# Setup Pstack

Configure which models pstack uses per role and at what reasoning budget.

- Repository: https://github.com/backnotprop/pstack (3324 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-10-28
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add backnotprop/pstack --skill setup-pstack -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add backnotprop/pstack --skill setup-pstack -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add backnotprop/pstack --skill setup-pstack -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add backnotprop/pstack --skill setup-pstack -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Configure which models pstack uses per role and at what reasoning budget. Detects your available models and writes an always-applied rule that overrides the skill defaults. Use for /setup-pstack, "configure pstack models", "pstack budget", or changing pstack's model choices.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Setup pstack

Write pstack's model settings, one model per role:

- **Cursor:** `~/.cursor/rules/pstack-models.mdc`, an always-applied rule.
- **Claude Code:** `~/.claude/rules/pstack-models.md`. Claude Code loads every file in `~/.claude/rules/` into each new session.
- **Every other harness** (Codex, Pi, OpenCode, and others): `~/.agents/pstack-models.md`. These harnesses don't load it on their own, so pstack skills read this file when they pick a model.

"The settings file" below means the file for your harness. In Claude Code, if that file is missing, read `~/.agents/pstack-models.md` instead, where older versions of this skill wrote it.

## Steps

### 1. Detect available models

Enumerate the model slugs you can pass to a subagent in this session (Cursor `Task`, Claude Code `Agent`, OpenCode `task`, Codex `spawn_agent`). That is the dependable source. If your harness also has a command that lists the user's models, prefer it for completeness (for example `opencode models` or `pi --list-models`). If you cannot detect any, ask the user to paste the slugs they have access to. Never write a real slug you have not confirmed is available. The aliases `inherit-parent` and `auto` are always valid even though they are not detected slugs.

### 2. Load current state

The default role-to-model mapping is the rule shape shown in step 5 below. If the settings file already exists, read it and treat its `# budget` line and its role values as the current choices. Otherwise start from those defaults. A line whose role is not in step 5, such as `how critics`, is from a retired role. Drop it.

### 3. Budget, map, and confirm

**(a) Ask for a budget.** Prefer your structured-question tool (`AskQuestion` in Cursor, `AskUserQuestion` in Claude Code, `question` in OpenCode) over free text. Offer these four options with these exact labels, and name the current budget when the rule records one. With no rule, say that `large` matches the skill defaults.

The rest: https://github.com/backnotprop/pstack/blob/HEAD/skills/setup-pstack/SKILL.md