@rse/ase 0.9.4 → 0.9.5

package/package.json

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     "homepage":                             "http://github.com/rse/ase",
     "repository":                           { "url": "git+https://github.com/rse/ase.git", "type": "git" },
     "bugs":                                 { "url": "http://github.com/rse/ase/issues" },
-    "version":                              "0.9.4",
+    "version":                              "0.9.5",
     "license":                              "GPL-3.0-only",
     "author": {
         "name":                             "Dr. Ralf S. Engelschall",

package/plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
     "name":        "ase",
-    "version":     "0.9.4",
+    "version":     "0.9.5",
     "description": "Agentic Software Engineering (ASE)",
     "keywords":    [ "agentic", "software", "engineering" ],
     "homepage":    "https://ase.tools",

package/plugin/.github/plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
     "name":        "ase",
-    "version":     "0.9.4",
+    "version":     "0.9.5",
     "description": "Agentic Software Engineering (ASE)",
     "keywords":    [ "agentic", "software", "engineering" ],
     "homepage":    "https://ase.tools",

package/plugin/package.json

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     "homepage":                             "http://github.com/rse/ase",
     "repository":                           { "url": "git+https://github.com/rse/ase.git", "type": "git" },
     "bugs":                                 { "url": "http://github.com/rse/ase/issues" },
-    "version":                              "0.9.4",
+    "version":                              "0.9.5",
     "license":                              "GPL-3.0-only",
     "author": {
         "name":                             "Dr. Ralf S. Engelschall",

package/plugin/skills/ase-arch-analyze/SKILL.md

@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ interface quality, quality attributes, and architecture governance.
       specification <mermaid-spec/> for a `flowchart TB` of the
       high-level component or layer structure and dispatch the rendering
       to the `ase-meta-diagram` sub-agent by calling the tool
-      `Agent(name: "ase:ase-meta-diagram", description: "Diagram Rendering",
+      `Agent(name: "ase-meta-diagram", description: "Diagram Rendering",
       subagent_type: "ase:ase-meta-diagram", prompt: <mermaid-spec/>)`,
       using its returned fenced code block verbatim. Show layers /
       slices / major components and their dependency direction.

package/plugin/skills/ase-arch-discover/SKILL.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 name: ase-arch-discover
-argument-hint: "[--help|-h] <functionality>"
+argument-hint: "[--help|-h] [--limit|-l=12] <functionality>"
 description: >
     Discover additional, third-party components (libraries/frameworks) for
     the technology stack to provide needed functionality.
@@ -16,15 +16,23 @@ allowed-tools:
 
 @${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-control.md
 @${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-skill.md
+@${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-dialog.md
+@${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-getopt.md
 
 <skill name="ase-arch-discover">
 Discover Components
 </skill>
 
+<expand name="getopt"
+    arg1="ase-arch-discover"
+    arg2="--limit|-l=12">
+    $ARGUMENTS
+</expand>
+
 <objective>
 *Discover* additional, *third-party components* (libraries/frameworks)
 for the technology stack to *provide* the *needed functionality*
-<request>$ARGUMENTS</request>.
+<request><getopt-arguments/></request>.
 </objective>
 
 <flow>
@@ -93,13 +101,13 @@ for the technology stack to *provide* the *needed functionality*
 
         -   Based on the essential keywords <keyword-L/> (L=1-M),
             use the `ase-meta-search` skill in a subagent to *generally*
-            discover an initial set of a maximum of 12 *NPM packages*
+            discover an initial set of a maximum of <getopt-option-limit/> *NPM packages*
             <component-K/> and at least their real name <name-K/> and
             their unique package names <package-K/>.
 
-        -   Use the shell command `npm search --json --searchlimit 12
+        -   Use the shell command `npm search --json --searchlimit <getopt-option-limit/>
             "<keyword-1/>" [...] "<keyword-M/>"` to *specifically*
-            discover an additional set of a maximum of 12 *NPM packages*
+            discover an additional set of a maximum of <getopt-option-limit/> *NPM packages*
             <component-K/> and at least their unique package names
             <package-K/>, based on the essential keywords <keyword-L/>
             (L=1-M). Merge the results into the already existing result
@@ -109,14 +117,14 @@ for the technology stack to *provide* the *needed functionality*
 
         -   Based on the essential keywords <keyword-L/> (L=1-M),
             use the `ase-meta-search` skill in a subagent to *generally*
-            discover an initial set of a maximum of 12 *Maven packages*
+            discover an initial set of a maximum of <getopt-option-limit/> *Maven packages*
             <component-K/> and at least their real name <name-K/> and
             their unique Maven coordinates <package-K/> of the form
             `groupId:artifactId`.
 
-        -   Use the shell command `curl -s 'https://search.maven.org/solrsearch/select?q=<keyword-1/>+<keyword-M/>&rows=12&wt=json'`
+        -   Use the shell command `curl -s 'https://search.maven.org/solrsearch/select?q=<keyword-1/>+<keyword-M/>&rows=<getopt-option-limit/>&wt=json'`
             to *specifically* discover an additional set of a maximum
-            of 12 *Maven packages* <component-K/> and at least their
+            of <getopt-option-limit/> *Maven packages* <component-K/> and at least their
             unique Maven coordinates <package-K/> (i.e. `<g/>:<a/>` from
             each result document's `g` and `a` fields), based on the
             essential keywords <keyword-L/> (L=1-M). Merge the results
@@ -139,7 +147,7 @@ for the technology stack to *provide* the *needed functionality*
 
     -   Sort, in descending order, the discovered components
         <component-K/> (K=1-N) by their `rank` field and trim the result
-        list to just a maximum of 12 total components.
+        list to just a maximum of <getopt-option-limit/> total components.
 
     -   For each component <component-K/> (K=1-N), research and then
         decide which *one* of *USP* (Unique Selling Point -- what makes

package/plugin/skills/ase-arch-discover/help.md

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 
 `ase-arch-discover`
     [`--help`|`-h`]
+    [`--limit`|`-l=12`]
     *functionality*
 
 ##  DESCRIPTION
@@ -23,6 +24,13 @@ stars, dates) via the `ase_component_info` MCP tool, and reports
 the top-ranked components as a Markdown table together with a single
 distinguishing hint (USP, Crux, or Gotcha) per component.
 
+##  OPTIONS
+
+`--limit`|`-l=12`:
+    The *maximum* number of components searched per source and retained
+    in the final ranking (default: 12). Raise it for a broader, more
+    exhaustive survey, lower it for a quicker, narrower lookup.
+
 ##  ARGUMENTS
 
 *functionality*:
@@ -43,6 +51,12 @@ Discover components for HTTP client functionality:
 ❯ /ase-arch-discover HTTP client with retries
 ```
 
+Discover a broader set of up to 20 HTTP client components:
+
+```text
+❯ /ase-arch-discover --limit 20 HTTP client with retries
+```
+
 ##  SEE ALSO
 
 `ase-arch-analyze`, `ase-meta-search`, `ase-meta-evaluate`.

package/plugin/skills/ase-code-craft/SKILL.md

@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ permitted way to persist artifacts is via `ase_task_save(...)`.
             TB`, `stateDiagram-v2`, `sequenceDiagram`, `classDiagram`,
             or `erDiagram`, depending on intent) and dispatching the
             rendering to the `ase-meta-diagram` sub-agent by calling
-            the tool `Agent(name: "ase:ase-meta-diagram", description:
+            the tool `Agent(name: "ase-meta-diagram", description:
             "Diagram Rendering", subagent_type: "ase:ase-meta-diagram",
             prompt: <mermaid-spec/>)`, reproducing its returned fenced
             code block verbatim. For *current vs. proposed* comparisons,

package/plugin/skills/ase-code-insight/SKILL.md

@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ Give *insights* into the project through the source code of $ARGUMENTS.
     <mermaid-spec/> for a `flowchart TB` diagram with all modules as
     boxes and the imports between modules as the directed edges. Then
     dispatch the rendering to the `ase-meta-diagram` sub-agent by
-    calling the tool `Agent(name: "ase:ase-meta-diagram", description:
+    calling the tool `Agent(name: "ase-meta-diagram", description:
     "Diagram Rendering", subagent_type: "ase:ase-meta-diagram", prompt:
     <mermaid-spec/>)` and reproduce its returned fenced code block
     verbatim in the response text. Do not display any further

package/plugin/skills/ase-code-lint/SKILL.md

@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ related to a set of code quality aspects.
 
     ```text
         Agent(
-            name:          "ase:ase-code-lint",
+            name:          "ase-code-lint",
             description:   "Lint Investigation",
             subagent_type: "ase:ase-code-lint",
             mode:          "plan",

package/plugin/skills/ase-code-refactor/SKILL.md

@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ permitted way to persist artifacts is via `ase_task_save(...)`.
             (e.g. `flowchart TB`, `stateDiagram-v2`, `sequenceDiagram`,
             `classDiagram`, or `erDiagram`, depending on intent) and
             dispatching the rendering to the `ase-meta-diagram`
-            sub-agent by calling the tool `Agent(name: "ase:ase-meta-diagram",
+            sub-agent by calling the tool `Agent(name: "ase-meta-diagram",
             description: "Diagram Rendering", subagent_type:
             "ase:ase-meta-diagram", prompt: <mermaid-spec/>)`, reproducing
             its returned fenced code block verbatim. For *current

package/plugin/skills/ase-code-resolve/SKILL.md

@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ permitted way to persist artifacts is via `ase_task_save(...)`.
           TB`, `stateDiagram-v2`, `sequenceDiagram`, `classDiagram`, or
           `erDiagram`, depending on intent) and dispatching the rendering
           to the `ase-meta-diagram` sub-agent by calling the tool
-          `Agent(name: "ase:ase-meta-diagram", description: "Diagram
+          `Agent(name: "ase-meta-diagram", description: "Diagram
           Rendering", subagent_type: "ase:ase-meta-diagram", prompt:
           <mermaid-spec/>)`, reproducing its returned fenced code block
           verbatim. Omit <optional-diagram/> entirely for simple or
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ permitted way to persist artifacts is via `ase_task_save(...)`.
             (e.g. `flowchart TB`, `stateDiagram-v2`, `sequenceDiagram`,
             `classDiagram`, or `erDiagram`, depending on intent) and
             dispatching the rendering to the `ase-meta-diagram`
-            sub-agent by calling the tool `Agent(name: "ase:ase-meta-diagram",
+            sub-agent by calling the tool `Agent(name: "ase-meta-diagram",
             description: "Diagram Rendering", subagent_type:
             "ase:ase-meta-diagram", prompt: <mermaid-spec/>)`, reproducing
             its returned fenced code block verbatim. For *current

package/plugin/skills/ase-docs-proofread/SKILL.md

@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ Analyze documents for spelling, punctuation, or grammar errors
 
     ```text
         Agent(
-            name:          "ase:ase-docs-proofread",
+            name:          "ase-docs-proofread",
             description:   "Proofread Investigation",
             subagent_type: "ase:ase-docs-proofread",
             mode:          "plan",

package/plugin/skills/ase-meta-brainstorm/SKILL.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 name: ase-meta-brainstorm
-argument-hint: "[--help|-h] [--count|-c=12] <topic>"
+argument-hint: "[--help|-h] [--max-clarify|-c=3] [--min-ideas|-i=12] [--min-rank|-r=7] [--max-shortlist|-s=4] <topic>"
 description: >
     Collaboratively brainstorm a topic by diverging on ideas, converging
     through clustering and scoring, and distilling a shortlist with
@@ -23,15 +23,15 @@ Collaboratively Brainstorm a Topic
 
 <expand name="getopt"
     arg1="ase-meta-brainstorm"
-    arg2="--count|-c=12">
+    arg2="--max-clarify|-c=3 --min-ideas|-i=12 --min-rank|-r=7 --max-shortlist|-s=4">
     $ARGUMENTS
 </expand>
 
 <objective>
-Collaboratively brainstorm the topic <topic><getopt-arguments/></topic> by first
-*diverging* into a broad space of candidate ideas, then *converging*
-through clustering and scoring, and finally distilling a *shortlist*
-with a single recommended direction.
+Collaboratively brainstorm the topic <topic><getopt-arguments/></topic>
+by first *diverging* into a broad space of candidate ideas, then
+*converging* through clustering and scoring, and finally distilling a
+*shortlist* with a single recommended direction.
 </objective>
 
 Guiding Tenets
@@ -90,19 +90,20 @@ Honor the following tenets throughout the brainstorming:
 
     Before generating any ideas, *explore the project context* (review
     relevant existing files, documentation, and recent changes) and
-    determine the <m/> (<m/>=1-3) *essential unknowns* about the topic
-    - the purpose, constraints, scope boundaries, and success criteria
-    that must be pinned down for the brainstorming to be reasonably
-    grounded.
+    determine the <m/> (<m/> = 1..<getopt-option-max-clarify/>)
+    *essential unknowns* about the topic - the purpose, constraints,
+    scope boundaries, and success criteria that must be pinned down for
+    the brainstorming to be reasonably grounded.
 
-    Notice: you are intentionally constrained to just 1-3 unknowns,
-    as too much upfront intent clarification kills the brainstorming
-    of ideas later. So, you *MUST* reduce the clarifications of the
-    unknowns to the absolute minimum!
+    Notice: you are intentionally constrained to just
+    1..<getopt-option-max-clarify/> unknowns, as too much upfront intent
+    clarification kills the brainstorming of ideas later. So, you *MUST*
+    reduce the clarifications of the unknowns to the absolute minimum in
+    general and cap it at <getopt-option-max-clarify/>!
 
-    For each essential unknown, derive a short 1-3 word facet <facet-M/>
-    and a corresponding question <question-M/> whose answer materially
-    changes which ideas make sense at all.
+    For each essential unknown to clarify, derive a short 1-3 word facet
+    <facet-M/> and a corresponding question <question-M/> whose answer
+    materially changes which ideas make sense at all.
 
     1.  For each <question-M/> in the iteration cycle <M/> (<M/>=1...<m/>):
 
@@ -159,7 +160,7 @@ Honor the following tenets throughout the brainstorming:
     variety in outcome.
 
     Do still *not* judge, rank, or prune ideas in this step. Generate
-    ideas until you either reach at least <getopt-option-count/> distinct
+    ideas until you either reach at least <getopt-option-min-ideas/> distinct
     candidate ideas or have clearly exhausted the meaningfully distinct
     space.
 
@@ -199,10 +200,10 @@ Honor the following tenets throughout the brainstorming:
         purpose and constraints on a Likert scale of 0 (poor) to 10
         (excellent), considering *value*, *uniqueness*, *risk*, and
         *alignment with the existing code base*. Keep only ideas in the
-        clusters with a rank of at least 7.
+        clusters with a rank of at least <getopt-option-min-rank/>.
 
     3.  From the scored ideas <idea-N/>, distill a *shortlist* of the top
-        3-4 options, sorted by rank from highest to lowest.
+        <getopt-option-max-shortlist/> options, sorted by rank from highest to lowest.
 
         For this, draw the shortlist from *distinct* clusters <cluster-C/>
         wherever possible - prefer a diverse shortlist spanning different
@@ -216,7 +217,7 @@ Honor the following tenets throughout the brainstorming:
         and its primary trade-off), and output the following <template/>:
 
         <template>
-        <ase-tpl-bullet-normal/> **DISTILLED IDEA <N/>**: <option-N/>
+        <ase-tpl-bullet-normal/> **DISTILLED IDEA**: <option-N/>
         </template>
 
     4.  Finally, derive a single *recommended idea* - the highest-ranked

package/plugin/skills/ase-meta-brainstorm/help.md

@@ -7,7 +7,10 @@
 
 `ase-meta-brainstorm`
     [`--help`|`-h`]
-    [`--count`|`-c=12`]
+    [`--max-clarify=3`]
+    [`--min-ideas`|`-i=12`]
+    [`--min-rank=7`]
+    [`--max-shortlist=4`]
     *topic*
 
 ##  DESCRIPTION
@@ -16,18 +19,19 @@ The `ase-meta-brainstorm` skill guides a collaborative ideation
 session on a *topic* *before* any implementation begins. It first
 *clarifies intent* by exploring the project context and interviewing
 the user - one grounded, multiple-choice question at a time - about
-purpose, constraints, scope, and success criteria. It then *diverges*
-into a broad space of candidate ideas (at least `--count`, default 12)
-pursued from deliberately diverse angles (MVP-first, risk-first,
-UX-first, reuse-first, and wildcard), without judging them.
+purpose, constraints, scope, and success criteria (asking at most
+`--max-clarify`, default 3, questions). It then *diverges* into a broad
+space of candidate ideas (at least `--min-ideas`, default 12) pursued from
+deliberately diverse angles (MVP-first, risk-first, UX-first,
+reuse-first, and wildcard), without judging them.
 
 Next it *converges* by clustering the ideas into coherent themes,
 pruning speculative or out-of-scope ones via *YAGNI*, and scoring the
-survivors on a 0-10 fit scale (keeping only those ranked 7 or higher).
-Finally it distills a *shortlist* of the top 3-4 directions - drawn from
-distinct clusters wherever possible - and derives a single
-*RECOMMENDATION*, being either the highest-ranked option or a principled
-synthesis of the shortlist.
+survivors on a 0-10 fit scale (keeping only those ranked `--min-rank`,
+default 7, or higher). Finally it distills a *shortlist* of the top
+`--max-shortlist`, default 4, directions - drawn from distinct clusters
+wherever possible - and derives a single *RECOMMENDATION*, being either
+the highest-ranked option or a principled synthesis of the shortlist.
 
 On completion the skill offers a *next step*: stop, or hand the
 recommended direction off to the `ase-task-edit`, `ase-code-craft`, or
@@ -35,11 +39,26 @@ recommended direction off to the `ase-task-edit`, `ase-code-craft`, or
 
 ##  OPTIONS
 
-`--count`|`-c=12`:
+`--max-clarify=3`:
+    The *maximum* number of essential-unknown clarification questions
+    asked in the *clarify intent* phase (default: 3). Lower it for a
+    faster, leaner intake, raise it for more upfront grounding.
+
+`--min-ideas`|`-i=12`:
     The *minimum* number of candidate ideas to generate in the *diverge*
     phase before converging (default: 12). Raise it for a broader idea
     space, lower it for a quicker, narrower session.
 
+`--min-rank=7`:
+    The *minimum* 0-10 fit rank an idea must score to survive the
+    *converge* phase (default: 7). Raise it for a stricter filter, lower
+    it to retain more ideas.
+
+`--max-shortlist=4`:
+    The *maximum* number of distilled options on the final *shortlist*
+    (default: 4). Lower it for a sharper focus, raise it for more
+    finalists.
+
 ##  ARGUMENTS
 
 *topic*:
@@ -57,7 +76,14 @@ Brainstorm an approach for a new feature:
 Brainstorm with a broader idea space of at least 20 candidates:
 
 ```text
-❯ /ase-meta-brainstorm --count 20 an offline-first sync layer
+❯ /ase-meta-brainstorm --min-ideas 20 an offline-first sync layer
+```
+
+Brainstorm quickly with a single clarification, a stricter score floor,
+and a tighter shortlist:
+
+```text
+❯ /ase-meta-brainstorm --max-clarify 1 --min-rank 8 --max-shortlist 3 an offline-first sync layer
 ```
 
 ##  SEE ALSO

package/plugin/skills/ase-meta-chat/SKILL.md

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ Query foreign LLM for: <query>$ARGUMENTS</query>
 
     ```text
         Agent(
-            name:          "ase:ase-meta-chat",
+            name:          "ase-meta-chat",
             description:   "Query Foreign LLM for Chat",
             subagent_type: "ase:ase-meta-chat",
             prompt:        <query/>

package/plugin/skills/ase-meta-diaboli/SKILL.md

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ to <getopt-option-count/>; if <getopt-option-count/> is *non-numeric* or
 
 <flow>
 
-1.  <step id="STEP 1: Repeat Thesis">
+1.  <step id="STEP 1: Restate Thesis">
 
     Output the thesis with the following <template/>:
 

package/plugin/skills/ase-meta-diff/SKILL.md

@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ explicitly requested by this procedure via outputs based on a <template/>!
             labels ultra short (basenames or module names only).
 
         2.  Dispatch the rendering to the `ase-meta-diagram` sub-agent by
-            calling the tool `Agent(name: "ase:ase-meta-diagram",
+            calling the tool `Agent(name: "ase-meta-diagram",
             description: "Diagram Rendering", subagent_type:
             "ase:ase-meta-diagram", prompt: "<mermaid-spec/>")` and capture
             its returned `text` field as <diagram/>.

package/plugin/skills/ase-meta-quorum/SKILL.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 name: ase-meta-quorum
-argument-hint: "[--help|-h] <question>"
+argument-hint: "[--help|-h] [--models|-m <model>[,...]] <question>"
 description: >
     Query Multiple AIs for Quorum Answer.
 user-invocable: true
@@ -13,11 +13,18 @@ allowed-tools:
 
 @${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-control.md
 @${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-skill.md
+@${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-getopt.md
 
 <skill name="ase-meta-quorum">
 Query Multiple AIs for Quorum Answer
 </skill>
 
+<expand name="getopt"
+    arg1="ase-meta-quorum"
+    arg2="--models|-m=(all|chatgpt|gemini|deepseek|grok|glm|qwen)...">
+    $ARGUMENTS
+</expand>
+
 <objective>
 Find a *quorum answer* on an arbitrary question,
 by querying *multiple* AIs for an *optimal consensus*.
@@ -30,7 +37,7 @@ by querying *multiple* AIs for an *optimal consensus*.
     Prepare the LLM query by setting <query/> to the following <template/>:
 
     <template>
-    $ARGUMENTS.
+    <getopt-arguments/>.
     Please respond with facts and very concise and brief only,
     usually with just 1 to 7 corresponding bullet points and with short sentences.
     Optionally, mention potential cruxes which should be noticed.
@@ -53,12 +60,20 @@ by querying *multiple* AIs for an *optimal consensus*.
 
 2.  <step id="STEP 2: Query Foreign AIs">
 
+    The user-selectable foreign models are restricted by the
+    `--models`/`-m` option, parsed into <getopt-option-models/>
+    as a comma-separated list of model tokens. The default is
+    the single token `all`. If <getopt-option-models/> contains
+    the token `all`, you *MUST* treat it as the full list
+    `chatgpt,gemini,deepseek,grok,glm,qwen` (all models). Anthropic
+    Claude (yourself) is *always* included, independent of this option.
+
     <define name="agent">
     Call the `Agent` tool:
 
     ```text
         Agent(
-            name:          "ase:ase-meta-chat",
+            name:          "ase-meta-chat-<arg2/>",
             description:   "Query Foreign LLM: <arg1/>",
             subagent_type: "ase:ase-meta-chat",
             prompt:        "<arg2/> <query/>"
@@ -67,12 +82,28 @@ by querying *multiple* AIs for an *optimal consensus*.
 
     </define>
 
+    Query only those foreign models whose token is contained in
+    <getopt-option-models/> (where `all` selects every model); silently
+    skip all others:
+
+    <if condition="<getopt-option-models/> contains `all` OR <getopt-option-models/> contains `chatgpt`">
     <expand name="agent" arg1="OpenAI ChatGPT" arg2="chatgpt"></expand>
+    </if>
+    <if condition="<getopt-option-models/> contains `all` OR <getopt-option-models/> contains `gemini`">
     <expand name="agent" arg1="Google Gemini"  arg2="gemini"></expand>
+    </if>
+    <if condition="<getopt-option-models/> contains `all` OR <getopt-option-models/> contains `deepseek`">
     <expand name="agent" arg1="DeepSeek"       arg2="deepseek"></expand>
+    </if>
+    <if condition="<getopt-option-models/> contains `all` OR <getopt-option-models/> contains `grok`">
     <expand name="agent" arg1="xAI Grok"       arg2="grok"></expand>
+    </if>
+    <if condition="<getopt-option-models/> contains `all` OR <getopt-option-models/> contains `glm`">
     <expand name="agent" arg1="Z.AI GLM"       arg2="glm"></expand>
+    </if>
+    <if condition="<getopt-option-models/> contains `all` OR <getopt-option-models/> contains `qwen`">
     <expand name="agent" arg1="Alibaba Qwen"   arg2="qwen"></expand>
+    </if>
 
     You *MUST* *NOT* output anything in this step.
 
@@ -116,7 +147,7 @@ by querying *multiple* AIs for an *optimal consensus*.
 
     <template>
     **QUESTION**:
-    $ARGUMENTS
+    <getopt-arguments/>
 
     &#x25CF; **CONSENSUS ANSWER**:
     - [...]
@@ -153,7 +184,8 @@ by querying *multiple* AIs for an *optimal consensus*.
     - [...]
     </template>
 
-    In this output, remove the sections of those AIs which were not available.
+    In this output, remove the sections of those AIs which were not
+    queried (excluded via `--models`/`-m`) or were not available.
     You *MUST* *NOT* output any further explanations yourself.
 
     </step>

package/plugin/skills/ase-meta-quorum/help.md

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 
 `ase-meta-quorum`
     [`--help`|`-h`]
+    [`--models`|`-m` *model*[,...]]
     *question*
 
 ##  DESCRIPTION
@@ -23,6 +24,17 @@ a Likert scale of `0..N` (where `N` is the number of available
 responders), and reports the consensus answer alongside the
 complete, unmodified individual responses.
 
+##  OPTIONS
+
+`--models`|`-m` *model*[,...]:
+    Restrict the *foreign* LLMs that are queried to the given
+    comma-separated list of *model* tokens. Recognized tokens are
+    `all`, `chatgpt`, `gemini`, `deepseek`, `grok`, `glm`, and `qwen`,
+    where `all` selects every model. The default is `all`. Models that
+    are not selected (or not available) are *silently skipped*.
+    Anthropic Claude (the skill itself) is *always* included,
+    independent of this option.
+
 ##  ARGUMENTS
 
 *question*:
@@ -36,6 +48,12 @@ Ask the quorum a factual question:
 ❯ /ase-meta-quorum What are the most common causes of memory leaks in Node.js?
 ```
 
+Ask only a subset of the foreign models:
+
+```text
+❯ /ase-meta-quorum --models chatgpt,gemini,grok Which sorting algorithm is fastest in practice?
+```
+
 ##  SEE ALSO
 
 `ase-meta-chat`, `ase-meta-search`, `ase-meta-evaluate`.

package/plugin/skills/ase-meta-review/SKILL.md

@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ explicitly requested by this procedure via outputs based on a <template/>!
 
     ```text
         Agent(
-            name:          "ase:ase-meta-review",
+            name:          "ase-meta-review",
             description:   "Review Investigation",
             subagent_type: "ase:ase-meta-review",
             mode:          "plan",

package/plugin/skills/ase-meta-search/SKILL.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 name: ase-meta-search
-argument-hint: "[--help|-h] <query>"
+argument-hint: "[--help|-h] [--services|-s=(all|perplexity|brave|exa|websearch)...] <query>"
 description: >
     Search the Internet/Web with a query.
     Prefer this skill before using Perplexity, Brave and WebSearch.
@@ -17,14 +17,21 @@ allowed-tools:
 
 @${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-control.md
 @${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-skill.md
+@${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-getopt.md
 
 <skill name="ase-meta-search">
 Search the Internet/Web
 </skill>
 
+<expand name="getopt"
+    arg1="ase-meta-search"
+    arg2="--services|-s=(all|perplexity|brave|exa|websearch)...">
+    $ARGUMENTS
+</expand>
+
 <objective>
 Your objective is to *search* the *Internet*/*Web* for the following query:
-<query>$ARGUMENTS</query>
+<query><getopt-arguments/></query>
 </objective>
 
 <flow>
@@ -34,7 +41,7 @@ Your objective is to *search* the *Internet*/*Web* for the following query:
     <define name="agent">
     ```text
         Agent(
-            name:          "ase:ase-meta-search",
+            name:          "ase-meta-search",
             description:   "Query Web Search Service",
             subagent_type: "ase:ase-meta-search",
             prompt:        <content/>
@@ -42,24 +49,46 @@ Your objective is to *search* the *Internet*/*Web* for the following query:
     ```
     </define>
 
-    If the MCP tool `perplexity_search` from the MCP server `search-perplexity` is available:
+    Treat <getopt-option-services/> as a comma-separated list of
+    *backend tokens*. The getopt parser validates only the *first*
+    token, so you *MUST* validate each remaining token yourself against
+    the allowed set `all`, `perplexity`, `brave`, `exa`, `websearch`. If
+    any token is *not* in this set, only output the following <template/>
+    and then immediately *STOP* processing the entire current skill:
+
+    <template>
+    ⧉ **ASE**: ✪ skill: **ase-meta-search**, ▶ ERROR: invalid `--services` token: **<token/>**
+    </template>
+
+    A backend is *selected* if `all` is in <getopt-option-services/> *OR*
+    that backend's own name is in <getopt-option-services/>.
+
+    If the `perplexity` backend is *selected* and the MCP tool
+    `perplexity_search` from the MCP server `search-perplexity` is available:
+
     <expand name="agent">
         Call the MCP tool `perplexity_search(query: "<query/>")`
         from the MCP server `search-perplexity`.
     </expand>
 
-    If the MCP tool `brave_web_search` from the MCP server `search-brave` is available:
+    If the `brave` backend is *selected* and the MCP tool
+    `brave_web_search` from the MCP server `search-brave` is available:
+
     <expand name="agent">
         Call the MCP tool `brave_web_search(query: "<query/>")`
         from the MCP server `search-brave`.
     </expand>
 
-    If the MCP tool `web_search_exa` from the MCP server `search-exa` is available:
+    If the `exa` backend is *selected* and the MCP tool
+    `web_search_exa` from the MCP server `search-exa` is available:
+
     <expand name="agent">
         Call the MCP tool `web_search_exa(query: "<query/>")`
         from the MCP server `search-exa`.
     </expand>
 
+    If the `websearch` backend is *selected*:
+
     <expand name="agent">
         Call the tool `WebSearch(query: "<query/>")`.
     </expand>

package/plugin/skills/ase-meta-search/help.md

@@ -7,12 +7,13 @@
 
 `ase-meta-search`
     [`--help`|`-h`]
+    [`--services`|`-s`=(`all`|`perplexity`|`brave`|`exa`|`websearch`)...]
     *query*
 
 ##  DESCRIPTION
 
 The `ase-meta-search` skill searches the *Internet*/*Web* for the
-given *query*. It dispatches the query in parallel to all available
+given *query*. It dispatches the query in parallel to the *selected*
 search services (Perplexity, Brave, Exa, and Claude's built-in
 `WebSearch`) via the `ase:ase-meta-search` sub-agent and consolidates
 all responses into a single answer without removing original
@@ -23,17 +24,28 @@ Brave, or `WebSearch` individually.
 
 ##  ARGUMENTS
 
+`--services`|`-s`=(`all`|`perplexity`|`brave`|`exa`|`websearch`)...:
+    The comma-separated list of search backends to query. The default
+    `all` queries every available backend (the original behavior);
+    otherwise only the listed backends are queried.
+
 *query*:
     The search query to dispatch to the search services.
 
 ##  EXAMPLES
 
-Search the Web for a topic:
+Search the Web for a topic across all backends:
 
 ```text
 ❯ /ase-meta-search latest stable release of TypeScript and release notes
 ```
 
+Search the Web using only the Brave and Exa backends:
+
+```text
+❯ /ase-meta-search --services=brave,exa latest stable release of TypeScript
+```
+
 ##  SEE ALSO
 
 `ase-meta-chat`, `ase-meta-quorum`, `ase-arch-discover`.

package/plugin/skills/ase-meta-steelman/SKILL.md

@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ to <getopt-option-count/>; if <getopt-option-count/> is *non-numeric* or
 
 <flow>
 
-1.  <step id="STEP 1: Repeat Thesis">
+1.  <step id="STEP 1: Restate Thesis">
 
     Begin a *round* of fortification and consolidating reasoning. On
     the first visit, set <i>1</i> (set round counter to one); on each

package/plugin/skills/ase-meta-why/SKILL.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 name: ase-meta-why
-argument-hint: "[--help|-h] [--depth|-d <N>] <fact>"
+argument-hint: "[--help|-h] [--depth|-d <N>] [--width|-w <M>] <fact>"
 description: >
     Five-Whys Root-Cause Analysis.
 user-invocable: true
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Five-Whys Root-Cause Analysis
 
 <expand name="getopt"
     arg1="ase-meta-why"
-    arg2="--depth|-d=5">
+    arg2="--depth|-d=5 --width|-w=1">
     $ARGUMENTS
 </expand>
 
@@ -34,48 +34,140 @@ addressing surface-level symptoms.
 </objective>
 
 <flow>
-1.  <step id="STEP 1: Determine Problem">
+
+1.  <step id="STEP 1: Restate Problem">
+
     State the problem statement.
 
     <template>
     <ase-tpl-bullet-signal/> **PROBLEM**: <problem/>
     </template>
+
     </step>
 
 2.  <step id="STEP 2: Root-Cause Analysis">
+
     Find the root-cause of <problem/> by following the following iteration cycle.
     Start with a <question/> set equal to the <problem/>.
 
-    Determine the *maximum chain length* from <getopt-option-depth/>: if
-    <getopt-option-depth/> is *non-numeric* or *less than or equal to 0*,
-    use the default *5* instead.
-
-    Start with <n>1</n> (set iteration counter to one).
-    <while condition="<n/> is less than or equal to <getopt-option-depth/>">
-        Ask <question/> and document the answer in <answer/> with the following template:
-        Don't stop at symptoms, keep digging for systemic issues.
-        Multiple root-causes may exist -- explore different branches.
-        Consider technical, domain-specific, process-related, or organizational causes.
-
-        <template>
-        <ase-tpl-bullet-secondary/> **WHY <n/>**: <answer/>
-        </template>
-
-        Then, for the next iteration set <question/> now to be the last <answer/>.
-        The magic is NOT in exactly <getopt-option-depth/> "Why" -- you can <break/>
-        the iteration when you already reached the root-cause.
-        Finally, set <n/> to <n/> + 1 (increment iteration counter).
-    </while>
+    Determine the *maximum chain length* from <getopt-option-depth/>:
+    set <depth/> to <getopt-option-depth/>; if <getopt-option-depth/>
+    is *non-numeric* or *less than or equal to 0*, use the default *5* instead.
+
+    Determine the *maximum chain width* from <getopt-option-width/>:
+    set <width/> to <getopt-option-width/>; if <getopt-option-width/>
+    is *non-numeric* or *less than or equal to 0*, use the default *1* instead.
+
+    -   <if condition="<width/> is less than or equal to 1">
+
+        Walk a *single* causality chain (the classic Five-Whys):
+
+        Start with <n>1</n> (set iteration counter to one).
+
+        <while condition="<n/> is less than or equal to <depth/>">
+
+            Ask <question/> and document the answer in <answer/> with the following template:
+            Don't stop at symptoms, keep digging for systemic issues.
+            Consider technical, domain-specific, process-related, or organizational causes.
+
+            <template>
+            <ase-tpl-bullet-secondary/> **WHY <n/>**: <answer/>
+            </template>
+
+            Then, for the next iteration set <question/> now to be the last <answer/>.
+            The magic is NOT in exactly <depth/> "Why" -- you can <break/>
+            the iteration when you already reached the root-cause.
+            Finally, set <n/> to <n/> + 1 (increment iteration counter).
+
+        </while>
+
+        </if>
+
+    -   <if condition="<width/> is greater than 1">
+
+        Walk a *widened* causality chain: at each "why" level, surface up to
+        <width/> *candidate* sub-causes, then commit to the single most
+        significant one and descend into it (the chain stays single-rooted --
+        the extra candidates are *not* each drilled to their own root-cause).
+        Their purpose is to guard against *premature commitment* to the wrong
+        sub-cause: by enumerating the plausible alternatives at each level, the
+        chosen descent is a *justified* selection rather than the first
+        plausible answer, and the unchosen candidates remain on record as
+        *fallbacks* to backtrack into (see STEP 3) should the chosen path fail
+        validation.
+
+        Remember the *unchosen* candidates of every level (keep them in
+        <fallbacks/>, tagged by their level <n/>), so STEP 3 can backtrack
+        into them.
+
+        Start with <n>1</n> (set iteration counter to one).
+
+        <while condition="<n/> is less than or equal to <depth/>">
+
+            Ask <question/> and surface up to <width/> *distinct*,
+            *non-overlapping* candidate sub-causes, each documented in <answer-k/>.
+            Don't stop at symptoms, keep digging for systemic issues.
+            Explore *different* candidates -- technical, domain-specific,
+            process-related, or organizational causes -- and avoid restating
+            the same cause in different words.
+
+            Start with <k>1</k> (set candidate counter to one).
+            <while condition="<k/> is less than or equal to <width/>">
+                <template>
+                <ase-tpl-bullet-secondary/> **WHY <n/>.<k/>**: <answer-k/>
+                </template>
+                Set <k/> to <k/> + 1 (increment candidate counter).
+            </while>
+
+            Then choose, among the <answer-k/>, the *most causally-significant*
+            candidate -- the one most likely to lead to the true root-cause --
+            and *justify* the choice in one line (state explicitly *why* it
+            beats the other candidates, e.g. it alone also explains the timing,
+            scope, or magnitude of the level's fact). A bare "most significant"
+            is *not* sufficient; if no candidate clearly dominates, say so.
+
+            <template>
+            <ase-tpl-bullet-secondary/> **WHY <n/> → chosen <n/>.<chosen-k/>**: <justification/>
+            </template>
+
+            Record the remaining candidates as <fallbacks/> for level <n/>.
+            Then, for the next iteration, set <question/> to the chosen candidate.
+            You can <break/> the iteration when the chosen candidate already
+            reached its root-cause.
+            Finally, set <n/> to <n/> + 1 (increment iteration counter).
+
+        </while>
+
+        </if>
+
     </step>
 
 3.  <step id="STEP 3: Report Solution">
-    Validate the root-cause by working backwards the causality chain.
-    Propose a solution that addresses and solves the root-cause.
+
+    Validate the root-cause by working backwards along the chosen causality
+    chain: check, level by level, that each chosen sub-cause genuinely *causes*
+    the fact above it (and that fixing the final root-cause would dissolve the
+    whole chain up to the original <problem/>).
+
+    When <width/> is *greater than 1* and this backward validation *fails* at
+    some level -- i.e. the chosen sub-cause does *not* adequately explain the
+    fact above it -- *backtrack*: discard the chosen sub-cause from that level
+    downward, pick the next-best candidate from that level's <fallbacks/>, set
+    <question/> to it, and re-run the STEP 2 widened descent from there. Repeat
+    until a chain survives backward validation or that level's <fallbacks/> are
+    exhausted (then report the strongest chain found and note that no candidate
+    fully validated). This is the payoff of <width/> *greater than 1*: the
+    enumerated alternatives let the analysis *recover* from a wrong turn instead
+    of committing to a mis-rooted chain.
+
+    Propose a solution that addresses and solves the validated root-cause.
     For the proposed solution, optionally directly propose corresponding source code changes.
 
     <template>
     <ase-tpl-bullet-signal/> **SOLUTION**: <solution/>
     </template>
+
     </step>
+
 </flow>
 

package/plugin/skills/ase-meta-why/help.md

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 `ase-meta-why`
     [`--help`|`-h`]
     [`--depth`|`-d` *N*]
+    [`--width`|`-w` *M*]
     *fact*
 
 ##  DESCRIPTION
@@ -17,8 +18,16 @@ analysis* technique to the supplied *fact*. The skill iteratively
 asks "why" - up to *N* times (see `--depth`, default five) - to drill
 down from surface symptoms to the underlying root cause, considering
 technical, domain-specific, process-related, and organizational
-causes. After identifying the root cause it proposes a *SOLUTION* that
-addresses it, optionally including concrete source code changes.
+causes. By default it walks a *single* causality chain, but with
+`--width` *M* (> 1) it walks a *widened* chain: at each level it surfaces
+up to *M* candidate sub-causes, descends into the most significant one
+with an explicit justification for the choice, and keeps the unchosen
+candidates as *fallbacks*. If backward validation later shows the chosen
+path was mis-rooted, it *backtracks* into a fallback and re-descends -
+guarding against the classic Five-Whys failure of committing early to the
+wrong sub-cause. After identifying (and validating) the root cause it
+proposes a *SOLUTION* that addresses it, optionally including concrete
+source code changes.
 
 ##  ARGUMENTS
 
@@ -28,6 +37,18 @@ addresses it, optionally including concrete source code changes.
     early once the root cause is reached. Defaults to *5*. A non-numeric
     or non-positive value falls back to the default.
 
+`--width`|`-w` *M*:
+    The *maximum* number of *candidate sub-causes* to surface per "why"
+    level. With the default *1*, the skill walks a single causality chain
+    (classic Five-Whys); with *M* > 1, each level surfaces up to *M*
+    candidate sub-causes, descends into the single most significant one
+    (justifying the choice), and retains the rest as *fallbacks*. During
+    backward validation a mis-rooted choice is *backtracked* into a fallback
+    and re-descended, so the widening actively improves which root-cause is
+    reached rather than merely listing alternatives. The result is still a
+    single, but better-justified, root-cause. A non-numeric or non-positive
+    value falls back to the default.
+
 *fact*:
     The observed *fact* (symptom, problem, or surprising outcome)
     whose root cause should be investigated. The skill implicitly
@@ -47,6 +68,13 @@ Drill down deeper with a tunable chain length of seven:
 ❯ /ase-meta-why -d 7 the production latency spiked after the last deploy
 ```
 
+Weigh several candidate sub-causes per level (with backtracking) to avoid
+committing early to the wrong root-cause:
+
+```text
+❯ /ase-meta-why -w 3 the release was delayed by two weeks
+```
+
 ##  SEE ALSO
 
 `ase-code-analyze`, `ase-code-resolve`, `ase-arch-analyze`.