advocatus-diaboli

Generates evidence-grounded adversarial objections against specs across six categories before plan approval.

Updated May 24, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/MWest2020/skill-forge --skill advocatus-diaboli-mwest2020
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: advocatus-diaboli
Source: https://github.com/MWest2020/skill-forge/tree/main/skills/advocatus-diaboli
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/MWest2020/skill-forge --skill advocatus-diaboli-mwest2020

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Specs often reach implementation without adversarial scrutiny, so flawed premises, scope errors, and ambiguities surface only after code exists. This Skill acts as a dedicated devil's advocate that challenges a spec with steel-manned, evidence-backed objections before any implementation artefacts are produced. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Six objection categories: Classifies every challenge as premise, scope, implementation, risk, alternatives, or specification quality, each requiring quoted evidence from the spec. - Severity and disposition workflow: Assigns critical/high/medium/low severity and emits a YAML objection record with pending dispositions that a human adjudicates as accepted, deferred, or rejected. - Dual dispatch modes: Weights categories differently at spec time (premise, alternatives, scope) versus code time (risk, implementation), with a routing rule that partitions findings against a decision-archaeology agent. - Use Case: Before approving a design spec for a new CLI feature, run this Skill to produce an objection record at docs/superpowers/objections/<spec-slug>.md containing up to 12 evidence-cited objections plus an "Explicitly not objecting to" section exposing what was deliberately left unchallenged. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to adversarially review the spec at docs/superpowers/specs/2026-04-19-my-feature.md and write the objection record with categorized, evidence-backed objections.

Frequently Asked Questions about advocatus-diaboli

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I run an adversarial review on a spec before implementation?

Invoke the Skill against a spec file and it produces an objection record at docs/superpowers/objections/<spec-slug>.md. Each objection includes a category, severity, claim, and quoted evidence, with dispositions left pending for human adjudication.

What objection categories does adversarial spec review cover?

Six categories: premise, scope, implementation, risk, alternatives, and specification quality. Every objection must belong to one category and cite evidence from the spec, and output is capped at 12 objections per spec.

What is the difference between spec-time and code-time dispatch modes?

Spec-time mode emphasizes premise, alternatives, scope, and specification quality before code exists. Code-time mode emphasizes risk and implementation concerns groundable in the actual implementation, and deprioritizes re-litigating adjudicated premise objections.

When should I not use adversarial spec review?

It is not a code reviewer, security auditor, linter, or spec rewriter. It reads specs rather than implementations, does not scan for CVEs, ignores grammar and formatting, and never proposes alternative designs or rewrites.

Why does the objection record include an explicitly not objecting to section?

The section lists at least three topics considered but not challenged, with reasons. It exposes shallow review passes, since an agent that cannot name deliberate omissions likely did not engage with the spec at sufficient depth.