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BMad Method PR #1: Ring of Fire (ROF) Sessions

Feature Type: Core workflow enhancement Status: Draft for community review Origin: tellingCube project (masemIT e.U.) Author: Mario Semper (@sempre) Date: 2025-11-23

Summary

Ring of Fire (ROF) Sessions enable multi-agent collaborative sessions that run in parallel to the user's main workflow, allowing users to delegate complex multi-perspective analysis while continuing other work.

Problem Statement

Current BMad Method requires sequential agent interaction. When users need multiple agents to collaborate on a complex topic, they must:

  • Manually orchestrate each agent conversation
  • Stay in the loop for every exchange
  • Wait for sequential responses before proceeding
  • Context-switch constantly between tasks

This creates bottlenecks and prevents parallel work streams.

Proposed Solution: Ring of Fire Sessions

A new command pattern that enables scoped multi-agent collaboration sessions that run while the user continues other work.

Command Syntax

*rof "<topic>" --agents <agent-list> [--report brief|detailed|live]

Example Usage

*rof "API Refactoring Strategy" --agents dev,architect,qa --report brief

What happens:

  1. Dev, Architect, and QA agents enter a collaborative session
  2. They analyze the topic together (code review, design discussion, testing concerns)
  3. When agents need tool access (read files, run commands), they request user approval
  4. User continues working on other tasks in parallel
  5. Session ends with consolidated report (brief: just recommendations, detailed: full transcript)

Key Features

1. User-Controlled Scope

  • Small: 2 agents, 5-minute quick discussion
  • Large: 10 agents, 2-hour deep analysis
  • User decides granularity based on complexity

2. Approval-Gated Tool Access

  • Agents can discuss freely within the session
  • When agents need tools (read files, execute commands, make changes), they:
    • Pause the session
    • Request user approval
    • Resume after user decision

Why: Maintains user control, prevents runaway agent actions

3. Flexible Reporting

Mode Description Use Case
brief Final recommendations only "Just tell me what to do"
detailed Full transcript + recommendations "Show me the reasoning"
live Real-time updates as agents discuss "I want to observe"

Default: brief with Q&A available

4. Parallel Workflows

  • User works on Task A while ROF session tackles Task B
  • No context-switching overhead
  • Efficient use of time

Use Cases

1. Architecture Reviews

*rof "Evaluate microservices vs monolith for new feature" --agents architect,dev,qa

Agents collaborate on: Design trade-offs, implementation complexity, testing implications

2. Code Refactoring

*rof "Refactor authentication module" --agents dev,architect --report detailed

Agents collaborate on: Current code analysis, refactoring approach, migration strategy

3. Feature Planning

*rof "Plan user notifications feature" --agents pm,ux,dev --report brief

Agents collaborate on: Requirements, UX flow, technical feasibility, timeline

4. Quality Gates

*rof "Investigate test failures in CI/CD" --agents qa,dev --report live

Agents collaborate on: Root cause analysis, fix recommendations, regression prevention

5. Documentation Sprints

*rof "Document API endpoints" --agents dev,pm,ux

Agents collaborate on: Technical accuracy, user-friendly examples, completeness

User Experience Flow

sequenceDiagram
    User->>River: *rof "Topic" --agents dev,architect
    River->>Dev: Join ROF session
    River->>Architect: Join ROF session
    River->>User: Session started, continue your work

    Dev->>Architect: Discuss approach
    Architect->>Dev: Suggest alternatives

    Dev->>User: Need to read auth.ts - approve?
    User->>Dev: Approved
    Dev->>Architect: After reading file...

    Architect->>Dev: Recommendation
    Dev->>River: Session complete
    River->>User: Brief report: [Recommendations]

Implementation Considerations

Technical Requirements

  • Session state management: Track active ROF sessions, participating agents
  • Agent context sharing: Agents share knowledge within session scope
  • User approval workflow: Clear prompt for tool requests
  • Report generation: Brief/detailed/live output formatting
  • Workflow integration: Link ROF findings to existing workflow plans/todos

Open Questions for Community

  1. Integration: Core BMad feature or plugin/extension?
  2. Concurrency: How to handle file conflicts if multiple agents want to edit?
  3. Cost Model: Guidance for LLM call budgeting with multiple agents?
  4. Session Limits: Recommended max agents/duration?
  5. Agent Communication: Free-form discussion or structured turn-taking?

Real-World Validation

Origin Project: tellingCube (BI dashboard, masemIT e.U.)

Validation Scenario:

  • Topic: "Next steps for tellingCube after validation test"
  • Agents: River (orchestrator), Mary (analyst), Winston (architect)
  • Report Mode: Brief
  • Outcome: Successfully analyzed post-validation roadmap with 3 scenarios (GO/CHANGE/NO-GO), delivered consolidated recommendations in 5 minutes

User Feedback (Mario Semper):

"This is exactly what I needed - I wanted multiple perspectives without having to orchestrate every conversation. The brief report gave me actionable next steps immediately."

Documentation: docs/_masemIT/readme.md in tellingCube repository

Proposed Documentation Structure

.bmad-core/
  features/
    ring-of-fire.md              # Feature specification

docs/
  guides/
    using-rof-sessions.md        # User guide with examples

  architecture/
    agent-collaboration.md       # Technical design
    rof-session-management.md    # State handling approach

Benefits

✅ Unlocks parallel workflows - User productivity gains ✅ Reduces context-switching - Cognitive load reduction ✅ Enables complex analysis - Multi-perspective insights ✅ Maintains user control - Approval gates for tools ✅ Scales flexibly - From quick checks to deep dives

Comparison to Existing Patterns

Feature Standard Agent Use ROF Session
Agent collaboration Sequential (one at a time) Parallel (multiple simultaneously)
User involvement Required for every exchange Only for approvals
Parallel work No (user waits) Yes (user continues tasks)
Output Chat transcript Consolidated report
Use case Single-perspective tasks Multi-perspective analysis

Next Steps

  1. Community feedback on approach and open questions
  2. Technical design refinement (state management, agent communication)
  3. Prototype implementation in BMad core or as extension
  4. Beta testing with real projects (beyond tellingCube)
  5. Documentation completion with examples

Alternatives Considered

Alt 1: "Breakout Session"

  • Pros: Clear meeting metaphor
  • Cons: Less evocative, doesn't convey "continuous collaborative space"

Alt 2: "Agent Huddle"

  • Pros: Short, casual
  • Cons: Implies quick/informal only

Alt 3: "Lagerfeuer" (original German name)

  • Pros: Warm, campfire metaphor
  • Cons: Poor i18n, hard to pronounce/remember for non-German speakers

Chosen: Ring of Fire - evokes continuous collaboration circle, internationally understood, memorable, shortcut "ROF" works well

References

Contribution ready for review. Feedback welcome! 🔥