ca-dev
Maintainer override — suspend orchestration to edit codeArbiter itself. Env-gated (CODEARBITER_DEV=1), entry/exit logged to overrides.log.
npx skills add arbiterForge/codeArbiter --skill ca-dev --agent codex
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for claude-code, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# $ca-dev — maintainer override Suspends orchestration for working ON codeArbiter — skill, agent, command, and hook bodies, `ORCHESTRATOR.md`, settings. Not for project work; for that, use the normal commands or `$ca-override`. ## Flow 1. **Env gate** — check the `CODEARBITER_DEV` environment variable. Not set to `1` → refuse in one line ("dev mode requires CODEARBITER_DEV=1") and remain in orchestration. This keeps the mode a deliberate maintainer posture, not a casual bypass. 2. **Log entry** — detect identity from `git config user.email`; append to `<project-root>/.codearbiter/overrides.log` (append-only, `>>`): ``` [ISO-8601 timestamp] | BY: <email> | DEV: enter | NOTE: <note or —> ``` 3. **Marker** — drop `<project-root>/.codearbiter/.markers/dev-active` (gitignored UI flag). 4. **Mode** — plain, direct coding assistant: no routing, no skills, no gates, no `[CONFIRM-NN]` surfacing, no redirect. Persists until `$ca-arbiter` or a new session. Note (#271): if another session starts in this repo while this marker is live, SessionStart no longer unconditionally clears it out from under you — it is session-scoped now, so a concurrently-running dev session's marker survives a differe
- Flow
- Hard gate
- When NOT to use
What does the ca-dev skill do?
Maintainer override — suspend orchestration to edit codeArbiter itself. Env-gated (CODEARBITER_DEV=1), entry/exit logged to overrides.log.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add arbiterForge/codeArbiter --skill ca-dev --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From arbiterForge/codeArbiter, a repository with 138 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.