Debate Hall

License CI PyPI version Python 3.11+

MCP server for Wind/Wall/Door multi-perspective debate orchestration with production-oriented design patterns.

Production Status: This server implements production-minded patterns (validation, bounded operation, atomic persistence) suitable for development and small-scale deployments. For larger production deployments, see production deployment considerations.

Table of Contents

• What It Does
• Quick Start
• Installation
• MCP Tools
• Configuration
• Example
• Documentation
• Contributing

---

For AI Agents

===AGENT_BOOTSTRAP===
DEV_BOOTSTRAP::scripts/dev-bootstrap.sh
DEV_HOOKS_OPT_IN::scripts/install-git-hooks.sh[core.hooksPath=.githooks]→DEBATE_HALL_AUTO_BOOTSTRAP=1
SKILL::skills/debate-hall/SKILL.md
WORKFLOW::init→turn→get→close
AGENTS::agents/README.md[Wind/Wall/Door definitions]
COGNITIONS::agents/cognitions/[PATHOS|ETHOS|LOGOS overlays]
RECIPES::[SPEED(3)|STANDARD(12)|DEEP(36)|FORTRESS|LABORATORY]
===END===

---

What It Does

• Structured debates with Wind (explore) → Wall (constrain) → Door (synthesize)
• Deterministic state with turn limits, hash chain, and verifiable transcripts
• Multiple modes: Fixed sequence or mediated orchestration
• GitHub integration: Sync debates to Discussions, create ADRs from synthesis
• OCTAVE export: Semantic compression format with tamper-proof sealing (v1.0.0)

Quick Start

1. Install

pip install debate-hall-mcp

2. Configure MCP Client

Add to Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json) or Claude Code (~/.claude.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "debate-hall": {
      "command": "debate-hall-mcp"
    }
  }
}

3. Start a Debate

User: Start a debate about whether to rewrite our backend in Rust

Claude: [calls init_debate with thread_id="rust-rewrite",
         topic="Should we rewrite our backend in Rust?"]

4. Run the Dialectic

Wind → "What if we rewrote in Rust? Memory safety, performance..."
Wall → "Yes, but: team expertise, ecosystem maturity, timeline..."
Door → "Therefore: Profile hotspots first, consider Rust for specific components..."

That's it. For GitHub integration, see Configuration.

Installation

PyPI:

pip install debate-hall-mcp
# or
uv pip install debate-hall-mcp

From source:

git clone https://github.com/elevanaltd/debate-hall-mcp
cd debate-hall-mcp
./scripts/dev-bootstrap.sh
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"

Development bootstrap (worktrees/branches)

One-command setup:

./scripts/dev-bootstrap.sh

Optional: enable repo-local git hooks (prints reminder, or auto-runs bootstrap when DEBATE_HALL_AUTO_BOOTSTRAP=1):

./scripts/install-git-hooks.sh

MCP Tools

Core Tools

Tool	Purpose
init_debate	Create debate: thread_id, topic, mode?, max_turns?
add_turn	Record turn: thread_id, role, content
get_debate	View state: thread_id, include_transcript?
close_debate	Finalize: thread_id, synthesis, output_format?, seal?

Mode Tools

Tool	Purpose
pick_next_speaker	Set next speaker (mediated mode)

Admin Tools

Tool	Purpose
force_close_debate	Emergency shutdown (I5 kill switch)
tombstone_turn	Redact turn (preserves hash chain)

GitHub Tools

Tool	Purpose
github_sync_debate	Sync turns to GitHub Discussion/Issue
ratify_rfc	Generate ADR from synthesis, create PR
human_interject	Inject human GitHub comment into debate

Auto-Orchestration Tools

Tool	Purpose
run_debate	Run complete Wind→Wall→Door debate automatically
resume_debate	Resume a PAUSED debate after failure

Configuration

Minimal (No GitHub)

The MCP config above is sufficient for local debates.

With GitHub Integration

1. Copy .env.example to .env
2. Add your GitHub token:

   GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_your_token_here
   

Token scopes needed: repo, write:discussion Get one at: GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens

Tier Configuration (Auto-Orchestration)

The run_debate tool uses tier configurations to determine which AI providers to use for each role.

Quick Start:

# Copy the template and add your API key
cp tiers.yaml.example tiers.yaml
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your-key-here

Resolution order:

1. DEBATE_HALL_TIERS_FILE environment variable
2. ./tiers.yaml (project root)
3. ~/.debate-hall/tiers.yaml (user home)
4. Built-in defaults

See tiers.yaml.example for all configuration options including CLI providers and custom prompts.

Example tier configuration:

# ~/.debate-hall/tiers.yaml
standard:
  wind:
    provider: cli      # Use external CLI (claude, codex, gemini)
    cli: claude
    role: wind-agent   # Optional: role for PAL MCP
  wall:
    provider: cli
    cli: codex
  door:
    provider: cli
    cli: gemini
  settings:
    consensus_required: true   # Wind/Wall must approve synthesis
    max_turns: 12
    max_refinement_loops: 3

premium:
  wind:
    provider: openrouter       # Use OpenRouter API
    model: anthropic/claude-3-opus
  wall:
    provider: openrouter
    model: openai/gpt-4-turbo
  door:
    provider: openrouter
    model: google/gemini-pro
  settings:
    consensus_required: true
    max_turns: 20
    max_refinement_loops: 5

Provider options:

• cli: External AI CLIs (requires claude, codex, or gemini CLI installed)
• openrouter: OpenRouter API (requires OPENROUTER_API_KEY env var)

Settings:

• consensus_required: If true, Wind and Wall must approve Door's synthesis
• max_turns: Maximum total turns in debate
• max_refinement_loops: How many times Door can refine after rejection

See Usage Patterns for detailed configuration options.

Example

Thread: "microservices-vs-monolith"
Topic: "Should we migrate to microservices?"

[WIND] "What if we decomposed into services? Independent scaling,
        technology diversity, team autonomy..."

[WALL] "Yes, but we have 3 developers. Microservices add operational
        complexity, network latency, distributed transactions..."

[DOOR] "Therefore: Start with a modular monolith. Design service
        boundaries now, but keep deployment unified. Extract services
        only when team grows or specific scaling needs emerge."

Documentation

Doc	Content
Usage Patterns	Recipes, tuning, agent tiers, cognition prompts
Evidence	Empirical research validating the approach
Architecture	Execution tiers, Wall content contract
Examples	Real multi-model debate patterns
Agents	Wind/Wall/Door agent definitions
Skills	AI agent skill installation

The Pattern

Three cognitive voices in tension:

Role	Cognition	Voice
Wind	PATHOS	"What if..." — expansive, visionary
Wall	ETHOS	"Yes, but..." — grounding, critical
Door	LOGOS	"Therefore..." — synthesizing, decisive

Architecture Immutables

ID	Principle
I1	Cognitive State Isolation — server manages state
I2	OCTAVE Binding — exportable semantic transcripts
I3	Finite Closure — hard turn/round limits
I4	Verifiable Ledger — SHA-256 hash chain
I5	Safety Override — admin kill switch

Production Deployment Considerations

While debate-hall-mcp implements production-minded patterns (validation, bounded operation, atomic persistence), there are considerations for larger-scale production deployments.

For comprehensive deployment guidance, see Production Deployment Guide.

Current Strengths

• Deterministic behavior: Rule-based validation with no LLM dependency
• Resource limits: Hard turn/round limits prevent runaway sessions
• Atomic persistence: File writes use atomic replace with fsync
• Concurrency control: File locking with Compare-and-Swap (CAS) for race prevention
• Content verification: SHA-256 hash chain with optional tamper detection
• GitHub integration: Rate-limit handling and feature toggles

Quick Configuration

Setting	Environment Variable	Recommended Value
State directory	DEBATE_HALL_STATE_DIR	/var/lib/debate-hall/
OpenRouter API	OPENROUTER_API_KEY	Use secret manager
GitHub token	GITHUB_TOKEN	Use secret manager

Production Checklist

Before deploying at scale:

• Configure DEBATE_HALL_STATE_DIR to dedicated path outside repository
• Set proper file permissions (600 for state files, 700 for directory)
• Use explicit secret injection (avoid .env in production)
• Plan for state backup/retention
• Monitor file lock contention if using multiple workers
• Consider database backend for >10 concurrent instances (#106)

Recommended Use Cases

Well-suited for:

• Development and testing workflows
• Single-instance or low-concurrency deployments
• Scripted automation with sequential debates
• Research and experimentation

Requires additional work for:

• High-concurrency multi-instance production environments
• Large-scale orchestration with 10+ concurrent debates

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, testing, and guidelines.

# Quick dev setup
git clone https://github.com/elevanaltd/debate-hall-mcp
cd debate-hall-mcp
uv venv && source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests (800+ tests)
pytest

# Quality checks
ruff check src tests && mypy src && black --check src tests

License

Apache-2.0 — Built with HestAI and MCP Python SDK.