11. Do not ask the user whether to continue; continue automatically per turn order within Agent B only.

File format

Each section should end with a signature line: *— Agent A|Agent B (optional tool name), <timestamp>*

# Code Debate: <subject>

## Opening
<Agent A's initial analysis>

*— Agent A, 2025-06-15T14:30:00Z*

---

## Response 1
<Agent B's point-by-point reply>

*— Agent B, 2025-06-15T14:32:00Z*

---

## Follow-up 1
<Agent A's follow-up on unresolved points>

*— Agent A, 2025-06-15T14:35:00Z*

---

## Response 2
<Agent B's reply>

*— Agent B, 2025-06-15T14:38:00Z*

---

## CONSENSUS
<final agreed outcomes and action items>

Response format

Every point in a response must be explicitly categorized:

• Agreed — no further discussion needed.
• Partially agreed — state what you agree with and what you don't, with reasoning.
• Disagreed — state your reasoning.

If the agent has already completed its own review of the subject, it must also include an Independent findings section in its next debate turn:

• List its own review findings (with file paths/line references) even if they differ from the other agent.
• Clearly mark each finding as one of:
  • same as other agent
  • new finding
  • not reproduced / disagreed
• Do not limit the response to rebuttals only; independent findings are required when available.

Convergence rules

• Maximum 5 rounds (a round = one follow-up + one response, so 10 sections max after the opening).
• If the maximum is reached without convergence, the last writer appends ## CONSENSUS summarizing what was agreed and listing remaining disagreements.
• The ## CONSENSUS heading is the stop signal. When you see it, stop polling and end.

Guidelines

• Be specific. Reference file paths, line numbers, and code snippets.
• Be concise. Don't repeat points that are already agreed upon.
• Focus on substance — correctness, design, simplicity, edge cases — not style preferences.
• Don't re-analyze the entire subject each round. Only address unresolved points.
• The goal is convergence, not winning. Update your position when the other side makes a good argument.
• DEBATE.md is a scratch file; delete it after the debate unless you want to keep it as a record.