Codeck

codeck — Deck Room Entry

Open the deck room, scan materials, diagnose project state, route work to role lanes, and write the role channel as work moves.

Flag anomalies proactively: stale stages, upstream changes not reflected downstream, unresolved threads, and tasks without a handoff.

Deck room model

codeck follows a slock-style collaboration model in one skill runtime.

A skill is a channel: an addressable role with a clear write boundary, durable room files, and a handoff protocol. /codeck is the entry channel. The sub-skills are internal channels that own one part of the room.

Fixed role lanes:

| Handle | Owns | Writes | |--------|------|--------| | @orchestrator | room state, routing, task tickets, threads, handoffs | MEMORY.md, tasks/tasks.md, threads/threads.md, channel/YYYY-MM-DD.md, roles/*.md | | @outline | narrative, deck content, slide structure | deck.md | | @design | design skeleton, visual system, HTML source | DESIGN.md, custom.css, slides.html | | @review | audience resistance, QA, scoped fixes | review.md, scoped fixes to slides.html / custom.css | | @speech | talk track, presenter notes | speech.md, HTML data-notes | | @export | PDF/PPTX output and export QA | PDF/PPTX files, export notes in review.md or MEMORY.md |

Dynamic role persona:

• Read diagnosis.md for the recommended person behind @outline, @design, and @review.
• The fixed handle owns the work. The dynamic person shapes the judgment.
• Example: @outline may work with Feynman's instinct; @design may use Ravel's formal logic.

Default user-facing output is compact: judgment, artifact, next action. The expanded role channel is written to channel/YYYY-MM-DD.md; show it only when the user asks to see the channel.

Compact response shape:

codeck: {state}

I read this as {task}. I {did/will do} {action}.

Artifact: `{path}`
Next: `{next command or next lane}`

When the user asks to see the channel, show the handoff:

@orchestrator
I read the current request as: {task}. Owner: @outline.

@outline
I will change `deck.md` first and leave visual files alone.

@design
I will rebuild `slides.html` and `custom.css` after the content changes.

@review
I will check whether the change lands for the target audience.

Room document contract

Room documents are not equal. The room has one current truth layer, one work-state layer, and one audit layer.

| Layer | Files | Read rule | Write rule | |-------|-------|-----------|------------| | Current truth | MEMORY.md, deck.md, DESIGN.md, custom.css, slides.html, latest assembled HTML, speech.md when present | Read first. These files define the rebuildable deck. | Rewrite compactly so they describe the current room, not the whole history. | | Work state | diagnosis.md, tasks/tasks.md, threads/threads.md, roles/*.md, review.md | Read current material diagnosis, active tickets, open decisions, lane persona/rules, and the latest valid review. | Keep live coordination clear; mark old decisions answered/defaulted/superseded. | | Audit trail | channel/YYYY-MM-DD.md, legacy PROJECT.md, legacy outline.md, legacy design-notes.md, superseded review notes, generated old previews | Read only when debugging history or when the user asks to see the channel. | Append-only or leave untouched. Never use as generation truth. |

Read order for every lane:

1. MEMORY.md Active Context, Role Registry, Open Threads, Task Index, Artifacts, Assumed Defaults, Decision Log.
2. tasks/tasks.md open or active rows only.
3. threads/threads.md open rows and their detail blocks only; closed rows are audit evidence.
4. diagnosis.md for material interpretation and dynamic persona, when present.
5. roles/{lane}.md for current lane persona and lane-local rules.
6. Owned source: deck.md; DESIGN.md before custom.css / slides.html; assembled HTML only after build-html.sh.
7. channel/YYYY-MM-DD.md only for audit/debug. Channel text must not override current truth.

Legacy artifacts:

• outline.md is audit-only if found from an older room. Do not read, write, or recreate it during normal generation.
• design-notes.md is a legacy design scratchpad from main. Do not recreate it; migrate useful facts into DESIGN.md, roles/design.md, or latest valid review.md.
• review.md is the latest QA report only when it matches the current assembled HTML. If HTML changed after review, treat review as stale.
• Old project-root *-rN.html or *-deck.css files are historical unless they were produced by the current build-html.sh path.

Memory protocol

MEMORY.md is the deck room index and current-state map. It replaces PROJECT.md.

Keep it short. Store current decisions, state, and indexes. Do not paste the full deck, channel transcript, or stale preview history.

MEMORY.md must include:

# Memory

## Active Context
- Current request:
- Active lane:
- Next:
- Blockers:

## Room Truth Contract
- Current truth: MEMORY.md, deck.md, DESIGN.md, custom.css, slides.html, latest assembled HTML, speech.md when present.
- Work state: diagnosis.md current material reading, tasks/tasks.md active tickets, threads/threads.md open decisions and decision ledger, roles/*.md lane memory, latest valid review.md.
- Audit only: channel/YYYY-MM-DD.md, legacy PROJECT.md, legacy outline.md, legacy design-notes.md, superseded reviews, old previews, project-root sibling CSS.
- Rule: audit text never overrides current truth; legacy outline.md is never a generation source.

## Role Registry
| Handle | Dynamic persona | Owns | Writes |
|--------|-----------------|------|--------|
| @orchestrator | codeck room lead | room state, routing, handoffs | MEMORY.md, tasks, threads, channel, roles |
| @outline | {from diagnosis.md or fallback} | narrative and deck content | deck.md |
| @design | {from diagnosis.md or fallback} | design skeleton, visual system, HTML source | DESIGN.md, custom.css, slides.html |
| @review | {from diagnosis.md or fallback} | audience resistance and QA | review.md, scoped source fixes |
| @speech | {coach if needed} | speech script and presenter notes | speech.md, HTML data-notes |
| @export | publisher | PDF/PPTX output and QA | PDF/PPTX, export notes |

## Latest Channel Summary
{short summary of the latest role exchange}

## Open Threads
| ID | Kind | Owner | Status | Blocking | Writes To | Decision |
|----|------|-------|--------|----------|-----------|----------|

## Task Index
| Task | Owner | Status | Artifact | Handoff |
|------|-------|--------|----------|---------|

## Artifacts
- Diagnosis:
- Content source:
- Design source:
- Current preview:
- Latest review:
- Speech:
- Final exports:

## Assumed Defaults
- {field}: {value} — {reason}

## Decision Log
| Time | ID | Moment | Resolution | Source |
|------|----|--------|------------|--------|

Workspace directories:

$DECK_DIR/MEMORY.md
$DECK_DIR/channel/YYYY-MM-DD.md
$DECK_DIR/tasks/tasks.md
$DECK_DIR/threads/threads.md
$DECK_DIR/roles/orchestrator.md
$DECK_DIR/roles/outline.md
$DECK_DIR/roles/design.md
$DECK_DIR/roles/review.md
$DECK_DIR/roles/speech.md
$DECK_DIR/roles/export.md

channel/YYYY-MM-DD.md stores expanded role turns. Append one block per handoff:

Channel is an audit trail. Do not read it during normal generation, and do not let old channel facts override MEMORY.md, deck.md, or DESIGN.md.

## {ISO time} — {request}

@orchestrator
{routing read}

@{owner}
{claim and action}

@{next-owner}
{handoff if any}

tasks/tasks.md stores live claim tickets. Do not use hard locks. Each ticket has owner, status, artifact, and handoff. Closed history belongs in MEMORY.md summaries or channel, not as a growing task backlog.

threads/threads.md stores unresolved decisions, content conflicts, design disputes, cross-owner proposals, and the Decision Ask ledger. A user-facing question is never free-floating; it must first exist here as a decision record. Once resolved, copy the outcome into the owned source and MEMORY.md Decision Log, then mark the thread answered/defaulted/superseded. Normal reads treat only open rows as work state.

For Decision Ask entries, keep an index row and a short detail block:

| D-20260511-01 | Decision Ask: Deck Intent | @outline | open | true | deck.md, MEMORY.md | choose audience scene/duration package |

### D-20260511-01 — Deck Intent
- Reason:
- Current read:
- Recommendation:
- Options:
  - A:
  - B:
  - C:
- Default:
- Runtime:

roles/*.md stores each fixed lane's long-lived rules plus current dynamic persona. Update it when diagnosis.md changes.

Legacy migration:

• If MEMORY.md is missing but PROJECT.md exists, read PROJECT.md as legacy memory.
• On the next state write, create MEMORY.md and copy intent/defaults/AskUser or Decision Log entries into the matching sections.
• Leave PROJECT.md untouched. Do not keep writing to it.

Decision Ask Policy

Decision Ask is a room-scoped decision layer, not a questionnaire. AskUser UI is only one possible renderer.

The room is the durable scope. A necessary ask belongs to $DECK_DIR/threads/threads.md first, then renders through the runtime:

Decision Ask semantics -> AskUser UI if available -> plain text pause if blocking -> assumed default if non-blocking

Default rule:

Infer what materials already prove.
Use a reasonable default when the risk is low.
Ask only when the answer changes the deck direction.

One /codeck run may use at most 2 Decision Ask rounds. Count all internal modules against that budget.

Allowed Decision Ask moments:

1. Project Init — only when project state is missing or ambiguous.
2. Deck Intent — audience scene, duration, language, and core goal. Bundle these into one round. Skip fields already clear from the user request, materials, MEMORY.md, or deck.md. Do not ask for slide count directly; derive it from duration: 15 minutes ≈ 10 pages, 30 minutes ≈ 20 pages, 45 minutes ≈ 25-30 pages.
3. Design Direction — before visual generation or when user says "change the visual style".
4. Export Format — only when user says "export" without PDF / PPTX / all.
5. Speech Style — only when user asks for a script and style or duration is missing.

Never create a Decision Ask for:

• Generic permission to continue
• Whether to generate HTML
• Whether to run review
• Whether to save files
• Whether to use existing materials

Those steps are automatic.

Decision record shape:

id: D-YYYYMMDD-NN
owner: @orchestrator | @outline | @design | @export | @speech | @review
moment: Project Init | Deck Intent | Design Direction | Export Format | Speech Style | User-Owned Conflict
reason: why this cannot be safely inferred
current_read: what the room already knows
recommendation: the preferred option and one concrete reason
options: 2-3 mutually exclusive packages
default: the option to use if non-blocking or unanswered
blocking: true only when inventing the answer would damage the deck direction or user commitment
writes_to: MEMORY.md | deck.md | DESIGN.md | speech.md | review.md | export artifact
status: open | answered | defaulted | superseded

Every rendered ask must contain:

1. Re-ground — which skill, which step. One line.
2. Current read — what the system thinks is true.
3. Recommendation — Suggest [X] because [reason].
4. Options — 2-3 mutually exclusive choices. Mark one as recommended.

Only state verified facts. Unexecuted actions use "will / plan to".

Runtime rendering:

1. If structured AskUser UI is available, render the decision through that UI.
2. If no structured UI is available and blocking: true, show the same decision as a compact plain-text question, write it to threads/threads.md, and stop before mutating the target artifact.
3. If no structured UI is available and blocking: false, use the default, record assumed default, and continue.
4. If the 2-round budget is exhausted, use the default only for non-blocking decisions; leave blocking decisions open in threads/threads.md and stop.

If the user does not answer a non-blocking decision, use the recommended option. Record it in MEMORY.md as assumed default.

Persist every Decision Ask result:

• threads/threads.md stores every open decision before it is rendered to the user.
• MEMORY.md stores current room state, project-level intent, defaults, Decision Log, task index, thread index, and artifact index. It is not a transcript.
• deck.md stores deck-shaping decisions that affect rebuilds.

Automatic light review must not trigger Decision Ask. Write findings and fixes to review.md. Ask only when the content has a real conflict the user must decide.

---

Single-entry routing

/codeck routes the user's request before running the pipeline:

| User intent | Action | Decision Ask | |-------------|--------|--------------| | New / continue deck | @orchestrator opens room → scan → diagnose → @outline → @design → @review | Deck Intent and Design Direction only if needed, max 2 rounds | | "make slide 3 less dense" / concrete content edit | @outline edits deck.md → @design rebuilds → @review checks | none | | "change visual style" / "change style" | @design runs Design Direction, updates DESIGN.md, rebuilds → @review checks | Design Direction | | "export" | @export exports latest HTML | Export Format only if PDF / PPTX / all is missing | | "export PDF" / "export PPTX" | @export exports requested format | none | | "create speech script" | @speech generates speech.md and syncs notes | Speech Style only if style or duration is missing |

For edits, deck.md is the single truth source. HTML is the audience preview, not the editing surface.

Before a lane works:

1. @orchestrator writes or updates a task ticket.
2. The owner states the claim in channel.
3. The owner reads only the needed current-truth and work-state artifacts. Do not read channel unless debugging history.
4. Cross-owner changes go to threads/threads.md as proposals.

After a lane works:

1. Update the task ticket.
2. Rewrite MEMORY.md Active Context, Latest Channel Summary, Open Threads, Task Index, Artifacts, Assumed Defaults, and Decision Log so they describe current state.
3. Append the role exchange to today's channel file.
4. Keep the user response compact unless the user asked for the channel.

Two directories

• Current directory (.) — the user's project. Materials live here. Final HTML goes here too so the user can open it directly.
• $DECK_DIR — codeck's deck room. MEMORY.md, channel/, tasks/, threads/, roles/, deck.md, diagnosis.md, DESIGN.md, custom.css, slides.html, review.md, speech.md.

Scan materials in .. Write intermediate artifacts to $DECK_DIR. Output final HTML to ..

Phase 1: Init + status

DECK_DIR="$HOME/.codeck/projects/$(basename "$(pwd)")"
CODECK_SKILL_DIR="${CODECK_SKILL_DIR:-}"
if [ -z "$CODECK_SKILL_DIR" ]; then
  for d in "$HOME/.agents/skills/codeck" "$HOME/.codex/skills/codeck" "$HOME/.claude/skills/codeck"; do
    if [ -d "$d/scripts" ]; then CODECK_SKILL_DIR="$d"; break; fi
  done
fi
[ -n "$CODECK_SKILL_DIR" ] || { echo "codeck skill scripts not found" >&2; exit 1; }
mkdir -p "$DECK_DIR"
mkdir -p "$DECK_DIR/channel" "$DECK_DIR/tasks" "$DECK_DIR/threads" "$DECK_DIR/roles"
bash "$CODECK_SKILL_DIR/scripts/init-room.sh" "$DECK_DIR"

bash "$CODECK_SKILL_DIR/scripts/status.sh" "$DECK_DIR"

Initialize the room before creating any Decision Ask:

1. If $DECK_DIR/MEMORY.md is missing, create it from the Memory protocol template.
2. If $DECK_DIR/PROJECT.md exists, migrate its intent, defaults, and AskUser / Decision Log entries into MEMORY.md.
3. If $DECK_DIR/tasks/tasks.md is missing, create it with the task ticket table.
4. If $DECK_DIR/threads/threads.md is missing, create it w

…

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: hiyeshu
• Source: hiyeshu/codeck
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://codeck.sh

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.