Claude Conductor (lackeyjb) — Summary

Claude Conductor by lackeyjb is a streamlined Claude Code plugin implementing Context-Driven Development, described as "Inspired by Conductor for Gemini CLI." It ships 5 slash-commands, 3 named sub-agents (planner, implementer, reviewer), 4 lifecycle hooks, and 3 skills as a clean, reduced-surface version of the rbarcante design. The core novelty versus the seed superbasicstudio/claude-conductor is the explicit 3-agent architecture: /conductor:new-track always delegates to a planner agent, /conductor:implement always delegates to an implementer agent, and phase checkpoints spawn a reviewer agent — establishing a clear separation of concerns through agent specialization. It also ships 4 hooks (SessionStart, PreToolUse:Write|Edit, PostToolUse:Write|Edit, Stop) that auto-load context and track changes without user intervention. Compared to rbarcante, it removes the Python CLI helper, Pattern Reference Layer, snippet library, ADR logging, and skill ecosystem — focusing on the core three-phase lifecycle with tight TDD enforcement. The MZWASHERE variant is a byte-for-byte copy of this repo, created on the same day, differing only in its README language.

Claude Conductor (lackeyjb) — Overview

Origin

• Author: lackeyjb
• Version: unknown (no version in plugin manifest)
• License: Apache-2.0
• Repository: https://github.com/lackeyjb/claude-conductor
• Stars: 14 | Forks: 2 | Last commit: 2025-12-30
• Inspiration: Conductor for Gemini CLI (https://github.com/gemini-cli-extensions/conductor)

Philosophy

Context-Driven Development — treating context as a managed artifact alongside code. The README tagline mirrors rbarcante: "control your code" by transforming the repository into a single source of truth.

Key beliefs:

1. Three-agent separation: Planning, implementation, and review are distinct cognitive tasks that benefit from specialized agents.
2. Parallel reads: Performance notes throughout prompt files remind the agent to run 3-4 Read calls simultaneously.
3. Hooks for passive context: SessionStart loads conductor context automatically; Stop records session end — no user action required.
4. TDD Red-Green-Refactor enforced: The implementer agent follows TDD cycle per task, with atomic git commits per task.
5. Phase-at-a-time default: implement defaults to single-phase mode with interactive selection, preventing runaway multi-phase execution.

Relationship to rbarcante

lackeyjb is a simplification of the rbarcante approach. It removes:

• Python CLI helper (no conductor_cli.py)
• Pattern Reference Layer
• Snippet Library
• ADR logging
• Skill ecosystem (skill-registry.json)
• 4 of rbarcante's 9 commands (codeReview, patterns, skills, snippet are absent)
• 6 sub-agents reduced to 3 specialized agents

It adds:

• 4 explicit lifecycle hooks (not in rbarcante)
• Cleaner 3-agent architecture with explicit Task tool delegation

Relationship to MZWASHERE

MZWASHERE/claude-conductor is an exact copy created on 2026-05-26 with only a different README (spam-style "download now" text). Operationally identical to lackeyjb.

Claude Conductor (lackeyjb) — Architecture

Distribution

• Type: Claude Code plugin
• Install method:

  /plugin marketplace add lackeyjb/claude-conductor
  /plugin install conductor@claude-conductor
  

  or manual: ln -s /path/to/conductor ~/.claude/plugins/conductor
• Required runtime: Node.js (for hook scripts), Claude Code

Directory structure

lackeyjb/claude-conductor/
├── .claude-plugin/           # Plugin manifest
├── commands/                 # 5 slash commands
│   ├── setup.md
│   ├── new-track.md
│   ├── implement.md
│   ├── status.md
│   └── revert.md
├── agents/                   # 3 sub-agents
│   ├── planner.md
│   ├── implementer.md
│   └── reviewer.md
├── skills/                   # 3 skills (subdirectories)
│   ├── code-styleguides/
│   ├── context-awareness/
│   └── tdd-workflow/
├── hooks/
│   ├── hooks.json            # Hook definitions
│   └── scripts/
│       ├── load-context.js   # SessionStart hook
│       ├── warn-config.js    # PreToolUse:Write|Edit hook
│       ├── track-changes.js  # PostToolUse:Write|Edit hook
│       └── session-end.js    # Stop hook
├── reference/                # Reference documentation
└── templates/                # Templates
    └── (workflow, styleguides, etc.)

Runtime directory (created at setup)

conductor/
├── product.md
├── tech-stack.md
├── workflow.md
├── tracks.md
└── tracks/<track_id>/
    ├── spec.md
    ├── plan.md
    └── metadata.json

Target AI tools

• Primary: Claude Code (plugin installation)
• Cross-tool note: Commands are Claude Code slash commands; no support for Gemini CLI or Codex listed

Languages / runtimes

• Plugin prompt files: Markdown
• Hook scripts: Node.js (JavaScript)
• No Python required

Claude Conductor (lackeyjb) — Components

Commands (5)

Note: No codeReview, patterns, skills, or snippet commands (cf. rbarcante's 9 commands).

Sub-agents (3)

Defined as markdown files in agents/; spawned via Task tool.

Skills (3 subdirectories)

Skills are attached to agents (e.g., planner uses context-awareness) rather than auto-activating globally.

Hooks (4)

Templates

Templates directory contains workflow and styleguide templates.

Reference

Reference directory contains implementation notes and reference documentation.

Claude Conductor (lackeyjb) — Uniqueness

differs_from_seeds

Closest seed is superbasicstudio/claude-conductor (Archetype 4 — 0 commands, 0 skills, 0 hooks), but lackeyjb adds 5 commands, 3 specialist agents, 4 hooks, and 3 skills — transforming it from a passive markdown scaffold into a true active orchestration plugin. The mandatory agent delegation pattern (commands always use Task tool; never implement directly) is a clean architectural principle absent from the seed. Among seeds, spec-driver is the closest in spirit (skills-based structured spec → implement), but lackeyjb uses explicit slash commands rather than auto-activating skills. The 4-hook setup with passive context loading via SessionStart distinguishes it from all other CDD variants in this batch — only lackeyjb and MZWASHERE (its copy) have this.

Positioning

• Versus rbarcante: lackeyjb is a simplified, cleaner derivation — fewer commands, no Python CLI, no Pattern Layer, but adds 4 hooks that rbarcante lacks
• Versus MZWASHERE: identical codebase; MZWASHERE is a spam-forked copy
• Versus MadAppGang conductor: MadAppGang has no hooks; lackeyjb hooks provide passive context management
• Versus superbasicstudio seed: lackeyjb is the active plugin; the seed is the passive scaffold

Distinctive properties

1. Mandatory Task tool delegation — commands are pure dispatchers; specialist agents do all work
2. SessionStart hook — context auto-loaded at session start without user action
3. 3-agent specialization — planner/implementer/reviewer separation of concerns
4. Phase-at-a-time default — prevents runaway multi-phase execution by default
5. skill attachment in frontmatter — agents declare skills: context-awareness to auto-inject skill content

Observable failure modes

1. Node.js dependency: hook scripts require Node.js; silent failure if missing
2. No code review automation: unlike rbarcante, no auto-triggered review on track completion
3. No ADR logging: architectural decisions are not persisted
4. 14 stars only: low adoption; uncertain long-term maintenance
5. MZWASHERE copy dilutes discovery: the spam fork may confuse users