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docs: Add comprehensive GSD agent selection guide#588

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castrojo merged 2 commits intomainfrom
docs/add-agent-selection-guide
Jan 27, 2026
Merged

docs: Add comprehensive GSD agent selection guide#588
castrojo merged 2 commits intomainfrom
docs/add-agent-selection-guide

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@castrojo castrojo commented Jan 27, 2026

Summary

  • Adds .planning/AGENT-SELECTION-GUIDE.md with detailed guidance on choosing the right GSD agent for different tasks
  • Updates AGENTS.md with MANDATORY agent selection checkpoint protocol
  • Addresses user feedback: "having a hard time choosing an agent for each gsd task" and "make it so you always remind me when moving between gsd steps"

Contents

Decision Tree:

  • Quick flowchart to determine which agent to use

Agent Profiles:

  • gsd-debugger (bug investigation)
  • gsd-researcher (understanding implementation)
  • gsd-planner (task breakdown)
  • gsd-executor (systematic implementation)
  • quick task (simple changes)

Guidance:

  • When to use each agent with concrete examples
  • Red flags indicating wrong agent choice
  • Common patterns (Research → Plan → Execute)
  • Anti-patterns to avoid
  • Real session example: The module system disaster

Practical Tools:

  • Summary cheat sheet table
  • "When to just do it yourself" guidance
  • Tips for effective agent use

AGENTS.md Updates (CRITICAL)

Added new section at top of AGENTS.md requiring agents to:

Before starting GSD work:

  • Present agent recommendation with reasoning
  • List alternatives and when to use them
  • Ask user to confirm or choose different approach
  • Reference the agent selection guide

When transitioning between phases:

  • Summarize what was completed
  • Explain what's next
  • Recommend appropriate agent with reasoning
  • Provide example workflow context
  • Ask user to confirm or redirect

Key principles enforced:

  • ✅ ALWAYS pause to confirm agent choice
  • ✅ ALWAYS explain reasoning
  • ✅ ALWAYS offer alternatives
  • ❌ NEVER auto-spawn without confirmation

This ensures agents never proceed without user understanding and agreement on approach.

Real Example Documented

Includes detailed analysis of the recent "type": "module" incident:

  • What we should have done (use gsd-debugger to investigate)
  • What we actually did (trial and error)
  • How proper agent selection would have saved 1-2 hours

Target Audience

  • Developers working with GSD system
  • Anyone struggling to pick the right agent
  • Reference for future agent spawning decisions

Files Changed

  • .planning/AGENT-SELECTION-GUIDE.md - Comprehensive reference guide (new file)
  • AGENTS.md - Added mandatory checkpoint protocol at top

Add detailed guide to help choose the right GSD agent for different tasks:

- Quick decision tree for agent selection
- Detailed profiles for each agent (debugger, researcher, planner, executor, quick task)
- Red flags indicating wrong agent choice
- Common patterns and anti-patterns
- Real examples from recent work (module system fix)
- Cheat sheet for quick reference

This addresses difficulty in choosing appropriate agents for different
phases of work. Provides clear criteria and examples to maximize
efficiency and prevent context waste.

Location: .planning/AGENT-SELECTION-GUIDE.md
Add CRITICAL section requiring agents to always confirm agent choice
with user before spawning GSD agents.

Includes:
- Pre-work checkpoint template (explain choice, alternatives)
- Phase transition checkpoint template (show progress, recommend next)
- Key principles (always pause, explain, offer alternatives)
- Reference to .planning/AGENT-SELECTION-GUIDE.md

This ensures agents never auto-spawn without user confirmation and
always explain their reasoning for agent recommendations.

Addresses: 'make it so you always remind me when moving between gsd steps'
@castrojo castrojo merged commit dcdeacf into main Jan 27, 2026
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@castrojo castrojo deleted the docs/add-agent-selection-guide branch January 27, 2026 07:42
@castrojo castrojo added documentation Improvements or additions to documentation kind/documentation Improvements or additions to documentation labels Jan 28, 2026
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