founder-mode

/cs:founder-mode — The Auto-Router

Command: /cs:founder-mode <question>

The single command a founder needs to remember. Routes the question to the right C-role automatically, or triggers /cs:boardroom if multi-role.

This is the killer command — the answer to "I don't know which slash command to use." Type the question; the system figures out the room.

Routing Logic

The router (via cs-chief-of-staff) does keyword + intent matching:

| Signal in question | Route |

|---|---|

| burn, runway, fundraise, dilution, model, LTV, CAC | cs-cfo-advisor |

| pipeline, win rate, forecast, quota, ramp, sales motion | cs-cro-advisor |

| positioning, ICP, message, brand, channel, campaign | cs-cmo-advisor |

| roadmap, PMF, JTBD, North Star, RICE, kill | cs-cpo-advisor |

| cadence, OKR, scorecard, DRI, operating system, rhythm | cs-coo-advisor |

| hiring, comp, ladder, level, attrition, eNPS, equity | cs-chro-advisor |

| security, threat, breach, compliance, audit, SOC 2 | cs-ciso-advisor |

| architecture, scaling, tech debt, SLO, latency | cs-cto-advisor |

| contract, IP, term sheet, regulator, license | cs-general-counsel-advisor |

| retention, GRR, NRR, churn, customer success, CSM, time-to-value, renewals | cs-cco-advisor |

| training data, data rights, consent, data asset, warehouse, lakehouse, data mesh | cs-cdo-advisor |

| model selection, eval, hallucination, AI risk, EU AI Act, fine-tune, build vs buy AI | cs-caio-advisor |

| DORA, cycle time, deploy frequency, eng hiring funnel, team topology, delivery throughput | cs-vpe-advisor |

| strategy, vision, board, M&A, raise, exit | cs-ceo-advisor |

| 2+ signals from different roles | /cs:boardroom |

| ambiguous | /cs:office-hours first, then route |

Workflow

1. Parse the question for role signals
2. If exactly one role: invoke that cs-* agent directly
3. If 2+ roles: build a brief via /cs:brief and trigger /cs:boardroom
4. If ambiguous / no signal match: trigger /cs:office-hours to force the founder to sharpen
5. Log the routing decision (raw layer) via decision-logger

Output

The router emits one of three responses:

Single-role route

**Routing:** cs-cfo-advisor
**Why:** Question hits burn rate and unit economics.
**Next:** Invoking cs-cfo-advisor with company-context loaded.

[Advisor's response follows]

Multi-role route

**Routing:** /cs:boardroom
**Why:** Question touches CFO + CMO + CPO (pricing change has finance, positioning, and product implications).
**Next:** Building brief via /cs:brief, then running boardroom.

Brief saved: ~/.claude/briefs/2026-05-12-pricing-v3.md
Run: /cs:boardroom ~/.claude/briefs/2026-05-12-pricing-v3.md

Ambiguous → office hours

**Routing:** /cs:office-hours
**Why:** Question is too broad ("should we grow faster?"). Need framing before any advisor can help.
**Next:** Six-question intake.

[Office hours questions follow]

Why This Is the Killer Command

gstack requires the founder to know all 23 slash commands and pick the right one. That's a cognitive tax. /cs:founder-mode collapses that to one — the system picks. This is also where persistent memory pays off: with company-context.md + decision-logger, the router knows what's already been decided and won't re-litigate.

Examples

/cs:founder-mode "should we raise a Series B now or wait 6 months?"
   → boardroom (CFO + CEO + CRO touched)

/cs:founder-mode "the win rate dropped 20% this month"
   → cs-cro-advisor

/cs:founder-mode "gross retention dropped 5 points this quarter"
   → cs-cco-advisor

/cs:founder-mode "let's hire a VP Marketing"
   → boardroom (CHRO + CMO + CFO touched)

/cs:founder-mode "should we be growing faster?"
   → /cs:office-hours (too ambiguous)

Related

• Agent: [cs-chief-of-staff](../../agents/cs-chief-of-staff.md) — does the routing
• Skill: [chief-of-staff](../../../c-level-advisor/skills/chief-of-staff/SKILL.md) — routing logic
• Skill: [context-engine](../../../c-level-advisor/skills/context-engine/SKILL.md) — loads context

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Version: 1.0.0