# How to Create a Custom Triad for a Specific Domain in the Council of High Intelligence > Learn how to create a custom triad for a specific domain in the Council of High Intelligence. Define domain-to-members mapping and declare triads in SKILL.md for custom domain intelligence. - Repository: [nyk/council-of-high-intelligence](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence) - Tags: how-to-guide - Published: 2026-07-03 --- **To create a custom triad for a specific domain in the Council of High Intelligence, you define a domain-to-members mapping in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md) and declare the triad in each member's front-matter.** The Council of High Intelligence orchestrates multi-agent deliberation by assembling three-member panels called **triads** based on domain keywords. If the built-in triads like `product` or `shipping` do not cover your specific use case, you can create a custom triad for a specific domain by editing Markdown and YAML front-matter files. This requires no code changes—only configuration updates to [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md) and the respective council member files in the `0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence` repository. ## Understanding the Triad Lookup Mechanism The coordinator resolves a `--triad ` flag by consulting the **Pre-defined Triads** table located in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md) (lines 85-97). This table maps domain keywords to specific combinations of three council members. According to the source code, the coordinator validates membership by checking each member's `triads` array in their front-matter before assembling the panel. ## Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Custom Domain Triad ### 1. Select Three Council Members Choose three existing members that embody your domain. For example, to create a "sustainability" triad, you might select **Torvalds**, **Machiavelli**, and **Watts** to cover green technology, incentives, and systems thinking respectively. ### 2. Register the Triad in SKILL.md Append a new row to the *Pre-defined Triads* table in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md) (lines 85-97). The table uses Markdown pipe syntax with three columns: domain keyword, member combination, and description. ```markdown | `sustainability` | Torvalds + Machiavelli + Watts | Green-tech, incentives, reframing | ``` This entry enables the `--triad sustainability` flag for the coordinator. ### 3. Update Member Front-Matter Edit each member's file in `agents/council-*.md` to include the new triad name in their `triads` array. For example, in [`agents/council-torvalds.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/agents/council-torvalds.md), modify the front-matter: ```yaml triads: ["shipping", "product", "founder", "ai-product", "design", "sustainability"] ``` Repeat this for [`agents/council-machiavelli.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/agents/council-machiavelli.md) and [`agents/council-watts.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/agents/council-watts.md), adding `"sustainability"` to their existing lists. The coordinator reads these arrays (typically lines 12-14 in member files) to verify that requested members actually belong to the specified triad. ### 4. Optional: Expose via Profiles To make the triad accessible through profiles, add it to the appropriate profile section in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md). For execution-focused workflows, edit lines 150-154; for exploration profiles, use lines 137-143. This allows usage like `--profile execution-lean --triad sustainability`. ## Testing Your Custom Triad After committing the changes, invoke the council using your new domain keyword: ```bash /council --triad sustainability "Should we switch to renewable-energy-powered servers?" ``` The coordinator will lookup the `sustainability` entry in the Pre-defined Triads table, validate the three members' participation rights via their front-matter (STEP 0, lines 68-73), and assemble the panel for deliberation. ## Summary - **Custom triads** require editing only Markdown and YAML files—no code execution or compilation is necessary. - Register the domain-to-members mapping in the **Pre-defined Triads** table in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md) (lines 85-97). - Declare triad membership in each of the three members' front-matter (`agents/council-*.md`) to allow the coordinator to validate the panel. - Optional profile integration in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md) (lines 137-154) provides higher-level shortcuts for common workflows. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Do I need to write Python or JavaScript code to create a custom triad? No. Creating a custom triad for a specific domain requires only editing Markdown tables in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md) and YAML front-matter in member files. The coordinator handles the resolution logic internally by reading these configuration files during STEP 0. ### Can I reuse existing council members for a new domain triad? Yes. You can combine any existing members (such as Torvalds, Machiavelli, or Watts) into new triads as long as you update their individual `triads` arrays in `agents/council-*.md` to include the new domain keyword. ### What happens if I forget to update a member's front-matter? If a member's `triads` array does not include the domain keyword you specified in [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md), the coordinator will fail to validate the panel during STEP 0 and will not assemble the triad. The system requires consistency between the table lookup and member declarations. ### How do I know which lines to edit in SKILL.md? The Pre-defined Triads table resides at lines 85-97, profile configurations for exploration are at lines 137-143, and execution profiles are at lines 150-154. These line numbers correspond to the current version of the `0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence` repository.