Multi-AI Consultant

Consult external AIs for second opinions when Claude Code is stuck or making critical decisions.

What This Skill Does

This skill enables

future Claude Code sessions

to consult other AIs when:

Stuck on a bug after one failed attempt

Making architectural decisions

Security concerns need validation

Fresh perspective needed

Key innovation

Uses existing CLI tools (

gemini

,

codex

) instead of building MCP servers - much simpler and more maintainable.

When to Use This Skill

Automatic Triggers (No User Action Needed)

Claude Code should

automatically suggest

using this skill when:

After 1 failed debugging attempt

Tried one approach to fix a bug

Still not working or different error

→ Suggest: "Should I consult [Gemini|Fresh Claude] for a second opinion?"

Before architectural decisions

Significant design choices (state management, routing, data flow)

Framework selection

Database schema design

→ Auto-consult (mention to user): "Consulting Gemini for architectural validation..."

Security changes

Authentication logic

Authorization rules

Cryptography

Input validation

→ Auto-consult: "Consulting Gemini to verify security approach..."

When uncertain

Multiple valid approaches

Trade-offs not clear

Conflicting advice in documentation

→ Suggest: "Would you like me to consult another AI for additional perspective?"

Manual Invocation (User Commands)

User can explicitly request consultation with:

/consult-gemini [question]

- Gemini 2.5 Pro with thinking, search, grounding

/consult-codex [question]

- OpenAI GPT-4 via Codex CLI (repo-aware)

/consult-claude [question]

- Fresh Claude subagent (free, fast)

/consult-ai [question]

- Router that asks which AI to use

The Three AIs

AI

Tool

When to Use

Special Features

Cost

Gemini 2.5 Pro

gemini

CLI

Web research, latest docs, thinking

Google Search, extended reasoning, grounding

~$0.10-0.50

OpenAI GPT-4

codex

CLI

Repo-aware analysis, code review

Auto-scans directory, OpenAI reasoning

~$0.05-0.30

Fresh Claude

Task tool

Quick second opinion, budget-friendly

Same capabilities, fresh perspective

Free

For detailed AI comparison

Load

references/ai-strengths.md

when choosing which AI to consult for specific use cases.

How It Works

Architecture

Claude Code encounters bug/decision

↓

Suggests consultation (or user requests)

↓

User approves

↓

Execute appropriate slash command

↓

CLI command calls external AI

↓

Parse response

↓

Synthesize: Claude's analysis + External AI's analysis

↓

Present 5-part comparison

↓

Ask permission to implement

The 5-Part Synthesis Format

Every consultation must follow this format (prevents parroting):

🤖 My Analysis

- Claude's original reasoning and attempts

💎/🔷/🔄 Other AI's Analysis

- External AI's complete response

🔍 Key Differences

- Agreement, divergence, what each AI caught/missed

⚡ Synthesis

- Combined perspective, root cause, trade-offs

✅ Recommended Action

- Specific next steps with file paths/line numbers

End with

"Should I proceed with this approach?"

Setup

For complete installation guide

Load

references/setup-guide.md

when installing CLIs, configuring API keys, or setting up templates.

Quick setup

:

Install CLIs

:

bun add -g @google/generative-ai-cli

(Gemini),

bun add -g codex

(Codex, optional)

Set API keys

:

export GEMINI_API_KEY="..."

,

export OPENAI_API_KEY="..."

Install skill

Symlink to

~/.claude/skills/multi-ai-consultant

Copy templates

:

GEMINI.md

,

codex.md

,

.geminiignore

to project root

Verify

:

gemini -p "test"

,

codex exec - --yolo

Get API keys:

Gemini:

https://aistudio.google.com/apikey

OpenAI:

https://platform.openai.com/api-keys

Usage

For detailed examples

Load

references/usage-examples.md

when learning consultation workflows or seeing real-world scenarios.

Quick examples

:

Bug

After 1 failed attempt →

/consult-gemini

for web-researched solution

Architecture

Design decision →

/consult-gemini

for latest best practices

Code review

Refactoring validation →

/consult-codex

for repo-aware consistency check

Quick opinion

Sanity check →

/consult-claude

for free fresh perspective

5 detailed examples available

:

JWT authentication bug (saved ~30 min, found platform-specific issue)

State management choice (informed decision with 2025 patterns)

Refactoring review (found 3 consistency issues)

Security validation (found 2 critical issues via OWASP 2025)

Multi-AI workflow (high-stakes database choice)

Slash Commands

For complete command reference

Load

references/commands-reference.md

when needing detailed syntax, options, or cost tracking information.

Quick command overview

:

/consult-gemini [question]

Use

Web research, latest docs, extended thinking

Features

Google Search, grounding, thinking mode

Cost

~$0.10-0.50

Example

:

/consult-gemini Is this JWT secure by 2025 standards?

/consult-codex [question]

Use

Repo-aware analysis, code review

Features

Auto-scans directory, consistency checks

Cost

~$0.05-0.30

Example

:

/consult-codex Review for performance bottlenecks

/consult-claude [question]

Use

Quick second opinion, budget-friendly

Features

Free, fast, fresh perspective

Cost

Free

Example

:

/consult-claude Am I missing something obvious?

/consult-ai [question]

Use

Router (recommends which AI to use)

Features

Analyzes question, suggests best AI

Cost

Varies by chosen AI

Example

:

/consult-ai How should we structure this architecture?

Templates

Templates customize AI behavior for consultations (auto-loaded from project root):

GEMINI.md

- System instructions for Gemini (enforces 5-part format, web search)

codex.md

- System instructions for Codex (enforces repo-aware analysis)

.geminiignore

- Privacy exclusions beyond

.gitignore

consultation-log-parser.sh

- View consultation history (optional)

Installation

Copy from

~/.claude/skills/multi-ai-consultant/templates/

to project root

Privacy & Security

Automatic protection

:

Both CLIs respect

.gitignore

automatically

Create

.geminiignore

for extra exclusions (

.env*

,

secret

,

credentials

)

Pre-consultation check warns if sensitive patterns detected

Privacy best practices

:

Always configure

.gitignore

properly

Create

.geminiignore

for extra safety

Use smart context selection (specific files, not entire repo)

Verify what will be sent:

git status --ignored

For detailed privacy configuration

Load

references/setup-guide.md

when setting up

.geminiignore

or privacy exclusions.

Cost Tracking

Every consultation logged to

~/.claude/ai-consultations/consultations.log

Log format

:

timestamp,ai,model,input_tokens,output_tokens,cost,project_path

View logs

:

consultation-log-parser.sh --summary

Example output

:

Total consultations: 47

Gemini: 23 ($4.25), Codex: 12 ($1.85), Fresh Claude: 12 ($0.00)

Total cost: $6.10

For detailed cost tracking

Load

references/commands-reference.md

when viewing logs, calculating costs, or managing budgets.

Common Issues

For complete troubleshooting

Load

references/troubleshooting.md

when encountering errors or setup issues.

Top 5 issues

:

CLI not installed

:

gemini: command not found

→ Fix:

bun add -g @google/generative-ai-cli

API key invalid

Authentication failed → Fix:

export GEMINI_API_KEY="..."

Context too large

Token limit exceeded → Fix: Use specific files, not entire repo

Privacy leak

:

.env

file sent → Fix: Add to

.gitignore

and

.geminiignore

Skill not discovered

Not working → Fix: Check

~/.claude/skills/multi-ai-consultant

Token Efficiency

Without This Skill

Typical scenario

(stuck on bug):

Try approach 1 (~4k tokens)

Research CLI syntax (~3k tokens)

Try approach 2 (~4k tokens)

Research documentation (~3k tokens)

Try approach 3 (~4k tokens)

Total

~20k tokens, 30-45 minutes

With This Skill

Same scenario

:

Try approach 1 (~4k tokens)

Execute

/consult-gemini

(~1k tokens)

Gemini finds issue (<5k tokens, billed separately)

Implement fix (~3k tokens)

Total

~8k tokens, 5-10 minutes

Savings

~60% tokens, ~75% time

Success Metrics

Time Efficiency

Without skill

30-45 minutes (trial and error)

With skill

5-10 minutes (consultation + fix)

Savings

~75%

Token Efficiency

Without skill

~20k tokens (multiple attempts)

With skill

~8k tokens (one consultation)

Savings

~60%

Error Prevention

Manual CLI use

3-5 common errors (flags, parsing, privacy)

With skill

0 errors (all handled by commands)

Prevention

100%

Quality

Manual

Risk of not synthesizing (just copying external AI)

With skill

Forced synthesis via

GEMINI.md

/

codex.md

Improvement

Guaranteed value-add

Why CLI Approach (Not MCP)?

Aspect

MCP Server

CLI Approach

Setup time

4-6 hours

60-75 minutes

Complexity

High (MCP protocol)

Low (bash + CLIs)

Maintenance

Update MCP SDK

Update CLI (rare)

Flexibility

Locked to AIs

Any AI with CLI

Debugging

MCP protocol

Standard bash

Dependencies

MCP SDK, npm

Just CLIs

Winner

CLI approach - 80% less effort, same functionality

When to Load References

Load reference files when working on specific aspects of AI consultation:

ai-strengths.md

Load when:

Selection-based

Choosing which AI to consult (Gemini vs Codex vs Fresh Claude)

Comparison-based

Understanding capabilities, costs, and trade-offs between AIs

Strategy-based

Planning combination strategies (free → paid, paid first, budget-conscious)

Capability-based

Understanding special features (Google Search, extended thinking, grounding, repo-aware, fresh perspective)

Scenario-based

Multiple AI consultation workflows, validation workflows

setup-guide.md

Load when:

Installation-based

Setting up Gemini CLI, Codex CLI, or installing the skill

Configuration-based

Configuring API keys, environment variables, or system paths

Privacy-based

Setting up .geminiignore, privacy exclusions, or security configurations

Template-based

Installing GEMINI.md, codex.md, .geminiignore, or consultation-log-parser.sh

Verification-based

Testing CLI installation, API keys, or skill discovery

commands-reference.md

Load when:

Command-based

Using /consult-gemini, /consult-codex, /consult-claude, or /consult-ai

Syntax-based

Understanding command flags, options, or context selection

Cost-based

Understanding cost tracking, log format, or viewing consultation history

Logging-based

Using consultation-log-parser.sh or analyzing consultation patterns

usage-examples.md

Load when:

Scenario-based

Learning how to use skill for bugs, architecture decisions, or code review

Workflow-based

Understanding consultation workflow, synthesis process, or multi-AI approach

Example-based

Seeing real-world examples of consultations and their outcomes (5 detailed examples available)

troubleshooting.md

Load when:

Error-based

Encountering specific errors (command not found, API key invalid, parsing failures)

Diagnosis-based

Troubleshooting CLI issues, API connectivity, or skill discovery

Fix-based

Resolving known issues with step-by-step solutions (8 common issues documented)

Debugging-based

Testing CLIs manually, checking configurations, or verifying installations

Contributing

Found an issue?

Document it in troubleshooting.md

Include fix/workaround

Update slash commands to prevent

Adding new AI?

Create new slash command:

commands/consult-newai.md

Add to router: Update

commands/consult-ai.md

Create template:

templates/newai.md

(if CLI supports system instructions)

Update documentation

Improving synthesis?

Edit templates:

templates/GEMINI.md

,

templates/codex.md

Test with real consultations

Measure before/after quality

References

External Resources

Gemini CLI

:

https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/cli

OpenAI Codex

:

https://www.npmjs.com/package/codex

OpenAI API

:

https://platform.openai.com/docs

Gemini API Pricing

:

https://ai.google.dev/pricing

OpenAI Pricing

:

https://openai.com/pricing

Internal Files

Planning docs

:

planning/multi-ai-consultant-*.md

Slash commands

:

commands/*.md

Templates

:

templates/*

Scripts

:

scripts/*

References

:

references/*.md

(5 reference files)

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file

Last Updated

2025-11-07

Status

Production Ready

Maintainer

Claude Skills Maintainers | maintainers@example.com