diff --git a/src/agents/athena/non-interactive-prompt.ts b/src/agents/athena/non-interactive-prompt.ts
index a0d83ae2b..f3f15b769 100644
--- a/src/agents/athena/non-interactive-prompt.ts
+++ b/src/agents/athena/non-interactive-prompt.ts
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ background_wait_timeout_ms: {BACKGROUND_WAIT_TIMEOUT_MS}
 </runtime_config>
 
 <registered_council_members>
-Council members are listed at the end of this prompt after config injection.
-Use EXACTLY the subagent_type names listed there.
+Council members are listed in the athena_council tool description.
+Use member names from there when filtering with the members parameter.
 </registered_council_members>
 
 <workflow>
@@ -55,14 +55,12 @@ Precedence for ambiguous cases: DIAGNOSE > AUDIT > PLAN > EVALUATE > EXPLAIN > C
 - mode: from Step 2
 - intent: from Step 3
 
-#### Step 4.2: For each resolved member, call the task tool with:
-- subagent_type: the exact member name from registered council members
-- run_in_background: true
-- write_output_to_file: true
-- prompt: "Read <path> for your instructions." (path from Step 4.1)
-- load_skills: []
-- description: the member name
-Launch ALL members before collecting results. Track every task_id.
+#### Step 4.2: Call athena_council to launch ALL members at once:
+- prompt_file: the path returned from Step 4.1
+- members: the resolved member names from Step 1 (omit to launch all configured members)
+
+athena_council launches all members in parallel and returns JSON with task IDs.
+Track every task_id from the response for use in Step 5.
 
 ### Step 5: Track progress with background_wait.
 - Call background_wait(task_ids=[...all task IDs...], timeout={BACKGROUND_WAIT_TIMEOUT_MS}).
@@ -134,11 +132,13 @@ After synthesis, you MUST output EXACTLY this structured format:
 }
 </athena_council_result>
 
+IMPORTANT: </athena_council_result> is your FINAL output. Do NOT output anything after this tag.
+No commentary, no summary, no follow-up text. The closing tag IS the end of your response.
+
 Status values:
 - "complete": Quorum met, synthesis performed
 - "partial": Some members failed but quorum met
 - "failed": Quorum not met (<2 successful members)
-</output_contract>
 
 <constraints>
 - NEVER use the Question tool — it is unavailable in non-interactive mode.
@@ -148,6 +148,6 @@ Status values:
 - ALWAYS auto-select analysis mode from config (Step 2).
 - ALWAYS return the <athena_council_result> structured output.
 - Use background_wait for progress tracking and council_finalize for result collection.
-- Preserve confidence caveats (especially single-member claims) in synthesis.
+- After outputting </athena_council_result>, STOP IMMEDIATELY. No text after the closing tag.
 </constraints>
 `
diff --git a/src/plugin/tool-registry.ts b/src/plugin/tool-registry.ts
index 2a9cc13f7..5d42c89ad 100644
--- a/src/plugin/tool-registry.ts
+++ b/src/plugin/tool-registry.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import {
   createTaskUpdateTool,
   createHashlineEditTool,
   createPrepareCouncilPromptTool,
+  createAthenaCouncilTool,
 } from "../tools"
 import { createCouncilFinalize } from "../tools/council-archive"
 import { getMainSessionID } from "../features/claude-code-session-state"
@@ -282,6 +283,10 @@ export function createToolRegistry(args: {
     ...hashlineToolsRecord,
     prepare_council_prompt: createPrepareCouncilPromptTool(ctx.directory),
     council_finalize: createCouncilFinalize(ctx.directory),
+    athena_council: createAthenaCouncilTool({
+      backgroundManager: managers.backgroundManager,
+      councilConfig: pluginConfig.agents?.athena?.council,
+    }),
   }
 
   for (const toolDefinition of Object.values(allTools)) {
diff --git a/src/tools/athena-council/council-launcher.test.ts b/src/tools/athena-council/council-launcher.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b332a2797
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tools/athena-council/council-launcher.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, mock, beforeEach } from "bun:test"
+import { launchCouncilMember } from "./council-launcher"
+import type { CouncilLaunchContext } from "./council-launcher"
+import type { BackgroundManager } from "../../features/background-agent"
+import type { CouncilMemberConfig } from "../../config/schema/athena"
+
+const makeManager = (overrides?: Partial<BackgroundManager>): BackgroundManager =>
+  ({
+    launch: mock(async () => ({
+      id: "task-123",
+      sessionID: undefined,
+      status: "running",
+    })),
+    getTask: mock(() => undefined),
+    ...overrides,
+  }) as unknown as BackgroundManager
+
+const makeContext = (): CouncilLaunchContext => ({
+  parentSessionID: "ses-parent",
+  parentMessageID: "msg-parent",
+  parentAgent: "athena",
+})
+
+describe("launchCouncilMember", () => {
+  describe("#given a valid member with provider/model format", () => {
+    describe("#when launched successfully", () => {
+      let manager: BackgroundManager
+      let result: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof launchCouncilMember>>
+
+      beforeEach(async () => {
+        manager = makeManager()
+        const member: CouncilMemberConfig = {
+          name: "Claude Opus",
+          model: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6",
+        }
+        result = await launchCouncilMember(member, "analyze this", manager, makeContext())
+      })
+
+      it("#then returns the member in the outcome", () => {
+        expect(result.member.name).toBe("Claude Opus")
+      })
+
+      it("#then returns a task with an id", () => {
+        expect(result.task.id).toBe("task-123")
+      })
+
+      it("#then calls manager.launch once", () => {
+        expect(manager.launch).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+      })
+
+      it("#then passes the correct agent key with Council: prefix", () => {
+        const launchArgs = (manager.launch as ReturnType<typeof mock>).mock.calls[0][0]
+        expect(launchArgs.agent).toBe("Council: Claude Opus")
+      })
+
+      it("#then passes the prompt content", () => {
+        const launchArgs = (manager.launch as ReturnType<typeof mock>).mock.calls[0][0]
+        expect(launchArgs.prompt).toBe("analyze this")
+      })
+
+      it("#then passes the correct providerID", () => {
+        const launchArgs = (manager.launch as ReturnType<typeof mock>).mock.calls[0][0]
+        expect(launchArgs.model.providerID).toBe("anthropic")
+      })
+
+      it("#then passes the correct modelID", () => {
+        const launchArgs = (manager.launch as ReturnType<typeof mock>).mock.calls[0][0]
+        expect(launchArgs.model.modelID).toBe("claude-opus-4-6")
+      })
+
+      it("#then passes the parent session ID", () => {
+        const launchArgs = (manager.launch as ReturnType<typeof mock>).mock.calls[0][0]
+        expect(launchArgs.parentSessionID).toBe("ses-parent")
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given a member with a variant", () => {
+    describe("#when launched", () => {
+      it("#then passes the variant through to the model config", async () => {
+        const manager = makeManager()
+        const member: CouncilMemberConfig = {
+          name: "GPT Codex",
+          model: "openai/gpt-5.3-codex",
+          variant: "medium",
+        }
+        await launchCouncilMember(member, "prompt", manager, makeContext())
+        const launchArgs = (manager.launch as ReturnType<typeof mock>).mock.calls[0][0]
+        expect(launchArgs.model.variant).toBe("medium")
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given a member without a variant", () => {
+    describe("#when launched", () => {
+      it("#then does not include variant in the model config", async () => {
+        const manager = makeManager()
+        const member: CouncilMemberConfig = {
+          name: "Gemini Flash",
+          model: "google/gemini-3-flash",
+        }
+        await launchCouncilMember(member, "prompt", manager, makeContext())
+        const launchArgs = (manager.launch as ReturnType<typeof mock>).mock.calls[0][0]
+        expect(launchArgs.model.variant).toBeUndefined()
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given a member with an invalid model format (no slash)", () => {
+    describe("#when launched", () => {
+      it("#then throws an error about invalid model format", async () => {
+        const manager = makeManager()
+        const member: CouncilMemberConfig = {
+          name: "Bad Model",
+          model: "not-a-valid-model",
+        }
+        await expect(launchCouncilMember(member, "prompt", manager, makeContext())).rejects.toThrow(
+          'Invalid model format: "not-a-valid-model"',
+        )
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given a member with an empty model string", () => {
+    describe("#when launched", () => {
+      it("#then throws an error about invalid model format", async () => {
+        const manager = makeManager()
+        const member: CouncilMemberConfig = {
+          name: "Empty Model",
+          model: "",
+        }
+        await expect(launchCouncilMember(member, "prompt", manager, makeContext())).rejects.toThrow(
+          "Invalid model format",
+        )
+      })
+    })
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/tools/athena-council/council-launcher.ts b/src/tools/athena-council/council-launcher.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ce188844d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tools/athena-council/council-launcher.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import type { BackgroundManager } from "../../features/background-agent"
+import type { BackgroundTask } from "../../features/background-agent/types"
+import type { CouncilMemberConfig } from "../../config/schema/athena"
+import { parseModelString } from "../delegate-task/model-string-parser"
+import { COUNCIL_MEMBER_KEY_PREFIX } from "../../agents/builtin-agents/council-member-agents"
+
+export interface CouncilLaunchContext {
+  parentSessionID: string
+  parentMessageID: string
+  parentAgent?: string
+}
+
+interface LaunchOutcome {
+  member: CouncilMemberConfig
+  task: BackgroundTask
+}
+
+/**
+ * Launches a single council member as a background task.
+ * The agent key follows the "Council: <name>" pattern used by council-member-agents.ts.
+ */
+export async function launchCouncilMember(
+  member: CouncilMemberConfig,
+  prompt: string,
+  manager: BackgroundManager,
+  context: CouncilLaunchContext,
+): Promise<LaunchOutcome> {
+  const parsed = parseModelString(member.model)
+  if (!parsed) {
+    throw new Error(`Invalid model format: "${member.model}" (expected "provider/model-id")`)
+  }
+
+  const agentKey = `${COUNCIL_MEMBER_KEY_PREFIX}${member.name}`
+  const memberName = member.name ?? member.model
+
+  const task = await manager.launch({
+    description: `Council member: ${memberName}`,
+    prompt,
+    agent: agentKey,
+    parentSessionID: context.parentSessionID,
+    parentMessageID: context.parentMessageID,
+    parentAgent: context.parentAgent,
+    writeOutputToFile: true,
+    model: {
+      providerID: parsed.providerID,
+      modelID: parsed.modelID,
+      ...(member.variant ? { variant: member.variant } : {}),
+    },
+  })
+
+  return { member, task }
+}
diff --git a/src/tools/athena-council/index.ts b/src/tools/athena-council/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..82fd5a725
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tools/athena-council/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+export { createAthenaCouncilTool } from "./tools"
+export type { AthenaCouncilToolArgs, AthenaCouncilResult, LaunchedMemberInfo } from "./types"
diff --git a/src/tools/athena-council/tools.test.ts b/src/tools/athena-council/tools.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..833db5bc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tools/athena-council/tools.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,231 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, mock, beforeEach, afterAll } from "bun:test"
+import { writeFile, mkdir, rm } from "node:fs/promises"
+import { join } from "node:path"
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os"
+
+const mockLaunchCouncilMember = mock(async (member: { name: string; model: string }) => ({
+  member,
+  task: { id: `task-${member.name}`, sessionID: undefined, status: "running" },
+}))
+
+mock.module("./council-launcher", () => ({
+  launchCouncilMember: mockLaunchCouncilMember,
+}))
+
+import { createAthenaCouncilTool } from "./tools"
+import type { BackgroundManager } from "../../features/background-agent"
+import type { CouncilConfig } from "../../config/schema/athena"
+
+const TEST_TMP_DIR = join(tmpdir(), "athena-council-test")
+const PROMPT_FILE = join(TEST_TMP_DIR, "test-prompt.md")
+
+const makeManager = (): BackgroundManager =>
+  ({
+    launch: mock(async () => ({ id: "task-123", sessionID: undefined, status: "running" })),
+    getTask: mock((taskId: string) => ({ id: taskId, sessionID: `ses-${taskId}`, status: "running" })),
+  }) as unknown as BackgroundManager
+
+const makeToolContext = () => ({
+  sessionID: "ses-test",
+  messageID: "msg-test",
+  agent: "athena",
+  abort: undefined,
+})
+
+const makeCouncilConfig = (members?: Array<{ name: string; model: string; variant?: string }>): CouncilConfig => ({
+  members: members ?? [
+    { name: "Claude Opus", model: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6" },
+    { name: "GPT Codex", model: "openai/gpt-5.3-codex" },
+  ],
+  retry_on_fail: 0,
+  retry_failed_if_others_finished: false,
+  cancel_retrying_on_quorum: true,
+  stuck_threshold_seconds: 300,
+  member_max_running_seconds: 600,
+})
+
+describe("createAthenaCouncilTool", () => {
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    await mkdir(TEST_TMP_DIR, { recursive: true })
+    await writeFile(PROMPT_FILE, "prompt file content", "utf-8")
+    mockLaunchCouncilMember.mockImplementation(async (member: { name: string; model: string }) => ({
+      member,
+      task: { id: `task-${member.name}`, sessionID: undefined, status: "running" },
+    }))
+  })
+
+  afterAll(async () => {
+    await rm(TEST_TMP_DIR, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given council is not configured (undefined)", () => {
+    describe("#when execute is called", () => {
+      it("#then returns error message about council not configured", async () => {
+        const tool = createAthenaCouncilTool({ backgroundManager: makeManager(), councilConfig: undefined })
+        const result = await tool.execute({ prompt_file: PROMPT_FILE }, makeToolContext())
+        expect(result).toContain("Council not configured")
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given council has zero members", () => {
+    describe("#when execute is called", () => {
+      it("#then returns error message about council not configured", async () => {
+        const config = makeCouncilConfig([])
+        const tool = createAthenaCouncilTool({ backgroundManager: makeManager(), councilConfig: config })
+        const result = await tool.execute({ prompt_file: PROMPT_FILE }, makeToolContext())
+        expect(result).toContain("Council not configured")
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given prompt_file does not exist", () => {
+    describe("#when execute is called", () => {
+      it("#then returns error message about failed file read", async () => {
+        const tool = createAthenaCouncilTool({
+          backgroundManager: makeManager(),
+          councilConfig: makeCouncilConfig(),
+        })
+        const result = await tool.execute({ prompt_file: "/nonexistent/prompt.md" }, makeToolContext())
+        expect(result).toContain("Failed to read prompt file")
+        expect(result).toContain("/nonexistent/prompt.md")
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given an unknown member name in the members filter", () => {
+    describe("#when execute is called with that unknown name", () => {
+      it("#then returns error listing unknown member and available members", async () => {
+        const tool = createAthenaCouncilTool({
+          backgroundManager: makeManager(),
+          councilConfig: makeCouncilConfig(),
+        })
+        const result = await tool.execute(
+          { prompt_file: PROMPT_FILE, members: ["NonExistentMember"] },
+          makeToolContext(),
+        )
+        expect(result).toContain("Unknown council members: NonExistentMember")
+        expect(result).toContain("Available:")
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given a valid subset of member names in the filter", () => {
+    describe("#when execute is called with one member name", () => {
+      it("#then launches only the specified member", async () => {
+        const tool = createAthenaCouncilTool({
+          backgroundManager: makeManager(),
+          councilConfig: makeCouncilConfig(),
+        })
+        const result = await tool.execute(
+          { prompt_file: PROMPT_FILE, members: ["Claude Opus"] },
+          makeToolContext(),
+        )
+        const jsonMatch = result.match(/\{[\s\S]*\}/)
+        expect(jsonMatch).not.toBeNull()
+        const parsed = JSON.parse(jsonMatch![0])
+        expect(parsed.total_requested).toBe(1)
+        expect(parsed.launched).toHaveLength(1)
+        expect(parsed.launched[0].member_name).toBe("Claude Opus")
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given all members are valid and prompt file is readable", () => {
+    describe("#when execute is called without member filter", () => {
+      it("#then returns JSON with all launched members", async () => {
+        const tool = createAthenaCouncilTool({
+          backgroundManager: makeManager(),
+          councilConfig: makeCouncilConfig(),
+        })
+        const result = await tool.execute({ prompt_file: PROMPT_FILE }, makeToolContext())
+        const jsonMatch = result.match(/\{[\s\S]*\}/)
+        expect(jsonMatch).not.toBeNull()
+        const parsed = JSON.parse(jsonMatch![0])
+        expect(parsed.total_requested).toBe(2)
+        expect(parsed.launched).toHaveLength(2)
+        expect(parsed.failures).toHaveLength(0)
+      })
+
+      it("#then includes task IDs and background_wait instructions in the output", async () => {
+        const tool = createAthenaCouncilTool({
+          backgroundManager: makeManager(),
+          councilConfig: makeCouncilConfig(),
+        })
+        const result = await tool.execute({ prompt_file: PROMPT_FILE }, makeToolContext())
+        expect(result).toContain("background_wait")
+        expect(result).toContain("task_ids=")
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given some members fail to launch", () => {
+    describe("#when execute is called", () => {
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        let callCount = 0
+        mockLaunchCouncilMember.mockImplementation(async (member: { name: string; model: string }) => {
+          callCount++
+          if (callCount === 1) {
+            return { member, task: { id: `task-${member.name}`, sessionID: undefined, status: "running" } }
+          }
+          throw new Error("Launch failed for member")
+        })
+      })
+
+      it("#then includes successful launches in the result", async () => {
+        const tool = createAthenaCouncilTool({
+          backgroundManager: makeManager(),
+          councilConfig: makeCouncilConfig(),
+        })
+        const result = await tool.execute({ prompt_file: PROMPT_FILE }, makeToolContext())
+        const jsonMatch = result.match(/\{[\s\S]*\}/)
+        expect(jsonMatch).not.toBeNull()
+        const parsed = JSON.parse(jsonMatch![0])
+        expect(parsed.launched).toHaveLength(1)
+      })
+
+      it("#then includes failures in the result", async () => {
+        const tool = createAthenaCouncilTool({
+          backgroundManager: makeManager(),
+          councilConfig: makeCouncilConfig(),
+        })
+        const result = await tool.execute({ prompt_file: PROMPT_FILE }, makeToolContext())
+        const jsonMatch = result.match(/\{[\s\S]*\}/)
+        expect(jsonMatch).not.toBeNull()
+        const parsed = JSON.parse(jsonMatch![0])
+        expect(parsed.failures).toHaveLength(1)
+        expect(parsed.failures[0].error).toContain("Launch failed for member")
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe("#given all members fail to launch", () => {
+    describe("#when execute is called", () => {
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        mockLaunchCouncilMember.mockImplementation(async () => {
+          throw new Error("All launches failed")
+        })
+      })
+
+      it("#then returns a plain error string (not JSON)", async () => {
+        const tool = createAthenaCouncilTool({
+          backgroundManager: makeManager(),
+          councilConfig: makeCouncilConfig(),
+        })
+        const result = await tool.execute({ prompt_file: PROMPT_FILE }, makeToolContext())
+        expect(result).toContain("All council member launches failed")
+        expect(result).not.toContain('"launched"')
+      })
+
+      it("#then lists each failure in the error message", async () => {
+        const tool = createAthenaCouncilTool({
+          backgroundManager: makeManager(),
+          councilConfig: makeCouncilConfig(),
+        })
+        const result = await tool.execute({ prompt_file: PROMPT_FILE }, makeToolContext())
+        expect(result).toContain("Claude Opus")
+        expect(result).toContain("GPT Codex")
+      })
+    })
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/tools/athena-council/tools.ts b/src/tools/athena-council/tools.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d1c85d9ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tools/athena-council/tools.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,195 @@
+import { tool, type ToolDefinition } from "@opencode-ai/plugin"
+import { readFile } from "node:fs/promises"
+import type { BackgroundManager } from "../../features/background-agent"
+import type { CouncilConfig, CouncilMemberConfig } from "../../config/schema/athena"
+import { launchCouncilMember, type CouncilLaunchContext } from "./council-launcher"
+import type { AthenaCouncilToolArgs, LaunchedMemberInfo, AthenaCouncilResult } from "./types"
+import { log } from "../../shared/logger"
+
+const SESSION_WAIT_INTERVAL_MS = 100
+const SESSION_WAIT_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000
+
+function buildToolDescription(councilConfig: CouncilConfig | undefined): string {
+  const memberList = councilConfig?.members.length
+    ? councilConfig.members.map((m) => `- ${m.name} (${m.model})`).join("\n")
+    : "No members configured."
+
+  return `Launch all council members in parallel for multi-model analysis.
+
+Takes a prompt file path (from prepare_council_prompt) and launches all specified council members
+as background tasks. Returns an array of task IDs for use with background_wait and background_output.
+
+Available council members:
+${memberList}
+
+Returns JSON with launched task IDs and any launch failures.`
+}
+
+function filterMembers(
+  allMembers: CouncilMemberConfig[],
+  selectedNames: string[] | undefined,
+): { members: CouncilMemberConfig[]; error?: string } {
+  if (!selectedNames || selectedNames.length === 0) {
+    return { members: allMembers }
+  }
+
+  const lookup = new Map<string, CouncilMemberConfig>()
+  for (const member of allMembers) {
+    lookup.set(member.model.toLowerCase(), member)
+    if (member.name) {
+      lookup.set(member.name.toLowerCase(), member)
+    }
+  }
+
+  const filtered: CouncilMemberConfig[] = []
+  const seen = new Set<CouncilMemberConfig>()
+  const unresolved: string[] = []
+
+  for (const name of selectedNames) {
+    const match = lookup.get(name.toLowerCase())
+    if (!match) {
+      unresolved.push(name)
+      continue
+    }
+    if (!seen.has(match)) {
+      seen.add(match)
+      filtered.push(match)
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (unresolved.length > 0) {
+    const available = allMembers.map((m) => m.name ?? m.model).join(", ")
+    return { members: [], error: `Unknown council members: ${unresolved.join(", ")}. Available: ${available}` }
+  }
+
+  return { members: filtered }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Waits briefly for background sessions to acquire session IDs.
+ * Non-blocking — returns whatever is available within the timeout.
+ */
+async function waitForSessionIds(
+  taskIds: string[],
+  manager: BackgroundManager,
+  abort?: AbortSignal,
+): Promise<Map<string, string>> {
+  const result = new Map<string, string>()
+  const pending = new Set(taskIds)
+  const deadline = Date.now() + SESSION_WAIT_TIMEOUT_MS
+
+  while (pending.size > 0 && Date.now() < deadline) {
+    if (abort?.aborted) break
+
+    for (const taskId of pending) {
+      const task = manager.getTask(taskId)
+      if (task?.sessionID) {
+        result.set(taskId, task.sessionID)
+        pending.delete(taskId)
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (pending.size > 0) {
+      await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, SESSION_WAIT_INTERVAL_MS))
+    }
+  }
+
+  return result
+}
+
+export function createAthenaCouncilTool(args: {
+  backgroundManager: BackgroundManager
+  councilConfig: CouncilConfig | undefined
+}): ToolDefinition {
+  const { backgroundManager, councilConfig } = args
+  const description = buildToolDescription(councilConfig)
+
+  return tool({
+    description,
+    args: {
+      prompt_file: tool.schema.string().describe("Path to the prompt file created by prepare_council_prompt"),
+      members: tool.schema
+        .array(tool.schema.string())
+        .optional()
+        .describe("Optional list of council member names to launch. Defaults to all configured members."),
+    },
+    async execute(toolArgs: AthenaCouncilToolArgs, toolContext) {
+      if (!councilConfig || councilConfig.members.length === 0) {
+        return "Council not configured. Add agents.athena.council.members to your config."
+      }
+
+      const { members, error } = filterMembers(councilConfig.members, toolArgs.members)
+      if (error) return error
+      if (members.length === 0) return "No council members to launch."
+
+      let promptContent: string
+      try {
+        promptContent = await readFile(toolArgs.prompt_file, "utf-8")
+      } catch (err) {
+        return `Failed to read prompt file: ${toolArgs.prompt_file}. Error: ${String(err)}`
+      }
+
+      const context: CouncilLaunchContext = {
+        parentSessionID: toolContext.sessionID,
+        parentMessageID: toolContext.messageID,
+        parentAgent: toolContext.agent,
+      }
+
+      log("[athena_council] Launching council members", { count: members.length })
+
+      const launchResults = await Promise.allSettled(
+        members.map((member) => launchCouncilMember(member, promptContent, backgroundManager, context)),
+      )
+
+      const launched: Array<{ taskId: string; member: CouncilMemberConfig }> = []
+      const failures: AthenaCouncilResult["failures"] = []
+
+      launchResults.forEach((result, index) => {
+        const member = members[index]
+        if (result.status === "fulfilled") {
+          launched.push({ taskId: result.value.task.id, member: result.value.member })
+        } else {
+          failures.push({
+            member_name: member.name ?? member.model,
+            model: member.model,
+            error: String(result.reason),
+          })
+        }
+      })
+
+      if (launched.length === 0) {
+        return `All council member launches failed:\n${failures.map((f) => `- ${f.member_name}: ${f.error}`).join("\n")}`
+      }
+
+      const sessionMap = await waitForSessionIds(
+        launched.map((l) => l.taskId),
+        backgroundManager,
+        toolContext.abort,
+      )
+
+      const launchedInfo: LaunchedMemberInfo[] = launched.map((l) => ({
+        task_id: l.taskId,
+        session_id: sessionMap.get(l.taskId),
+        member_name: l.member.name ?? l.member.model,
+        model: l.member.model,
+      }))
+
+      const output: AthenaCouncilResult = {
+        launched: launchedInfo,
+        failures,
+        total_requested: members.length,
+      }
+
+      log("[athena_council] Launch complete", {
+        launched: launchedInfo.length,
+        failed: failures.length,
+      })
+
+      const taskIdList = launchedInfo.map((l) => l.task_id)
+      return `${JSON.stringify(output, null, 2)}
+
+Use background_wait with task_ids=${JSON.stringify(taskIdList)} to wait for completion.
+Then use background_output for each task_id to collect individual results.`
+    },
+  })
+}
diff --git a/src/tools/athena-council/types.ts b/src/tools/athena-council/types.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..74207f5f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tools/athena-council/types.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+export interface AthenaCouncilToolArgs {
+  prompt_file: string
+  members?: string[]
+}
+
+export interface LaunchedMemberInfo {
+  task_id: string
+  session_id: string | undefined
+  member_name: string
+  model: string
+}
+
+export interface AthenaCouncilResult {
+  launched: LaunchedMemberInfo[]
+  failures: Array<{ member_name: string; model: string; error: string }>
+  total_requested: number
+}
diff --git a/src/tools/index.ts b/src/tools/index.ts
index b723a288d..220d2649c 100644
--- a/src/tools/index.ts
+++ b/src/tools/index.ts
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ export {
 export { createHashlineEditTool } from "./hashline-edit"
 export { createPrepareCouncilPromptTool } from "./prepare-council-prompt"
 export { createCouncilFinalize } from "./council-archive"
+export { createAthenaCouncilTool } from "./athena-council"
 
 export function createBackgroundTools(manager: BackgroundManager, client: OpencodeClient): Record<string, ToolDefinition> {
   const outputManager: BackgroundOutputManager = manager