SPAR-Kit

Structured Persona-Argumentation for Reasoning
A methodology for stress-testing decisions through structured disagreement.

நாலு பேரு, நாலு திசை, ஒரு முடிவு!
Four Perspectives, Four Dimensions, One Synthesis

What is SPAR?

SPAR is a decision-making methodology that uses structured disagreement between distinct personas to surface insights that consensus-seeking processes systematically miss. Whether those personas are embodied by humans, simulated by AI, or both, the methodology remains the same.

Letter	Meaning	Definition
S	Structured	Not ad-hoc; a designed process with protocols and phases
P	Persona	Distinct voices with coherent, conflicting worldviews
A	Argumentation	Personas debate and defend positions, not just "provide perspectives"
R	Reasoning	Systematic logic that exposes blind spots and triggers System 2 thinking

The Problem

Don't Deliberate Alone.

The problem isn't AI. The problem is isolated reasoning — and it fails in every context:

Context	The Problem
Leader alone	Personal blind spots, confirmation bias, echo chamber of self
Team together	Groupthink, shared assumptions, hierarchy silencing dissent
Person + AI	Single reasoning context producing false "balance"
AI alone	Sophisticated coherence without genuine tension

When you deliberate alone — whether that's a lone executive, a homogeneous team, or a single AI context — you get variations on a theme, not genuine disagreement.

This is not debate. This is sophisticated confirmation bias.

The Solution

SPAR creates genuine tension by instantiating personas with coherent, conflicting worldviews that actually disagree. The result is not a balanced trade-off list. It's a dialectic that surfaces what you'd never see alone.

"One methodology. Five modes. Every decision."
"Don't deliberate alone. SPAR."

Installation

One-Line Install (Recommended)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/synthanai/spar-kit/main/install.sh | sh

This installs the CLI and auto-configures integrations for:

🤖 Claude Code — Adds skill to ~/.claude/skills/
✨ Gemini — Adds skill + workflow to .agent/
🎯 Cursor — Adds rules to ~/.cursor/

Web (No Install)

▶️ synthanai.github.io/spar-kit

ChatGPT GPT (No Install)

🤖 SPAR Decision Partner — Use SPAR directly in ChatGPT

npm Only

npm install -g sparkit

Usage

# 🎯 Launch TUI Mission Control (recommended)
sparkit tui

# 🧙 Launch SPAR Builder wizard
sparkit builder

# ⚡ Quick debate
sparkit "Should we expand to Singapore?"

# 📝 Full command
sparkit debate start "Your decision here"

# 📦 Use a template
sparkit template use startup-pivot

TUI Features (v4.0.0)

Dashboard: View all sessions with status indicators
Session Management: Pause, resume, cancel, clone debates
Live Monitoring: Watch debates unfold in real-time
Persona Browser: Browse 109 personas across 7 archetypes
3-Round Rumble: Structured Opening → Clash → Final protocol
Keyboard Navigation: Full keyboard control (see docs/KEYBOARD_SHORTCUTS.md)

📚 Core Concepts

The Four Directions (N-E-W-S)

SPAR's foundational model uses a compass metaphor. Four personas, four orientations, four questions that together leave no blind spot unchallenged:

                    🔵 NORTH
                   The Visionary
                "Where are we going?"
                         │
    🔴 WEST ─────────────┼───────────── 🟢 EAST
    The Sage             │          The Challenger
 "What's proven?"        │       "What's emerging?"
                         │
                    🟡 SOUTH
                  The Pragmatist
               "What's grounded?"

Direction	Persona	Core Question	Orientation
🔵 North	The Visionary	Where are we going?	Future, ideals, possibility
🟢 East	The Challenger	What's emerging?	Innovation, disruption, new dawn
🟡 South	The Pragmatist	What's grounded?	Reality, execution, stability
🔴 West	The Sage	What's proven?	Experience, wisdom, lessons learned

Natural Tensions:

North ↔ South — Vision vs. Reality
East ↔ West — Innovation vs. Tradition

📖 Full Four Directions → | 📖 Centre: Behavioral Analyst →

The SPARKIT Protocol (7 Steps, v8.0)

0 — NOOL        State deliberation intent (WHY, WHAT TYPE, HOW)
S — SCOPE       Define the question precisely
P — POPULATE    Instantiate clashing personas
A — ABSTRACT    Construct shared cognitive map (AoT)        ★ NEW
R — RUMBLE      Structured dialectic (rounds by depth mode)
K — KNIT        Moderator synthesizes tensions
I — INTERROGATE Stress-test the synthesis
T — TRANSMIT    Extract actionable recommendations

v8.0: Step 3 ABSTRACT was elevated from a POPULATE sub-activity to a dedicated step after validated experiments showed +40% synthesis quality improvement.

📖 Full SPARKIT Protocol →

TESSERACT Configuration (378 Combos)

Tune any debate across four independent axes:

Axis	Options	Default
Depth	`clash` (4+PROBE, minimum) · `rumble` (8+) · `domain` (4+N)	clash
Pattern	sequential · freeflow · binary · dialectic · inquisition · emergence	dialectic
Style	balanced · adversarial · steelman · consensus · premortem · escalation · inversion	balanced
Horizon	now · cycle · legacy · shifted	cycle

Or use a preset: ⚡ quick · 🔮 deep · 🚨 crisis · 🤝 align · 🎯 challenge

📖 Full TESSERACT Configuration →

Reasoning Depth Modes (6 Levels)

Match debate intensity to decision stakes:

Mode	Rounds	Personas	Best For
👀 Show Me	1	4	Demo, onboarding
⚡ Quick	3	4	Rapid sanity check
⚖️ Basic	3	4 + PROBE	Standard decisions
💣 Stress Test	3	4 + PROBE	Significant investment
🧠 Deep	5	8 + PROBE	Strategic pivots
🤯 Ultra	7+	8+	Existential decisions

📖 Full Depth Modes →

The GRACE Principles

SPAR is grounded in five epistemological stances. Be GRACEful:

Principle	Meaning
Ground	Still yourself before synthesis — insights arrive in silence
Reveal	Surface biases and anxieties before delegating to process
Approach	Seek the adjacent possible, not defended positions
Court	Welcome radical dissent — invite it, make space for it
Expose	Acknowledge what you don't know, name missing perspectives

📖 Full GRACE Principles →

The STASH Framework (5 Modes)

STASH defines the five ways to run SPAR. Choose your mode based on context:

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                          S T A S H                                   │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 👤 S — SOLO HUMAN    One person, multiple mental frames             │
│ 👥 T — TEAM HUMAN    Team members embody assigned personas          │
│ 🤖 A — AI-PERSONA    Multiple LLMs argue with each other            │
│ 🧠 S — SOLO AI       One LLM role-plays all perspectives            │
│ 🔀 H — HYBRID        AI + Human combined                            │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Mode	Best For	Speed	Skills Built
👤 Solo Human	Personal growth, deep reflection	Slow	Very High
👥 Team Human	Building alignment, psychological safety	Medium	High
🤖 AI-Persona	Rapid iteration, 24/7 availability	Fast	Low
🧠 Solo AI	Quick exploration, low-stakes decisions	Fastest	Low
🔀 Hybrid	High-stakes decisions, maximum insight	Medium	Medium

📖 Full STASH Framework with Prompt Templates →

The ASPIRES Framework (7 Advanced Patterns)

For experienced practitioners, seven advanced patterns to handle edge cases:

Pattern	When to Use
Absent Voice	When a critical stakeholder is missing
Steelman	When a position is being dismissed too easily
Pre-Mortem	When you're too confident in a decision
Inversion	When stuck on how to succeed
Reflective Meta-Review	When the debate itself seems dysfunctional
Escalation Trigger	When emergent concerns warrant strategic pause
Shifted Horizon	When the timeframe is constraining options

📖 Full ASPIRES Framework →

The Framework Critic (PROBE)

SPAR includes a unique meta-persona that attacks the methodology itself from within:

PROBE: THE FRAMEWORK CRITIC
"What is PERSONA itself preventing us from seeing?"

Recursive skepticism — using structured disagreement to question structured disagreement.
The methodology's own conscience. The framework's doubt.

Minimum Viable Debate (MVD)

For time-constrained decisions, a 30-minute, 4-persona protocol:

Persona	Question
Protector	"What could go wrong?"
Explorer	"What's possible?"
Realist	"What's feasible?"
Navigator	"Where should we head?"

80% of decision value in 20% of time.

📖 Full MVD Protocol →

Commands

Core Commands

Command	Description
`spar`	Start interactive debate
`spar tui`	NEW! Launch Mission Control TUI
`spar builder`	NEW! Launch SPAR Builder wizard
`spar debate start [topic]`	Start debate session
`spar debate history`	View past sessions

Template Commands

Command	Description
`spar template list`	Show all templates
`spar template show <id>`	View template details
`spar template use <id>`	Use template to start debate
`spar template create`	Create custom template
`spar template delete <id>`	Delete a template

Built-in Templates

Template	Preset	Use Case
`startup-pivot`	🚀 Startup	Evaluate major pivots
`hiring-decision`	💼 Corporate	Should you hire this person?
`investment-eval`	💼 Corporate	Evaluate investments
`product-launch`	🎨 Innovation	Launch readiness
`crisis-response`	⚠️ Crisis	Emergency decisions
`ethics-dilemma`	⚖️ Ethics	Navigate ethical situations

Other Commands

Command	Description
`spar persona list`	Show all 108 personas
`spar persona create`	Create custom persona
`spar config setup`	Configure provider & API key
`spar config show`	View configuration
`spar status`	Show version & stats
`spar compass`	Display N-E-W-S framework

Configuration

Global config: ~/.spar/

~/.spar/
├── config.json     # Provider + API key
├── personas/       # Custom personas
└── sessions/       # Auto-saved debates

Providers

OpenRouter (Recommended) 🆕

FREE-Optimal configuration validated at 100% success, $0.00/run:

Role	Model	Use
Debaters	`google/gemini-2.0-flash-exp:free`	Fast, 1M context
Arbiter	`deepseek/deepseek-r1-0528:free`	True reasoning
Critic	`meta-llama/llama-3.3-70b-instruct:free`	Balanced rigor

Empirical Validation (January 2026)

Finding	Evidence	Confidence
Arbiter quality is the critical determinant	Inverse config failed 40% of synthesis tasks	95%
FREE-Optimal is production-viable	100% success rate @ $0.00/run	90%
SPAR protocol adds +53% quality	Even commodity multi-model beats premium single	88%

📖 OpenRouter Integration Guide →

Other Providers

Provider	Model
OpenAI	GPT-4 Turbo
Anthropic	Claude 3.5 Sonnet
Google	Gemini 1.5 Flash

📖 Methodology Documentation

This toolkit includes the complete SPAR methodology (v8.0), everything you need to understand, implement, and master structured persona-argumentation:

Philosophy & Foundations

Document	Description
MANIFESTO.md	The complete philosophy of SPAR
GRACE_PRINCIPLES.md	The GRACE principles: 5 epistemological stances
FOUR_DIRECTIONS.md	Deep dive into the N-E-W-S compass model

Protocol & Configuration (v8.0)

Document	Description
PROTOCOL.md	The 7-step SPARKIT protocol with prompts
ABSTRACT.md	NEW Abstraction of Thought (AoT) specification
TESSERACT.md	NEW 504-configuration system (4 axes)
DEPTH_MODES.md	NEW 6 reasoning depth modes
CENTRE.md	NEW Centre: Behavioral Analyst (always-on, Human 5 Whats)

Process & Practice

Document	Description
STASH_MODES.md	The 5 modes: Solo Human, Team Human, AI-Persona, Solo AI, Hybrid
ADVANCED_PATTERNS.md	The ASPIRES framework: 7 advanced patterns
PRACTICE_GUIDELINES.md	When to use, when NOT to use, and how to do it right
WHEN_NOT_TO_USE_SPAR.md	Explicit contraindications and boundary conditions
FAQ.md	Frequently asked questions (18 common questions answered)

Governance & Advanced

Document	Description
6R_ENGINE.md	Backstage cognition loop
SPARED.md	Coaching cycle (5 phases: Ground, Flow, Burn, Expand, Return)
RAMP_LEVELS.md	Decision gravity assessment (5 levels)
COMMIT_DEPTH.md	Graduated autonomy (Shallow to Full)
ARENA_MITOSIS.md	Recursive arena spawning
LOOP_GOVERNANCE.md	Hard limits, circuit breakers, checkpoint/resume
FEEDBACK_RESOLUTION.md	Disagreement disposition protocol
DOORS.md	Decision exit framework
DEBATE_LINEAGE.md	Session relationship tracking

Quick Start

Document	Description
SPAR_ONE_PAGE_CHEATSHEET.md	Start here: Learn SPAR in 60 seconds
SPAR_IN_5_MINUTES.md	Learn to run SPAR manually in 5 minutes

Resources & Templates

Document	Description
PERSONA_LIBRARY.md	20+ ready-to-use personas for different contexts
PERSONA_LIBRARY_108.md	Complete 109-persona library (108 + Framework Critic)
PERSONA_DOMAIN_PACKS.md	10 domain-specific preset packs (Healthcare, Startup, etc.)

Research & Foundations

Document	Description
RESEARCH_FOUNDATIONS.md	Academic grounding (Kahneman, Tetlock, Mercier & Sperber)

Security

API keys stored locally in ~/.spar/config.json
No server — direct API calls to your provider
Web version uses browser localStorage

Testing

# Run all tests (140+ tests)
npm test

# Watch mode
npm run test:watch

# Coverage report
npm run test:coverage

Test Suite

Suite	Tests	Coverage
`cli.test.js`	CLI configuration, personas, providers, validation	✅
`spar.test.js`	HTML structure, accessibility, JavaScript engine	✅
`style.test.js`	CSS variables, layout, components, syntax	✅
`integration.test.js`	Full debate flow, cross-component consistency	✅

Example

$ spar "Should we pivot from B2B to B2C?"

╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║   🥊  S P A R   v4.0.0                                        ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

═══ RUMBLE — Round 1/3: Opening ═══
  Token budget: 1500 tokens

🔵 North — "B2C is where the scale is..."
🟢 East — "The market is shifting..."
🟡 South — "Do you have the capital?"
🔴 West — "Every B2C company started with B2B..."

═══ RUMBLE — Round 2/3: The Clash ═══
═══ RUMBLE — Round 3/3: Final Positions ═══

✓ 3-Round Rumble Complete
📊 SYNTHESIS: Key Tensions, Evolution, Insights
✓ Session saved to ~/.spar/sessions/...

Development

git clone https://github.com/synthanai/spar-kit.git
cd spar-kit
npm install
npm test        # Run 140+ tests
node cli/index.js

🤝 Contributing

SPAR is a living methodology that grows through use. Contributions welcome:

🎭 New Personas — Submit personas for uncovered decision types
📝 Case Studies — Document SPARs you've run
📖 Methodology Refinements — Propose improvements to the core concepts
🌍 Translations — Help SPAR speak new languages

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

🧭 The Deeper Pattern

SPAR isn't just a technique. It's a stance toward knowledge:

I am not the only valid perspective.

My confidence, however justified, has blind spots.

The position that feels wrong to me might be seeing something I'm missing.

The synthesis that emerges from genuine tension is more robust than any position I could hold alone.

License

நாலு பேரு, நாலு திசை, ஒரு முடிவு
Don't deliberate alone. SPAR. 🥊

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 19 Commits
__tests__		__tests__
cli		cli
coverage		coverage
docs		docs
methodology		methodology
papers		papers
.gitignore		.gitignore
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
LOON.md		LOON.md
NOOL.md		NOOL.md
OSS_IP_BOUNDARY.md		OSS_IP_BOUNDARY.md
PUBLISHING.md		PUBLISHING.md
README.md		README.md
ROADMAP.md		ROADMAP.md
SECURITY.md		SECURITY.md
index.html		index.html
install.sh		install.sh
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
spar.js		spar.js
spar_logo.png		spar_logo.png

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SPAR-Kit

What is SPAR?

The Problem

The Solution

Installation

One-Line Install (Recommended)

Web (No Install)

ChatGPT GPT (No Install)

npm Only

Usage

TUI Features (v4.0.0)

📚 Core Concepts

The Four Directions (N-E-W-S)

The SPARKIT Protocol (7 Steps, v8.0)

TESSERACT Configuration (378 Combos)

Reasoning Depth Modes (6 Levels)

The GRACE Principles

The STASH Framework (5 Modes)

The ASPIRES Framework (7 Advanced Patterns)

The Framework Critic (PROBE)

Minimum Viable Debate (MVD)

Commands

Core Commands

Template Commands

Built-in Templates

Other Commands

Configuration

Providers

OpenRouter (Recommended) 🆕

Empirical Validation (January 2026)

Other Providers

📖 Methodology Documentation

Philosophy & Foundations

Protocol & Configuration (v8.0)

Process & Practice

Governance & Advanced

Quick Start

Resources & Templates

Research & Foundations

Security

Testing

Test Suite

Example

Development

🤝 Contributing

🧭 The Deeper Pattern

Links

License

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