A CLI agent configuration for parents navigating Child Protective Services / CHIPS / dependency / TPR proceedings. Deploys on Claude Code, OpenCode, and Codex CLI.
New in v1.2 — built-in walkthrough. Cold start to triage memo in one command. See WELCOME.md for the 30-second pitch, then run /start inside any case directory. Added: /start, /next, /help, /intake, /setup-jurisdiction. Filled the case-template gaps (05-evidence/, 06-transcripts/, 12-financial/, _session-log.md, _evidence-hashes.md).
| Total | Component |
|---|---|
| 31 | Slash commands |
| 12 | Specialized subagents |
| 12 | Domain skills |
| 9 | MCP server integrations |
| 4 | Utility scripts |
| 16 | Case-template subfolders |
# 1. Get the toolkit
git clone https://github.com/noraslaw/chips-copilot ~/chips-copilot
# 2. Make YOUR case directory (separate from the tool)
~/chips-copilot/scripts/init-case.sh ~/Documents/my-case
export CHIPS_CASE_DIR="$HOME/Documents/my-case" # add to ~/.zshrc to persist
# 3. Launch the AI tool inside the case directory
cd "$CHIPS_CASE_DIR"
claude # or: opencode or: codex
# 4. Inside the tool, ONE command:
# /start
/start walks you through case identity → jurisdiction → first triage memo. After that, your day-to-day loop is just /next (one specific next action) or whichever /draft-* / /analyze-* you need.
If you've never used a CLI agent before: read WELCOME.md first — that's the human-language explanation. Read INSTALL.md if step 1–3 hit a snag.
chips-copilot/
├── CLAUDE.md # Master agent identity (Claude Code)
├── AGENTS.md # Same identity for OpenCode / Codex
├── .mcp.json # 9 MCP servers (CourtListener, Gmail, Playwright, etc.)
├── opencode.json # OpenCode-specific full config
├── README.md # This file
├── INSTALL.md # Per-platform install instructions
├── .claude/
│ ├── settings.json # Tool permissions (Claude Code)
│ ├── commands/ # 26 slash commands
│ ├── agents/ # 12 specialized subagents
│ └── skills/ # 12 domain skills
├── case-template/ # 16-folder workspace with master index
└── scripts/ # add-evidence, backup-case, extract-pdf-metadata
/analyze-pdf— PDF metadata forensics with consumer-software red-flag detection/analyze-order— Court order analyzer (requirements, deadlines, rights, gaps)/analyze-report— Adversarial read of CPS/GAL reports/extract-admissions— Party-opponent admissions from transcripts/chronology— Master case timeline builder/compliance-audit— Statutory compliance audit against state child welfare law
/index-evidence— Master Evidence Index with hash verification, exhibit numbering, cross-references/exhibit-package— Court-ready exhibit packages with FRE 901/902 authentication paths/battle-map— Element-by-element evidence map; witness order; cross targets/preserve— Full backup with hash re-verification and manifest
/draft-motion— State court motions (compel, suppress, reconsideration, emergency, etc.)/draft-email— Caseworker / GAL / attorney correspondence/draft-declaration— §1746 declarations and notarized affidavits/draft-records-request— FOIA / state open records / agency records requests/draft-discovery— Coordinated interrogatories, RFPs, RFAs, subpoenas/draft-witness-prep— Direct and cross-examination outlines
/pre-demand— Pre-litigation demand letter (fact-heavy, argument-light)/federal-complaint— §1983 / §1985 / Monell complaint with abstention analysis
/triage— Prioritized action list (today / week / month)/case-theory— One-paragraph case theory with multiple framings/leverage-analysis— What each side has; asymmetries; time decay/endgame— Work backward from desired outcome; critical path; Plan B/C
/find-precedent— Verified case law and statutory authority via free tools/cite-check— Citation verification before any filing/stress-test— Adversarial review of any draft
/check-in— Brief wellbeing check-in; 988 escalation on crisis signals
Six rules govern this agent:
-
Evidence integrity is non-negotiable. SHA-256 hashing, no modification of originals, documented chain of custody.
-
Never hallucinate legal citations. Every case, statute, and rule verified before any filing. The case-law-researcher and citation-verifier subagents pair as a firewall.
-
Never practice law. Drafts and analyses only. The user decides, signs, files.
-
Preserve everything; delete nothing. Deletes go to archive. Overwrites get .bak suffixes. Session logs are append-only.
-
Calibrated for a parent in crisis. Direct, warm, specific, no false reassurance. Wellbeing-checker runs when crisis signals appear.
-
Strategy presents options, not recommendations. The strategist subagent has explicit guardrails: tradeoffs, conditional language, reversibility flags, escalation to attorney consultation for high-stakes irreversible decisions.
| Module | Skill | Subagent | Primary commands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evidence Management | evidence-management/SKILL.md | evidence-manager | /index-evidence, /battle-map, /exhibit-package |
| Legal Drafting | legal-drafting/SKILL.md | drafting-specialist | /draft-declaration, /draft-records-request, /draft-witness-prep, /draft-discovery |
| Case Strategy | case-strategy/SKILL.md | strategist | /case-theory, /leverage-analysis, /endgame, /triage |
| Case Law Research | case-law-research/SKILL.md | case-law-researcher | /find-precedent, /cite-check |
Plus the foundational modules from v1.0: PDF forensics, court filing format, federal civil rights, evidence chain of custody, citation verification, pre-litigation demand, discovery drafting, recording protocols.
# Extract
tar xzf chips-copilot-v1.1.tar.gz
cd chips-copilot
# Set up your case directory
cp -r . ~/my-case
cd ~/my-case
# Move template contents to top level (one-time)
cp -r case-template/* case-template/.[!.]* . 2>/dev/null || true
# Edit 00-MASTER-INDEX.md with your case identity
$EDITOR 00-MASTER-INDEX.md
# Install Claude Code (or OpenCode / Codex — see INSTALL.md)
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
# Optional API keys for MCP servers
export COURTLISTENER_API_TOKEN=...
export FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=...
# Launch
claude
# First commands to try:
# /triage — get oriented
# /index-evidence — build the Master Evidence Index
# /case-theory — develop the one-paragraph spine
# /chronology — build the master timeline
This config is designed to be paired with CPS_Parent_Prompt_Library.md — a 100-prompt jurisdiction-neutral playbook for CPS cases. Slash commands invoke specific prompts; skills encode the deep domain knowledge. Place the library file at the project root so the agent can reference it.
Library licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by Nora's Law Foundation (noraslaw.io).
- Not legal advice. The agent produces drafts; the user decides and acts.
- Not a replacement for a lawyer. If you can get one, get one.
- Not therapy. The wellbeing-checker is a check-in, not treatment.
- Not strategic advice. The strategist presents options. The user decides.
- Not magic. The agent does the work; you do the case.
v1.1 — June 2026. Tested on:
- Claude Code (anthropic/claude-opus-4-7)
- OpenCode (anthropic/claude-opus-4-7)
- Codex CLI (anthropic/claude-opus-4-7 via AGENTS.md)
Built in service of parents in the CPS system. Maintained by Nora's Law Foundation (noraslaw.io), a Minnesota 501(c)(3) focused on evidence integrity reform in child welfare proceedings.
The child is at the center. Everything else is in service of bringing them home.
MIT for code and configurations. CC BY-SA 4.0 for the prompt library.