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| 1 | +# Agents |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +## Overview |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +Agents are specialized AI personas designed to handle specific aspects of software development. Each agent has a well-defined role, set of responsibilities, and workflow that makes it expert in its domain. |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +## What Are Agents? |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +Agents represent different "hats" that developers wear during software development. They embody: |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +- **Expertise**: Deep knowledge in a specific domain (architecture, testing, debugging, etc.) |
| 12 | +- **Focus**: Single responsibility principle - each agent does one thing well |
| 13 | +- **Workflow**: Structured approach to completing their specialized tasks |
| 14 | +- **Collaboration**: Ability to hand off work to other agents and provide context |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +## Available Agents |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +| Agent | Role | Primary Use Case | |
| 19 | +|-------|------|------------------| |
| 20 | +| [Architect](./architect.md) | System design and architecture | Designing new features, system structure, technical decisions | |
| 21 | +| [Implementer](./implementer.md) | Code writing and feature implementation | Writing new code, implementing designs, building features | |
| 22 | +| [Tester](./tester.md) | Test creation and validation | Writing unit/integration tests, test strategies | |
| 23 | +| [Debugger](./debugger.md) | Bug investigation and resolution | Finding root causes, fixing bugs, troubleshooting | |
| 24 | +| [Refactorer](./refactorer.md) | Code improvement and optimization | Improving code quality, refactoring, performance tuning | |
| 25 | +| [Documenter](./documenter.md) | Documentation and knowledge sharing | Writing docs, API documentation, code comments | |
| 26 | +| [Reviewer](./reviewer.md) | Code review and quality assurance | Reviewing code, ensuring quality, catching issues | |
| 27 | +| [Researcher](./researcher.md) | Investigation and exploration | Researching libraries, patterns, technologies | |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +## When to Use Which Agent |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +### Starting a New Project or Feature |
| 32 | +1. **Unclear requirements or technology?** → Start with **Researcher** |
| 33 | +2. **Clear requirements, need design?** → Start with **Architect** |
| 34 | +3. **Small, well-defined task?** → Start with **Implementer** |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +### Working with Existing Code |
| 37 | +1. **Bug or error?** → Start with **Debugger** |
| 38 | +2. **Code quality issues?** → Start with **Refactorer** |
| 39 | +3. **Missing tests?** → Start with **Tester** |
| 40 | +4. **Missing docs?** → Start with **Documenter** |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +### Quality Assurance |
| 43 | +1. **Need code review?** → Use **Reviewer** |
| 44 | +2. **Pre-commit check?** → Use **Reviewer** + **Tester** |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +## How Agents Work Together |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +Agents collaborate through **handoffs** - passing work and context from one agent to another. See [orchestration.md](../orchestration.md) for detailed workflow patterns. |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +### Common Workflows |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +**New Feature (Full Cycle)** |
| 53 | +``` |
| 54 | +Researcher → Architect → Implementer → Tester → Reviewer → Documenter |
| 55 | +``` |
| 56 | + |
| 57 | +**Bug Fix** |
| 58 | +``` |
| 59 | +Debugger → Implementer → Tester → Reviewer |
| 60 | +``` |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +**Code Improvement** |
| 63 | +``` |
| 64 | +Refactorer → Tester → Reviewer |
| 65 | +``` |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +**Research & Prototype** |
| 68 | +``` |
| 69 | +Researcher → Architect → Implementer → Reviewer |
| 70 | +``` |
| 71 | + |
| 72 | +## Agents and Skills |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +Agents leverage [skills](../skills/README.md) to perform their work. Skills represent reusable capabilities and knowledge domains that agents apply during their workflows. |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +For example: |
| 77 | +- **Implementer** uses language skills (JavaScript, Python) and framework skills (React, Django) |
| 78 | +- **Reviewer** uses code analysis skills and security skills |
| 79 | +- **Tester** uses test generation skills and framework testing skills |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +## Agents and Commands |
| 82 | + |
| 83 | +[Commands](../commands/README.md) orchestrate multiple agents in pre-defined workflows. Commands are useful for: |
| 84 | +- Automating common multi-agent sequences |
| 85 | +- Ensuring consistent workflows |
| 86 | +- Reducing cognitive overhead |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +For example: |
| 89 | +- `/quick-implement` uses Implementer → Tester sequence |
| 90 | +- `/research-and-design` uses Researcher → Architect sequence |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +## Creating Custom Agents |
| 93 | + |
| 94 | +To create a new specialized agent: |
| 95 | + |
| 96 | +1. Use the [agent template](../templates/agents/agent-template.md) |
| 97 | +2. Define the agent's role, responsibilities, and workflow |
| 98 | +3. Identify required skills the agent needs |
| 99 | +4. Create example interactions |
| 100 | +5. Document handoff patterns with other agents |
| 101 | +6. Add the agent to this README's table |
| 102 | + |
| 103 | +## Best Practices |
| 104 | + |
| 105 | +### When Using Agents |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +1. **Start with the right agent**: Choose the agent that matches your current task |
| 108 | +2. **Provide context**: Give agents sufficient information to work effectively |
| 109 | +3. **Follow handoffs**: When an agent completes its work, follow its handoff recommendations |
| 110 | +4. **Trust specialization**: Let each agent focus on its domain of expertise |
| 111 | +5. **Iterate when needed**: Some workflows require multiple passes (e.g., Implementer ↔ Reviewer) |
| 112 | + |
| 113 | +### When Creating Agents |
| 114 | + |
| 115 | +1. **Single responsibility**: Each agent should have one clear purpose |
| 116 | +2. **Clear boundaries**: Define what the agent does and doesn't do |
| 117 | +3. **Structured workflow**: Provide step-by-step process |
| 118 | +4. **Integration points**: Document how the agent works with others |
| 119 | +5. **Skill references**: List skills the agent leverages |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | +## Examples |
| 122 | + |
| 123 | +See the [examples directory](../examples/README.md) for complete examples of agents in action: |
| 124 | +- [New Feature Development](../examples/workflows/new-feature-full.md) |
| 125 | +- [Bug Fix Workflow](../examples/workflows/bug-fix-workflow.md) |
| 126 | +- [Multi-Agent Collaboration](../examples/integrations/multi-agent-collab.md) |
| 127 | + |
| 128 | +## Additional Resources |
| 129 | + |
| 130 | +- [Orchestration Patterns](../orchestration.md) - Detailed agent coordination strategies |
| 131 | +- [Skills](../skills/README.md) - Capabilities agents leverage |
| 132 | +- [Commands](../commands/README.md) - Pre-built agent workflows |
| 133 | +- [Getting Started](../docs/getting-started.md) - Introduction to the system |
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