--- title: "Devils Advocate: review, role & definition · Undominated.ai" canonical: https://undominated.ai/agents/github-devils-advocate/ description: "Stress-tests a proposal through one objection at a time, then switches to a balanced recap when the user ends the debate." --- # Devils Advocate: review, role & definition · Undominated.ai > Stress-tests a proposal through one objection at a time, then switches to a balanced recap when the user ends the debate. [← Explore all agents](/agents/) ARCHITECTURE AND DECISIONS / github # Devils Advocate Stress-tests a proposal through one objection at a time, then switches to a balanced recap when the user ends the debate. Use this definition ↓Original source ↗ SOURCE REVIEW Reviewed 2026-09-21 Evidence 4 linked sources Publisher github Licence MIT ↗ Revision ad4c196b933c Read what was—and wasn’t—checked ↓ “I play the devil's advocate to challenge and stress-test your ideas by finding flaws, risks, and edge cases” github · upstream description ↗ Our analysis follows below. 01 / THE REASONING ## Why this made the selection. - A clear dialogue protocol keeps each challenge focused and gives the user an explicit way to stop adversarial mode. - The wrap-up separates defended points from unresolved risks, making it useful for design rehearsals and proposal preparation. ### A good fit for - Premortem of a product or design proposal when the user wants successive counterarguments rather than a punch-list of nits. - Closing a debate with a resilience/defenses/vulnerabilities/concessions recap before a separate implementation chat. ### Weigh up before choosing - It deliberately challenges rather than neutrally weighs a proposal during debate; use the final recap to recover balance. - No citation standard or persistent risk register is required, so factual objections need independent checking. - The role is a conversation pattern, not an implemented multi-agent debate or quality benchmark. 02 / THE REVIEW RECORD ## What we actually inspected. Source review has boundaries. A clear record is more useful than a “safe” badge. ### Material inspected - agents/devils-advocate.agent.md (complete frontmatter and body) - LICENSE (applicable redistribution terms) - README.md (host and installation guidance) - Host configuration documentation; immutable source and licence hashes ### Our findings - When-to-use is stress-test, pre-implementation risk, and counterarguments to strengthen a proposal—not debugging or coding. - Tone rules conflict slightly: 'don't be rude' versus 'Be polite for politeness' sake' in the won't-do list; still forbids explicit language. - End-game synthesis must cover overall resilience, strongest user defenses 'with rubric highlights', remaining vulnerabilities, and concessions—but no rubric is defined in the file. - Input is any idea/proposal/decision; output is questions, risks, edge cases, counterarguments. - read/search/web can inspect a codebase or the public web to ground objections, which is useful, but also lets the advocate argue from unstated web sources. ### Not established by this review - The agent has not been executed or benchmarked. - Tool availability, host/model compatibility and task outcomes were not runtime-tested. The review applies to the material and revision named here. A newer upstream release can change its behavior. 03 / PUT IT TO WORK ## Use the role in your project. Upstream setup instructions ↗ - Download devils-advocate.agent.md together with its LICENSE and attribution, and inspect its requested tools and dependencies. - For a repository-scoped Copilot custom agent, add the definition under .github/agents/devils-advocate.agent.md. - Select the agent in a supported Copilot interface; configure the tools named in its frontmatter separately. A copied definition does not install an MCP server or linked workflow. ### Before you start - A user idea or proposal; optional repo access via read/search; web tool if external risk research is wanted; user willing to say 'end game' to close the mode. ### Compatibility GitHub Copilot custom agents in VS Code ### Host-mediated repository and tool access - Instructed: read, search, web. Not instructed to write, run commands, or change git. Challenge-only and no-solutions are instructions, not enforcement. Host may still attach extra tools; that is unverified. ### Cost model Definition can be reused under its stated licence. Host subscriptions, model usage or connected services may incur charges. THE COMPLETE REVIEWED DEFINITION ## Read it before you reuse it. Original source bytes, with attribution. Review the host-specific setup notes above. Copy definition ↗ [Download definition + licence ↗](/resources/agents/github-devils-advocate/bundle.zip)[Raw Markdown ↗](/resources/agents/github-devils-advocate/definition.md) --- description: "I play the devil's advocate to challenge and stress-test your ideas by finding flaws, risks, and edge cases" name: 'Devils Advocate' tools: ['read', 'search', 'web'] --- You challenge user ideas by finding flaws, edge cases, and potential issues. **When to use:** - User wants their concept stress-tested - Need to identify risks before implementation - Seeking counterarguments to strengthen a proposal **Only one objection at one time:** Take the best objection you find to start. Come up with a new one if the user is not convinced by it. **Conversation Start (Short Intro):** Begin by briefly describing what this devil's advocate mode is about and mention that it can be stopped anytime by saying "end game". After this introduction don't put anything between this introduction and the first objection you raise. **Direct and Respectful**: Challenge assumptions and make sure we think through non-obvious scenarios. Have an honest and curious conversation—but don't be rude. Stay sharp and engaged without being mean or using explicit language. **Won't do:** - Provide solutions (only challenge) - Support user's idea - Be polite for politeness' sake **Input:** Any idea, proposal, or decision **Output:** Critical questions, risks, edge cases, counterarguments **End Game:** When the user says "end game" or "game over" anywhere in the conversation, conclude the devil\'s advocate phase with a synthesis that accounts for both objections and the quality of the user\'s defenses: - Overall resilience: Brief verdict on how well the idea withstood challenges. - Strongest defenses: Summarize the user\'s best counters (with rubric highlights). - Remaining vulnerabilities: The most concerning unresolved risks. - Concessions & mitigations: Where the user adjusted the idea and how that helps. **Expert Discussion:** After the summary, your role changes you are now a senior developer. Which is eager to discuss the topic further without the devil\'s advocate framing. Engage in an objective discussion weighing the merits of both the original idea and the challenges raised during the debate. The download contains devils-advocate.agent.md . Keep its filename when placing it in the agent directory described above. By **github**. Exact upstream source ↗ · [Licence](/resources/agents/github-devils-advocate/LICENSE.txt) · [Attribution](/resources/agents/github-devils-advocate/ATTRIBUTION.txt) SHA-256 55737a37944b61f08ba13b5a7345f5b5c2cde91c7c77fd7510960d0a1937041a Read the applicable licence MIT License Copyright GitHub, Inc. Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. 04 / FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE ## The source trail. Our notes are separate from the original resource. Check upstream before adopting a new version. - Devils Advocate — complete upstream definition ↗ Checked 2026-09-21 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/blob/ad4c196b933c5ca7f82a5ba78969ddcd2603ba80/agents/devils-advocate.agent.md Supports: summary, upstreamDescription, whySelected, bestFor, limitations, review, access - Applicable upstream licence ↗ Checked 2026-09-21 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/blob/ad4c196b933c5ca7f82a5ba78969ddcd2603ba80/LICENSE Supports: license, artifact - Repository installation and scope guidance ↗ Checked 2026-09-21 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/blob/ad4c196b933c5ca7f82a5ba78969ddcd2603ba80/README.md Supports: compatibility, install - Host custom-agent configuration documentation ↗ Checked 2026-09-21 https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/customization/custom-agents Supports: compatibility, install, access, review, limitations KEEP COMPARING ## Other approaches to consider. Related by category or shared topics. These are alternatives to inspect, not a measured quality order. [### Adr Generator ↗ Turns a concrete architecture decision into a numbered ADR with context, alternatives, consequences and references, asking for missing decision inputs first.](/agents/github-adr-generator/)[### Architecture Critic ↗ Challenges modernization designs and transformed code against actual requirements, failure paths and simpler alternatives, ending with prioritized actionable findings.](/agents/anthropic-architecture-critic/)[### C4 System Context Documenter ↗ Synthesizes system and component documentation into a stakeholder-facing context diagram, actor list and external-dependency map.](/agents/wshobson-c4-context/) [AI Tools ↗](/tools/)[Skills ↗](/skills/)[Agents ↗](/agents/)[MCP Servers ↗](/mcp-servers/)