# How to Install and Configure the Council Skill for Claude Code vs. Codex > Install and configure the Council skill for Claude Code or Codex. Deploy 18 persona agents and routing configurations easily with install scripts. - Repository: [nyk/council-of-high-intelligence](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence) - Tags: how-to-guide - Published: 2026-06-30 --- **Run `./install.sh --claude` to deploy the Council skill to `~/.claude/skills/council/` for Claude Code, or `./install.sh --codex` to install the Codex-compatible variant to `~/.codex/skills/council/`, including all 18 persona agents and optional routing configurations.** The Council of High Intelligence repository provides a multi-agent deliberation framework distributed as Markdown skill files. To **install and configure the council skill for Claude Code vs. Codex**, you use the unified [`install.sh`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/install.sh) script, which handles runtime-specific directory structures, copies the appropriate [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md) or [`SKILL.codex.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.codex.md) definition, and sets up the 18 council agent personas referenced during deliberation rounds. ## Installing for Claude Code Claude Code reads skills from the `~/.claude/skills/` directory. The installation process copies the canonical skill definition and supporting assets to a `council/` subdirectory. ### Default Installation From the repository root, execute the installer with the `--claude` flag (or run without flags, as Claude is the default target): ```bash git clone https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence.git cd council-of-high-intelligence ./install.sh --claude ``` The script creates `~/.claude/skills/council/` and populates it with: - [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md) – The full skill definition containing the `/council` command, flag parsing, panel selection logic, and three-round deliberation protocol - `agents/` – 18 council persona files (`council-*.md`) defining each member's identity and grounding protocol - `scripts/` – Helper utilities including [`detect-providers.sh`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/detect-providers.sh) for auto-routing - `configs/` – Optional routing defaults (only when `--copy-configs` is supplied) ### Optional Flags The installer supports two critical flags for Claude deployments: - `--copy-configs` – Copies the `configs/` directory containing [`auto-route-defaults.yaml`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/auto-route-defaults.yaml), which maps council members to model families (e.g., `opus` for Anthropic endpoints) - `--dry-run` – Prints the exact `mkdir` and `install` commands without writing files, allowing you to verify target paths before deployment ## Installing for Codex Codex expects skills in `~/.codex/skills/` and uses a slightly different execution model based on `spawn_agent` and `send_input` workflows. ### Codex-Specific Setup Execute the installer with the `--codex` flag to target the Codex skill directory: ```bash ./install.sh --codex ``` This creates `~/.codex/skills/council/` containing: - [`SKILL.codex.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.codex.md) – The Codex-compatible skill definition marked with `name: council` in the header, containing Codex-specific invocation patterns and the execution protocol - `agents/` – The same 18 persona files shared between runtimes - `scripts/` – Detection scripts used during provider routing - `configs/` – Optional configuration directory (when `--copy-configs` is used) ### Asset Resolution Order According to the source code in [`SKILL.codex.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.codex.md), the Codex coordinator locates agent files in the following order: 1. `~/.codex/skills/council/agents/` 2. `./agents/` (fallback if running from a local checkout) If neither location resolves, the coordinator prints an error prompting you to run `./install.sh --codex`. ## Configuration and Routing Both skill variants support identical runtime flags and configuration patterns, enabling seamless switching between Claude Code and Codex clients. ### Provider Auto-Routing When you include `--copy-configs` during installation, the script copies [`configs/auto-route-defaults.yaml`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/configs/auto-route-defaults.yaml). This file maps individual council members to appropriate provider-model combinations (e.g., routing specific personas to Anthropic's Claude 3 Opus or OpenAI-compatible endpoints). The [`scripts/detect-providers.sh`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/scripts/detect-providers.sh) utility assists this process by identifying available API endpoints on the host system. ### Deliberation Modes Both [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md) and [`SKILL.codex.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.codex.md) parse the following flags identically: - `--full` – Complete three-round deliberation with all 18 agents - `--quick` – Expedited single-round consultation - `--duo` – Two-agent debate mode - `--triad ` – Three-agent panel focused on a specific domain - `--profile ` – Load a custom configuration profile ## Verification and Dry-Run Mode Before committing changes to your skill directories, use the `--dry-run` flag to preview operations: ```bash # Preview Claude installation ./install.sh --claude --dry-run # Preview Codex installation with configurations ./install.sh --codex --copy-configs --dry-run ``` The script outputs the exact file copy operations and directory creation commands without modifying the filesystem, confirming that paths like `~/.claude/skills/council/SKILL.md` or `~/.codex/skills/council/SKILL.codex.md` are targeted correctly. ## Summary - Use `./install.sh --claude` to install for Claude Code (default) or `./install.sh --codex` for Codex, creating the appropriate skill directories under `~/.claude/skills/council/` or `~/.codex/skills/council/` - Claude Code consumes [`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md) while Codex consumes [`SKILL.codex.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.codex.md); both reference the same 18 agent files in `agents/council-*.md` - Codex resolves assets first in the installed skill directory, falling back to `./agents/` if not found - Include `--copy-configs` to deploy [`configs/auto-route-defaults.yaml`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/configs/auto-route-defaults.yaml) for provider-specific routing - Use `--dry-run` to verify file operations before writing to disk ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Can I install the Council skill for both Claude Code and Codex simultaneously? Yes. Run `./install.sh --claude` followed by `./install.sh --codex`. The script maintains separate directories for each runtime (`~/.claude/skills/council/` and `~/.codex/skills/council/`), allowing both skill definitions to coexist without conflict. Both installations share the same agent personas but use runtime-specific skill files ([`SKILL.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.md) vs. [`SKILL.codex.md`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/SKILL.codex.md)). ### What happens if Codex cannot locate the agent files? The Codex skill coordinator first checks `~/.codex/skills/council/agents/` for the `council-*.md` persona files. If this directory is missing, it falls back to `./agents/` relative to the current working directory. If neither location contains the agent files, the coordinator outputs an error message instructing you to run `./install.sh --codex` to deploy the missing assets. ### How do I update the Council skill to the latest version? Navigate to your local repository clone and pull the latest changes, then re-run the appropriate installation command. The [`install.sh`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/install.sh) script overwrites existing files in the target skill directory (`~/.claude/skills/council/` or `~/.codex/skills/council/`) with the updated versions from the repository, ensuring you receive the latest protocol definitions and agent personas. ### What is the purpose of the `configs/` directory? The `configs/` directory contains [`auto-route-defaults.yaml`](https://github.com/0xNyk/council-of-high-intelligence/blob/main/auto-route-defaults.yaml), which defines provider-to-model mappings for the council's auto-routing feature. When you install with `--copy-configs`, this file is copied to the skill directory, allowing the coordinator to automatically dispatch specific council members to designated model families (such as routing complex reasoning tasks to high-capability models while delegating routine tasks to lighter endpoints).