feat: 3 operator approval gates (WaitingForHuman) in incubation pipeline

Gate 1: After market_research — operator selects business concept
Gate 2: After company_design — operator approves design before review cycle
Gate 3: After design_polish — operator green lights bootstrap (company creation)

Each gate is a human_action task (status: WaitingForHuman) that blocks
downstream tasks via depends_on. Operator resolves naturally via Discord.
Pipeline SOP updated with gate diagram and expanded kill conditions.

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

pipelines/incubation_protocol.md

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 ---
 
-## The Six-Phase Incubation Pipeline
+## The Six-Phase Incubation Pipeline (with 3 Operator Gates)
 
 When Crimson Leaf receives a prompt in `#general` to explore a new industry or business opportunity, Peter MUST spawn tasks in this exact sequence:
 
@@ -19,21 +19,37 @@ When Crimson Leaf receives a prompt in `#general` to explore a new industry or b
 | Output | `market-pitch-{slug}.md` in `docs/` |
 | Purpose | Sarah researches the market, validates demand, and produces 3 business concept seeds ranked by opportunity strength. |
 
+### 🛑 Gate 1: Operator Selects Concept
+| Field | Value |
+|-------|-------|
+| Task Type | `human_action` |
+| Status | `WaitingForHuman` |
+| Purpose | Operator reviews the market pitch in Discord, selects which concept to pursue. Pipeline PAUSES here until operator responds. |
+| Resolution | Operator replies naturally: "Go with concept #2" or "None of these, try healthcare instead" |
+
 ### Phase 2: Board Alignment
 | Field | Value |
 |-------|-------|
 | Task Type | `company_design` |
 | Assigned To | Peter (chairs boardroom) |
-| Depends On | Phase 1 (market_research) |
+| Depends On | Gate 1 (operator concept selection) |
 | Output | `company-design-spec-{slug}.md` in `docs/` |
-| Purpose | The full board (Peter, David, Sarah, Elena) debates the market pitch and produces a complete Company Design Specification. |
+| Purpose | The full board (Peter, David, Sarah, Elena) debates the selected concept and produces a complete Company Design Specification. |
+
+### 🛑 Gate 2: Operator Approves Design Direction
+| Field | Value |
+|-------|-------|
+| Task Type | `human_action` |
+| Status | `WaitingForHuman` |
+| Purpose | Operator reviews the design spec in Discord. Confirms the vision aligns before the review cycle burns compute. Pipeline PAUSES here. |
+| Resolution | Operator replies: "Looks good, proceed" or "Change the revenue model to subscription" |
 
 ### Phase 3: Independent Review
 | Field | Value |
 |-------|-------|
 | Task Type | `design_review` |
 | Assigned To | Peter, David, Sarah, Elena (4 parallel tasks) |
-| Depends On | Phase 2 (company_design) |
+| Depends On | Gate 2 (operator design approval) |
 | Output | Discussion replies (structured reviews) |
 | Purpose | Each board member independently critiques the design from their domain expertise: market fit, technical feasibility, operational completeness, and financial viability. |
 
@@ -60,7 +76,7 @@ When Crimson Leaf receives a prompt in `#general` to explore a new industry or b
 |-------|-------|
 | Task Type | `bootstrap_company` |
 | Assigned To | David |
-| Depends On | Phase 5 (design_polish) |
+| Depends On | Gate 3 (operator green light) |
 | Output | System creation payloads (company + agents + templates) |
 | Purpose | David converts the approved design into API payloads. The system creates the Gitea repo, hires agents, procures templates, and deploys the new company. |
 
@@ -72,7 +88,13 @@ When Crimson Leaf receives a prompt in `#general` to explore a new industry or b
 Phase 1: market_research (Sarah)
     │
     ▼
+🛑 Gate 1: Operator selects concept (WaitingForHuman)
+    │
+    ▼
 Phase 2: company_design (Boardroom: all 4)
+    │
+    ▼
+🛑 Gate 2: Operator approves design (WaitingForHuman)
     │
     ├──► Phase 3a: design_review (Peter)
     ├──► Phase 3b: design_review (David)
@@ -86,6 +108,9 @@ Phase 2: company_design (Boardroom: all 4)
          Phase 5: design_polish (Elena)
               │
               ▼
+    🛑 Gate 3: Operator green lights bootstrap (WaitingForHuman)
+              │
+              ▼
          Phase 6: bootstrap_company (David)
 ```
 
@@ -95,9 +120,12 @@ Phase 2: company_design (Boardroom: all 4)
 
 The pipeline STOPS and the company is NOT created if:
 1. **Phase 1:** Sarah's research shows no viable market opportunity.
-2. **Phase 2:** Peter issues a NO-GO during the boardroom.
+2. **Gate 1:** Operator rejects all concepts or redirects to a different industry.
-3. **Phase 4:** The roundtable verdict is KILL (not GO).
+3. **Phase 2:** Peter issues a NO-GO during the boardroom.
-4. **Phase 6:** The design specification is incomplete or missing Peter's approval.
+4. **Gate 2:** Operator rejects the design direction or requests fundamental changes.
+5. **Phase 4:** The roundtable verdict is KILL (not GO).
+6. **Gate 3:** Operator withholds green light (the company is never created).
+7. **Phase 6:** The design specification is incomplete or missing Peter's approval.
 
 In any kill scenario, Peter documents the reason in a close note and the task chain terminates.
 

templates/company_design.yml

@@ -80,14 +80,29 @@ steps:
   - type: document
     filename: "company-design-spec-{{task_name_slug}}"
 
+  - type: reply
+    target: discussion
+    style: |
+      Present the Company Design Specification to the operator. Highlight the key
+      decisions: company name, agent roster size, template stack, and revenue model.
+      End with: "Does this design align with your vision? Reply to approve or suggest changes."
+
   - type: package
     hint: |
-      The design specification is complete. Now spawn four independent reviews —
+      The design specification is complete and presented to the operator.
-      one from each board member — plus a roundtable that depends on all four.
+      Spawn a human approval gate — the review cycle will NOT start until
-      The roundtable will reach consensus and spawn the polish step automatically.
+      the operator confirms the design direction is correct.
     schema:
       design_spec: string
     spawn:
+      - task_type: human_action
+        task_name: "Operator Review: Approve Design Direction — {task.message}"
+        agent_name: Peter
+        priority: 8
+        context:
+          design_spec: "{design_spec}"
+          gate_purpose: "Review company design spec, approve before review cycle begins"
+
       - task_type: design_review
         task_name: "Design Review (Peter): {task.message}"
         agent_name: Peter
@@ -95,6 +110,8 @@ steps:
         context:
           design_spec: "{design_spec}"
           review_focus: financial_viability
+        depends_on:
+          - "Operator Review: Approve Design Direction — {task.message}"
 
       - task_type: design_review
         task_name: "Design Review (David): {task.message}"
@@ -103,6 +120,8 @@ steps:
         context:
           design_spec: "{design_spec}"
           review_focus: technical_feasibility
+        depends_on:
+          - "Operator Review: Approve Design Direction — {task.message}"
 
       - task_type: design_review
         task_name: "Design Review (Sarah): {task.message}"
@@ -111,6 +130,8 @@ steps:
         context:
           design_spec: "{design_spec}"
           review_focus: market_fit
+        depends_on:
+          - "Operator Review: Approve Design Direction — {task.message}"
 
       - task_type: design_review
         task_name: "Design Review (Elena): {task.message}"
@@ -119,6 +140,8 @@ steps:
         context:
           design_spec: "{design_spec}"
           review_focus: operational_completeness
+        depends_on:
+          - "Operator Review: Approve Design Direction — {task.message}"
 
       - task_type: design_roundtable
         task_name: "Design Roundtable: {task.message}"

templates/design_polish.yml

@@ -59,18 +59,35 @@ steps:
   - type: document
     filename: "company-design-final-{{task_name_slug}}"
 
+  - type: reply
+    target: discussion
+    style: |
+      Present the FINAL company design to the operator. This is the last gate before
+      a real company is created. Summarize: company name, agent count, template count,
+      revenue model, and the board's GO verdict. End with: "This will create a live
+      company with agents and templates. Reply 'approved' to proceed with bootstrap."
+
   - type: package
     hint: |
-      The polished design is complete. Spawn the bootstrap task to create the company.
+      The polished design is complete and presented to the operator.
+      Spawn a human approval gate — bootstrap will NOT execute until
+      the operator explicitly greenlights the company creation.
     schema:
       design_approved: boolean
     spawn:
+      - task_type: human_action
+        task_name: "Operator Approval: Green Light Bootstrap — {task.message}"
+        agent_name: Peter
+        priority: 9
+        context:
+          gate_purpose: "Final approval before company creation — this spawns real infrastructure"
+
       - task_type: bootstrap_company
         task_name: "Bootstrap: {task.message}"
         agent_name: David
         priority: 8
         depends_on:
-          - "Polish Design: {task.message}"
+          - "Operator Approval: Green Light Bootstrap — {task.message}"
 
   - type: close
     rag_update: true

templates/market_research.yml

@@ -71,19 +71,37 @@ steps:
   - type: document
     filename: "market-pitch-{{task_name_slug}}"
 
+  - type: reply
+    target: discussion
+    style: |
+      Present the Market Opportunity Pitch to the operator. Summarize the 3 business
+      concepts clearly with their rankings. End with: "Which concept should we design?
+      Reply with your choice or feedback."
+
   - type: package
     hint: |
-      The market research is complete and documented. Now spawn the boardroom
+      The market research is complete and presented to the operator.
-      where the full Crimson Leaf board will debate this pitch and design a company.
+      Spawn a human approval gate — the boardroom will NOT start until
+      the operator reviews the pitch and selects a concept.
     schema:
       market_pitch: string
     spawn:
+      - task_type: human_action
+        task_name: "Operator Review: Select Business Concept — {task.message}"
+        agent_name: Peter
+        priority: 8
+        context:
+          market_pitch: "{market_pitch}"
+          gate_purpose: "Review market pitch, select which concept to design"
+
       - task_type: company_design
         task_name: "Company Design Boardroom: {task.message}"
         agent_name: Peter
         priority: 7
         context:
           market_pitch: "{market_pitch}"
+        depends_on:
+          - "Operator Review: Select Business Concept — {task.message}"
 
   - type: close
     rag_update: true