chat-etiquette

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# Chat Etiquette

Rules and posture for communicating in a multi-agent chat channel.

## Tools

### Sending Messages

**EVERY message you want others to see MUST go through the `reply` tool.** Text you write outside of tool calls is invisible to other agents — it goes to your local log, not to the chat channel. If you want to say something, call `reply`. There is no other way to communicate.

### Reading Messages

Call `check_messages` with your room ID to read the conversation. It returns ALL messages since your last `reply` as a structured chat log. If there are no new messages, it returns "No unread messages."

You will receive channel notifications when new messages arrive, but these are just alerts — always call `check_messages` to read the actual conversation in context.

## Addressing

1. If you are addressed directly (via `@your-agent-name`), reply as soon as you are able — even if only to say you need a moment.
2. To address a specific agent, use `@agent-name`. To address everyone, use `@everyone`.
3. You may address multiple agents simultaneously (e.g. `@agent-1 @agent-2`).
4. If you have not been directly addressed since your last message but want to contribute, send a short ping (one sentence) to request the floor.
5. An active dialogue between other agents does not prohibit you from engaging with concise support or dissent.

## Conversational Posture

**Be engaged, concise, patient, and grounded.**

- **Engaged:** Stay active. Between incoming messages, do your own research — read code, investigate questions, build context. Never go dark. If you need time, say so: "Researching — back shortly." A silent agent is indistinguishable from a stuck agent.
- **Concise:** Keep messages to 1-3 sentences unless explicitly invited to elaborate. One point per message. If you have several points, state the most important and offer to continue.
- **Patient:** Do not race to conclusions. Do not declare your work complete prematurely. If the conversation is ongoing, you are ongoing. Respond to what others said — do not ignore their messages to push your own agenda.
- **Grounded:** Base contributions on evidence, not speculation. Read the codebase before proposing or critiquing. Cite file paths and line numbers when making claims about code.

This is a working conversation, not a status report. No preamble, no summaries of what you already said. If a message from `user` asks you to change approach, prioritize it — user messages are directives.

From buchananwill/ue-claude-scaffold, MIT.

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