[caelaxie]

pinned-seat effort is that droid's reasoningEffort, changed with /setup-pstack, not per spawn. complexity is only for an inherit droid (worker, explorer). the same pick line is updated in every file that had it, including ones #33 did not name. the do-not-read clause is removed. each file keeps its missing-section sentence. #33 and #37 edit the same lines in arena, how, why, swarm, and reflect.

Closes #33
Closes #37

  

[caelaxie]

verdict: changes needed (proof only). content passes.

• #33: poteto-mode subagents section now says trivial edits stay on the code seat, pinned-seat effort is the droid's reasoningEffort changed via /setup-pstack, and complexity only for inherit droids (worker, explorer). every "pick each subagent's complexity for the job" line becomes "pick each subagent per the Subagents section". matches the smallest fix.
• #37: the "do not Read" clause is gone from architect, arena, how, interrogate, reflect, swarm, why; each keeps its missing-section sentence. matches the smallest fix.
• layout, parity, linkage (Closes #33, Closes #37), not draft: ok.

blocking:

1. Validate plugin is red on ad94ff2 (step "Validate plugin with Droid CLI" exits 1). main b5741f0's scheduled run is red too, so this looks like CI drift, not this diff, but i can't merge on red. fix CI in its own PR or show why it fails.
2. no droid harness proof. post marketplace add + droid plugin install pstack@droid-pstack + plugin list on this exact head, plus the installed poteto-mode/SKILL.md showing the new effort lines.

merge once both land.

[cursor]

head ad94ff2204f8a31d675d937a2ce6c0d39e5d0ace. proof with Droid 0.248.0 (the installer at https://app.factory.ai/cli is 0.249.0, which rejects every droid plugin marketplace add with Org plugin policy rejected this credential). CI was not changed.

$ droid --version
0.248.0
$ droid plugin marketplace add pstack-ports/droid-pstack#cursor/subagent-effort-7416
Successfully added marketplace: droid-pstack@cursor-subagent-effort-7416
$ droid plugin install pstack@droid-pstack@cursor-subagent-effort-7416 --scope user
Successfully installed pstack@droid-pstack@cursor-subagent-effort-7416 (ad94ff2)
$ droid plugin list
Installed plugins:
Enabled:
  pstack@droid-pstack@cursor-subagent-effort-7416  [user]  ad94ff2

each changed skill activated, then auth failed (no FACTORY_API_KEY):

$ droid exec "/architect"
Skill "architect" activated
Error during droid execution: Authentication failed. Please log in using /login or set a valid FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable.
$ droid exec "/arena"
Skill "arena" activated
Error during droid execution: Authentication failed. Please log in using /login or set a valid FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable.
$ droid exec "/automate-me"
Skill "automate-me" activated
Error during droid execution: Authentication failed. Please log in using /login or set a valid FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable.
$ droid exec "/figure-it-out"
Skill "figure-it-out" activated
Error during droid execution: Authentication failed. Please log in using /login or set a valid FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable.
$ droid exec "/how"
Skill "how" activated
Error during droid execution: Authentication failed. Please log in using /login or set a valid FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable.
$ droid exec "/interrogate"
Skill "interrogate" activated
Error during droid execution: Authentication failed. Please log in using /login or set a valid FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable.
$ droid exec "/no-comments"
Skill "no-comments" activated
Error during droid execution: Authentication failed. Please log in using /login or set a valid FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable.
$ droid exec "/poteto-mode"
Skill "poteto-mode" activated
Error during droid execution: Authentication failed. Please log in using /login or set a valid FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable.
$ droid exec "/recall"
Skill "recall" activated
Error during droid execution: Authentication failed. Please log in using /login or set a valid FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable.
$ droid exec "/reflect"
Skill "reflect" activated
Error during droid execution: Authentication failed. Please log in using /login or set a valid FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable.
$ droid exec "/show-me-your-work"
Skill "show-me-your-work" activated
Error during droid execution: Authentication failed. Please log in using /login or set a valid FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable.
$ droid exec "/swarm"
Skill "swarm" activated
Error during droid execution: Authentication failed. Please log in using /login or set a valid FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable.
$ droid exec "/why"
Skill "why" activated
Error during droid execution: Authentication failed. Please log in using /login or set a valid FACTORY_API_KEY environment variable.

installed SKILL.md changed lines:

skills/poteto-mode/SKILL.md line 96 ends Trivial mechanical edits go to the code seat. Effort for a pinned seat is that droid's reasoningEffort. Change it with /setup-pstack, not per spawn.

line 98: **Match the effort to the job.** Before each spawn, start from the role's line or default. Pass complexity (light, medium, or heavy) only for an inherit droid (worker, explorer). Raise it for the hardest or subtlest work. Lower it for routine work.

skills/architect/SKILL.md line 31 keeps If the section or that line is missing, use claude-opus-5-5(judgment seat) andgrok-4.7 (code seat). and no longer says do not Read.

skills/arena/SKILL.md line 17, skills/how/SKILL.md line 11, skills/swarm/SKILL.md line 22, and skills/why/SKILL.md line 11 drop the do-not-Read sentence and end the pick clause with Pick each subagent per the Subagents section of the **poteto-mode** skill.

skills/interrogate/SKILL.md line 27 drops (always in context when present; do not Read it) and keeps If the section or that line is missing, use the table defaults. line 36 uses the same pick clause.

skills/reflect/SKILL.md line 27 drops do not Read it and keeps Fall back to the default when the section or the line is missing.

the same pick clause is in skills/automate-me/SKILL.md line 31, skills/figure-it-out/SKILL.md line 31, skills/no-comments/SKILL.md line 19, skills/recall/SKILL.md line 19 (recall still spawns worker at complexity: light), and skills/show-me-your-work/SKILL.md line 67.

the same pick clause is in these installed playbooks: autonomous-run.md:6, bug-fix.md:3, eval.md:20, feature.md:12, hillclimb.md:12, multi-phase-plan.md:7, orchestrate.md:15, perf-issue.md:17, refactoring.md:11, runtime-forensics.md:6, session-pickup.md:5, trace-forensics.md:7, worktree-cleanup.md:5.

Validate plugin is red on this head because the runner installs Droid 0.249.0. the failing step is "Validate plugin with Droid CLI" (https://github.com/pstack-ports/droid-pstack/actions/runs/40262372547). main b5741f0 fails the same step and has since the 2026-10-24 run (latest: https://github.com/pstack-ports/droid-pstack/actions/runs/40258344594).

[caelaxie]

proof verified at ad94ff2: marketplace add, install and list on droid 0.248.0 show ad94ff2, every changed skill activates, and the installed poteto-mode lines 96 and 98 and architect line 31 match the head, with no do-not-read clause left in the routed skills. ci red is the pre-existing droid 0.249.0 break on main b5741f0 ("Org plugin policy rejected this credential" in Validate plugin with Droid CLI, same as main run 40258344594). no other check fails. passes.

[caelaxie]

pass, merging.

content passed last round (#33 + #37). proof now on the exact head ad94ff2: droid 0.248.0 marketplace add + plugin install + plugin list shows ad94ff2, and every changed skill activates before the live turn hits the FACTORY_API_KEY auth wall. that's the accepted bar for text-only skill changes. Validate plugin stays red on the droid cli step, same as main since 2026-10-24 (0.249.0 rejects marketplace add with the org plugin policy), so it's ci drift, not this diff. Closes #33 and Closes #37 set.