PAL Pre-flight Check Skill

Use this skill to verify PAL MCP server is available before starting workflows that depend on it.

When to Check

Before pr-review-manager starts code review workflow
Before architecture-lead starts architecture analysis
Before any agent uses mcp__pal__* tools

Required Tools

The following PAL tools must be available:

Tool	Purpose	Used By
`mcp__pal__codereview`	Multi-model code review	code-reviewer
`mcp__pal__consensus`	AI consensus building	architecture-lead
`mcp__pal__thinkdeep`	Deep analysis	debug-analyst
`mcp__pal__debug`	Debugging assistance	debug-analyst
`mcp__pal__analyze`	Code analysis	architecture-analyst

Pre-flight Check Protocol

Before starting a workflow, orchestrators MUST:

Attempt to use a PAL tool (e.g., list models)
If PAL unavailable, ABORT with clear message:

★ CHECKPOINT: Missing Required Dependency

**Required:** PAL MCP Server
**Status:** Not available

The PAL MCP server is required for this workflow.

### Installation
1. Clone PAL: git clone <pal-repo>
2. Install dependencies: npm install
3. Configure in Claude Code settings

### After Installation
Run this workflow again.

### Options
- **A) Abort** - Stop workflow (recommended)
- **C) Continue** - Proceed without PAL (limited functionality)

**[WAIT FOR USER INPUT]**

Degradation is NOT Allowed

Per ADR-003, PAL is a hard dependency. Multi-model consensus is a core value proposition.

If user selects "Continue without PAL":

Warn that code review quality will be severely degraded
Skip any steps that require PAL tools
Log warning in workflow output

Integration Example

Add to orchestrator prompt:

## Phase 0: Pre-flight Check

Before starting the workflow:
1. Verify PAL MCP server is available
2. If not available, present the PAL Pre-flight checkpoint
3. Only proceed after confirming PAL availability or user override

pal-preflight