PhD Application Orchestrator

Drive a research-program application from raw materials to a submission-ready, internally consistent package. The job is to know which piece comes next, what depends on what, and which singleton to hand to — gating so later pieces build on a settled foundation (no SOP before fit is mapped; no submission before the package is audited for consistency). This file owns sequencing and gates only; it never writes the CV, SOP, or emails itself.

For one isolated piece, skip the orchestrator and invoke that skill directly. Use this when the user wants the whole package managed.

Before You Start: Locate the Applicant

Ask only what you can't infer. You need:

• Where they are — just starting, has a CV, has a draft SOP, mid-cycle, etc. Sets the entry stage.
• Materials on hand — CV, transcripts, research writeups, publication list, target schools. If these exist, stage 1 ingests them; if not, note the gaps.
• Targets & timeline — fields/programs of interest and deadlines. Drives shortlisting and pacing.

If motivation or direction is wobbly (the "should I even do a PhD" layer), route to phd-motivation-keeper before the package work — a package built on an unclear why reads hollow.

The Pipeline

Run in order; enter at the applicant's actual stage and resume from the last unmet gate. The early stages produce a reusable profile that every later piece draws on, so the order matters.