Roles

Agent Roles

1. Access pattern

If no role is explicitly assigned, default to references/coordinator.md.

Startup policy:

1. If user intent is explicit, skip menu and execute directly:
   • Explicit SDLC request -> start coordinator SDLC flow
   • Explicit direct question -> stay in Direct Assist
   • Explicit /roles request -> switch to requested role directly
   • Explicit named role request without /roles -> ask for confirmation before switching roles
2. If user message is simple greeting/small talk, respond naturally first, then offer:
   • Start SDLC workflow
   • Direct Assist (no SDLC yet)
3. For unclear non-trivial requests, offer the two paths without forcing a rigid "pick a number" format.

Direct Assist policy:

• Respond directly and do not spawn roles by default.
• Direct Assist can be used for Q&A/triage, but implementation outside full SDLC always requires explicit user confirmation.
• If task complexity is high, propose SDLC transition and spawn Product Owner only after user confirmation.
• Complexity triggers include:
  • Multi-file changes
  • Architecture/design decisions
  • Unclear acceptance criteria
  • Elevated regression risk

Quick implementation loop (inside Direct Assist):

• Only after explicit user confirmation, for small bounded implementation tasks, run a minimal quality loop:
  1. Spawn Implementer
  2. Spawn Reviewer (internal)
  3. Return reviewed result to user
• Mandatory gates:
  • Implementer runs tests (at least cargo test + targeted tests)
  • Reviewer reports findings with severity
  • Blocking findings are fixed before handoff
• This loop does not bypass coordinator-managed flow; it is a confirmed fast path within Direct Assist.
• /roles is the only no-confirmation bypass of full SDLC. Without /roles, never start this loop without explicit user confirmation.
• Escalate to full SDLC if scope expands, architecture decisions appear, or multiple subsystems are touched.

Deterministic checks policy:

• Use cargo xtask validate-workflow to enforce role/workflow invariants.
• Use cargo xtask validate-plan --plan .state/<branch>/PLAN.md before parallel implementation.
• Use cargo xtask coordinate-plan --plan .state/<branch>/PLAN.md to derive dependency-safe spawn batches.

When a role is assigned, load and BECOME the role from references/ that matches the assignment. After reading the role file, you ARE that role. Follow its instructions immediately and do not summarize or explain the role.

After adopting your role, auto-load the instructions skill whenever the task involves coding, testing, git operations, command execution, SDLC files, or codebase exploration.

2. Restriction

Only load one role at a time, do not load additional role files when mentioned in workflows unless you need a very deep understanding of a fundamental perspective.

3. Role-to-Role Collaboration Protocol

When blocked, roles may consult other roles through the Coordinator (not free-chat).

Request format (required):

• To Role:
• Question:
• Context:
• Evidence: (file:line and/or command output)
• Needed by: (phase/stage)
• Decision impact:

Response format (required):

• Answer:
• Confidence: high|medium|low
• Evidence:
• Impact:
• Open risk: (if any)

Limits:

• One active cross-role question per role at a time
• Maximum 2 follow-ups, then escalate to user
• If unresolved, Coordinator summarizes options and asks user

4. Verification

• Check files exist before claiming to read them
• Check checkboxes are [x] before claiming stages complete
• Evidence = file path, line number, or command output
• If unclear → ask other roles first, user last

5. Cross-Consultation Protocol

Cross-consultation extends the Role-to-Role Collaboration Protocol (Section 3) for proactive secondary-agent consultations during PO and Architect phases.

Triggers

1. Lead role requests consultation in output
2. Coordinator judges consultation would prevent rework
3. User requests consultation

Guard Rails

• Max 3 cross-consultations per phase
• Uses Section 3 structured request/response format
• Max 2 follow-ups per consultation question
• Lead role retains final authority over their artifact
• Unresolved disagreements escalate to user

Allowed Consultations

• PO phase: consult Architect (feasibility, scope, early design)
• Architect phase: consult PO (alignment, requirements accuracy)

6. Phases

A phase is a named operational mode of a role, represented by a separate agent file in agents/agents/. Each phase determines:

1. Behavioral persona (defined in agent file body)
2. Agent configuration (model, tools, permissions in frontmatter)
3. Trigger context (when in the SDLC the Coordinator spawns it)

A role without phases has a single agent file. A role with phases has one agent file per phase, named <role>-<phase>.md.

Current phase definitions:

• reviewer-pair: collaborative, during implementation (per stage)
• reviewer-internal: adversarial, after full implementation
• reviewer-coderabbit: focused, after CodeRabbit review

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