fix(agents): add subagent support with dedicated subagent files and simplified prompts#639
fix(agents): add subagent support with dedicated subagent files and simplified prompts#639
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…h runSubagent for Copilot CLI support
- update wording for thoroughness and accuracy - streamline requirements across multiple prompt files 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…atch' for subagent execution - standardize terminology across agent definitions - clarify subagent execution methods in task-related agents - enhance consistency in instructions for running subagents - improve clarity in tool availability sections 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…mpt builder instructions 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
- clarify that all phase work should be dispatched through subagent calls - emphasize the need for subagent tools and their limitations - refine guidelines for executing phases and handling subagent failures 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
- Replace `runSubagent` tool references with `runSubagent` or `task` tools across multiple agent definitions - Clarify instructions for running subagents in various contexts - Ensure consistency in handling tool availability and user notifications - Streamline agent workflows for improved clarity and usability 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
- streamline instructions for running subagent tools - clarify limitations and requirements for subagent execution - enhance guidelines for research document refinement and iteration 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…ecificity - refine descriptions for external research processes - clarify documentation targets and research questions - enhance step instructions for identifying sources and retrieving documentation 🔍 - Generated by Copilot
- streamline input descriptions for artifact validator and codebase researcher - enhance clarity in validation scope and execution steps - update response format for consistency across agents 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…prompt-tester documentation - separate long lines for better readability - enhance purpose descriptions for clarity - update input descriptions for consistency 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…arity and completeness - update descriptions to include categorized remediation guidance - refine inputs section to specify run numbers and user details - improve evaluation log requirements for better clarity 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…arity 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
… inputs and requirements - update argument-hint for better understanding - clarify inputs and requirements for prompt file creation - streamline protocol instructions for user requests 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
… update documentation for clarity - remove external-researcher agent definition - add researcher-subagent agent definition with comprehensive research protocols - update references in prompt-builder documentation to reflect new subagent structure 🔍 - Generated by Copilot
…nd instructions - standardize language and structure across multiple agent files - enhance descriptions for better understanding of agent functionalities - correct minor grammatical issues for improved readability 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
… artifacts and add subagent structural template - update description for clarity and consistency - enhance instructions for subagent creation with a structural template - improve overall documentation for prompt engineering artifacts 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…ilder instructions - add detailed steps for returning to Phase 1 and transitioning to subsequent phases - specify cleanup requirements for sandbox files and folders after completion 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…or clarity 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…legation - remove references to deprecated agents - clarify file editing locations and research document structure - streamline subagent execution instructions 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…nd structure - modify argument hints for consistency - streamline input descriptions and required steps - enhance report formatting and clarity 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…ation and clarify research phases - add deeper research option for task-researcher agent - streamline research phases and steps for clarity - update documentation for improved user guidance 🔬 - Generated by Copilot
…nd consistency - standardize subagent instructions - clarify research phases and operational constraints - improve overall readability and structure 🔍 - Generated by Copilot
…new apply fixes option 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…tions for clarity 🔒 - Generated by Copilot
…d detail - clarify agent delegation and activation line usage - expand requirements sections guidance - improve naming conventions for prompts and agents - refine validation guidelines for input variables 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…lines - refine file type selection criteria and validation checks - clarify activation line usage for prompt files - improve input variables section for better understanding - update agent delegation instructions for consistency 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…and detail - refine decisiveness criteria to include rationale for selected approaches - improve success criteria with structured evidence-linked responses - clarify response presentation order for user actionability - update handoff summary to include rationale and evidence for recommendations 🔍 - Generated by Copilot
…gent for improved task handling 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
- validate implementation plans against research documents - update Planning Log Discrepancy Log with severity-graded findings - enhance task handling with detailed discrepancy tracking 🔍 - Generated by Copilot
…e deprecated codebase-researcher and external-researcher agents - Introduce plan-validator for validating implementation plans - Add researcher-subagent for enhanced research capabilities - Remove outdated codebase-researcher and external-researcher agents from multiple plugins 🔄 - Generated by Copilot
…gent for improved task handling 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…tion for clarity and detail - update descriptions to include attribution - clarify purpose and inputs for better understanding - improve structure and readability of completion reports 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…s for clarity 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…tion for clarity and detail - clarify handling of blocked steps in phase-implementor - improve core principles and execution details in task-implementor - update completion report structure for better clarity 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…ency - revise prior sandbox run paths to reflect evaluation terminology - adjust artifact path patterns for implementation plans and details - ensure changes log naming conventions align with new structure 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…ocumentation for clarity and completeness - enhance artifact-validator description and purpose - add implementation-validator agent with detailed validation steps - improve task-reviewer agent to include implementation quality assessment 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
…s and update documentation 🔒 - Generated by Copilot
…e collections - update references in ado, coding-standards, data-science, github, hve-core-all, project-planning, prompt-engineering, rpi, and security-planning collections - remove artifact-validator agent and add rpi-validator agent in respective README files 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
- refine agent description and argument hints - standardize autonomy mode terminology - enhance subagent invocation protocol details - improve tracking artifact paths and descriptions 📄 - Generated by Copilot
…n for clarity 🔒 - Generated by Copilot
Dependency Review✅ No vulnerabilities or license issues or OpenSSF Scorecard issues found.Scanned FilesNone |
Codecov Report✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests. Additional details and impacted files@@ Coverage Diff @@
## main #639 +/- ##
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Pull request overview
This PR refactors the agent ecosystem to support subagent-based orchestration by extracting reusable responsibilities into dedicated subagent files, simplifying prompt wrappers, and updating collections/plugins so the new artifacts are discoverable and packaged consistently.
Changes:
- Added eight dedicated subagents under
.github/agents/subagents/and updated parent agents to orchestrate via subagents. - Simplified several
.prompt.mdfiles into “Requirements”-focused wrappers and updated VS Code settings for agent discovery. - Updated collection manifests and regenerated plugin outputs/READMEs to include the new subagent entries.
Reviewed changes
Copilot reviewed 126 out of 126 changed files in this pull request and generated 5 comments.
Show a summary per file
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| plugins/security-planning/agents/rpi-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/security-planning/agents/researcher-subagent.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/security-planning/agents/prompt-updater.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/security-planning/agents/prompt-tester.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/security-planning/agents/prompt-evaluator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/security-planning/agents/plan-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/security-planning/agents/phase-implementor.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/security-planning/agents/implementation-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/security-planning/README.md | Plugin README agent/instruction tables updated |
| plugins/rpi/agents/rpi-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/rpi/agents/researcher-subagent.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/rpi/agents/prompt-updater.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/rpi/agents/prompt-tester.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/rpi/agents/prompt-evaluator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/rpi/agents/plan-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/rpi/agents/phase-implementor.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/rpi/agents/implementation-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/rpi/README.md | Plugin README agent/instruction tables updated |
| plugins/prompt-engineering/agents/rpi-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/prompt-engineering/agents/researcher-subagent.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/prompt-engineering/agents/prompt-updater.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/prompt-engineering/agents/prompt-tester.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/prompt-engineering/agents/prompt-evaluator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/prompt-engineering/agents/plan-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/prompt-engineering/agents/phase-implementor.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/prompt-engineering/agents/implementation-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/prompt-engineering/README.md | Plugin README agent/instruction tables updated |
| plugins/project-planning/agents/rpi-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/project-planning/agents/researcher-subagent.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/project-planning/agents/prompt-updater.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/project-planning/agents/prompt-tester.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/project-planning/agents/prompt-evaluator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/project-planning/agents/plan-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/project-planning/agents/phase-implementor.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/project-planning/agents/implementation-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/project-planning/README.md | Plugin README agent/instruction tables updated |
| plugins/hve-core-all/agents/rpi-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/hve-core-all/agents/researcher-subagent.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/hve-core-all/agents/prompt-updater.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/hve-core-all/agents/prompt-tester.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/hve-core-all/agents/prompt-evaluator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/hve-core-all/agents/plan-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/hve-core-all/agents/phase-implementor.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/hve-core-all/agents/implementation-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/hve-core-all/README.md | Plugin README agent/instruction tables updated |
| plugins/github/agents/rpi-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/github/agents/researcher-subagent.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/github/agents/prompt-updater.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/github/agents/prompt-tester.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/github/agents/prompt-evaluator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/github/agents/plan-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/github/agents/phase-implementor.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/github/agents/implementation-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/github/README.md | Plugin README agent/instruction tables updated |
| plugins/data-science/agents/rpi-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/data-science/agents/researcher-subagent.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/data-science/agents/prompt-updater.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/data-science/agents/prompt-tester.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/data-science/agents/prompt-evaluator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/data-science/agents/plan-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/data-science/agents/phase-implementor.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/data-science/agents/implementation-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/data-science/README.md | Plugin README agent/instruction tables updated |
| plugins/coding-standards/agents/rpi-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/coding-standards/agents/researcher-subagent.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/coding-standards/agents/prompt-updater.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/coding-standards/agents/prompt-tester.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/coding-standards/agents/prompt-evaluator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/coding-standards/agents/plan-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/coding-standards/agents/phase-implementor.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/coding-standards/agents/implementation-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/coding-standards/README.md | Plugin README agent/instruction tables updated |
| plugins/ado/agents/rpi-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/ado/agents/researcher-subagent.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/ado/agents/prompt-updater.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/ado/agents/prompt-tester.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/ado/agents/prompt-evaluator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/ado/agents/plan-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/ado/agents/phase-implementor.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/ado/agents/implementation-validator.md | Plugin link/symlink to subagent |
| plugins/ado/README.md | Plugin README agent/instruction tables updated |
| collections/security-planning.collection.yml | Add subagents to collection manifest |
| collections/security-planning.collection.md | Document supporting subagents |
| collections/rpi.collection.yml | Add subagents to collection manifest |
| collections/rpi.collection.md | Document supporting subagents |
| collections/prompt-engineering.collection.yml | Add subagents to collection manifest |
| collections/prompt-engineering.collection.md | Document supporting subagents |
| collections/project-planning.collection.yml | Add subagents to collection manifest |
| collections/project-planning.collection.md | Document supporting subagents |
| collections/hve-core-all.collection.yml | Add subagents to “all” manifest |
| collections/hve-core-all.collection.md | Document supporting subagents |
| collections/github.collection.yml | Add subagents to collection manifest |
| collections/github.collection.md | Document supporting subagents |
| collections/data-science.collection.yml | Add subagents to collection manifest |
| collections/data-science.collection.md | Document supporting subagents |
| collections/coding-standards.collection.yml | Add subagents to collection manifest |
| collections/coding-standards.collection.md | Document supporting subagents |
| collections/ado.collection.yml | Add subagents to collection manifest |
| collections/ado.collection.md | Document supporting subagents |
| .vscode/settings.json | Add subagent directory to discovery |
| .github/prompts/task-review.prompt.md | Simplified wrapper prompt requirements |
| .github/prompts/task-research.prompt.md | Simplified wrapper prompt requirements |
| .github/prompts/task-plan.prompt.md | Simplified wrapper prompt requirements |
| .github/prompts/task-implement.prompt.md | Simplified wrapper prompt requirements |
| .github/prompts/rpi.prompt.md | Simplified wrapper prompt requirements |
| .github/prompts/prompt-refactor.prompt.md | Simplified wrapper prompt requirements |
| .github/prompts/prompt-build.prompt.md | Simplified wrapper prompt requirements |
| .github/prompts/prompt-analyze.prompt.md | Simplified wrapper prompt requirements |
| .github/copilot-instructions.md | Document collections and subagents |
| .github/agents/task-reviewer.agent.md | Orchestrate validation via subagents |
| .github/agents/task-researcher.agent.md | Delegate research to researcher subagent |
| .github/agents/task-implementor.agent.md | Delegate phase execution to phase subagent |
| .github/agents/subagents/rpi-validator.agent.md | New subagent for plan-vs-changes validation |
| .github/agents/subagents/researcher-subagent.agent.md | New subagent for research tasks |
| .github/agents/subagents/prompt-updater.agent.md | New subagent for prompt edits |
| .github/agents/subagents/prompt-tester.agent.md | New subagent for sandbox prompt testing |
| .github/agents/subagents/prompt-evaluator.agent.md | New subagent for evaluation log generation |
| .github/agents/subagents/plan-validator.agent.md | New subagent for plan/research alignment |
| .github/agents/subagents/phase-implementor.agent.md | New subagent for per-phase implementation |
| .github/agents/subagents/implementation-validator.agent.md | New subagent for quality/security validation |
| .github/agents/rpi-agent.agent.md | Parent orchestrator updated for subagents |
| .github/agents/prompt-builder.agent.md | Prompt-builder updated to run subagents |
| .github/agents/doc-ops.agent.md | Doc ops updated to run subagents |
| .github/CUSTOM-AGENTS.md | Documentation updated for subagent tooling |
…t spec - add agents, user-invocable, disable-model-invocation, and infer fields to schema - support model as string or array, add handoffs model override field - set additionalProperties to true for external spec compatibility - remove deprecated mode, version, author fields from contributing docs - add all VS Code spec fields to contributing custom-agents documentation 🔧 - Generated by Copilot
fix(scripts): enforce file retrieval with force option in linting scripts
katriendg
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FYI - I did a few small updates, including the agent schema.json update, and the frontmatter validator. Tested a few of the prompts including the RPI which is running great!
Let's get this merged!
🤖 I have created a release *beep* *boop* --- ## [2.3.10](hve-core-v2.3.9...hve-core-v2.3.10) (2026-02-17) ### 🐛 Bug Fixes * **agents:** add subagent support with dedicated subagent files and simplified prompts ([#639](#639)) ([c080b0a](c080b0a)) * Markdown table in Codespace is not rendered correctly ([#619](#619)) ([5bcea1d](5bcea1d)) ### 📚 Documentation * **ai-artifacts:** align contribution guide with plugin and collection workflow ([#622](#622)) ([21820be](21820be)) --- This PR was generated with [Release Please](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please). See [documentation](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please#release-please). Co-authored-by: hve-core-release-please[bot] <254602402+hve-core-release-please[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
fix(agents): add subagent support with dedicated subagent files and simplified prompts
Description
Previously, parent agents contained large inline instruction blocks for tasks like research, validation, implementation, and prompt testing. This made agents difficult to maintain, test independently, and reuse across workflows. This PR extracts those responsibilities into eight dedicated subagent files and updates the entire agent ecosystem accordingly.
Subagent extraction — Eight focused subagents now live under
.github/agents/subagents/:implementation-validator,phase-implementor,plan-validator,prompt-evaluator,prompt-tester,prompt-updater,researcher-subagent, andrpi-validator. Each owns a single responsibility that was previously duplicated or embedded inline across multiple parent agents.Parent agent rewrites — Seven parent agents (
rpi-agent,task-implementor,task-planner,task-researcher,task-reviewer,prompt-builder,doc-ops) were restructured to declare subagent dependencies throughagents:frontmatter with glob-based resolution paths. The agents now orchestrate work by invoking subagents rather than executing everything inline.Prompt simplification — Eight prompt files were reduced to lean wrappers containing only the user-facing Requirements section. Workflow logic that previously lived in prompts moved into their corresponding agents, giving prompts a clear single purpose: capture user intent and delegate.
Instructions update — The
prompt-builder.instructions.mdfile gained guidance for the new subagent structural template, agent delegation patterns, and sandbox environment definitions.Configuration and discovery — VS Code settings,
copilot-instructions.md, andCUSTOM-AGENTS.mdwere updated so the newsubagents/directory is discoverable and the documentation reflects current terminology and architecture.Collection and plugin alignment — All nine collection manifests and their corresponding markdown descriptions were updated to include the new subagent entries. Plugin outputs were regenerated with updated agent tables and symlinks.
Related Issue(s)
Type of Change
Select all that apply:
Code & Documentation:
Infrastructure & Configuration:
AI Artifacts:
prompt-builderagent and addressed all feedback.github/instructions/*.instructions.md).github/prompts/*.prompt.md).github/agents/*.agent.md).github/skills/*/SKILL.md)Other:
.ps1,.sh,.py)Sample Prompts (for AI Artifact Contributions)
User Request:
/rpi Research, plan, and implement subagent support for the task-planner agentExecution Flow:
rpi-agent; the agent loads subagents viaagents:frontmatter glob pathsresearcher-subagentfor codebase analysisplan-validatorto validate the generated plan against research findingsphase-implementorfor each phase, with change trackingrpi-validatorper phase andimplementation-validatorfor quality assessmentOutput Artifacts:
Tracking artifacts in
.copilot-tracking/remain unchanged. Subagent delegation is transparent to the user; parent agents orchestrate the workflow using glob-based subagent resolution.Success Indicators:
.github/agents/subagents/and are discoverable viachat.agentFilesLocationsTesting
Checklist
Required Checks
AI Artifact Contributions
/prompt-analyzeto review contributionprompt-builderreviewRequired Automated Checks
The following validation commands must pass before merging:
npm run lint:mdnpm run spell-checknpm run lint:frontmatternpm run lint:md-linksnpm run lint:psSecurity Considerations
Additional Notes
All changed GHCP files (agents, prompts, instructions) have
stablematurity in collection manifests. No non-stable GHCP artifacts are introduced or modified in this PR.The user-facing invocation patterns for all agents and prompts remain unchanged. The subagent architecture is an internal refactoring that moves reusable logic from inline sections in parent agents into dedicated, composable subagent files resolved through glob paths in
agents:frontmatter.🔧 Generated by Copilot using the repository PR template