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manual page/ Reference

Agent guides

sourceSource: suspec/docs/reference/agent-guides.mdModified: 2026-06-30
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Agent guides are optional instruction packs.

The task packet is still the contract.

Kit core

The starter kit's always-core loop guides:

GuideUse
write-specwrite or amend specs
implement-taskrun task packets
review-outputreview worker output

Kit authoring guides

Also kit-shipped (Suspec-coupled → the kit, ADR-0112) — install only what the workspace uses:

GuideUse
write-auditpresent-state audit
write-inventorybrownfield inventory
write-change-planstructural change plan
write-researchsource-backed inquiry
write-bug-reportdefect diagnosis
write-prdproduct requirements
write-rfcproposal
spec-checkspec review
split-worktask decomposition
save-findingsclose and promotion

Implementation depth (opt-in)

Kit skills that implement a task packet of a given kind — Suspec-coupled, summoned as the work needs them (ADR-0112):

GuideUse
write-featurenet-new behavior
write-fixa reproduced defect, root cause
write-refactorrestructure, behavior held
write-rewritedeliberate behavior change
write-migrationAPI A → B, green per wave
write-performancea measured bottleneck
write-testingtests as the deliverable
write-documentationhuman-facing docs

Universal catalog (suspec-skills)

Framework-free skills, installable in any repo with no Suspec knowledge (ADR-0112) — load alongside the work:

  • Stances: persona-challenger, persona-surveyor
  • Disciplines: adversarial-review (the review style — also carries the former persona-skeptic stance), codebase-exploration, debugging, security-review, git-pr, planning-spec, empirical-proof, concise-output, fix-flaky-test

One-to-one authoring stances are folded into their kit guides. Do not maintain duplicate copies.

Guide rules

A guide:

  • states when it applies
  • states when it does not apply
  • loads only needed references
  • is self-contained enough to run
  • points to templates instead of copying long templates
  • avoids hidden sibling dependencies

Progressive disclosure

Keep the main guide small.

Put detail in referenced files only when:

  • not every task needs it
  • the guide names when to load it
  • the reference is directly linked

An unreferenced file is dead weight.

Authoring checklist

Before adding a guide:

  • name the user task it serves
  • prove no existing guide owns it
  • decide if it is kit, workspace, or catalog material
  • give it a clear activation description
  • remove duplicate rules from nearby guides

Starter kit: Set up a workspace