8.4 KiB

Raw Blame History

Tool Utilization Task

Purpose

Enable BMAD agents to effectively utilize all available tools during their work, maximizing productivity and output quality through intelligent tool selection and usage.

Available Tools Overview

File System Tools

Read: Read file contents with line numbers
Write: Create new files with content
Edit: Make precise string replacements in existing files
MultiEdit: Make multiple edits to a single file efficiently
LS: List directory contents with filtering options
Glob: Find files matching patterns
Grep: Search file contents with regex

Development Tools

Bash: Execute shell commands with timeout control
NotebookRead: Read Jupyter notebook contents
NotebookEdit: Modify Jupyter notebook cells

Information Tools

WebSearch: Search the web for current information
WebFetch: Fetch and analyze web content with AI
TodoRead: Read current task list
TodoWrite: Update task tracking

Collaboration Tools

Task: Launch specialized agents for complex searches or analyses

Tool Selection Guidelines

1. Research and Analysis Phase

For Market Research (Analyst):

Primary Tools:
- WebSearch: Current market trends, competitor analysis
- WebFetch: Detailed analysis of competitor websites/documentation
- Task: Complex multi-source research compilation

Example Workflow:
1. WebSearch for "latest trends in [domain] 2024"
2. WebFetch competitor sites for feature analysis
3. Task to compile comprehensive market report

For Technical Research (Architect):

Primary Tools:
- WebSearch: Technology comparisons, best practices
- WebFetch: Official documentation analysis
- Grep/Glob: Analyze existing codebase patterns

Example Workflow:
1. Grep codebase for current technology usage
2. WebSearch for "[technology] vs [alternative] comparison"
3. WebFetch official docs for implementation details

2. Planning and Documentation Phase

For PRD Creation (PM):

Primary Tools:
- Read: Review project brief and related documents
- Write/MultiEdit: Create and refine PRD
- TodoWrite: Track epic and story creation progress

Example Workflow:
1. Read project brief and stakeholder inputs
2. TodoWrite to plan PRD sections
3. Write PRD using template
4. MultiEdit for iterative refinements

For Architecture Documentation (Architect):

Primary Tools:
- Glob: Find related architecture files
- Read: Analyze existing patterns
- Write/Edit: Create architecture documents
- Bash: Generate architecture diagrams (if tools available)

Example Workflow:
1. Glob "**/*architecture*.md" to find existing docs
2. Read relevant architecture patterns
3. Write comprehensive architecture document
4. Bash to run diagram generation tools

3. Implementation Phase

For Story Creation (SM/PO):

Primary Tools:
- Read: Review PRD and architecture
- MultiEdit: Create multiple stories efficiently
- TodoWrite: Track story dependencies
- Edit: Refine story details

Example Workflow:
1. Read PRD to understand epics
2. TodoWrite to plan story breakdown
3. MultiEdit to create story batch
4. Edit individual stories for clarity

For Code Implementation (Developer):

Primary Tools:
- Read: Understand requirements and existing code
- Grep: Find implementation patterns
- MultiEdit: Implement features across files
- Bash: Run tests and verify changes
- Git integration via Bash

Example Workflow:
1. Read story requirements and architecture
2. Grep for similar implementations
3. MultiEdit to implement feature
4. Bash to run tests
5. Bash for git operations

4. Quality Assurance Phase

For Code Review (Architect/Dev):

Primary Tools:
- Glob: Find changed files
- Read: Review implementations
- Grep: Check for anti-patterns
- Edit: Suggest improvements
- Bash: Run linting and analysis tools

Example Workflow:
1. Bash "git diff --name-only" to find changes
2. Read changed files for review
3. Grep for common issues
4. Edit to fix problems
5. Bash to run quality checks

For Testing (QA/Dev):

Primary Tools:
- Write: Create test files
- MultiEdit: Update test suites
- Bash: Execute test commands
- Read: Analyze test results

Example Workflow:
1. Read implementation to understand functionality
2. Write comprehensive test cases
3. Bash to run test suite
4. Read test output for failures
5. Edit to fix issues

5. Deployment Phase

For Infrastructure (Platform Engineer):

Primary Tools:
- Write: Create configuration files
- Bash: Execute deployment commands
- WebFetch: Reference cloud provider docs
- TodoWrite: Track deployment checklist

Example Workflow:
1. Write infrastructure configuration
2. Bash to validate configurations
3. WebFetch for provider-specific details
4. Bash to deploy infrastructure
5. TodoWrite deployment status

Advanced Tool Combinations

Pattern 1: Comprehensive Analysis

Combine:
- Glob + Grep + Read for codebase analysis
- WebSearch + WebFetch for external research
- Task for complex multi-step investigations

Use When:
- Understanding large codebases
- Researching unfamiliar domains
- Analyzing competitor implementations

Pattern 2: Bulk Operations

Combine:
- Glob + MultiEdit for widespread changes
- Grep + Edit for pattern-based updates
- Bash + TodoWrite for progress tracking

Use When:
- Refactoring across multiple files
- Updating API signatures
- Implementing cross-cutting concerns

Pattern 3: Validation Workflows

Combine:
- Read + Bash for test execution
- Grep + WebSearch for error resolution
- Edit + Bash for iterative fixes

Use When:
- Debugging complex issues
- Validating implementations
- Ensuring quality standards

Tool Usage Best Practices

1. Efficiency Guidelines

Batch Operations: Use MultiEdit over multiple Edit calls
Parallel Execution: Run multiple Bash commands in single tool call
Smart Search: Use Glob/Grep before extensive Read operations
Caching: Leverage WebFetch cache for repeated URL access

2. Error Handling

Validation: Always validate file existence before Edit
Backups: Use git (via Bash) before major changes
Timeouts: Set appropriate timeouts for long-running Bash commands
Fallbacks: Have alternative approaches for tool failures

3. Context Management

TodoWrite: Track progress for complex multi-step tasks
Read Selectively: Use offset/limit for large files
State Tracking: Maintain context between tool operations
Documentation: Comment on why specific tools were chosen

4. Security Considerations

Input Validation: Sanitize inputs for Bash commands
Path Safety: Use absolute paths for file operations
Sensitive Data: Never log credentials or secrets
Web Safety: Validate URLs before WebFetch operations

Integration with BMAD Workflow

1. Analyst Phase

Heavy use of WebSearch and WebFetch for research
Task for complex analysis delegations
Write for comprehensive briefs

2. PM Phase

Read for understanding context
Write/MultiEdit for PRD creation
TodoWrite for epic/story tracking

3. Architecture Phase

Grep/Glob for codebase analysis
Write for documentation
WebFetch for technology research

4. Implementation Phase

Read for requirements understanding
MultiEdit for code implementation
Bash for testing and validation

5. Validation Phase

Grep for quality checks
Bash for automated testing
Edit for issue resolution

Persona-Specific Tool Preferences

Analyst

Primary: WebSearch, WebFetch, Task, Write Secondary: Read, TodoWrite

PM

Primary: Read, Write, MultiEdit, TodoWrite Secondary: WebSearch, Edit

Architect

Primary: Grep, Glob, Read, Write Secondary: WebFetch, Bash, MultiEdit

Design Architect

Primary: Read, Write, WebFetch Secondary: MultiEdit, Glob

PO

Primary: Read, MultiEdit, TodoWrite Secondary: Edit, Write

SM

Primary: Read, MultiEdit, TodoWrite Secondary: Write, Edit

Developer

Primary: Read, MultiEdit, Bash, Grep Secondary: Write, Edit, Glob

Platform Engineer

Primary: Bash, Write, Read Secondary: WebFetch, MultiEdit

Success Metrics

Track tool usage effectiveness:

Time saved through appropriate tool selection
Error reduction from validation tools
Quality improvement from comprehensive analysis
Productivity gains from automation

This comprehensive tool utilization framework ensures all BMAD agents can leverage the full power of available tools to maximize their effectiveness and output quality.

8.4 KiB Raw Blame History