feat(pstack): setup-pstack budget ask (max/xhigh/high/medium) (#366)

* feat(pstack): setup-pstack budget ask (max/xhigh/high/medium)

Step 3 of /setup-pstack asks for a budget first (unlimited, large,
medium, small), rewrites the effort token of every real slug in the
working table to the budget's target, clamps to the detected set within
the same family, and then shows the roles for confirmation. Step 2 reads
the recorded budget line and step 5 writes it. No version bump.

Co-authored-by: lauren <poteto@users.noreply.github.com>

* docs(pstack): mention the setup-pstack budget in README and setup guide

Co-authored-by: lauren <poteto@users.noreply.github.com>

* refactor(pstack): tighten setup-pstack step 3 to three short parts

Drop the four-by-four example table, the repeated family and fast
explanations, and the re-run essay. Keep the four budget labels, one
remap rule with a one-line example, the confirm paragraph, and the
budget line in the written rule.

Co-authored-by: lauren <poteto@users.noreply.github.com>

* fix(pstack): setup-pstack step 3 rebuilds before the budget, keeps aliases, records the chosen budget

Bugbot on #366. The working table is built from the defaults first, on
every run, so unlimited on a re-run restores the default efforts. The
carry-over set names alias roles. Step 5 says the budget line holds the
chosen label and target effort.

Co-authored-by: lauren <poteto@users.noreply.github.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: Cursor Agent <cursoragent@cursor.com>

pstack/README.md

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ fork it. improve it. make it yours. PRs are welcome!
 
 two steps:
 
-1. run [`/setup-pstack`](./skills/setup-pstack/SKILL.md) and choose which models you want.
+1. run [`/setup-pstack`](./skills/setup-pstack/SKILL.md), pick a reasoning budget, and choose which models you want.
 2. use [`/poteto-mode`](./skills/poteto-mode/SKILL.md) whenever you're doing anything that requires rigor.
 
 new here? the [pstack guide](./docs/guide/README.md) walks you through a first real task, from setup and prompting through verification and overnight runs.

pstack/docs/guide/01-setup.md

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ Run:
 /setup-pstack
 ```
 
-[`/setup-pstack`](../../skills/setup-pstack/SKILL.md) detects the models you have access to, shows you each role (code delegates, judgment, the review panels), and asks what you want. Answer the questions. It writes `~/.cursor/rules/pstack-models.mdc`, a small rule every pstack skill reads.
+[`/setup-pstack`](../../skills/setup-pstack/SKILL.md) detects the models you have access to, asks for a reasoning budget, shows you each role (code delegates, judgment, the review panels), and asks what you want. Answer the questions. It writes `~/.cursor/rules/pstack-models.mdc`, a small rule every pstack skill reads.
 
 You only override what you care about. A role with no line in the rule keeps the skill's default. To restore a default later, delete that role's line, or just run `/setup-pstack` again.
 

pstack/skills/setup-pstack/SKILL.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 name: setup-pstack
-description: Configure which models pstack uses per role. Detects your available models and writes an always-applied rule that overrides the skill defaults. Use for /setup-pstack, "configure pstack models", or changing pstack's model choices.
+description: Configure which models pstack uses per role and at what reasoning budget. Detects your available models and writes an always-applied rule that overrides the skill defaults. Use for /setup-pstack, "configure pstack models", "pstack budget", or changing pstack's model choices.
 ---
 
 # Setup pstack
@@ -15,11 +15,20 @@ Enumerate the model slugs you can pass to a `Task` subagent in this session. Tha
 
 ### 2. Load current state
 
-The default role-to-model mapping is the rule shape shown in step 5 below. If `~/.cursor/rules/pstack-models.mdc` already exists, read it and treat its values as the current choices. Otherwise start from those defaults.
+The default role-to-model mapping is the rule shape shown in step 5 below. If `~/.cursor/rules/pstack-models.mdc` already exists, read it and treat its `# budget` line and its role values as the current choices. Otherwise start from those defaults.
 
-### 3. Map and confirm
+### 3. Budget, map, and confirm
 
-Show every role with its current model, marking any real slug not in the detected set as needing a choice. Ask whether to accept as-is or change specific roles, offering the detected models plus `inherit-parent` and `auto` (both mean: this role runs on the parent chat model, which is how Auto users stay on Auto) as the options. Prefer AskQuestion over free text. For panel roles (arena runners, architect runners, interrogate reviewers) the value is a list, and one subagent runs per entry, alias entries included, so the list length sets the count. `arena cross-judge pool` is also a list, but Arena selects one value from it whose model family differs from the parent's when possible. `swarm workers` is the default model for every worker unless a race or comparison assigns another model per arm.
+**(a) Ask for a budget.** Prefer AskQuestion over free text. Offer these four options with these exact labels, and name the current budget when the rule records one.
+
+- `unlimited — keep max`
+- `large — xhigh reasoning`
+- `medium — high reasoning`
+- `small — medium reasoning`
+
+**(b) Apply it.** Build the working table from the skill defaults, and on a re-run keep any role you changed by family, list, or alias (`inherit-parent`, `auto`). `unlimited` leaves every effort as in that table. `large`, `medium`, and `small` set the effort token of every real slug, panel entries included, to `xhigh`, `high`, or `medium`. The effort token is the last token, or the one before a trailing `fast`, on the ladder `max` > `xhigh` > `high` > `medium` > `low`. If the result is not a detected slug, use the same family's detected slug with the highest effort at or below the target, else mark the role as needing a choice. `inherit-parent` and `auto` do not change. So `small` turns `claude-fable-5-1-thinking-max` into `claude-fable-5-1-thinking-medium`, and `grok-4.6-fast-xhigh` into `cursor-grok-4.6-medium-fast` when only that form is detected.
+
+**(c) Show the roles and confirm.** Show every role with its model, marking any real slug not in the detected set as needing a choice. Ask whether to accept as-is or change specific roles, offering the detected models plus `inherit-parent` and `auto` (both mean: this role runs on the parent chat model, which is how Auto users stay on Auto) as the options. Prefer AskQuestion over free text. For panel roles (arena runners, architect runners, interrogate reviewers) the value is a list, and one subagent runs per entry, alias entries included, so the list length sets the count. `arena cross-judge pool` is also a list, but Arena selects one value from it whose model family differs from the parent's when possible. `swarm workers` is the default model for every worker unless a race or comparison assigns another model per arm.
 
 ### 4. Validate
 
@@ -27,7 +36,7 @@ Every real slug written must be in the detected set. `inherit-parent` and `auto`
 
 ### 5. Write the rule
 
-Write `~/.cursor/rules/pstack-models.mdc` with `alwaysApply: true` and one line per role, using the same labels poteto-mode uses. Overwrite the whole file so re-runs stay idempotent. Shape:
+Write `~/.cursor/rules/pstack-models.mdc` with `alwaysApply: true`, a `# budget` line with the chosen label and its target effort, and one line per role, using the same labels poteto-mode uses. Overwrite the whole file so re-runs stay idempotent. Shape:
 
 ```
 ---
@@ -36,6 +45,7 @@ alwaysApply: true
 ---
 # pstack model configuration. One line per role. Delete a line to fall back to the skill default.
 # `inherit-parent` or `auto` as a value: the role runs on the parent chat model (omit Task `model`). Alias entries in a panel list still count toward its fan-out.
+# budget: unlimited (max)
 feature, refactoring: grok-4.6-fast-xhigh
 bug-fix: grok-4.6-fast-xhigh
 perf-issue: grok-4.6-fast-xhigh