fix(research): the contrarian runs as a second wave with the leading answer to attack

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

README.md

@@ -823,7 +823,7 @@ flowchart TB
     BR --> RES --> PL --> EX --> RV
 ```
 
-`* = conditional`: convention-scanner / test-strategist on medium+ codebases (50+ files); research-scout for unknown external tech; security-/contrarian-researcher when a leading recommendation forms (or always at `effort=high`); brief-conformance-reviewer skipped under `--quick`.
+`* = conditional`: convention-scanner / test-strategist on medium+ codebases (50+ files); research-scout for unknown external tech; security-researcher when a leading recommendation forms (or always at `effort=high`); contrarian-researcher, when selected, runs in wave 2 after the other external agents return, with their leading answer to attack (always at `effort=high`); brief-conformance-reviewer skipped under `--quick`.
 
 > **Which Claude Code primitive each phase uses — and the alternatives considered (Workflow substrate, delegated orchestrator, dormant synthesis-agent)** → see [docs/architecture.md §Primitives per step](docs/architecture.md#primitives-per-step-decision-matrix).
 

agents/research-orchestrator.md

@@ -88,12 +88,22 @@ Based on the mode, determine which agent groups to launch:
 | `docs-researcher` | Official documentation, RFCs, vendor docs |
 | `community-researcher` | Real-world experience, issues, blog posts, discussions |
 | `security-researcher` | CVEs, audit history, supply chain risks |
-| `contrarian-researcher` | Counter-evidence, overlooked alternatives, reasons to reconsider |
+| `contrarian-researcher` | Counter-evidence, overlooked alternatives, reasons to reconsider; runs in wave 2, against wave 1's leading answer |
 
 ### Phase 2 — Parallel research
 
-Launch ALL selected agents **in parallel** using the Agent tool — one message,
+Launch the selected agents in two waves.
-multiple tool calls. This maximizes concurrency.
+
+**Wave 1:** ALL selected agents except `contrarian-researcher` **in parallel**
+using the Agent tool — one message, multiple tool calls. This maximizes
+concurrency.
+
+**Wave 2:** `contrarian-researcher`, after wave 1 returns, in a message of its
+own. Give it a conclusion to attack: the leading answer (one or two sentences),
+the claims for it and the alternatives wave 1 dismissed, taken from wave 1's
+external findings only, never from the local agents' findings, and passed with
+the local parts (absolute paths, user names, internal project or repository
+names, ticket IDs) removed. It searches with the words it is given.
 
 **Prompting local agents for research (not planning):**
 

commands/trekresearch.md

@@ -384,7 +384,8 @@ changes nothing (SC1). Keep the native-swarm anchors intact ("in parallel",
 5. **On a real report:** keep `effective_engine = deep-research`, log
    `Engine: deep-research (active)`, and carry the report into Phase 6 triangulation
    as the external-findings input (adapted in Phase 7 — see the Deep-research engine
-   adapter below).
+   adapter below); then run wave 2 (`contrarian-researcher`, see Launch rules)
+   from the report's leading answer.
 
 ### External agents (scope = both or external)
 
@@ -413,7 +414,22 @@ ticket IDs) already removed: the agents search with the words they are given.
 
 ### Launch rules
 
-- Launch ALL selected agents **in parallel** in a single message
+- Launch in two waves, both in Phase 4 (before Phase 4.5 and Phase 5, so outside
+  the Phase 5 loop scope marker that `hooks/scripts/pre-agent-cap.mjs` reads).
+- **Wave 1:** ALL selected agents except `contrarian-researcher` **in parallel**
+  in a single message.
+- **Wave 2:** `contrarian-researcher`, when selected, after wave 1 returns, in a
+  message of its own. Give it a conclusion to attack: the leading answer (one or
+  two sentences), the claims for it and the alternatives wave 1 dismissed,
+  taken from wave 1's external findings only, never from the local agents'
+  findings (Hard rules → Independence), and stripped of local parts like the
+  research question above (absolute paths, user names, internal project or
+  repository names, ticket IDs). It searches with the words it is given, so no
+  local file name or project term may be in them. When wave 1's external
+  findings hold no leading answer, say so and give it the research question
+  alone, stripped the same way. With `--engine deep-research`
+  (`effective_engine = deep-research`), wave 2 runs after the engine returns,
+  from the leading answer of its report.
 - Inject the resolved model at every spawn: `phase_signal_result.model` (brief
   signal > profile), with the agent's frontmatter `model:` as the fallback — see
   Hard rules → Cost. The orchestrator itself follows the session model.
@@ -923,12 +939,11 @@ commands surface, don't re-enforce.
 ### High-effort behavior (v5.1.1)
 
 When `phase_signal_result.effort == 'high'` for the `research` phase,
-run the FULL swarm regardless of normal triggering rules: 5 local
+run the FULL swarm regardless of normal selection rules: 5 local
 agents + 4 external agents, AND force `contrarian-researcher` to
-always-on. Normally `contrarian-researcher` triggers conditionally when
+always-on: in high-effort mode `contrarian-researcher` runs
-a leading recommendation is emerging from initial agents; in
+unconditionally, as wave 2 (see Launch rules), so the final brief
-high-effort mode it runs unconditionally so the final brief always
+always carries an adversarial counter-evidence pass.
-carries an adversarial counter-evidence pass.
 
 The former third-party second-opinion bridge pass is **unavailable,
 skipped** (dropped in v5.10.1 by operator directive). High effort no
@@ -943,7 +958,9 @@ turns per under-illuminated dimension, budgeted by
 `--local`, `external_research_enabled: false`) overrides the effort
 signal whenever the external phase does not run at all.
 
-Standard effort (or absent): use the existing conditional triggers.
+Standard effort (or absent): the selected agents run as in Phase 4, and
+`contrarian-researcher`, when selected, runs as wave 2 after the other
+agents return (see Launch rules).
 Low effort: inline research only, no agent swarm (existing
 `--quick`-equivalent code-path).
 

tests/commands/trekresearch.test.mjs

@@ -206,11 +206,16 @@ test('trekresearch — Phase 5 pins survive only while the prose does (mutation
   );
 });
 
-test('trekresearch — High-effort behavior keeps the standard/low effort sentences verbatim', () => {
+test('trekresearch — High-effort behavior gives standard effort the wave-2 sentence and keeps the low effort sentence verbatim', () => {
   const text = read();
+  const flatText = text.replace(/\s+/g, ' ');
   assert.ok(
-    text.includes('Standard effort (or absent): use the existing conditional triggers.'),
+    !flatText.includes('use the existing conditional triggers'),
-    'the standard-effort sentence must survive the Phase 5 rewrite verbatim',
+    'standard effort must not point at a conditional trigger that nothing defines',
+  );
+  assert.ok(
+    flatText.includes('Standard effort (or absent): the selected agents run as in Phase 4, and `contrarian-researcher`, when selected, runs as wave 2 after the other agents return (see Launch rules).'),
+    'the standard-effort sentence must say the contrarian runs as wave 2 when selected',
   );
   assert.ok(
     text.includes('Low effort: inline research only, no agent swarm'),

tests/lib/fix-round-4-5a-prose.test.mjs

@@ -1199,3 +1199,60 @@ test('[#102] sibling: commands/trekexecute.md names project-dir and repo-root ca
   assert.doesNotMatch(text, /plugin-root candidates/);
   assert.equal((text.match(/project-dir and repo-root candidates/g) || []).length, 2);
 });
+
+// --- #113: the contrarian gets a conclusion to attack -----------------------
+// contrarian-researcher was launched in the same parallel message as the agents
+// whose conclusion it is meant to attack, and standard effort pointed at a
+// "conditional trigger" that nothing defined. It now runs as wave 2, after wave
+// 1 returns, given wave 1's leading answer from the external findings only,
+// with the local parts stripped (the de-localising rule of External agents), so
+// no local file name or project term reaches its web queries.
+
+const RESEARCH = 'commands/trekresearch.md';
+const RESEARCH_ORCH = 'agents/research-orchestrator.md';
+
+test('[#113] Phase 4 launches contrarian-researcher as wave 2 after wave 1, with the leading answer and claims from external findings only, and names the deep-research case', () => {
+  const text = read(RESEARCH);
+  const ext = partAt(RESEARCH, '### External agents (scope = both or external)', (l) => /^## /.test(l));
+  assert.doesNotMatch(ext, /Launch ALL selected agents \*\*in parallel\*\*/, 'Launch rules still start every selected agent, the contrarian too, in one parallel message');
+  assert.match(ext, /Launch in two waves, both in Phase 4 \(before Phase 4\.5 and Phase 5/);
+  assert.match(ext, /\*\*Wave 1:\*\* ALL selected agents except `contrarian-researcher` \*\*in parallel\*\* in a single message/);
+  assert.match(ext, /\*\*Wave 2:\*\* `contrarian-researcher`, when selected, after wave 1 returns/);
+  assert.match(ext, /the leading answer \(one or two sentences\), the claims for it and the alternatives wave 1 dismissed/);
+  assert.match(ext, /taken from wave 1's external findings only, never from the local agents' findings/, 'wave 2 does not say external findings only');
+  assert.match(ext, /stripped of local parts like the research question above \(absolute paths, user names, internal project or repository names, ticket IDs\)/, 'wave 2 does not apply the stripping rule');
+  assert.match(ext, /Pass the research question to them with the local parts \(absolute paths, user names, internal project or repository names, ticket IDs\) already removed/);
+  assert.match(ext, /With `--engine deep-research` \(`effective_engine = deep-research`\), wave 2 runs after the engine returns, from the leading answer of its report/);
+  const p4 = partAt(RESEARCH, '## Phase 4 — Parallel research (agent swarm)', (l) => /^## /.test(l));
+  assert.match(p4, /then run wave 2 \(`contrarian-researcher`, see Launch rules\) from the report's leading answer/, 'the deep-research step 5 does not hand over to wave 2');
+  const w2 = text.indexOf('**Wave 2:**');
+  assert.ok(w2 > text.indexOf('## Phase 4 —') && w2 < text.indexOf('## Phase 4.5 —'), 'wave 2 is not in Phase 4, before Phase 4.5');
+});
+
+test('[#113] no conditional trigger is left, and high effort keeps contrarian-researcher unconditional, as wave 2', () => {
+  const text = flat(read(RESEARCH));
+  assert.doesNotMatch(text, /triggers conditionally when a leading recommendation is emerging/);
+  assert.doesNotMatch(text, /use the existing conditional triggers/);
+  const high = flat(section(read(RESEARCH), '### High-effort behavior (v5.1.1)'));
+  assert.ok(high.includes('force `contrarian-researcher` to always-on: in high-effort mode `contrarian-researcher` runs unconditionally, as wave 2 (see Launch rules), so the final brief always carries an adversarial counter-evidence pass'),
+    'high effort does not keep the contrarian unconditional as wave 2');
+});
+
+test('[#113] sibling: README.md', () => {
+  const text = flat(read('README.md'));
+  assert.doesNotMatch(text, /contrarian-researcher when a leading recommendation forms/);
+  assert.ok(text.includes('contrarian-researcher, when selected, runs in wave 2 after the other external agents return, with their leading answer to attack (always at `effort=high`)'),
+    'README.md does not describe wave 2');
+});
+
+test('[#113] sibling: agents/research-orchestrator.md', () => {
+  const p2 = flat(section(read(RESEARCH_ORCH), '### Phase 2 — Parallel research'));
+  assert.doesNotMatch(p2, /Launch ALL selected agents \*\*in parallel\*\*/);
+  assert.match(p2, /\*\*Wave 1:\*\* ALL selected agents except `contrarian-researcher` \*\*in parallel\*\* using the Agent tool — one message, multiple tool calls/);
+  assert.match(p2, /\*\*Wave 2:\*\* `contrarian-researcher`, after wave 1 returns/);
+  assert.match(p2, /the leading answer \(one or two sentences\), the claims for it and the alternatives wave 1 dismissed/);
+  assert.match(p2, /taken from wave 1's external findings only, never from the local agents' findings/);
+  assert.match(p2, /with the local parts \(absolute paths, user names, internal project or repository names, ticket IDs\) removed/);
+  assert.ok(flat(read(RESEARCH_ORCH)).includes('| `contrarian-researcher` | Counter-evidence, overlooked alternatives, reasons to reconsider; runs in wave 2, against wave 1\'s leading answer |'),
+    'the agent table does not say the contrarian runs in wave 2');
+});