fix: auto-scaffold Fact Checker agent during init and cast (#1222) by tamirdresher · Pull Request #1223 · bradygaster/squad

tamirdresher · 2026-06-07T12:39:32Z

Fix #1222: Auto-scaffold Fact Checker agent during `squad init` and `squad cast`

Closes #1222.

Root cause

The Fact Checker role landed in v0.10.0 (#789) with:

✅ Catalog entry — packages/squad-sdk/src/roles/catalog-engineering.ts:552 (id: fact-checker, emoji: 🔍)
✅ Charter template — packages/squad-cli/templates/fact-checker-charter.md
✅ Fact-checking SKILL — templates/skills/fact-checking/SKILL.md
✅ AGENT_TEMPLATES map entry — packages/squad-sdk/src/config/init.ts:209
✅ Template manifest entry — packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/templates.ts:151

…but was never wired into the user-facing onboarding flow. The default agents: array passed to sdkInitSquad() only hardcoded scribe, ralph, and Rai. cast.ts had zero references to fact-checker.

Users running squad init (or squad init + squad cast) got Scribe/Ralph/Rai always-on but never saw Fact Checker.

Fix

Mirrors how Rai was wired in v0.10.0:

init.ts:218-237 — adds fact-checker to the default agents: array passed to sdkInitSquad(). Now squad init produces .squad/agents/fact-checker/charter.md alongside the existing always-on agents.
cast.ts:497-501 — adds factCheckerMember() and factCheckerCharter() functions.
cast.ts:618-619 — adds hasFactChecker detection and pushes factCheckerMember() if absent.
cast.ts:632-633 — adds factCheckerCharter() branch in the charter-selection switch.
cast.ts:803-805 — adds the 🔍 Fact Checker — (advisory) banner line.

Smoke test (local build)

$tmp = Join-Path $env:TEMP "factcheck-smoke"; mkdir $tmp; cd $tmp
git init -q && echo "# test" > README.md && git add -A && git commit -q -m init
node C:\path\to\squad\packages\squad-cli\dist\cli-entry.js init
ls .squad/agents/
# BEFORE: Rai/ ralph/ scribe/
# AFTER:  Rai/ fact-checker/ ralph/ scribe/  ← NEW

Verified — init output shows ✓ .squad\agents\fact-checker\charter.md and the charter file exists.

Changeset

Patch bump for @bradygaster/squad-cli (no SDK change — bug was purely in CLI wiring).

Co-authored-by: Copilot 223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com

…er#1222) The Fact Checker role landed in v0.10.0 (bradygaster#789) with catalog entry, charter template, skill, AGENT_TEMPLATES map entry, and template manifest entry — but was never wired into the user-facing onboarding flow. Users running 'squad init' got Scribe/Ralph/Rai but never saw Fact Checker as a default or cast option. This mirrors how Rai was wired: - init.ts: adds 'fact-checker' to the default agents: array passed to sdkInitSquad() - cast.ts: adds factCheckerMember(), factCheckerCharter(), hasFactChecker branches in castTeam(), and the roster banner line Smoke-tested locally: 'squad init' in a clean repo now produces .squad/agents/fact-checker/charter.md alongside scribe/ralph/Rai. Closes bradygaster#1222 Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

github-actions · 2026-06-07T12:39:44Z

🛫 PR Readiness Check

ℹ️ This comment updates on each push. Last checked: commit 010f6fc

PR Scope: 📦🔧 Mixed (product + infrastructure)

⚠️ 4 item(s) to address before review

Status	Check	Details
❌	Single commit	2 commits — consider squashing before review
✅	Not in draft	Ready for review
✅	Branch up to date	Up to date with dev
❌	Copilot review	No Copilot review yet — it may still be processing
✅	Changeset present	Changeset file found
✅	Scope clean	No .squad/ or docs/proposals/ files
✅	No merge conflicts	No merge conflicts
❌	Copilot threads resolved	3 unresolved Copilot thread(s) — fix and resolve before merging
❌	CI passing	7 check(s) still running

Files Changed (4 files, +185 −0)

File	+/−
`.changeset/fix-fact-checker-auto-scaffold.md`	+16 −0
`packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/cast.ts`	+86 −0
`packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/init.ts`	+5 −0
`packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/upgrade.ts`	+78 −0

Total: +185 −0

This check runs automatically on every push. Fix any ❌ items and push again.
See CONTRIBUTING.md and PR Requirements for details.

github-actions · 2026-06-07T12:39:44Z

🟡 Impact Analysis — PR #1223

Risk tier: 🟡 MEDIUM

📊 Summary

Metric	Count
Files changed	4
Files added	1
Files modified	3
Files deleted	0
Modules touched	2

🎯 Risk Factors

4 files changed (≤5 → LOW)
2 modules touched (2-4 → MEDIUM)

📦 Modules Affected

root (1 file)

.changeset/fix-fact-checker-auto-scaffold.md

squad-cli (3 files)

packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/cast.ts
packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/init.ts
packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/upgrade.ts

This report is generated automatically for every PR. See #733 for details.

github-actions · 2026-06-07T12:39:47Z

🏗️ Architectural Review

⚠️ Architectural review: 1 warning(s).

Severity	Category	Finding	Files
🟡 warning	bootstrap-area	3 file(s) in the bootstrap area (packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/) were modified. These files must maintain zero external dependencies. Review carefully.	`packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/cast.ts`, `packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/init.ts`, `packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/upgrade.ts`

Automated architectural review — informational only.

Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR fixes a gap in the CLI onboarding flow by ensuring the built-in Fact Checker agent is scaffolded by default during squad init and automatically added during squad cast, aligning user-visible behavior with the existing SDK role/catalog + template support.

Changes:

Adds fact-checker to the default agents: list passed to sdkInitSquad() so squad init scaffolds the agent automatically.
Extends squad cast team generation to auto-add a Fact Checker when absent, include a built-in charter path, and show it in the cast summary banner.
Adds a changeset for a patch release of @bradygaster/squad-cli.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 3 out of 3 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

File	Description
packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/init.ts	Adds Fact Checker to default init scaffolding agent list.
packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/cast.ts	Adds Fact Checker built-in member/charter wiring and default inclusion + summary banner.
.changeset/fix-fact-checker-auto-scaffold.md	Patch changeset documenting the CLI onboarding fix.

+function factCheckerMember(): CastMember {
+  return { name: 'Fact Checker', role: 'Fact Checker', scope: 'Claim verification, hallucination detection, counter-hypothesis analysis, source validation', emoji: '🔍' };
+}


      charter = ralphCharter();
    } else if (member.name === 'Rai' && !hasRai) {
      charter = RaiCharter();
+    } else if (member.name === 'Fact Checker' && !hasFactChecker) {
+      charter = factCheckerCharter();
    } else {
      charter = generateCharter(member);


  const hasRai = proposal.members.some(m => /Rai/i.test(m.name));
  if (!hasRai) allMembers.push(RaiMember());

+  const hasFactChecker = proposal.members.some(m => /fact.?checker/i.test(m.name));
+  if (!hasFactChecker) allMembers.push(factCheckerMember());
+


tamirdresher · 2026-06-07T13:15:32Z

@bradygaster — heads-up, this is the fix for #1222 (fact-checker not auto-scaffolded by init/cast). Patch-bump only, all v0.10.0-shipped fact-checker pieces stay; just wires them into the user-facing onboarding flow. CHANGELOG gate should pass cleanly now that #1220 added me to APPROVED_AUTHORS. Ready when you are.

(Teams was down again when I tried — posting here.)

…ygaster#1222) Extends the bradygaster#1222 fix to the third code path. \squad upgrade\ was intentionally silent on agents (preserves user state). For users upgrading from v0.9.x or earlier (no Rai) or v0.10.0 (no fact-checker), this means they'd never get the built-in agents unless they re-ran \squad init\ (which would overwrite other state). Adds \�nsureBuiltinAgents()\ to \ unEnsureChecks()\. Idempotent — only scaffolds when the agent directory is absent. Never overwrites existing charters or history files. Sources content from the shipped \ emplates/{Rai,fact-checker}-charter.md\ templates (already present via TEMPLATE_MANIFEST). Scribe and Ralph are intentionally NOT scaffolded by upgrade — they predate this fix in every squad, and their charters are inlined in cast.ts (no shipped template file). Smoke tested locally: - Set up a simulated v0.9.4 squad (scribe + ralph only) - Ran \squad upgrade\ → 'scaffolded 2 built-in agent(s): Rai, fact-checker' - Ran upgrade again → no re-scaffold (idempotent) Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

tamirdresher · 2026-06-07T14:09:34Z

Extended this PR to cover the third code path — squad upgrade. Spotted while reviewing with @tamirdresher:

"make sure the squad upgrade also knows to add the fact checker"

He's right — without it, anyone on v0.10.0 upgrading to v0.10.1 (this fix) would never get fact-checker either, because runUpgrade() is intentionally silent on agents (preserves user state).

What this commit adds (`upgrade.ts`)

New ensureBuiltinAgents() runs in runEnsureChecks():

Idempotent — only scaffolds when the agent directory is absent
Never overwrites existing charters or history files
Sources content from shipped templates/{Rai,fact-checker}-charter.md templates
Backfills Rai too (anyone upgrading from pre-0.10.0 also missed it)

What it intentionally does NOT scaffold

Scribe and Ralph — they predate this fix in every squad, and their charters are inlined in cast.ts (no shipped template file). Adding them here would risk overwriting customized versions on legacy squads.

Smoke test (local build)

# Simulate a v0.9.4 squad (scribe + ralph only, no Rai, no fact-checker)
$tmp = Join-Path $env:TEMP "upgrade-smoke"
mkdir $tmp; cd $tmp; git init -q
mkdir .squad/agents/{scribe,ralph} -Force
echo "# Scribe" > .squad/agents/scribe/charter.md
echo "# Ralph" > .squad/agents/ralph/charter.md
echo "<!-- version: 0.9.4 -->" > .github/agents/squad.agent.md
# ... (commit)

node /path/to/squad-cli/dist/cli-entry.js upgrade
# → ✓ scaffolded 2 built-in agent(s): Rai, fact-checker

# Run again
node /path/to/squad-cli/dist/cli-entry.js upgrade
# → (no built-in agent line — idempotent ✅)

Changeset updated to mention the upgrade path.

…#1299) (#1300) * fix(docs): tell coordinator to roster Fact Checker on first-time cast (#1299) squad init correctly creates .squad/agents/fact-checker/ on disk (per merged PR #1223). But when the user opens copilot --agent squad and the coordinator runs first-time casting, it OMITS Fact Checker from the team.md ## Members table while including Scribe, Ralph, and Rai. Root cause: .squad-templates/squad.agent.md had two gaps: 1. Line 56 said "team size (typically 4-5 + Scribe)" — naming only Scribe 2. Rai had a dedicated ## Rai section with explicit "Rai always appears in team.md" instruction — Fact Checker had no equivalent section So the model added Rai (because instructed to) but had no instruction to add Fact Checker, even though the agent dir was scaffolded on disk. Fix: * Update team-size line to name all 4 always-on built-ins: Scribe + Ralph + Rai + Fact Checker * Add full ## Fact Checker — Verification & Devil's Advocate section mirroring the Rai pattern: roster-entry instruction, dual operating mode (per #789 + #1254), trigger phrase table, confidence ratings, DA brief structure, boundaries, state location Sync via sync-templates.mjs --sync propagates squad.agent.md changes to all 4 mirror targets: .squad-templates/, templates/, packages/squad-cli/ templates/, packages/squad-sdk/templates/, .github/agents/. Tests: new test/squad-agent-roster.test.ts runs against all 4 template targets and asserts: * The "Determine team size" line names all 4 built-ins * A ## Fact Checker section exists with "always appears in team.md" * The section declares dual operating mode (anchors #789 + #1254 design so a future PR can't accidentally split Fact Checker and Devil's Advocate again — cf. closed PR #1294) * Existing Ralph + Rai sections still present 16/16 pass. Closes #1299 Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> * doc(squad.agent.md): clarify Fact Checker is exempt from casting + correct on-demand reference path Reviewer follow-ups on #1300: 1. Team-size phrasing — the line read 'typically 4-5 + Scribe + Ralph + Rai + Fact Checker' which a model could parse as arithmetic (4-5 + 4 = 8-9, but it could also collapse). Rewrote it to make the composition explicit: '4-5 cast (user-domain) agents + 4 always-on built-ins = 8-9 total roster entries'. 2. Cast-exemption parity — Scribe, Ralph, and Rai each have an explicit 'exempt from casting' bullet but Fact Checker did not. Added the matching bullet right after Rai's. 3. Bad on-demand reference path — the FC section pointed at '.squad/templates/fact-checker-charter.md'. That file IS shipped (TEMPLATE_MANIFEST destination 'templates/fact-checker-charter.md') but only AFTER 'squad init' or 'squad upgrade' has populated .squad/templates/. A reader of squad.agent.md on an un-initialized repo (or in .github/agents/ on the cloud agent surface) would follow a dead link. Repointed to the '.squad/agents/fact-checker/charter.md' instance that ensureBuiltinAgents creates as part of the same init/upgrade path — that's where the rich charter actually lives at runtime per #1299 + #1301. All 4 mirrored copies re-synced via scripts/sync-templates.mjs. fact-checker-role.test.ts: 8/8 pass. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> --------- Co-authored-by: Copilot <Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Tamir Dresher <tamirdresher@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings June 7, 2026 12:39

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of tamirdresher June 7, 2026 12:39 View session

Copilot AI reviewed Jun 7, 2026

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tamirdresher mentioned this pull request Jun 7, 2026

v0.10.0: Fact Checker agent not auto-scaffolded by squad init / cast #1222

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bradygaster approved these changes Jun 7, 2026

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bradygaster merged commit d41b046 into bradygaster:dev Jun 7, 2026
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fix: auto-scaffold Fact Checker agent during init and cast (#1222)#1223

fix: auto-scaffold Fact Checker agent during init and cast (#1222)#1223
bradygaster merged 2 commits into
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tamirdresher:fix/1222-fact-checker-auto-scaffold

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tamirdresher commented Jun 7, 2026

Fix #1222: Auto-scaffold Fact Checker agent during squad init and squad cast

Root cause

Fix

Smoke test (local build)

Changeset

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Files Changed (4 files, +185 −0)

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🟡 Impact Analysis — PR #1223

📊 Summary

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📦 Modules Affected

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tamirdresher commented Jun 7, 2026

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What this commit adds (upgrade.ts)

What it intentionally does NOT scaffold

Smoke test (local build)

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Fix #1222: Auto-scaffold Fact Checker agent during `squad init` and `squad cast`

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What this commit adds (`upgrade.ts`)