Frontmatter Schemas Skill

plugin: agentdev updated: 2026-01-20

Frontmatter Schemas

Agent Frontmatter

---
name: agent-name               # Required: lowercase-with-hyphens
description: |                 # Required: detailed with examples
  Use this agent when [scenario]. Examples:
  (1) "Task description" - launches agent for X
  (2) "Task description" - launches agent for Y
  (3) "Task description" - launches agent for Z
model: sonnet                  # Required: sonnet | opus | haiku
color: purple                  # Optional: purple | cyan | green | orange | blue | red
tools: TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskList, TaskGet, Read, Write  # Required: comma-separated, space after comma
skills: skill1, skill2         # Optional: referenced skills
---

Field Reference

| Field | Required | Values | Description | |-------|----------|--------|-------------| | name | Yes | lowercase-with-hyphens | Agent identifier | | description | Yes | Multi-line string | 3-5 usage examples | | model | Yes | sonnet, opus, haiku | AI model to use | | color | No | See colors below | Terminal color | | tools | Yes | Tool list | Available tools | | skills | No | Skill list | Referenced skills |

Color Guidelines

| Color | Agent Type | Examples | |-------|------------|----------| | purple | Planning | architect, api-architect | | green | Implementation | developer, ui-developer | | cyan | Review | reviewer, designer | | orange | Testing | test-architect, tester | | blue | Utility | cleaner, api-analyst | | red | Critical/Security | (rarely used) |

Tool Patterns by Agent Type

Orchestrators (Commands):

Must have: Task, TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskList, TaskGet, Read, Bash
Often: AskUserQuestion, Glob, Grep
Never: Write, Edit

Planners:

Must have: TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskList, TaskGet, Read, Write (for docs)
Often: Glob, Grep, Bash

Implementers:

Must have: TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskList, TaskGet, Read, Write, Edit
Often: Bash, Glob, Grep

Reviewers:

Must have: TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskList, TaskGet, Read
Often: Glob, Grep, Bash
Never: Write, Edit

Command Frontmatter

---
description: |                 # Required: workflow description
  Full description of what this command does.
  Workflow: PHASE 1 → PHASE 2 → PHASE 3
allowed-tools: Task, Bash      # Required: comma-separated
skills: skill1, skill2         # Optional: referenced skills
---

Field Reference

| Field | Required | Values | Description | |-------|----------|--------|-------------| | description | Yes | Multi-line | Command purpose and workflow | | allowed-tools | Yes | Tool list | Tools command can use | | skills | No | Skill list | Referenced skills |

Validation Checklist

Agent Frontmatter

[ ] Opening --- present
[ ] name is lowercase-with-hyphens
[ ] description includes 3+ examples
[ ] model is valid (sonnet/opus/haiku)
[ ] tools is comma-separated with spaces
[ ] Closing --- present
[ ] No YAML syntax errors

Command Frontmatter

[ ] Opening --- present
[ ] description explains workflow
[ ] allowed-tools includes Task, TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskList, TaskGet for orchestrators
[ ] Closing --- present
[ ] No YAML syntax errors

Common Errors

Invalid YAML Syntax

# WRONG - missing colon
name agent-name

# CORRECT
name: agent-name

Incorrect Tool Format

# WRONG - no spaces after commas
tools: TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskList, TaskGet,Read,Write

# CORRECT
tools: TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskList, TaskGet, Read, Write

Missing Examples

# WRONG - too generic
description: Use this agent for development tasks.

# CORRECT
description: |
  Use this agent when implementing TypeScript features. Examples:
  (1) "Create a user service" - implements service with full CRUD
  (2) "Add validation" - adds Zod schemas to endpoints
  (3) "Fix type errors" - resolves TypeScript compilation issues

Agent Skills: Frontmatter Schemas

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Skill Files