BMAD-METHOD/src/modules/bmb/workflows/agent/steps-c/step-07b-build-expert.md

name	description	nextStepFile	agentPlan	agentBuildOutput	agentYamlOutput	expertTemplate	expertArch	agentCompilation	criticalActions	advancedElicitationTask	partyModeWorkflow
step-06-build-expert	Generate Expert agent YAML with sidecar from plan	./step-08a-plan-traceability.md	{bmb_creations_output_folder}/agent-plan-{agent_name}.md	{bmb_creations_output_folder}/{agent-name}/	{bmb_creations_output_folder}/{agent-name}/{agent-name}.agent.yaml	../templates/expert-agent-template/expert-agent.template.md	../data/expert-agent-architecture.md	../data/agent-compilation.md	../data/critical-actions.md	{project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/advanced-elicitation/workflow.xml	{project-root}/_bmad/core/workflows/party-mode/workflow.md

STEP GOAL

Assemble the agent plan content into a complete Expert agent YAML file with sidecar folder structure. Expert agents require persistent memory storage for specialized operations, accessed via {project-root}/_bmad/_memory/{sidecar-folder}/ paths in critical_actions.

MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES

1. EXPERT AGENT = SIDECAR REQUIRED: Every Expert agent MUST have a sidecar folder created under _bmad/_memory/
2. CRITICAL_ACTIONS FORMAT: All critical_actions MUST use {project-root}/_bmad/_memory/{sidecar-folder}/ for file operations
3. TEMPLATE COMPLIANCE: Follow expert-agent-template.md structure exactly
4. YAML VALIDATION: Ensure valid YAML syntax with proper indentation (2-space)
5. EXISTING CHECK: If agentYamlOutput exists, ask user before overwriting
6. NO DRIFT: Use ONLY content from agentPlan - no additions or interpretations

EXECUTION PROTOCOLS

Phase 1: Load Architecture and Templates

1. Read expertTemplate - defines YAML structure for Expert agents
2. Read expertArch - architecture requirements for Expert-level agents
3. Read agentCompilation - assembly rules for YAML generation
4. Read criticalActions - validation requirements for critical_actions

Phase 2: Load Agent Plan

1. Read agentPlan containing all collected content from Steps 1-5
2. Verify plan contains:
   • Agent type: "expert"
   • Sidecar folder name
   • Persona content
   • Commands structure
   • Critical actions (if applicable)

Phase 3: Assemble Expert YAML

Using expertTemplate as structure:

name: '{agent-name}'
description: '{short-description}'
type: 'expert'
version: '1.0.0'

author:
  name: '{author}'
  created: '{date}'

persona: |
  {multi-line persona content from plan}  

system-context: |
  {expanded context from plan}  

capabilities:
  - {capability from plan}
  - {capability from plan}
  # ... all capabilities

critical-actions:
  - name: '{action-name}'
    description: '{what it does}'
    invocation: '{when/how to invoke}'
    implementation: |
      {multi-line implementation}      
    output: '{expected-output}'
    sidecar-folder: '{sidecar-folder-name}'
    sidecar-files:
      - '{project-root}/_bmad/_memory/{sidecar-folder}/{file1}.md'
      - '{project-root}/_bmad/_memory/{sidecar-folder}/{file2}.md'
  # ... all critical actions referencing sidecar structure

commands:
  - name: '{command-name}'
    description: '{what command does}'
    steps:
      - {step 1}
      - {step 2}
    # ... all commands from plan

configuration:
  temperature: {temperature}
  max-tokens: {max-tokens}
  response-format: {format}
  # ... other configuration from plan

metadata:
  sidecar-folder: '{sidecar-folder-name}'
  sidecar-path: '{project-root}/_bmad/_memory/{sidecar-folder}/'
  agent-type: 'expert'
  memory-type: 'persistent'

Phase 4: Create Sidecar Structure

1. Create Sidecar Directory:

   • Path: {project-root}/_bmad/_memory/{sidecar-folder}/
   • Use mkdir -p to create full path

2. Create Starter Files (if specified in critical_actions):

   touch _bmad/_memory/{sidecar-folder}/{file1}.md
   touch _bmad/_memory/{sidecar-folder}/{file2}.md
   

3. Add README to Sidecar:

   # {sidecar-folder} Memory
   
   This folder stores persistent memory for the **{agent-name}** Expert agent.
   
   ## Purpose
   {purpose from critical_actions}
   
   ## Files
   - {file1}.md: {description}
   - {file2}.md: {description}
   
   ## Access Pattern
   Agent accesses these files via: `{project-root}/_bmad/_memory/{sidecar-folder}/{filename}.md`
   

Phase 5: Write Agent YAML

1. Create agentBuildOutput directory: mkdir -p {agentBuildOutput}
2. Write YAML to agentYamlOutput
3. Confirm write success
4. Display file location to user

Phase 6: Present MENU OPTIONS

Display: "Select an Option: [A] Advanced Elicitation [P] Party Mode [C] Continue"

Menu Handling Logic:

• IF A: Execute {advancedElicitationTask}, and when finished redisplay the menu
• IF P: Execute {partyModeWorkflow}, and when finished redisplay the menu
• IF C: Write agent YAML to {agentBuildOutput}/{agent-name}/{agent-name}.agent.yaml (or appropriate output path), update frontmatter, then only then load, read entire file, then execute {nextStepFile}
• IF Any other comments or queries: help user respond then Redisplay Menu Options

EXECUTION RULES:

• ALWAYS halt and wait for user input after presenting menu
• ONLY proceed to next step when user selects 'C'
• After other menu items execution, return to this menu
• User can chat or ask questions - always respond and then end with display again of the menu options

CONTEXT BOUNDARIES

• USE ONLY: Content from agentPlan, expertTemplate, expertArch, agentCompilation, criticalActions
• DO NOT ADD: New capabilities, commands, or actions not in plan
• DO NOT INTERPRET: Use exact language from plan
• DO NOT SKIP: Any field in expertTemplate structure
• CRITICAL: Expert agents MUST have sidecar-folder metadata

CRITICAL STEP COMPLETION NOTE

ONLY WHEN [C continue option] is selected and [complete YAML generated and written to output], will you then load and read fully {nextStepFile} to execute and begin validation.

This step produces TWO artifacts:

1. Agent YAML: Complete expert agent definition at {agentYamlOutput}
2. Sidecar Structure: Folder and files at {project-root}/_bmad/_memory/{sidecar-folder}/

Both must exist before proceeding to validation.

SUCCESS METRICS

✅ Agent YAML file created at expected location ✅ Valid YAML syntax (no parse errors) ✅ All template fields populated ✅ Sidecar folder created under _bmad/_memory/ ✅ Sidecar folder contains starter files from critical_actions ✅ critical_actions reference {project-root}/_bmad/_memory/{sidecar-folder}/ paths ✅ metadata.sidecar-folder populated ✅ metadata.agent-type = "expert" ✅ User validation choice received (one-at-a-time or YOLO)

FAILURE MODES

❌ Missing required template fields ❌ Invalid YAML syntax ❌ Sidecar folder creation failed ❌ critical_actions missing sidecar-folder references ❌ agentPlan missing expert-specific content (sidecar-folder name) ❌ File write permission errors