> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tryvoss.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Team config

> Declare the role roster, scope, budget, tools, and model tier in .voss team{} — the compiler-checked source of truth for a team run.

A team is the declarative source of truth for who works on a run. It compiles to a frozen config plus a subagent registry, so the Engineering Manager can only dispatch to roles that were declared.

By default `voss team check` reads `.voss/team.voss`.

## Grammar

```text theme={"theme":"github-dark"}
team "default" {
  ceiling {
    budget: 120000 tokens
    scope: ["src/**", "tests/**", "docs/**"]
    latency: 30m
  }

  principles {
    diff: "Smallest diff that solves it"
    evidence: "No claim without evidence"
  }

  role architect {
    model: "strong"
    mode:  "plan"
    scope: ["src/**", "docs/**"]
    tools: ["fs", "code", "git"]
    budget: 12000 tokens
  }

  role backend {
    model: "cheap"
    mode:  "edit"
    scope: ["src/server/**", "tests/server/**"]
    tools: ["fs", "code", "test", "git"]
    budget: 24000 tokens
  }

  role reviewer {
    model: "strong"
    mode:  "plan"
    scope: ["src/**", "tests/**"]
    tools: ["fs", "code", "test", "git"]
    budget: 16000 tokens
  }
}
```

## What a role carries

Each role compiles to a spec with its own:

* **model** tier — `strong` / `cheap` (mapped to concrete providers)
* **mode** — `plan` (read-only) or `edit` (scoped writes)
* **scope** — glob set, compile-time contained inside the ceiling
* **tools** — [capability groups](/reference/capabilities): `fs`, `git`, `test`, `shell`, `net`, `code`, `memory`, `review`, `mcp`
* **budget** — token allowance drawn from the ceiling

## The default roster

The shipped roster includes `architect`, `backend`, `frontend`, `tester`, `reviewer`, `skeptic`, and `docs`.

## Validation

`voss team check` runs the `compile_team` validator. It fails the build — not the run — when something is wrong.

```bash theme={"theme":"github-dark"}
voss team check                 # validates .voss/team.voss
voss team check path/to.voss    # validate a specific file
voss team check --json          # machine-readable result
```

Compile-time failures include:

| Failure                             | Why it fails                                       |
| ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Role scope widens past the ceiling  | Scope must be contained in the global ceiling      |
| Role budget exceeds the ceiling     | Budget is a hard boundary, not a hint              |
| Unknown capability group in `tools` | Tools are filtered through the capability registry |
| Unknown model tier                  | Emits an actionable diagnostic                     |
| Dispatch to an undeclared role      | The EM cage rejects it at runtime                  |

The legacy `explorer` / `worker` / `reviewer` subagent path remains backward-compatible.

<Note>
  Scope and budget containment are checked at compile time so an invalid team can never start a run. See the [Engineering Manager loop](/orchestration/em-loop) for how the roster is enforced during dispatch.
</Note>