YAML Agent Format

YAML Agent Format

Overview

Why YAML for Agents?

YAML provides an alternative format for defining Claude Code agents with several advantages:

Benefits:

• Machine-parseable: Easy to validate, transform, and generate programmatically
• Less verbose: No markdown headers, cleaner structure
• Schema validation: Strong typing with JSON Schema or Zod
• Tooling support: Better IDE autocomplete, linting, formatting
• Data-first: Natural for configuration management

Trade-offs:

• Less readable: Markdown is better for long-form documentation
• Indentation-sensitive: YAML whitespace can be error-prone
• No rich formatting: Can't use markdown tables, code blocks in descriptions

When to Use YAML vs Markdown

Use YAML when:

• Generating agents programmatically
• Agent definitions are data-heavy (many examples, tools, rules)
• You need strong schema validation
• Agent is simple and concise
• Working in automation/CI pipelines

Use Markdown when:

• Agent has extensive documentation needs
• You want rich formatting (tables, diagrams, code examples)
• Agent is tutorial-like with explanations
• Human readability is priority
• Agent includes narrative instructions

Compatibility with Claude Code

YAML agents are fully compatible with Claude Code:

• Placed in agents/ directory with .agent.yaml extension
• Registered in plugin.json identically to markdown agents
• Loaded and executed the same way
• Can mix YAML and markdown agents in same plugin

YAML Agent Schema

Complete Schema Definition

# Required fields
name: string                    # Agent name (kebab-case)
description: string             # Brief description (1-2 sentences)
version: string                 # Semver version (e.g., "1.0.0")

# Optional but recommended
role:
  identity: string              # Agent's role/identity
  expertise: string[]           # List of expertise areas
  mission: string               # Primary mission statement

tools: string[]                 # Available tools (Read, Write, Edit, Bash, etc.)

instructions:
  constraints: string[]         # Critical constraints/rules
  workflow:                     # Step-by-step workflow
    - phase: string             # Phase name
      objective: string         # Phase objective
      steps: string[]           # List of steps

knowledge:                      # Knowledge base entries
  - topic: string               # Knowledge topic
    content: string             # Knowledge content

examples:                       # Usage examples
  - name: string                # Example name
    user: string                # User message
    assistant: string           # Assistant response

formatting:
  style: string                 # Communication style
  templates:                    # Output templates
    success: string
    error: string

Field Details

Required Fields:

• name: Agent identifier (must match filename without extension)
• description: Shown in agent list, used for agent selection
• version: Semver for tracking changes

Role Section:

• identity: Who the agent is (e.g., "React Component Builder")
• expertise: Array of skills (e.g., ["React 19", "TypeScript", "Testing"])
• mission: What the agent does (e.g., "Build production-ready React components")

Tools Array: Standard Claude Code tools:

tools:
  - Read
  - Write
  - Edit
  - Bash
  - Glob
  - Grep

Workflow Structure:

instructions:
  workflow:
    - phase: "Phase 1: Discovery"
      objective: "Find relevant files"
      steps:
        - "Use Glob to find components"
        - "Use Grep to search for patterns"
        - "Read existing implementations"

YAML vs Markdown Comparison

Simple Agent: Side-by-Side

Markdown (simple-agent.md):

---
name: simple-agent
description: A simple example agent
version: 1.0.0
---

<role>
  <identity>Code Formatter</identity>
  <mission>Format code files according to standards</mission>
</role>

<instructions>
  1. Read the file
  2. Format using appropriate tool
  3. Write back to file
</instructions>

YAML (simple-agent.agent.yaml):

name: simple-agent
description: A simple example agent
version: 1.0.0

role:
  identity: Code Formatter
  mission: Format code files according to standards

instructions:
  workflow:
    - phase: Format
      steps:
        - Read the file
        - Format using appropriate tool
        - Write back to file

Complex Agent: Side-by-Side

Markdown (react-builder.md):

---
name: react-builder
description: Build React components with tests
version: 2.1.0
---

<role>
  <identity>React Component Builder</identity>
  <expertise>
    - React 19 with TypeScript
    - React Testing Library
    - Component patterns
  </expertise>
</role>

<instructions>
  <workflow>
    <phase number="1" name="Create Component">
      <steps>
        <step>Create component file with TypeScript types</step>
        <step>Implement component logic</step>
      </steps>
    </phase>
  </workflow>
</instructions>

<examples>
  <example name="Button Component">
    <user>Create a button component</user>
    <assistant>I'll create Button.tsx with props...</assistant>
  </example>
</examples>

YAML (react-builder.agent.yaml):

name: react-builder
description: Build React components with tests
version: 2.1.0

role:
  identity: React Component Builder
  expertise:
    - React 19 with TypeScript
    - React Testing Library
    - Component patterns

instructions:
  workflow:
    - phase: "Phase 1: Create Component"
      steps:
        - Create component file with TypeScript types
        - Implement component logic

examples:
  - name: Button Component
    user: Create a button component
    assistant: I'll create Button.tsx with props...

Key Difference: YAML is ~30% shorter for structured data.

Conversion Patterns

Markdown to YAML Conversion

Conversion Rules:

1. Extract frontmatter YAML as base
2. Parse XML-style tags to nested objects
3. Convert numbered lists to arrays
4. Flatten markdown formatting to plain strings

Example Conversion:

Input (Markdown):

---
name: test-agent
version: 1.0.0
---

<role>
  <identity>Tester</identity>
  <expertise>
    - Unit testing
    - Integration testing
  </expertise>
</role>

<instructions>
  <constraints>
    - Always write tests first
    - Use TypeScript
  </constraints>
</instructions>

Output (YAML):

name: test-agent
version: 1.0.0

role:
  identity: Tester
  expertise:
    - Unit testing
    - Integration testing

instructions:
  constraints:
    - Always write tests first
    - Use TypeScript

YAML to Markdown Conversion

Conversion Rules:

1. Create frontmatter from top-level fields
2. Convert nested objects to XML-style tags
3. Convert arrays to markdown lists
4. Wrap in appropriate markdown structure

Example Conversion:

Input (YAML):

name: docs-agent
version: 1.0.0
role:
  identity: Documentation Writer
  mission: Create comprehensive docs

Output (Markdown):

---
name: docs-agent
version: 1.0.0
---

<role>
  <identity>Documentation Writer</identity>
  <mission>Create comprehensive docs</mission>
</role>

Automated Conversion Tools

TypeScript Conversion Function:

import yaml from 'yaml';
import { z } from 'zod';

// Convert markdown agent to YAML
function markdownToYaml(markdownPath: string): string {
  const content = fs.readFileSync(markdownPath, 'utf-8');

  // Extract frontmatter
  const frontmatterMatch = content.match(/^---\n([\s\S]*?)\n---/);
  const frontmatter = yaml.parse(frontmatterMatch?.[1] || '');

  // Parse XML-like tags
  const role = extractRoleSection(content);
  const instructions = extractInstructionsSection(content);

  const agent = {
    ...frontmatter,
    role,
    instructions
  };

  return yaml.stringify(agent);
}

// Convert YAML agent to markdown
function yamlToMarkdown(yamlPath: string): string {
  const content = fs.readFileSync(yamlPath, 'utf-8');
  const agent = yaml.parse(content);

  const { name, description, version, role, instructions, ...rest } = agent;

  let md = `---\n${yaml.stringify({ name, description, version })}---\n\n`;

  if (role) {
    md += `<role>\n${objectToXml(role)}</role>\n\n`;
  }

  if (instructions) {
    md += `<instructions>\n${objectToXml(instructions)}</instructions>\n\n`;
  }

  return md;
}

Validation

Schema Validation with Zod

Define Zod Schema:

import { z } from 'zod';

const AgentSchema = z.object({
  name: z.string().regex(/^[a-z0-9-]+$/),
  description: z.string().min(10).max(200),
  version: z.string().regex(/^\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/),

  role: z.object({
    identity: z.string(),
    expertise: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
    mission: z.string()
  }).optional(),

  tools: z.array(z.enum([
    'Read', 'Write', 'Edit', 'Bash', 'Glob', 'Grep'
  ])).optional(),

  instructions: z.object({
    constraints: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
    workflow: z.array(z.object({
      phase: z.string(),
      objective: z.string().optional(),
      steps: z.array(z.string())
    })).optional()
  }).optional(),

  examples: z.array(z.object({
    name: z.string(),
    user: z.string(),
    assistant: z.string()
  })).optional()
});

// Validate YAML agent
function validateAgent(yamlPath: string): boolean {
  const content = fs.readFileSync(yamlPath, 'utf-8');
  const agent = yaml.parse(content);

  try {
    AgentSchema.parse(agent);
    return true;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Validation failed:', error);
    return false;
  }
}

Common Validation Errors

1. Invalid Name Format:

# BAD
name: "My Agent"  # Spaces not allowed

# GOOD
name: my-agent

2. Missing Required Fields:

# BAD - missing version
name: test-agent
description: Test agent

# GOOD
name: test-agent
description: Test agent
version: 1.0.0

3. Invalid Semver:

# BAD
version: "1.0"  # Not semver

# GOOD
version: "1.0.0"

4. Invalid Tool Names:

# BAD
tools:
  - ReadFile  # Wrong name

# GOOD
tools:
  - Read
  - Write

5. Incorrect Array Format:

# BAD
expertise: Unit testing, Integration testing

# GOOD
expertise:
  - Unit testing
  - Integration testing

Validation Tools

CLI Validator:

# Create validation script
cat > validate-agent.ts <<'EOF'
#!/usr/bin/env bun
import { AgentSchema } from './agent-schema';
import yaml from 'yaml';

const file = process.argv[2];
const content = await Bun.file(file).text();
const agent = yaml.parse(content);

const result = AgentSchema.safeParse(agent);
if (result.success) {
  console.log('✓ Valid agent definition');
} else {
  console.error('✗ Validation errors:');
  result.error.issues.forEach(issue => {
    console.error(`  - ${issue.path.join('.')}: ${issue.message}`);
  });
  process.exit(1);
}
EOF

chmod +x validate-agent.ts

# Usage
./validate-agent.ts agents/my-agent.agent.yaml

File Naming

YAML Agent Naming Convention

Format: {agent-name}.agent.yaml

Examples:

• code-reviewer.agent.yaml
• react-builder.agent.yaml
• test-generator.agent.yaml

Rules:

• Use .agent.yaml extension (not .yaml or .yml)
• Name must match the name field in YAML
• Use kebab-case for names
• Place in agents/ directory

Directory Structure

plugin-name/
├── agents/
│   ├── builder.agent.yaml       # YAML agent
│   ├── reviewer.md              # Markdown agent
│   └── tester.agent.yaml        # YAML agent
├── plugin.json
└── README.md

Plugin.json Registration

Register YAML agents identically to markdown agents:

{
  "name": "my-plugin",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "agents": [
    {
      "name": "builder",
      "file": "agents/builder.agent.yaml",
      "description": "Build components"
    },
    {
      "name": "reviewer",
      "file": "agents/reviewer.md",
      "description": "Review code"
    }
  ]
}

Note: Claude Code detects format from file extension.

Best Practices

Do

• Use YAML for data-heavy agents with many examples
• Validate YAML syntax before committing
• Keep descriptions concise (YAML has no rich formatting)
• Use consistent indentation (2 spaces recommended)
• Add comments for complex sections
• Version agents with semver
• Test agent loading after creation

Don't

• Don't mix tabs and spaces in YAML
• Don't use YAML for agents with extensive documentation
• Don't forget required fields (name, description, version)
• Don't use complex YAML features (anchors, aliases) - keep it simple
• Don't embed long code examples (use markdown for that)
• Don't use special characters in names without quoting

When YAML is Better

YAML excels for:

• Agents with many structured examples
• Programmatic agent generation
• Configuration-heavy agents
• Agents used in automation
• Simple, data-focused agents
• Agents needing strong validation

Example use case:

# API endpoint agent with 20+ examples
name: api-endpoint-generator
examples:
  - name: GET endpoint
    user: Create GET /users
    assistant: "..."
  - name: POST endpoint
    user: Create POST /users
    assistant: "..."
  # 18 more examples...

When Markdown is Better

Markdown excels for:

• Agents with extensive tutorials
• Agents with rich formatting needs
• Agents requiring code examples with syntax highlighting
• Agents with diagrams or tables
• Human-focused documentation
• Narrative instructions

Example use case:

## Complex Workflow Explanation

This agent follows a sophisticated workflow...

| Phase | Duration | Tools |
|-------|----------|-------|
| Discovery | 5 min | Grep, Glob |

```typescript
// Example implementation
const component = buildComponent();

---

## Examples

### Example 1: Simple Code Formatter

**File:** `agents/formatter.agent.yaml`

```yaml
name: formatter
description: Format code files according to project standards
version: 1.0.0

role:
  identity: Code Formatter
  mission: Ensure consistent code formatting across the project

tools:
  - Read
  - Write
  - Bash

instructions:
  constraints:
    - Always backup files before formatting
    - Use project-specific formatter configuration
    - Preserve file permissions

  workflow:
    - phase: Read and Analyze
      objective: Understand file and detect language
      steps:
        - Read the target file
        - Detect programming language from extension
        - Check for project formatter config

    - phase: Format
      objective: Apply formatting
      steps:
        - Run appropriate formatter (prettier, black, gofmt)
        - Capture formatted output

    - phase: Write
      objective: Save formatted file
      steps:
        - Write formatted content back to file
        - Report formatting changes

formatting:
  style: Concise and direct
  templates:
    success: "Formatted {file} ({changes} changes)"
    error: "Failed to format {file}: {reason}"

Example 2: Complex React Component Builder

File: agents/react-builder.agent.yaml

name: react-builder
description: Build production-ready React components with TypeScript and tests
version: 2.1.0

role:
  identity: React Component Architect
  expertise:
    - React 19 with TypeScript
    - React Testing Library
    - Component composition patterns
    - Accessibility (a11y)
    - Performance optimization
  mission: Create maintainable, tested, accessible React components

tools:
  - Read
  - Write
  - Edit
  - Bash
  - Glob
  - Grep

instructions:
  constraints:
    - Always use TypeScript strict mode
    - Export component as named export
    - Include JSDoc comments for props
    - Follow project naming conventions
    - Add accessibility attributes

  workflow:
    - phase: "Phase 1: Discovery"
      objective: Understand existing patterns
      steps:
        - Use Glob to find similar components
        - Use Grep to search for patterns
        - Read component examples

    - phase: "Phase 2: Create Component"
      objective: Write component file
      steps:
        - Define TypeScript props interface
        - Implement component with hooks
        - Add error boundaries if needed
        - Include accessibility attributes

    - phase: "Phase 3: Create Tests"
      objective: Write comprehensive tests
      steps:
        - Create test file with RTL
        - Test rendering
        - Test user interactions
        - Test accessibility

    - phase: "Phase 4: Validate"
      objective: Run quality checks
      steps:
        - Run TypeScript compiler
        - Run tests
        - Check formatting

examples:
  - name: Button Component
    user: Create a button component with loading state
    assistant: |
      I'll create a Button component with TypeScript props and loading state.
      Creating Button.tsx with type-safe props and Button.test.tsx with RTL tests.

  - name: Form Input
    user: Build a form input with validation
    assistant: |
      Creating FormInput component with validation, error display, and accessibility.
      Including tests for validation logic and error states.

formatting:
  style: Professional and detailed
  templates:
    success: |
      Component created successfully:
      - {component}.tsx ({lines} lines)
      - {component}.test.tsx ({tests} tests)
      All quality checks passed.

Example 3: Conversion from Markdown

Before (Markdown):

---
name: test-generator
description: Generate tests for existing code
version: 1.0.0
---

<role>
  <identity>Test Generator</identity>
</role>

<instructions>
  1. Read source file
  2. Generate test cases
  3. Write test file
</instructions>

After (YAML):

name: test-generator
description: Generate tests for existing code
version: 1.0.0

role:
  identity: Test Generator

instructions:
  workflow:
    - phase: Generate Tests
      steps:
        - Read source file
        - Generate test cases
        - Write test file

Summary

YAML agents provide a cleaner, more structured alternative to markdown for agent definitions:

Key Benefits:

• Machine-parseable with schema validation
• Less verbose for structured data
• Better tooling support (autocomplete, linting)
• Ideal for programmatic generation

Use YAML when:

• Agent is data-heavy (many examples, rules)
• You need strong validation
• Agent is simple and concise
• Working in automation pipelines

Use Markdown when:

• Agent has extensive documentation
• You need rich formatting
• Human readability is priority

Both formats are fully compatible with Claude Code and can be mixed within the same plugin.

Source: MadAppGang/magus — distributed by TomeVault.