## Overview
Major enhancement to edit-agent workflow to match create-agent quality standards, plus critical addition of Expert agent sidecar file support and consolidation of validation checklists into single source of truth.
## 1. edit-agent Workflow Comprehensive Enhancement
### Documentation Reference Updates (workflow.yaml)
**Fixed all broken references** - replaced deleted docs with new comprehensive guides:
- ❌ Removed: agent-types.md, agent-architecture.md, agent-command-patterns.md, communication-styles.md
- ✅ Added structured references:
* Core Concepts: understanding_agent_types, agent_compilation
* Architecture Guides: simple_architecture, expert_architecture, module_architecture
* Design Patterns: menu_patterns, communication_presets, brainstorm_context
* Reference Agents: commit-poet, journal-keeper, module examples, BMM agents
### Critical Persona Field Guidance Added (instructions.md +59 lines)
**The #1 issue in legacy agents** - comprehensive guidance on persona field separation:
- Explains how LLMs interpret each field:
* role → "What knowledge/skills/capabilities do I possess?"
* identity → "What background/experience/context shapes my responses?"
* communication_style → "What verbal patterns/word choice do I use?"
* principles → "What beliefs/philosophy drive my choices?"
- BEFORE/AFTER examples showing common mistakes
- Red flag word detection guide (ensures, experienced, believes in, etc.)
- Pure communication style examples from reference agents
### Enhanced Step 1: Analysis (instructions.md +57 lines)
- References all new comprehensive documentation
- **CRITICAL: Persona field separation analysis**
* Checks for behaviors/role/identity mixed into communication_style
* Compares against communication_presets for purity
* Compares against reference agents for quality
- Warm, conversational feedback explaining issues found
### Massive Step 3 Enhancement: Communication Style Refinement (+122 lines)
**7-step prescriptive pattern for fixing the #1 quality issue:**
1. Diagnose Current Communication Style - red flag word detection
2. Extract Non-Style Content - working copy methodology
3. Discover TRUE Communication Style - interview questions + preset exploration
4. Craft Pure Communication Style - good/bad examples from references
5. Show Before/After With Full Context - complete transformation
6. Validate Against Standards - zero red flags, compare to presets/references
7. Confirm With User - explain changes, read dramatically, refine
Examples from actual reference agents:
- "Treats analysis like a treasure hunt - excited by every clue" (Mary/analyst)
- "Ultra-succinct. Speaks in file paths and AC IDs" (Amelia/dev)
- "Poetic drama and flair with every turn of a phrase" (commit-poet)
### Legacy Type Migration Pattern (+42 lines)
**Comprehensive guide for full/hybrid/standalone → Simple/Expert/Module migration:**
- Clear explanations of modern types (architecture, NOT capability)
- Migration patterns with decision tree
- Structural conversion guides (Simple ↔ Expert)
- Module = design intent clarification
### Enhanced Validation (Step 4)
- Persona field separation validation emphasized
- Updated success message with all quality standards
- Comprehensive checklist validation
### Complete README Documentation (200 lines created)
- Purpose emphasizing persona field separation as #1 issue
- 14 common editing scenarios (persona separation listed FIRST)
- Complete doc reference listing by category
- Dedicated "Critical: Persona Field Separation" section
- Red flag words guide
- 3 detailed usage scenarios
- Quality standards checklist
## 2. Expert Agent Sidecar File Support (NEW)
### Step 1: Smart Path Detection and Loading (+35 lines)
**Automatically detects and loads based on path type:**
```yaml
If path is .agent.yaml → Simple Agent (load single file)
If path is folder → Expert Agent:
- Load .agent.yaml from inside folder
- Load ALL sidecar files (*.md, *.txt, *.csv, *.json, *.yaml)
- Create inventory for reference
- Present: "Loaded agent.yaml + 5 sidecar files: [list]"
```
**Sidecar analysis:**
- Maps which menu items reference which sidecar files (tmpl="path", data="path")
- Checks if all sidecar references actually exist
- Identifies unused/orphaned sidecar files
- Assesses sidecar organization
**Warm expert agent feedback:**
"This is beautifully organized as an Expert agent! The sidecar files include 3 journal templates (daily, weekly, breakthrough) and a mood-patterns knowledge file. Your menu items reference them nicely. I do notice 'old-template.md' isn't referenced anywhere - we could clean that up."
### Step 3: Sidecar Editing Patterns (+47 lines)
**5 complete sidecar editing scenarios:**
1. **Updating templates** - Edit content, verify references work, test variables
2. **Adding new sidecar files** - Create file + add menu item with reference
3. **Removing unused sidecar files** - Confirm unused, ask to delete, clean references
4. **Reorganizing sidecar structure** - Move files, update ALL YAML references
5. **Updating knowledge base files** - Edit .csv/.json/.yaml data directly
**Critical mindset:** "Sidecar files are as much a part of the agent as the YAML!"
### Step 4: Sidecar Validation (+16 lines)
**Conversational validation:**
- "Your menu item 'daily-journal' references 'templates/daily.md'... checking... ✓ exists!"
- Check for orphaned files not referenced anywhere
- Verify sidecar file formats (YAML parses, CSV has headers, markdown well-formed)
- Success message: "✓ All sidecar file references valid - 5 sidecar files, all referenced correctly!"
### README Updates
- "What You'll Need" distinguishes Simple vs Expert paths
- Scenario 2b: Complete Expert agent editing example (journal-keeper template update)
- Updated common scenarios list
## 3. Unified Validation Checklist (Single Source of Truth)
### Problem Solved
- create-agent had outdated checklist (62 lines, no persona field separation)
- edit-agent had enhanced checklist (112 lines, with our improvements)
- Risk of drift and inconsistency between workflows
### Solution: agent-validation-checklist.md (160 lines)
**Canonical location:** `/src/modules/bmb/workflows/create-agent/`
**Comprehensive coverage combining best of both:**
- YAML structure validation
- **Persona field separation** (field separation check, purity check, quality benchmarking)
- Menu validation (including sidecar file path validation)
- Type-specific validation (Simple/Expert/Module)
- Compilation validation
- Common issues and fixes section
**Key sections:**
- Persona Validation (CRITICAL - #1 Quality Issue)
* Field Separation Check (what belongs where)
* Communication Style Purity Check (red flag word detection)
* Quality Benchmarking (compare to presets and references)
- Expert Agent validation (9 sidecar-specific checks)
- Module Agent validation (design intent verification)
- Common Issues and Fixes (real examples with solutions)
### References Updated
**create-agent/workflow.yaml:**
```yaml
validation: "{installed_path}/agent-validation-checklist.md"
```
**edit-agent/workflow.yaml:**
```yaml
# Shared validation checklist (canonical location in create-agent folder)
validation: "{project-root}/{bmad_folder}/bmb/workflows/create-agent/agent-validation-checklist.md"
```
**edit-agent/instructions.md:**
```xml
<note>The validation checklist is shared between create-agent and edit-agent workflows to ensure consistent quality standards.</note>
```
### Files Changed
- ✅ Created: agent-validation-checklist.md (160 lines)
- ❌ Deleted: create-agent/checklist.md (62 lines)
- ❌ Deleted: edit-agent/checklist.md (112 lines)
- Updated: Both workflow.yaml files to reference unified checklist
## Statistics
**Overall changes:** 6 files changed, +553 insertions, -264 deletions
**edit-agent enhancements:**
- instructions.md: +396 lines (comprehensive guidance)
- README.md: +213 lines (complete documentation)
- workflow.yaml: +32 lines (proper doc references)
**Validation unification:**
- Net result: Better quality, less duplication, easier maintenance
- Single source of truth for all agent validation
## Impact
### For Users Editing Agents
- Automatically detects and handles Expert agents with sidecar files
- Clear guidance on fixing #1 issue (persona field separation)
- 7-step prescriptive pattern for communication style refinement
- Warm, educational feedback throughout
- Validates against same standards as create-agent
### For Agent Quality
- Both create and edit workflows use same validation standards
- Persona field separation gets proper attention
- Expert agent sidecar files treated as first-class citizens
- Legacy agents can be migrated to modern standards
- All agents validated against reference implementations
### For Maintenance
- ONE checklist to maintain instead of two
- Consistent quality standards across workflows
- Documentation properly linked to new comprehensive guides
- No risk of checklist drift
This brings edit-agent to the same quality level as create-agent while adding critical Expert agent support and establishing single source of truth for validation.
## Overview
This commit represents a complete overhaul of the BMAD agent creation system, establishing clear standards for agent development, installation workflows, and persona design. The changes span documentation, tooling, reference implementations, and field-specific guidance.
## Key Components
### 1. Agent Installation Infrastructure
**New CLI Command: `agent-install`**
- Interactive agent installation with persona customization
- Supports Simple (single YAML), Expert (sidecar files), and Module agents
- Template variable processing with Handlebars-style syntax
- Automatic compilation from YAML to XML (.md) format
- Manifest tracking and IDE integration (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.)
- Source preservation in `_cfg/custom/agents/` for reinstallation
**Files Created:**
- `tools/cli/commands/agent-install.js` - Main CLI command
- `tools/cli/lib/agent/compiler.js` - YAML to XML compilation engine
- `tools/cli/lib/agent/installer.js` - Installation orchestration
- `tools/cli/lib/agent/template-engine.js` - Handlebars template processing
**Compiler Features:**
- Auto-injects frontmatter, activation, handlers, help/exit menu items
- Smart handler inclusion (only includes action/workflow/exec/tmpl handlers actually used)
- Proper XML escaping and formatting
- Persona name customization (e.g., "Fred the Commit Poet")
### 2. Documentation Overhaul
**Deleted Bloated/Outdated Docs (2,651 lines removed):**
- Old verbose architecture docs
- Redundant pattern files
- Outdated workflow guides
**Created Focused, Type-Specific Docs:**
- `src/modules/bmb/docs/understanding-agent-types.md` - Architecture vs capability distinction
- `src/modules/bmb/docs/simple-agent-architecture.md` - Self-contained agents
- `src/modules/bmb/docs/expert-agent-architecture.md` - Agents with sidecar files
- `src/modules/bmb/docs/module-agent-architecture.md` - Workflow-integrated agents
- `src/modules/bmb/docs/agent-compilation.md` - YAML → XML process
- `src/modules/bmb/docs/agent-menu-patterns.md` - Menu design patterns
- `src/modules/bmb/docs/index.md` - Documentation hub
**Net Result:** ~1,930 line reduction while adding MORE value through focused content
### 3. Create-Agent Workflow Enhancements
**Critical Persona Field Guidance Added to Step 4:**
Explains how the LLM interprets each persona field when the agent activates:
- **role** → "What knowledge, skills, and capabilities do I possess?"
- **identity** → "What background, experience, and context shape my responses?"
- **communication_style** → "What verbal patterns, word choice, quirks, and phrasing do I use?"
- **principles** → "What beliefs and operating philosophy drive my choices?"
**Key Insight:** `communication_style` should ONLY describe HOW the agent talks, not restate role/identity/principles. The `communication-presets.csv` provides 60 pure communication styles with NO role/identity/principles mixed in.
**Files Updated:**
- `src/modules/bmb/workflows/create-agent/instructions.md` - Added persona field interpretation guide
- `src/modules/bmb/workflows/create-agent/brainstorm-context.md` - Refined to 137 lines
- `src/modules/bmb/workflows/create-agent/communication-presets.csv` - 60 styles across 13 categories
### 4. Reference Agent Cleanup
**Removed install_config Personality Bloat:**
Understanding: Future installer will handle personality customization, so stripped all personality toggles from reference agents.
**commit-poet.agent.yaml** (Simple Agent):
- BEFORE: 36 personality combinations (3 enthusiasm × 3 depths × 4 styles) = decision fatigue
- AFTER: Single concise persona with pure communication style
- Changed from verbose conditionals to: "Poetic drama and flair with every turn of a phrase. I transform mundane commits into lyrical masterpieces, finding beauty in your code's evolution."
- Reduction: 248 lines → 153 lines (38% reduction)
**journal-keeper.agent.yaml** (Expert Agent):
- Stripped install_config, simplified communication_style
- Shows proper Expert agent structure with sidecar files
**security-engineer.agent.yaml & trend-analyst.agent.yaml** (Module Agents):
- Added header comments explaining WHY Module Agent (design intent, not just location)
- Clarified: Module agents are designed FOR ecosystem integration, not capability-limited
**Files Updated:**
- `src/modules/bmb/reference/agents/simple-examples/commit-poet.agent.yaml`
- `src/modules/bmb/reference/agents/expert-examples/journal-keeper/journal-keeper.agent.yaml`
- `src/modules/bmb/reference/agents/module-examples/security-engineer.agent.yaml`
- `src/modules/bmb/reference/agents/module-examples/trend-analyst.agent.yaml`
### 5. BMM Agent Voice Enhancement
**Gave all 9 BMM agents distinct, memorable communication voices:**
**Mary (analyst)** - The favorite! Changed from generic "systematic and probing" to:
"Treats analysis like a treasure hunt - excited by every clue, thrilled when patterns emerge. Asks questions that spark 'aha!' moments while structuring insights with precision."
**Other Notable Voices:**
- **John (pm):** "Asks 'WHY?' relentlessly like a detective on a case. Direct and data-sharp, cuts through fluff to what actually matters."
- **Winston (architect):** "Speaks in calm, pragmatic tones, balancing 'what could be' with 'what should be.' Champions boring technology that actually works."
- **Amelia (dev):** "Ultra-succinct. Speaks in file paths and AC IDs - every statement citable. No fluff, all precision."
- **Bob (sm):** "Crisp and checklist-driven. Every word has a purpose, every requirement crystal clear. Zero tolerance for ambiguity."
- **Sally (ux-designer):** "Paints pictures with words, telling user stories that make you FEEL the problem. Empathetic advocate with creative storytelling flair."
**Pattern Applied:** Moved behaviors from communication_style to principles, keeping communication_style as PURE verbal patterns.
**Files Updated:**
- `src/modules/bmm/agents/analyst.agent.yaml`
- `src/modules/bmm/agents/pm.agent.yaml`
- `src/modules/bmm/agents/architect.agent.yaml`
- `src/modules/bmm/agents/dev.agent.yaml`
- `src/modules/bmm/agents/sm.agent.yaml`
- `src/modules/bmm/agents/tea.agent.yaml`
- `src/modules/bmm/agents/tech-writer.agent.yaml`
- `src/modules/bmm/agents/ux-designer.agent.yaml`
- `src/modules/bmm/agents/frame-expert.agent.yaml`
### 6. Linting Fixes
**ESLint Compliance:**
- Replaced all `'utf-8'` with `'utf8'` (unicorn/text-encoding-identifier-case)
- Changed `variables.hasOwnProperty(varName)` to `Object.hasOwn(variables, varName)` (unicorn/prefer-object-has-own)
- Replaced `JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(...))` with `structuredClone(...)` (unicorn/prefer-structured-clone)
- Fixed empty YAML mapping values in sample files
**Files Fixed:**
- 7 JavaScript files across agent tooling (compiler, installer, commands, IDE integration)
- 1 YAML sample file
## Architecture Decisions
### Agent Types Are About Architecture, Not Capability
- **Simple:** Self-contained in single YAML (NOT limited in capability)
- **Expert:** Includes sidecar files (templates, docs, etc.)
- **Module:** Designed for BMAD ecosystem integration (workflows, cross-agent coordination)
### Persona Field Separation Critical for LLM Interpretation
The LLM needs distinct fields to understand its role:
- Mixing role/identity/principles into communication_style confuses the persona
- Pure communication styles (from communication-presets.csv) have ZERO role/identity/principles content
- Example DON'T: "Experienced analyst who uses systematic approaches..." (mixing identity + style)
- Example DO: "Systematic and probing. Structures findings hierarchically." (pure style)
### Install-Time vs Runtime Configuration
- Template variables ({{var}}) resolve at compile-time
- Runtime variables ({user_name}, {bmad_folder}) resolve when agent activates
- Future installer will handle personality customization, so agents should ship with single default persona
## Testing
- All linting passes (ESLint with max-warnings=0)
- Agent compilation tested with commit-poet, journal-keeper examples
- Install workflow validated with Simple and Expert agent types
- Manifest tracking and IDE integration verified
## Impact
This establishes BMAD as having a complete, production-ready agent creation and installation system with:
- Clear documentation for all agent types
- Automated compilation and installation
- Strong persona design guidance
- Reference implementations showing best practices
- Distinct, memorable agent voices throughout BMM module
Co-Authored-By: BMad Builder <builder@bmad.dev>
Co-Authored-By: Mary the Analyst <analyst@bmad.dev>
Co-Authored-By: Paige the Tech Writer <tech-writer@bmad.dev>
## Summary
- Add ide-only and web-only boolean fields to agent menu schema
- Filter menu items based on build target (web bundle vs local IDE)
- Update BMM agent definitions with platform restrictions and improved descriptions
- Update frame-expert agent icon to 📐 and add webskip flag
## Changes
### Schema & Bundler Updates
- tools/schema/agent.js: Add ide-only and web-only optional boolean fields
- tools/cli/lib/yaml-xml-builder.js: Filter ide-only items from web bundles
- tools/cli/lib/xml-handler.js: Pass forWebBundle flag through build chain
### Agent Updates
- frame-expert: Change icon to 📐, add webskip flag, improve principle formatting
- pm: Mark workflow-init and correct-course as ide-only, advanced-elicitation as web-only
- ux-designer: Rename trigger to create-ux-design, mark advanced-elicitation as web-only
- sm: Rename triggers for consistency (story-context → create-story-context)
- analyst: Add research workflow after brainstorm, mark advanced-elicitation as web-only
- architect: Remove document field from validate-architecture, add web-only flag
- dev: Update persona and critical actions for clarity
- tech-writer: Add party-mode workflow, mark advanced-elicitation as web-only
- tea: Mark advanced-elicitation as web-only
- All agents: Standardize party-mode description
This enables platform-specific functionality where some commands only make sense
in IDE environments (workflow-init) or web interfaces (advanced-elicitation).
* feat: add frame-expert agent definition
- Add frame-expert.agent.yaml with persona and workflow menu
- Agent specializes in Excalidraw visual representations
- Supports flowcharts, diagrams, dataflows, and wireframes
Closes#890
* feat: add frame-expert workflows and shared resources
- Add 4 workflows: create-flowchart, create-diagram, create-dataflow, create-wireframe
- Include shared Excalidraw helpers, library, templates, and validation
- Each workflow has instructions, checklist, and workflow.yaml
Related to #890
* feat: register frame-expert workflows in manifest
- Add create-flowchart workflow entry
- Add create-diagram workflow entry
- Add create-dataflow workflow entry
- Add create-wireframe workflow entry
Related to #890
* feat: integrate frame-expert into team configurations
- Add frame-expert to default-party.csv with full agent details
- Add frame-expert to team-fullstack.yaml agent list
- Frame-expert now available in fullstack team workflows
Related to #890
- Installation path is now fully configurable, allowing users to specify custom installation directories during setup
- Default installation location changed to .bmad (hidden directory) for cleaner project root organization
Web Bundle Improvements:
- All web bundles (single agent and team) now include party mode support for multi-agent collaboration!
- Advanced elicitation capabilities integrated into standalone agents
- All bundles enhanced with party mode agent manifests
- Added default-party.csv files to bmm, bmgd, and cis module teams
- The default party file is what will be used with single agent bundles. teams can customize for different party configurations before web bundling through a setting in the team yaml file
- New web bundle outputs for all agents (analyst, architect, dev, pm, sm, tea, tech-writer, ux-designer, game-*, creative-squad)
Phase 4 Workflow Updates (In Progress):
- Initiated shift to separate phase 4 implementation artifacts from documentation
- Phase 4 implementation artifacts (stories, code review, sprint plan, context files) will move to dedicated location outside docs folder
- Installer questions and configuration added for artifact path selection
- Updated workflow.yaml files for code-review, sprint-planning, story-context, epic-tech-context, and retrospective workflows to support this, but still might require some udpates
Additional Changes:
- New agent and action command header models for standardization
- Enhanced web-bundle-activation-steps fragment
- Updated web-bundler.js to support new structure
- VS Code settings updated for new .bmad directory
- Party mode instructions and workflow enhanced for better orchestration
IDE Installer Updates:
- Show version number of installer in cli
- improved Installer UX
- Gemini TOML Improved to have clear loading instructions with @ commands
- All tools agent launcher mds improved to use a central file template critical indication isntead of hardcoding in 2 different locations.
- Deduplicate module lists in manifest generator using Set to prevent duplicate entries in installed manifests
- Update GitHub Copilot tool names to match official VS Code documentation (November 2025)
- Clean up legacy bmad/, bmd/, and web-bundles directories
- Add adv-elicit-methods.csv dependency to all workflows using adv-elicit.xml
- architecture workflow
- prd workflow
- tech-spec workflow
- Include BMM web bundles (8 agents + team-fullstack)
- Update v6 open items list
This fixes runtime failures when advanced elicitation is invoked in bundled
workflows by ensuring the 39 elicitation methods CSV is properly included.
Note: Web bundler still has optimizations and known issues to address in
upcoming commits.
This commit extracts game development functionality from BMM into a standalone
BMGD (BMad Game Development) module and implements workflow vendoring to enable
module independence.
BMGD Module Creation:
- Moved agents: game-designer, game-dev, game-architect from BMM to BMGD
- Moved team config: team-gamedev
- Created new Game Dev Scrum Master agent using workflow vendoring pattern
- Reorganized workflows into industry-standard game dev phases:
* Phase 1 (Preproduction): brainstorm-game, game-brief
* Phase 2 (Design): gdd, narrative
* Phase 3 (Technical): game-architecture
* Phase 4 (Production): vendored from BMM workflows
- Updated all module metadata and config_source references
Workflow Vendoring Feature:
- Enables modules to copy workflows from other modules during installation
- Build-time process that updates config_source in vendored workflows
- New agent YAML attribute: workflow-install (build-time metadata)
- Final compiled agents use workflow-install value for workflow attribute
- Implementation in module manager: vendorCrossModuleWorkflows()
- Allows standalone module installation without forced dependencies
Technical Changes:
- tools/cli/lib/yaml-xml-builder.js: Use workflow-install for workflow attribute
- tools/cli/installers/lib/modules/manager.js: Add vendoring functions
- tools/schema/agent.js: Add workflow-install to menu item schema
- Updated 3 documentation files with workflow vendoring details
BMM Workflow Updates:
- workflow-status/init: Added game detection checkpoint
- workflow-status/paths/game-design.yaml: Redirect to BMGD module
- prd/instructions.md: Route game projects to BMGD
- research/instructions-market.md: Reference BMGD for game development
Documentation:
- Created comprehensive BMGD module README
- Added workflow vendoring documentation
- Updated BMB agent creation and module creation guides
This commit represents a major documentation quality improvement, fixing critical inaccuracies and adding forward-looking guidance on the evolving role of PMs/UX in AI-driven development.
## Documentation Accuracy Fixes (Agent YAML as Source of Truth)
### Critical Corrections in agents-guide.md
- **Game Developer workflows**: Fixed incorrect workflow names (dev-story → develop-story, added story-done, removed non-existent create-story and retro)
- **Technical Writer naming**: Added agent name "Paige" to match all other agent naming patterns
- **Agent reference tables**: Updated to reflect actual agent capabilities from YAML configs
- **epic-tech-context ownership**: Corrected across all docs - belongs to SM agent, not Architect
### Critical Corrections in workflows-implementation.md
- **Line 16 + 75**: Fixed epic-tech-context agent from "Architect" → "SM" (matches sm.agent.yaml)
- **Line 258**: Updated epic-tech-context section header to show correct agent ownership
- **Multi-agent workflow table**: Moved epic-tech-context to SM agent row where it belongs
### Principle Applied
**Agent YAML files are source of truth** - All documentation now accurately reflects what agents can actually do per their YAML configurations, not assumptions or outdated info.
## Brownfield Development: Phase 0 Documentation Reality Check
### Rewrote brownfield-guide.md Phase 0 Section
Replaced oversimplified 3-scenario model with **real-world guidance**:
**Before**: Assumed docs are either perfect or non-existent
**After**: Handles messy reality of brownfield projects
**New Scenarios (4 instead of 3)**:
- **Scenario A**: No documentation → document-project (was covered)
- **Scenario B**: Docs exist but massive/outdated/incomplete → **document-project** (NEW - very common)
- **Scenario C**: Good docs but no structure → **shard-doc → index-docs** (NEW - handles massive files)
- **Scenario D**: Confirmed AI-optimized docs → Skip Phase 0 (was "Scenario C", now correctly marked RARE)
**Key Additions**:
- Default recommendation: "Run document-project unless you have confirmed, trusted, AI-optimized docs"
- Quality assessment checklist (current, AI-optimized, comprehensive, trusted)
- Massive document handling with shard-doc tool (>500 lines, 10+ level 2 sections)
- Explicit guidance on why regenerate vs index (outdated docs cause hallucinations)
- Impact explanation: how bad docs break AI workflows (token limits, wrong assumptions, broken integrations)
**Principle**: "When in doubt, run document-project" - Better to spend 10-30 minutes generating fresh docs than waste hours debugging AI agents with bad documentation.
## PM/UX Evolution: Enterprise Agentic Development
### New Content: The Evolving Role of Product Managers & UX Designers
Added comprehensive section based on **November 2025 industry research**:
**Industry Data**:
- 56% of product professionals cite AI/ML as top focus
- PRD-to-Code automation: build and deploy apps in 10-15 minutes
- By 2026: Roles converging into "Full-Stack Product Lead" (PM + Design + Engineering)
- Very high salaries for AI agent PMs who orchestrate autonomous systems
**Role Transformation**:
- From spec writers → code orchestrators
- PMs writing AI-optimized PRDs that **feed agentic pipelines directly**
- UX designers generating code with Figma-to-code tools
- Technical fluency becoming **table stakes**, not optional
- Review PRs from AI agents alongside human developers
**New Section: "How BMad Method Enables PM/UX Technical Evolution"** (10 ways):
1. **AI-Executable PRD Generation** - PRDs become work packages for cloud agents
2. **Automated Epic/Story Breakdown** - No more story refinement sessions
3. **Human-in-the-Loop Architecture** - PMs learn while validating technical decisions
4. **Cloud Agentic Pipeline** - Current (2025) + Future (2026) vision with diagrams
5. **UX Design Integration** - Designs validated through working prototypes
6. **PM Technical Skills Development** - Learn by doing through conversational workflows
7. **Organizational Leverage** - 1 PM → 20-50 AI agents (5-10× multiplier)
8. **Quality Consistency** - What gets built matches what was specified
9. **Rapid Prototyping** - Hours to validate ideas vs months
10. **Career Path Evolution** - Positions PMs for AI Agent PM, Full-Stack Product Lead roles
**Cloud Agentic Pipeline Vision**:
```
Current (2025): PM PRD → Stories → Human devs + BMad agents → PRs → Review → Deploy
Future (2026): PM PRD → Stories → Cloud AI agents → Auto PRs → Review → Auto-merge → Deploy
Time savings: 6-8 weeks → 2-5 days
```
**What Remains Human**:
- Product vision, empathy, creativity, judgment, ethics
- PMs spend MORE time on human elements (AI handles execution)
- Product leaders become "builder-thinkers" not just spec writers
### Document Tightening (enterprise-agentic-development.md)
- **Reduced from 1207 → 640 lines (47% reduction)**
- **10× more BMad-centric** - Every section ties back to how BMad enables the future
- Removed redundant examples, consolidated sections, kept actionable insights
- Stronger value propositions for PMs, UX, enterprise teams throughout
**Key Message**: "The future isn't AI replacing PMs—it's AI-augmented PMs becoming 10× more powerful through BMad Method."
## Impact
These changes bring documentation quality from **D- to A+**:
- **Accuracy**: Agent capabilities now match YAML source of truth (zero hallucination risk)
- **Reality**: Brownfield guidance handles messy real-world scenarios, not idealized ones
- **Forward-looking**: PM/UX evolution section positions BMad as essential framework for emerging roles
- **Actionable**: Concrete workflows, commands, examples throughout
- **Concise**: 47% reduction while strengthening value proposition
Users now have **trustworthy, reality-based, future-oriented guidance** for using BMad Method in both current workflows and emerging agentic development patterns.
## 📚 Complete Documentation Restructure
**BMM Documentation Hub Created:**
- New centralized documentation system at `src/modules/bmm/docs/`
- 18 comprehensive guides organized by topic (7000+ lines total)
- Clear learning paths for greenfield, brownfield, and quick spec flows
- Professional technical writing standards throughout
**New Documentation:**
- `README.md` - Complete documentation hub with navigation
- `quick-start.md` - 15-minute getting started guide
- `agents-guide.md` - Comprehensive 12-agent reference (45 min read)
- `party-mode.md` - Multi-agent collaboration guide (20 min read)
- `scale-adaptive-system.md` - Deep dive on Levels 0-4 (42 min read)
- `brownfield-guide.md` - Existing codebase development (53 min read)
- `quick-spec-flow.md` - Rapid Level 0-1 development (26 min read)
- `workflows-analysis.md` - Phase 1 workflows (12 min read)
- `workflows-planning.md` - Phase 2 workflows (19 min read)
- `workflows-solutioning.md` - Phase 3 workflows (13 min read)
- `workflows-implementation.md` - Phase 4 workflows (33 min read)
- `workflows-testing.md` - Testing & QA workflows (29 min read)
- `workflow-architecture-reference.md` - Architecture workflow deep-dive
- `workflow-document-project-reference.md` - Document-project workflow reference
- `enterprise-agentic-development.md` - Team collaboration patterns
- `faq.md` - Comprehensive Q&A covering all topics
- `glossary.md` - Complete terminology reference
- `troubleshooting.md` - Common issues and solutions
**Documentation Improvements:**
- Removed all version/date footers (git handles versioning)
- Agent customization docs now include full rebuild process
- Cross-referenced links between all guides
- Reading time estimates for all major docs
- Consistent professional formatting and structure
**Consolidated & Streamlined:**
- Module README (`src/modules/bmm/README.md`) streamlined to lean signpost
- Root README polished with better hierarchy and clear CTAs
- Moved docs from root `docs/` to module-specific locations
- Better separation of user docs vs. developer reference
## 🤖 New Agent: Paige (Documentation Guide)
**Role:** Technical documentation specialist and information architect
**Expertise:**
- Professional technical writing standards
- Documentation structure and organization
- Information architecture and navigation
- User-focused content design
- Style guide enforcement
**Status:** Work in progress - Paige will evolve as documentation needs grow
**Integration:**
- Listed in agents-guide.md, glossary.md, FAQ
- Available for all phases (documentation is continuous)
- Can be customized like all BMM agents
## 🔧 Additional Changes
- Updated agent manifest with Paige
- Updated workflow manifest with new documentation workflows
- Fixed workflow-to-agent mappings across all guides
- Improved root README with clearer Quick Start section
- Better module structure explanations
- Enhanced community links with Discord channel names
**Total Impact:**
- 18 new/restructured documentation files
- 7000+ lines of professional technical documentation
- Complete navigation system with cross-references
- Clear learning paths for all user types
- Foundation for knowledge base (coming in beta)
Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
This major enhancement revolutionizes the tech-spec workflow from a basic template-filling exercise into a context-aware, intelligent planning system for rapid development of bug fixes and small features.
## Tech-Spec Workflow Transformation (11 files)
### Core Workflow Intelligence (instructions.md)
- Add standalone mode with interactive level/field-type detection
- Implement brownfield convention detection and user confirmation
- Integrate WebSearch for current framework versions and starter templates
- Add comprehensive context discovery (stack, patterns, dependencies)
- Implement auto-validation with quality scoring (always runs)
- Add UX/UI considerations capture for user-facing changes
- Add test framework detection and pattern analysis
- Transform from batch generation to living document approach
### Comprehensive Tech-Spec Template (tech-spec-template.md)
- Expand from 8 to 23 sections for complete context
- Add Context section (available docs, project stack, existing structure)
- Add Development Context (conventions, test framework, existing code)
- Add UX/UI Considerations section
- Add Developer Resources (file paths, key locations, testing)
- Add Integration Points and Configuration Changes
- All sections populated via template-output tags during workflow
### Enhanced Story Generation
- Level 0 (instructions-level0-story.md): Extract from comprehensive tech-spec
- Level 1 (instructions-level1-stories.md): Add story sequence validation, AC quality checks
- User Story Template: Add Dev Agent Record sections for implementation tracking
- Epic Template: Complete rewrite with proper structure and variables
### Validation & Quality (checklist.md)
- Add context gathering completeness checks
- Add definitiveness validation (no "use X or Y" statements)
- Add brownfield integration quality scoring
- Add stack alignment verification
- Add implementation readiness assessment
- Auto-generates validation report with scores
### Configuration (workflow.yaml)
- Add runtime variables: project_level, project_type, development_context, change_type, field_type
- Enable standalone operation without workflow-status.yaml
- Support both workflow-init integration and quick-start mode
## Phase 4 Integration (3 files)
### Story Context Workflow
- Add tech_spec to input_file_patterns (recognizes as authoritative source)
- Update instructions to prioritize tech-spec for Level 0-1 projects
- Tech-spec provides brownfield analysis, framework details, existing patterns
### Create Story Workflow
- Add tech_spec to input_file_patterns
- Enable story generation from tech-spec (alternative to PRD)
- Supports both Quick Spec Flow and traditional BMM flow
## Documentation (2 new files)
### Quick Spec Flow Guide (docs/quick-spec-flow.md)
- Comprehensive 595-line guide for Level 0-1 rapid development
- Complete user journey examples (bug fix, small feature)
- Context discovery explanation (stack, brownfield, conventions)
- Auto-validation details and benefits
- Integration with Phase 4 workflows
- Comparison: Quick Spec vs Full BMM
- Real-world examples and best practices
### Scale Adaptive System (docs/scale-adaptive-system.md)
- Complete 950-line technical guide to BMad Method's 5-level system
- Key terminology: Analysis, Tech-Spec, Epic-Tech-Spec, Architecture
- Level 0-4 workflows, planning docs, and progression
- Brownfield emphasis: document-project required first
- Tech-spec (upfront, Level 0-1) vs epic-tech-spec (during implementation, Level 2-4)
- Architecture document replaces tech-spec at Level 2+ (scales with complexity)
- Retrospectives after each epic in multi-epic projects
- Workflow path configuration reference
### README Updates
- Add Quick Spec Flow announcement with benefits
- Link to Scale Adaptive System documentation
- Clarify when to use Quick Spec Flow vs Full BMM
## Key Features
### Context-Aware Intelligence
- Auto-detects project stack from package.json, requirements.txt, etc.
- Analyzes brownfield codebases using document-project output
- Detects code conventions and confirms with user before proceeding
- Uses WebSearch for up-to-date framework info and starter templates
### Brownfield Respect
- Detects existing patterns (code style, test framework, naming conventions)
- Asks user for confirmation before applying conventions
- Adapts to existing code vs forcing changes
- References document-project analysis for comprehensive context
### Auto-Validation
- Always runs (not optional)
- Validates context gathering, definitiveness, brownfield integration
- Scores tech-spec quality and implementation readiness
- Validates story sequence for Level 1 (no forward dependencies)
### Living Document Approach
- Write to tech-spec continuously during discovery
- Progressive refinement vs batch generation
- Template variables populated via template-output tags in real-time
## Breaking Changes
None - all changes are additive and backward compatible.
## Impact
This transformation enables:
- Bug fixes and small features implemented in minutes vs hours
- Automatic stack detection and brownfield analysis
- Respect for existing conventions and patterns
- Current best practices via WebSearch integration
- Comprehensive context that can replace story-context for simple efforts
- Seamless integration with Phase 4 implementation workflows
Quick Spec Flow now provides a **true fast path from idea to implementation** for Level 0-1 projects while maintaining quality through auto-validation and comprehensive context gathering.
Brian Madison
mrsaifullah52
Murat K Ozcan