ADR-CM-008: Proactive Elicitation

Field	Value
Decision ID	ADR-CM-008
Type	Child ADR
Parent ADR	ADR-CM-001
Initiative	Campaign Mode
Proposed By	Chris Barlow
Date	2026-02-14
Status	Accepted

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WH(Y) Decision Statement

In the context of Campaign Mode’s six-phase lifecycle requiring smooth transitions between phases,

facing silent phase transitions that drop the user — agents deliver output then go quiet, expecting users to remember which slash command to type next, breaking flow and violating the protagonist principle,

we decided for proactive elicitation — every agent uses AskUserQuestion at phase transitions to offer structured next-step options in natural language,

and neglected fully autonomous agent orchestration (violates the User as Protagonist principle by removing user agency) and the status quo (proven broken in testing — users lose momentum at every transition),

to achieve seamless phase transitions where the user never needs to remember slash commands, the protagonist principle is preserved through meaningful choices at every decision point, and campaign flow feels continuous rather than fragmented,

accepting that agent responses at transitions are slightly longer, all NPC agents must consistently offer transitions (a missed transition is a bug), and agents must never reference slash commands in user-facing text.

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Context

Campaign Mode’s workflow has a structural problem at phase boundaries. When an agent completes its work in a phase — Gandalf finishes quest framing, Guardian delivers a verdict, Dragon announces a result — the conversation simply stops. The user is left to remember which /slash-command invokes the next agent.

This creates three problems:

1. Flow drops — Momentum built during a phase evaporates at the boundary
2. Cognitive load — Users must remember the command vocabulary instead of focusing on their quest
3. Slash command leakage — Agents reference internal commands (e.g., “invoke /dragon-agent”) rather than facilitating the transition directly

The protagonist principle says the user drives the quest. But “driving” should mean making meaningful choices, not memorising commands.

Options Considered

Option 1: Proactive Elicitation (Selected)

At every phase transition, the active agent uses AskUserQuestion to present natural-language options for what to do next. The user chooses; the system facilitates.

Pros: User retains agency through choices, flow never drops, no command memorisation required, consistent with existing AskUserQuestion mechanics Cons: Slightly longer agent responses at transitions, requires discipline across all agents

Option 2: Fully Autonomous Orchestration (Rejected)

Agents automatically invoke the next agent when a phase completes — no user involvement in transitions.

Why rejected: Violates the User as Protagonist principle. The user would become a passenger in their own quest. Removing transition choices removes agency.

Option 3: Status Quo (Rejected)

Keep the current pattern where agents deliver output and wait for the user to invoke the next agent.

Why rejected: Proven broken in practice. Users consistently lose momentum at phase boundaries and must be told which command to use next.

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Dependencies

Relationship	ADR ID	Title	Notes
Refines	ADR-CM-001	Campaign Mode Architecture	Adds transition behaviour to the campaign lifecycle
Relates To	ADR-CM-002	Quest Agent Decomposition	Affects how NPCs hand off between phases
Relates To	ADR-CM-003	NPC Context Isolation	Transitions must respect isolation boundaries

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References

Reference ID	Title	Type	Location
REF-001	Campaign Lifecycle Spec	Internal Spec	SPEC-CM-001-B
REF-002	NPC SKILL.md Files	Internal Skills	skills/gandalf-agent/, skills/guardian-agent/, skills/dragon-agent/

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Governance

Review Board	Date	Outcome	Action	Review Cadence	Next Review
–	–	–	–	Quarterly	–

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Status History

Status	Approver	Date
Proposed	Chris Barlow	2026-02-14
Accepted	Chris Barlow	2026-02-14