# DELIBERATION-PROTOCOL.md - Private Fleet Coordination

## Tailscale Deliberation Process

### When Deliberation is Required
- **Complex technical decisions** requiring multiple perspectives
- **Conflicting specialty areas** (e.g., code deployment affecting infrastructure)
- **High-stakes client work** needing validation
- **Coordination failures** in public channels
- **Mike explicitly requests** fleet deliberation

### Deliberation Triggers
**Auto-triggers:**
- Multiple bots want to respond to same complex query
- Technical solution has cross-domain impact
- Client deliverable needs review before sending
- Error/mistake needs coordinated correction

**Manual triggers:**
- Any bot can call for deliberation: `/fleet-deliberate`
- Mike requests private coordination
- Public coordination protocol breakdown

### Tailscale Communication Method
**Primary**: Direct machine-to-machine messaging via OpenClaw sessions
- **Beast**: `sessions_send("5070-main", "message")` 
- **5070**: `sessions_send("beast-main", "message")`
- **Mac**: `sessions_send("beast-main", "message")` or `sessions_send("5070-main", "message")`

**Fallback**: SSH between machines if OpenClaw sessions unavailable

### Deliberation Limits

**Strict Limits to Prevent Endless Debate:**
- **Maximum 3 inputs per bot** per deliberation
- **Maximum 3-minute timer** from start to decision (1 min per round)
- **Maximum 2 rounds** of back-and-forth
- **Single decision maker** if no consensus (follows hierarchy: Beast → 5070 → Mac)

### Mike Notification & Oversight

**Required Notifications:**
- **Primary notifies Mike** when deliberation starts: "Fleet deliberation initiated: [topic]"
- **Primary notifies Mike** when deliberation concludes: "Fleet decision: [outcome]"

**Note-Taking Responsibility (Failover Chain):**
1. **Beast** (if available) - primary note taker
2. **Mac** (if Beast unavailable) - failover note taker  
3. **5070** (if both Beast and Mac unavailable) - last resort

**Required documentation**: Topic, positions, decision, reasoning
**Mike reviews notes** at his discretion
**Store in**: `memory/deliberation-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM.md`

### Deliberation Structure

**Round 1: Initial Positions (1 minute max)**
- Each bot states position in 1-2 sentences
- Include confidence level (Low/Medium/High)
- Identify key concerns/blockers

**Round 2: Synthesis (1 minute max)**  
- Address others' concerns
- Propose compromise solutions
- Final position with rationale

**Decision Phase (1 minute max)**
- Attempt consensus
- If no consensus: Hierarchy decides (Beast > 5070 > Mac)
- Note taker documents decision reasoning

### Deliberation Topics by Priority

**Tier 1 (Always Deliberate):**
- Client deliverables before sending
- Infrastructure changes affecting multiple systems
- Security decisions
- Fleet coordination protocol changes

**Tier 2 (Deliberate if Conflict):**
- Technical implementation approaches
- Resource allocation (which bot handles what)
- Complex troubleshooting strategies

**Tier 3 (Optional Deliberation):**
- General technical questions
- Documentation improvements
- Tool recommendations

### Output Protocols

**After Deliberation:**
- **Primary notifies Mike** of conclusion
- **Primary responder** delivers coordinated answer publicly
- **Other bots** stay silent unless asked for specifics
- **Note taker documents** key decisions in memory files
- **No "we discussed privately"** - present as unified conclusion

### Notification Templates

**Start Notification (Primary to Mike):**
```
Fleet deliberation initiated: [brief topic description]
Participants: [list of bots involved]
Note taker: [Beast/Mac/5070]
Expected duration: 3 minutes max
```

**End Notification (Primary to Mike):**
```
Fleet decision reached: [outcome summary]
Decision maker: [consensus/Beast hierarchy/etc.]
Note taker: [Beast/Mac/5070]
Notes: memory/deliberation-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM.md
```

### Emergency Bypass
- **Mike override** ends deliberation immediately
- **Time-sensitive issues** skip deliberation (< 5 min needed)
- **Simple specialty questions** don't need deliberation

### Deliberation Examples

**Good deliberation trigger:**
> Client asks: "Should we migrate to Azure or AWS for email security?"
> → Cross-domain (infrastructure + security), high-stakes, needs unified answer

**Bad deliberation trigger:**
> User asks: "How do I restart a service on Linux?"
> → Simple, clear specialty (5070), no deliberation needed

---

*Implementation: 2026-03-25*
*Updated: Note-taking failover chain (Beast → Mac → 5070)*