Lifecycle Agents

These seven agents form the primary delivery pipeline: from project setup through implementation.

flowchart LR
  init["init"]
  envision["envision"]
  kickoff["kickoff"]
  specify["specify"]
  plan["plan"]
  decompose["decompose"]
  implement["implement"]

  init -->|"config files"| envision
  envision -->|"envisioning.md"| kickoff
  kickoff -->|"board structure"| specify
  specify -->|"spec.md"| plan
  plan -->|"plan.md + ADRs"| decompose
  decompose -->|"tasks.md + work items"| implement

devsquad.init Setup

Initialize or update a project with SDD Framework files.


Produces	Framework configuration files and templates
Handoff	to envision
Skills	init-config, init-docs, init-scaffold

Three file groups managed:

Config: copilot-instructions.md, 7 instruction files, coding guidelines, markdownlint config
Docs: Templates for features, migrations, envisioning, ADRs
Scaffold: Community files: SECURITY.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, LICENSE, CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md

Uses a deterministic shell script for file operations (verify, create, update, diff).

devsquad.envision Vision

Capture strategic vision through structured questions.


Produces	`docs/envisioning/README.md`
Handoff	to kickoff
Skills	documentation-style, reasoning

Five structured question blocks:

Customer and Context: Direct/end customer, domain, scale, existing systems
Business Pain Points: Top 3, measurable impact, primary area affected
Technical Pain Points: Fragmentation, scalability, security, observability, agility, integration
Strategic Goals: Business goal, technical goal, KPIs with target and baseline
Constraints: Regulatory, legacy, principles

Three modes: Interactive (guided questions), Direct (context provided), Incremental (update existing).

devsquad.kickoff Structure

Structure project hierarchy (epics, features, dependencies) and sync with the board.


Produces	Board structure + `docs/envisioning/structure.md` (cache)
Handoff	to specify or plan
Skills	documentation-style, reasoning, work-item-creation, board-config, complexity-analysis

Adaptive modes based on state detection:

[V] Vision only: Create minimal structure; features added later
[E] Defined Scope: Decompose into epics and features
[B] Existing Board: Map existing items and propose adjustments
[Z] Zero: Ask to start with envisioning or create minimal structure

Epic granularity test (4 criteria): independent delivery, distinct ownership, own timeline, autonomous existence.

devsquad.specify Specification

Create or update feature/migration specifications with user stories and compliance criteria.


Produces	`docs/features//spec.md` or `docs/migrations//spec.md`
Handoff	to plan or decompose
Skills	documentation-style, reasoning, quality-gate, complexity-analysis

Key characteristics:

User stories prioritized P1/P2/P3, independently testable
Focus on WHAT/WHY, never HOW
Written for business stakeholders, not developers
Conformance table with minimum 3 cases (happy path, error, edge case)
Supports both feature specs and migration specs (v0.5.0+)

devsquad.plan Architecture

Technical planning with ADRs, data model, contracts, and architecture decisions.


Produces	ADRs + `plan.md` + design decisions
Handoff	to decompose or security
Skills	documentation-style, reasoning, adr-workflow, complexity-analysis, engineering-practices

Socratic approach to architecture:

Explores options through questions, not prescriptions
ADR creation with duplicate checking, Microsoft Learn lookup, Azure cost estimates
Coordinator workflow can delegate context loading and architecture analysis to worker sub-agents before authoring design artifacts
Security decisions trigger devsquad.security assessment
Engineering practices guidance (CI/CD, branching, observability, IaC)

devsquad.decompose Tasks

Decompose specs into user stories, tasks, and work items.


Produces	`tasks.md` + work items on board
Handoff	to implement
Skills	documentation-style, reasoning, work-item-creation, complexity-analysis, work-item-workflow, board-config

11-step flow: Configuration, Detect environment, Sync board, Load design docs, Identify missing ADRs, Generate tasks, Save draft, Present for confirmation, Create work items, Validate, Report.

Task organization by user story: Models, Services, Endpoints, Integration

Mandatory phases: Setup, Foundational, User Stories (P1, P2, P3), Polish

devsquad.implement Code

Execute implementation from tasks.md, a GitHub issue, or an Azure DevOps work item.


Produces	Source code + Pull Request
Handoff	to review
Skills	documentation-style, reasoning, work-item-creation, git-branch, pull-request