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campaign-mode

Work with a party of AI advisors with genuinely different perspectives.

SPEC-CM-001-A: Campaign Mode Skill Architecture

Field Value
Specification ID SPEC-CM-001-A
Parent ADR ADR-CM-001
Version 1.1
Status Draft
Last Updated 2026-02-14

Overview

This specification defines the directory structure, file layout, and installation conventions for Campaign Mode skills. The architecture follows the same patterns established by Six Animals to ensure consistency and ease of adoption.

Directory Structure

Campaign Mode uses a dual-location convention for skill files:

campaign-mode/
├── .claude/
│   └── skills/                    # Auto-discovery directory (clone path)
│       ├── gandalf-agent/
│       │   └── SKILL.md
│       ├── dragon-agent/
│       │   └── SKILL.md
│       └── guardian-agent/
│           └── SKILL.md
├── .claude-plugin/
│   └── plugin.json                # Plugin manifest (plugin path)
├── skills/                        # Canonical skill definitions
│   ├── gandalf-agent/
│   │   └── SKILL.md
│   ├── dragon-agent/
│   │   └── SKILL.md
│   └── guardian-agent/
│       └── SKILL.md
├── commands/                      # Slash commands (plugin path)
│   ├── campaign-setup.md
│   ├── start-quest.md
│   └── continue-quest.md
├── docs/
│   ├── 2_adrs/                    # Architecture Decision Records
│   │   ├── reference/             # ADR framework reference docs
│   │   ├── ADR-CM-001-*.md
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── 3_specs/                   # Detailed specifications
│   │   ├── SPEC-CM-001-*.md
│   │   └── ...
│   └── north-star.md              # Vision document
├── CLAUDE.md                      # Campaign guidelines (loaded per session)
└── README.md

Dual-Location Convention

Skills exist in two locations:

Location Purpose
skills/{agent}/SKILL.md Canonical — the authoritative source file, version-controlled and reviewed
.claude/skills/{agent}/SKILL.md Auto-discovery — enables Claude Code to automatically detect and offer the skill

The .claude/skills/ copy is identical to the canonical copy. When editing, always edit the canonical version and copy to .claude/skills/.

Naming Conventions

Convention Rule Example
Agent directories kebab-case gandalf-agent/
Skill files Always SKILL.md (uppercase) skills/gandalf-agent/SKILL.md
ADR files ADR-CM-{NNN}-{Title}.md ADR-CM-001-Campaign-Mode-Architecture.md
Spec files SPEC-CM-{NNN}-{Letter}-{Title}.md SPEC-CM-001-A-Skill-Architecture.md

Skill File Structure

Each SKILL.md follows the Claude Code skill format with YAML frontmatter:

---
name: {agent-name}
description: {One-line description. Include invocation pattern.}
license: CC-BY-SA-4.0
metadata:
  author: {Author}
  framework: Campaign Mode
  archetype: {Archetype name}
  role: {NPC role}
---

Required Sections

Every NPC skill must include:

  1. Overview — What this NPC is, when to invoke it
  2. Core Philosophy / Foundation — The psychological or pedagogical grounding
  3. Core Capabilities — What the NPC does (3-5 capabilities with process, behaviours, examples)
  4. Interaction Patterns — How the NPC engages in different scenarios
  5. Integration with Animals — How this NPC works with each of the six animal agents
  6. Integration with NPCs — Relationship to the other two NPCs
  7. Context Isolation — Statement of independent operation (for Dragon and Guardian)
  8. Usage Guidelines — When and how to invoke

Installation Methods

Method 1: Plugin Install (Primary)

Install from the Claude Code marketplace:

/install campaign-mode

Skills are auto-discovered by the plugin infrastructure. CLAUDE.md guidelines are loaded per session. Run /campaign-setup to copy guidelines to your project. See SPEC-CM-007-A for full plugin structure.

Method 2: Clone Repository (Project-Level)

git clone https://github.com/cgbarlow/campaign-mode.git
cd campaign-mode
# Skills auto-discovered via .claude/skills/

Method 3: Copy to Existing Project

cp -r campaign-mode/.claude/skills/ your-project/.claude/skills/

Method 4: Personal Skills (All Projects)

cp -r campaign-mode/.claude/skills/ ~/.claude/skills/

Prerequisites

Campaign Mode is designed to complement Six Animals. While NPC skills can function independently, the full campaign experience requires the Six Animals skills to be installed.

Compatibility

Surface Supported Notes
Claude Code (CLI) Yes Primary target — skills auto-discovered
Claude.ai Yes Skills can be pasted into project knowledge
Claude API Yes Skills can be included in system prompts
Spec ID Title Relationship
SPEC-CM-001-B Campaign Lifecycle Defines the flow that these skills participate in
SPEC-CM-004-A Skill File Structure and Conventions Detailed skill authoring conventions
SPEC-CM-007-A Plugin Structure Plugin manifest, directory layout, plugin installation method

Changelog

Version Date Author Changes
1.0 2026-02-14 Chris Barlow Initial specification
1.1 2026-02-14 Chris Barlow Added /start-quest and /continue-quest commands to directory structure