Set up connections

Read neighboring Ask Agents' references/transport.md and this skill's references/host.md. Ask which connection only if unclear. Native local panels need no extra subscription. Optional providers require their own supported CLI and login. Setup does not change panel defaults, global instructions, permissions, billing, or top-ups.

1. Check Node 18+ and the requested connection with node <ask-agents>/scripts/run-agent.mjs --agent <provider> --preflight. Record detected versus authenticated separately. Detection alone is never success. Manually connected providers work without a kit registry; every invocation performs live discovery. Ignore obsolete engines.json availability flags.
2. For Gemini, discover agy (Antigravity), not gemini. A desktop sign-in alone does not establish CLI authentication; complete an interactive agy login if required. Do not grant trust or bypass permissions automatically.
3. For Grok, follow the pinned official CLI checks and login-home selection in the transport reference. Check Python 3.11+ or STARTER_KIT_PYTHON. Use subscription login through the official CLI; never ask for a token in chat or switch to API credentials. If installation is needed, consult current official instructions and the reviewed version/checksum. Do not buy subscriptions or enable extra usage.
4. Test each requested connection with --smoke-test --output-dir <new-private-directory>. This sends only “Reply with exactly: starter-kit-ok” from a new empty temporary folder. No project context. A setup/test request authorizes this small test, subject to host approvals. Read the resulting full report and receipt; require a success state and the expected reply. Grok warnings about model telemetry do not mean billing failure; report them accurately.
5. For login failure, guide the provider's interactive login and retry only after it is completed. For other failures, report the actual stage and remedy. A failed test remains failed; no fallback or endless retries.

Return a short table: requested service, executable detected, request tested, result/next step. Link retained test receipts if useful. Do not create a durable available:true gate; tests are point-in-time evidence. Never overwrite saved panel preferences. If the user explicitly asks to change those, use Council's preference helper and show the undo command. Setup alone does not prove that a complete multi-provider panel works.

When the user also asks to change their default panel

Read Council's references/panel-execution.md and use its existing scripts/council.py preferences helper. First show the current preference. Save only the providers or preset the user requested, then show the effective selection and settings path. For example, a request for Claude, Codex and Antigravity maps to preferences set --providers claude,codex,gemini. A two-provider request maps to exactly those two names. Do not edit installed skill files or policy.json to customize the panel.

Explain that ~/.config/starter-kit/settings.json is user-owned and shared by Council and Adversarial Review across both host plugins on this computer. It survives plugin updates. This changes panel membership, not model versions or the fresh native synthesis worker. An explicit provider selection for one task overrides the saved default without changing it. Show preferences reset as the command to restore the bundled local-persona defaults; do not execute it unless requested.

Keep connection setup, a trial panel and saving a preference distinct. If the user requested a trial, use a small real task with their exact providers and normal fresh synthesis; verify file access and retrieve substantive reports. A successful greeting alone does not verify that workflow. If the user also requested saving the default after a successful trial, save it after that check passes; do not silently replace an unavailable provider. Setup alone launches no Council or review and saves no preference. For a requested persistence check in a new session, run Council or Adversarial Review without a provider/mode override so the saved setting is exercised.