🧭 Decision Guide
Why trending now: Cannot be determined from the material
Try it if you
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You use Claude Code, Codex CLI, or Antigravity and have a README, PR plan, or design document to reviewThe README's “Try a 60-second review on existing code” lists /egm:egm-review and /egm:egm-drift-report; the Install section lists three agents
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You are designing a feature such as webhook delivery and need Brainstorm, Draft, and Review to handle trade-offs step by stepThe README's “Try your first design” demonstrates /egm-brainstorm, /egm-draft, and /egm-review with a webhook delivery example
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You want reviewers not to inherit the earlier conversation so they can expose unstated assumptions and blind spotsThe README says Goldfish reads only the document and its referenced source material, without the earlier conversation
Skip it if you
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Your agent cannot create fresh subagents but you need to run a Goldfish ReviewThe README's “How it works” states that Goldfish reviews require fresh subagent contexts and that EGM stops when they cannot be created
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You want to use EGM Review as a replacement for tests or human architectural judgmentThe README's “How it works” explicitly states: A review does not replace tests or human judgment
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You use only Antigravity CLI 1.4.8 and plan to omit the /egm: prefixThe README says agy CLI 1.4.8 does not complete an unprefixed name as 1.4.10 does
Requirements
- Choose a supported coding agent and install the complete plugin so its skills can read reviewer prompts and document standards.
- Brainstorming and Review require a session that can create fresh subagents.
- For Antigravity CLI, run: agy plugin install https://github.com/google/elephant-goldfish-model
- For Claude Code, run: claude plugin marketplace add google/elephant-goldfish-model; claude plugin install egm@egm
- For Codex CLI, run: codex plugin marketplace add google/elephant-goldfish-model; codex plugin add egm@egm
- Start a new session after installation.
First step (verbatim from README)
agy plugin install https://github.com/google/elephant-goldfish-model
Watch out
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Codex does not use the README's /egm: text commands; select the corresponding EGM skill from the skill pickerThe README's “Try a 60-second review on existing code” and “Try your first design” both specify using the skill picker in Codex
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When reviewing an existing document, /egm:egm-review requires the path to a design document or PR-plan Markdown fileThe README example is /egm:egm-review docs/designs/webhooks.md and says the path can point to a Markdown document
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After approving a design, you still need to ask the coding agent to implement it; EGM does not replace the implementation workflowThe README's “Try your first design” says: When you approve the design, ask your coding agent to implement it
Not stated in the README
- The complete supported environments, agent capabilities, and known limits in docs/harnesses.md are not included in the supplied material.
- The specific checks, execution-record format, and verification limits in TESTING.md are not provided.
- The material does not specify the underlying models, model providers, or inference costs used by EGM.
- The material does not provide runtime or resource requirements for Review, Drift report, or the full design workflow.
- The material does not explain whether project documents or source code are sent to external models, or describe privacy and network requirements.
- The material provides no functional, performance, or output comparison with other design-review tools.
💡 Deep Analysis
6
Yes
I maintain an existing codebase in Claude Code and want to check whether `docs/designs/webhooks.md` matches the current code before implementation. Is EGM suitable for this workflow?
Yes. EGM fits because it can review an existing design document against the source code without requiring you to create a new specification first.
- The “Try a 60-second review on existing code” section explicitly supports
/egm:egm-review docs/designs/webhooks.md; the review checks clarity, fit with the code, and the implementation plan. - Goldfish uses a fresh subagent context and receives the document plus referenced source material, helping expose unstated assumptions.
- The review does not replace tests or human judgment; you still choose which findings to address and approve the design before implementation.
- The README documents Claude Code installation, but requires starting a new session after installation.
- Try a 60-second review on existing code: `/egm:egm-review docs/designs/webhooks.md`
- How it works: Goldfish reviews the document and its referenced source material, without the earlier conversation
- How it works: A review does not replace tests or human judgment
- Install: Start a new session after installation
/egm:egm-review docs/designs/webhooks.md
Yes
I use Codex CLI and want a new feature to go through brainstorm, draft, and review before implementation, but I do not want to be forced through the complete workflow. Is EGM suitable?
Yes. EGM fits because its skills can be invoked independently while still supporting a complete path from idea exploration to an approved specification.
- The “Choose a skill” section says Brainstorm, Draft, Resolve, Review, and other skills can be used when needed; the full sequence is optional.
- Brainstorm saves
concepts_brief.md, Draft turns the brief or existing notes intodesign_draft.md, and Review evaluates that document independently. - In Codex CLI, you select the corresponding EGM skill from the skill picker rather than copying Claude Code’s
/egm:syntax, avoiding host-command mismatches. - You retain responsibility for architectural trade-offs and approval; the project does not treat generated output as automatically ready for implementation.
- Choose a skill: You can use each skill when you need it. You do not have to follow the full sequence.
- Try your first design: the agent saves the agreed direction in `concepts_brief.md`
- Try your first design: the agent turns the brief into `design_draft.md`
- Try your first design: In Codex, select the corresponding EGM skill from the skill picker
codex plugin marketplace add google/elephant-goldfish-model
Yes
We store approved specifications under `docs/designs/` while the code keeps evolving, and we want to periodically find differences between documents and the current implementation. Can EGM support this maintenance constraint?
Yes. EGM fits because it provides a dedicated drift report that compares registered documents with the current source code while leaving the correction decision to the team.
- The “Check for drift” example directly uses
/egm:egm-drift-report docs/designs/; the agent compares each document in that folder with the current source. - The getting-started workflow recommends saving approved specifications under
docs/designs/, matching this maintenance model. - Drift reporting identifies divergences but does not decide whether the document or code should change, so it is not automatic synchronization.
- The project is still v0.1.1 with two releases; the README does not demonstrate long-term stability for large, multi-repository, or complex-permission environments.
- Try a 60-second review on existing code: `/egm:egm-drift-report docs/designs/`
- Try your first design: saving approved specifications under `docs/designs/`
- Common pitfalls: You decide whether to update the document or the code
- Project data: latest release v0.1.1; release count 2
/egm:egm-drift-report docs/designs/
It depends
My project is pinned to Antigravity CLI 1.4.8, and I want to run EGM brainstorm and review. Since this version does not auto-complete the command prefix, should I adopt EGM?
It depends. Antigravity CLI 1.4.8 can be used if the team consistently supplies the /egm: prefix and the session supports fresh subagents; otherwise independent review cannot work.
- The README says agy CLI commands should use the
/egm:prefix. Version 1.4.8 does not auto-complete it like 1.4.10, so unprefixed commands cannot be relied on. - Brainstorming and review require a session that can create fresh subagents; EGM stops the review when that capability is unavailable.
- The installation command is
agy plugin install ..., and a new session is required after installation. - The README does not promise a complete capability matrix for Antigravity 1.4.8, so usability depends on the host’s actual subagent support.
- Try your first design: agy CLI and Claude Code should use the `/egm:` prefix
- Try your first design: agy CLI 1.4.10 auto-completes the prefix, but 1.4.8 does not
- Try your first design: Brainstorming and review require a session that can create fresh subagents
- How it works: If your agent cannot create them, EGM stops the review
agy plugin install https://github.com/google/elephant-goldfish-model
It depends
I review not only software specifications but also product requirements and operational-process documents. I want to choose reviewers and standards myself instead of using the default design review. Is EGM suitable?
It depends. EGM supports configurable review loops, but its default draft and design-review workflows target software specifications; non-software documents require you to configure reviewers and standards yourself.
- The README explicitly says the built-in workflow targets software specifications, while other documents should use
/egm-review-loopto choose reviewers and standards. - “Choose a skill” lists Review loop for running a configured group of reviewers for a specific review task.
- This broadens the review workflow, but the project does not provide a built-in catalog of product, operations, or governance standards.
- Bootstrap and drift reporting apply to software codebases, so their code-comparison behavior should not be assumed for non-software documents.
- README opening: The built-in draft and design-review workflow targets software specifications
- README opening: For other documents, choose reviewers and standards with `/egm-review-loop`
- Choose a skill: Review loop runs a configured group of reviewers for a specific review task
- README opening: Bootstrap and drift reporting apply to software codebases
/egm-review-loop
It depends
I work with a codebase containing restricted business information in ChatGPT Work or Claude Code and want EGM to review design documents. Should I adopt it before clear data-governance details are available?
It depends. EGM’s reviews require access to project context, design documents, and referenced source material, but the README does not promise data retention, model access, or sensitive-information handling for ChatGPT Work or Claude Code.
- Elephant uses project context, requirements, and prior decisions to draft specifications, while Goldfish reviews the document and referenced source material; therefore source-access scope is a prerequisite.
- The README provides setup guidance for ChatGPT Work and Claude Code but does not state whether enterprise data leaves the local environment, how redaction works, or whether permission isolation is supported.
- Apache 2.0 reduces licensing friction for internal customization, but the license does not replace data-governance controls for model services.
- Adoption for a restricted codebase depends on organizational approval of the host, model, agent permissions, and information flow—not on plugin functionality alone.
- How it works: Elephant receives your project, requirements, and earlier decisions
- How it works: Goldfish receives the document and its referenced source material
- Install: For Claude Cowork and ChatGPT Work, see the setup guide
- License: Apache 2.0
✨ Highlights
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Elephant retains project context and drafts specifications; Goldfish reviews documents without prior conversation
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Supports /egm:egm-review and /egm:egm-drift-report for checking existing documents
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Provides separate Brainstorm, Draft, Resolve, and Review skills
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The project has 10 contributors and 2 releases; the latest is EGM v0.1.1
🔧 Engineering
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Use /egm-brainstorm to explore a proposal, then /egm-draft to create design_draft.md
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Goldfish reviews clarity, code fit, and implementation plans across five stages
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Bootstrap and Drift report can create or check documentation consistency for codebases
⚠️ Risks
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Goldfish review stops when the agent cannot create fresh subagents
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The README states that Review does not replace tests or human judgment; verification limits are in TESTING.md
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Antigravity CLI 1.4.8 does not complete the prefix, so the /egm: command prefix must be retained
👥 For who?
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Software teams using Claude Code, Codex CLI, or Antigravity
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Engineers who need to review design_draft.md, PR plans, or docs/designs/
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Software specification authors who want project context separated from fresh review perspectives