Flow Define
---
- Type
- Skill
- Repository
- nyldn/claude-octopus
- GitHub stars
- 4.1k
- License
- MIT
- Repo last updated
- Sep 26, 2026
- Source file
- README.md
What Flow Define is
Flow Define is a skill published in the nyldn/claude-octopus repository on GitHub, which has about 4.1k stars. The repository describes itself as: “Run multiple AI models against the same research, design, or coding task. Surface disagreements before you ship.”
A skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file: frontmatter with a name and a description, followed by instructions Claude follows. Claude loads a skill automatically when a task matches its description, and you can also run it directly with a slash and its name.
Skills work in Claude Code and in Claude Cowork, which makes Flow Define a portable way to give Claude the same method everywhere.
How to install Flow Define
Claude Code
- Download the flow-define folder from the repository.
- Save it as ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md for all projects, or .claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md for one project.
- Claude loads it automatically when a task matches; you can also run it with / and its name.
Claude Cowork
- Zip the skill folder so SKILL.md sits at the top level of the folder.
- Open Customize → Skills, click +, then upload the ZIP.
- Start a task that matches the description, or call it by name with /.
New to extending Cowork? Our plugins guide and Customize guide explain how skills, plugins, and connectors fit together.
Inside the source file
An excerpt from README.md, shared under the repository's MIT license. Read the full file on GitHub.
Every AI model has blind spots. Claude Octopus supports twelve external provider integrations — Codex, Antigravity CLI, Copilot, Qwen, Ollama, Perplexity, OpenRouter, OrcaRouter, OpenCode, Cursor CLI, Grok, and Kimi Code — alongside the built-in Claude Code host, with consensus gates that flag disagreements before you ship.
Claude-native first, Octopus for escalation. Use Claude-native /init, /review, and /security-review when Claude is enough. Use Octopus when you want multiple model opinions, adversarial review, or stricter multi-LLM workflows.
> Claude Octopus is an independent open-source project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Anthropic.
🐙 Research, build, review, and ship — with twelve external providers checking the host's work. Claude-native handles the ordinary path. Octopus remains dormant until you explicitly run /octo:*, then handles the escalated path. A 75% consensus gate catches disagreements before they reach production.
🧠 Remembers across sessions. Integrates with claude-mem, agentmemory, and deja-vu for persistent memory — past decisions, research, and context survive session boundaries.
⚡ Spec in, software out. Dark Factory mode takes a spec and autonomously runs the full pipeline — research, define, develop, deliver. You review the output, not every step.
🔄 Choose the workflow the task needs. Use a focused method for architecture, debugging, or TDD. Use /octo:embrace for Discover → Define → Develop → Deliver, with quality gates between phases.
🐙 31 specialized personas (role-specific AI agents like security-auditor, backend-architect), 54 commands (slash commands you type), 63 skills (reusable workflow modules). Explicit workflows select the experts they need; ordinary Claude requests do not activate Octopus.
🐙 Works with just Claude. Adds up to twelve external provider integrations. Zero external providers are needed to start. Add them one at a time — each becomes available when detected and runs only inside an explicit workflow.
💰 Five providers cost nothing extra when you already have access. Codex, Antigravity CLI, Copilot, and Cursor CLI use existing subscriptions or local auth. Ollama runs locally for free. Qwen now requires API-key or Coding-Plan auth; its free OAuth tier ended on 2026-04-15.
What's New
Engineering methods
Octopus includes eight engineering methods adapted from Matt Pocock's skills. Routine architecture, TDD, and debugging use your current host. Ask for an independent opinion when a reviewer would help. Plans capture domain terms and blocking decisions, compare interface designs, and can propose a time-limited prototype.
Setup can resume an interrupted configuration and rechecks readiness before reporting success. See workflow methods for usage and the changelog for release details.
Premium /octo:auto routes also run one bounded cross-provider peer check after an eligible single-owner result, without requiring a second command or flag. Budget and Standard routes do not add the check, and existing multi-model workflows are not double-reviewed. Set OCTOPUS_PREMIUM_PEER_CHECK=off to disable it.
> 🆕 v11.9.2 — Give Claude a real vote in councils and keep development checkouts from redirecting other sessions to unreleased code. > > Default roster: Claude Opus 5.5 leads architecture, planning, security reasoning, and final judgment; GPT-5.6 Sol is the independent implementation/review peer; Claude Sonnet 5 is the standard Claude seat; Fable 5.1 remains an opt-in judgment escalation. Existing model pins and provider configuration still win. See the routing strategy. > > bash > /octo:model-config # inspect or override the frontier roster > OCTOPUS_OPUS5_AUTO_XHIGH=1 # opt in to automatic xhigh Opus 5 phases > OCTOPUS_OPUS_MODEL=claude-fable-5-1 # explicitly opt in to Fable 5.1 > OCTOPUS_CODEX_MODEL=gpt-6-astra # explicitly opt in to Astra > /octo:model-config tier premium claude claude-fable-5-1 # one bounded Fable judgment seat > /octo:model-config tier premium codex gpt-6-astra # one bounded Astra judgment seat >
Before you install
- Read the whole file first. Skills, commands, and subagents are instructions Claude will follow, so make sure they match what you want.
- Check which tools, scripts, or MCP servers it uses. Local servers and scripts run with your permissions.
- Try it in a test project or a copy of your files before pointing it at real work.
- Pin the version you tested, and review changes before updating.
- Watch for instructions that fetch web content or run shell commands; those are where prompt injection risks start. See our prompt injection guide.
FAQ
What is Flow Define?
Flow Define is a skill for Claude Code and Claude Cowork from the nyldn/claude-octopus repository on GitHub. ---
How do I install Flow Define in Claude Code?
Download the flow-define folder from the repository. Save it as ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md for all projects, or .claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md for one project. Claude loads it automatically when a task matches; you can also run it with / and its name.
Can I use Flow Define in Claude Cowork?
Zip the skill folder so SKILL.md sits at the top level of the folder. Open Customize → Skills, click +, then upload the ZIP. Start a task that matches the description, or call it by name with /.
Is Flow Define safe to install?
It is a third-party community resource, not reviewed by Anthropic or this site. Read the source file first, check which tools and connectors it uses, and install only from sources you trust.
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