Counsel

AI-powered mediation for better understanding.

Two people, two perspectives, one conversation. Counsel uses Claude to help people in conflict understand each other — not by judging who's right, but by helping each person see the other's point of view.

How It Works

1. Create a session — describe the topic you'd like to work through
2. Invite your partner — share an invite link
3. Write your perspective — each person writes their side privately
4. AI mediates — Claude reads both perspectives and facilitates a conversation, reframing each person's words to help the other understand

The mediator never takes sides. It validates feelings, identifies common ground, and guides the conversation toward mutual understanding.

Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/embeddedlayers/counsel.git
cd counsel
cp .env.example .env.local
# Fill in your Auth0 and Anthropic API credentials
docker compose up

Then open http://localhost:3000.

Prerequisites

• Auth0 account — Create a free account, then create a "Regular Web Application"
  • Allowed Callback URL: http://localhost:3000/api/auth/callback/auth0
  • Allowed Logout URL: http://localhost:3000
• Anthropic API key — Get one here
• Docker (for the included PostgreSQL) or your own PostgreSQL instance

Environment Variables

See .env.example for the full list. The required ones:

Variable	Description
AUTH0_CLIENT_ID	From your Auth0 application
AUTH0_CLIENT_SECRET	From your Auth0 application
AUTH0_ISSUER	Your Auth0 domain (e.g., https://your-tenant.us.auth0.com)
AUTH_SECRET	Random string for session encryption (openssl rand -base64 32)
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	Your Anthropic API key

Development

npm install
npm run dev

Tech Stack

• Next.js — React framework
• NextAuth.js — Authentication (Auth0 provider)
• Vercel AI SDK — Claude streaming
• Drizzle ORM — Database
• Tailwind CSS — Styling
• assistant-ui — Chat interface (coming in v0.2)

Architecture

Browser (Person A)  ─┐
                     ├──▶  Next.js App  ──▶  Auth0 (SSO)
Browser (Person B)  ─┘        │
                              ├──▶  PostgreSQL (sessions, perspectives, messages)
                              └──▶  Claude API (mediation streaming)

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Built By

MCP Analytics — AI-powered statistical analysis platform.