Cross-Squad orchestration

.changeset/cross-squad-orchestration.md

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+---
+"@bradygaster/squad-sdk": minor
+"@bradygaster/squad-cli": minor
+---
+
+Cross-squad orchestration — discovery, delegation, and manifest (#316). Adds manifest schema, `squad discover` / `squad delegate` commands, and runtime module for coordinating work across multiple Squad instances.

.squad/manifest.json

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+{
+  "name": "squad",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "description": "Squad — Programmable multi-agent runtime for GitHub Copilot",
+  "capabilities": ["multi-agent", "copilot", "sdk", "cli"],
+  "contact": {
+    "repo": "bradygaster/squad",
+    "labels": ["squad"]
+  },
+  "accepts": ["issues", "prs"],
+  "skills": ["squad-conventions", "cli-wiring", "agent-collaboration"]
+}

.squad/manifest.schema.json

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+{
+  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
+  "title": "Squad Manifest",
+  "description": "Public contract a squad exposes for cross-squad discovery and delegation.",
+  "type": "object",
+  "required": ["name", "capabilities", "contact", "accepts"],
+  "properties": {
+    "name": {
+      "type": "string",
+      "description": "Human-readable squad name (e.g., 'platform-squad').",
+      "minLength": 1
+    },
+    "version": {
+      "type": "string",
+      "description": "Schema version for forward compatibility.",
+      "default": "1.0.0"
+    },
+    "description": {
+      "type": "string",
+      "description": "One-line description of this squad's purpose."
+    },
+    "capabilities": {
+      "type": "array",
+      "description": "Capability tags (e.g., ['kubernetes', 'helm', 'monitoring']).",
+      "items": { "type": "string" },
+      "minItems": 1
+    },
+    "contact": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "description": "How to reach this squad.",
+      "required": ["repo"],
+      "properties": {
+        "repo": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "description": "GitHub repository in 'owner/repo' format.",
+          "pattern": "^[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+/[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+$"
+        },
+        "labels": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "description": "Labels to apply when creating issues for this squad.",
+          "items": { "type": "string" }
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "accepts": {
+      "type": "array",
+      "description": "Work types this squad accepts from other squads.",
+      "items": {
+        "type": "string",
+        "enum": ["issues", "prs"]
+      },
+      "minItems": 1
+    },
+    "skills": {
+      "type": "array",
+      "description": "Named skills this squad offers.",
+      "items": { "type": "string" }
+    }
+  },
+  "additionalProperties": false
+}

.squad/skills/cross-squad/SKILL.md

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+---
+name: "cross-squad"
+description: "Coordinating work across multiple Squad instances"
+domain: "orchestration"
+confidence: "medium"
+source: "manual"
+tools:
+  - name: "squad-discover"
+    description: "List known squads and their capabilities"
+    when: "When you need to find which squad can handle a task"
+  - name: "squad-delegate"
+    description: "Create work in another squad's repository"
+    when: "When a task belongs to another squad's domain"
+---
+
+## Context
+When an organization runs multiple Squad instances (e.g., platform-squad, frontend-squad, data-squad), those squads need to discover each other, share context, and hand off work across repository boundaries. This skill teaches agents how to coordinate across squads without creating tight coupling.
+
+Cross-squad orchestration applies when:
+- A task requires capabilities owned by another squad
+- An architectural decision affects multiple squads
+- A feature spans multiple repositories with different squads
+- A squad needs to request infrastructure, tooling, or support from another squad
+
+## Patterns
+
+### Discovery via Manifest
+Each squad publishes a `.squad/manifest.json` declaring its name, capabilities, and contact information. Squads discover each other through:
+1. **Well-known paths**: Check `.squad/manifest.json` in known org repos
+2. **Upstream config**: Squads already listed in `.squad/upstream.json` are checked for manifests
+3. **Explicit registry**: A central `squad-registry.json` can list all squads in an org
+
+```json
+{
+  "name": "platform-squad",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "description": "Platform infrastructure team",
+  "capabilities": ["kubernetes", "helm", "monitoring", "ci-cd"],
+  "contact": {
+    "repo": "org/platform",
+    "labels": ["squad:platform"]
+  },
+  "accepts": ["issues", "prs"],
+  "skills": ["helm-developer", "operator-developer", "pipeline-engineer"]
+}
+```
+
+### Context Sharing
+When delegating work, share only what the target squad needs:
+- **Capability list**: What this squad can do (from manifest)
+- **Relevant decisions**: Only decisions that affect the target squad
+- **Handoff context**: A concise description of why this work is being delegated
+
+Do NOT share:
+- Internal team state (casting history, session logs)
+- Full decision archives (send only relevant excerpts)
+- Authentication credentials or secrets
+
+### Work Handoff Protocol
+1. **Check manifest**: Verify the target squad accepts the work type (issues, PRs)
+2. **Create issue**: Use `gh issue create` in the target repo with:
+   - Title: `[cross-squad] <description>`
+   - Label: `squad:cross-squad` (or the squad's configured label)
+   - Body: Context, acceptance criteria, and link back to originating issue
+3. **Track**: Record the cross-squad issue URL in the originating squad's orchestration log
+4. **Poll**: Periodically check if the delegated issue is closed/completed
+
+### Feedback Loop
+Track delegated work completion:
+- Poll target issue status via `gh issue view`
+- Update originating issue with status changes
+- Close the feedback loop when delegated work merges
+
+## Examples
+
+### Discovering squads
+```bash
+# List all squads discoverable from upstreams and known repos
+squad discover
+
+# Output:
+#   platform-squad  →  org/platform  (kubernetes, helm, monitoring)
+#   frontend-squad  →  org/frontend  (react, nextjs, storybook)
+#   data-squad      →  org/data      (spark, airflow, dbt)
+```
+
+### Delegating work
+```bash
+# Delegate a task to the platform squad
+squad delegate platform-squad "Add Prometheus metrics endpoint for the auth service"
+
+# Creates issue in org/platform with cross-squad label and context
+```
+
+### Manifest in squad.config.ts
+```typescript
+export default defineSquad({
+  manifest: {
+    name: 'platform-squad',
+    capabilities: ['kubernetes', 'helm'],
+    contact: { repo: 'org/platform', labels: ['squad:platform'] },
+    accepts: ['issues', 'prs'],
+    skills: ['helm-developer', 'operator-developer'],
+  },
+});
+```
+
+## Anti-Patterns
+- **Direct file writes across repos** — Never modify another squad's `.squad/` directory. Use issues and PRs as the communication protocol.
+- **Tight coupling** — Don't depend on another squad's internal structure. Use the manifest as the public API contract.
+- **Unbounded delegation** — Always include acceptance criteria and a timeout. Don't create open-ended requests.
+- **Skipping discovery** — Don't hardcode squad locations. Use manifests and the discovery protocol.
+- **Sharing secrets** — Never include credentials, tokens, or internal URLs in cross-squad issues.
+- **Circular delegation** — Track delegation chains. If squad A delegates to B which delegates back to A, something is wrong.