AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md

This file provides guidance to coding agents working in this repository.

Repository Guidelines

Pipeline-First Development (MANDATORY)

All new functionality MUST be implemented as pipeline Steps composed via the Pipeline engine. Do NOT write standalone scripts, ad-hoc loops, or inline logic that bypasses the pipeline. Before writing any code:

1. Read docs/design/PIPELINE_DESIGN.md to understand the Step → Pipeline → Branch model.
2. Implement logic as a Step class with requires/provides declarations and a __call__(self, ctx) -> ctx method.
3. Compose steps using Pipeline().then(...) and .branch(...) — never manual for-loops or direct function chaining.
4. Use StepContext.replace() for immutable context updates — never mutate context directly.
5. Put integration-specific data in metadata, not new context fields, unless the field is shared across multiple pipelines.

Anti-patterns to reject:

• Writing a function that calls multiple steps manually instead of composing them in a Pipeline
• Inline reflection/evaluation logic instead of creating a ReflectStep or EvaluateStep
• Ad-hoc ThreadPoolExecutor usage instead of async_boundary and max_workers on steps
• Standalone scripts that duplicate pipeline functionality without using the pipeline engine
• Bypassing requires/provides contracts by accessing context fields not declared in requires

If a task seems like it cannot fit the pipeline model, explain why to the user before proceeding — do not silently circumvent it.

Core Code Protection

Do NOT modify core modules (ace/core/, pipeline/) without explicit user approval. Before proposing any change to these directories:

1. Read the relevant design docs (docs/design/ACE_ARCHITECTURE.md, docs/design/PIPELINE_DESIGN.md) thoroughly.
2. Evaluate whether the change is truly required or if it can be achieved outside the core (e.g., in an integration, step, or example).
3. Clearly explain the proposed change and its justification to the user before making any edits.
4. Wait for the user to explicitly accept before proceeding.

Documentation Maintenance

Before working on code in ace/, read docs/design/ACE_ARCHITECTURE.md to understand the current architecture. Before working on code in pipeline/ or ace/core/, read docs/design/PIPELINE_DESIGN.md to understand the pipeline engine.

Docs MUST be kept in sync with code. Any change that alters a public API, renames a concept, adds/removes a module, or changes execution flow requires a corresponding update to the relevant docs. Do not merge code changes that make the documentation inaccurate.

Key design docs:

• docs/design/ACE_ARCHITECTURE.md — ACE architecture: layers, core concepts, roles, steps, runners, integrations
• docs/design/ACE_REFERENCE.md — ACE code reference: full implementations, API signatures, usage examples
• docs/design/ACE_DECISIONS.md — design decisions and rejected alternatives (ACE, pipeline, migration)
• docs/design/PIPELINE_DESIGN.md — pipeline engine: steps, StepProtocol, Pipeline, Branch, concurrency
• If you need to work with collected traces from Logfire, read agent-guides/logfire.md

Project Structure

• ace/ — core library: roles (PydanticAI-backed), skillbook, steps, runners, providers, RR, integrations, observability
• pipeline/ — generic pipeline engine that ace is built on (see docs/design/PIPELINE_DESIGN.md)
• ace-eval/ — evaluation framework (submodule, separate repo)
• tests/ — unit/integration tests (pytest)
• examples/ — runnable demos grouped by integration
• agent-guides/ — internal development guides for LLM agents; not part of the public docs site
• docs/ — guides and reference material
  • docs/design/ACE_ARCHITECTURE.md — architecture and concepts (keep in sync with code)
  • docs/design/ACE_REFERENCE.md — code reference and examples (keep in sync with code)
  • docs/design/ACE_DECISIONS.md — design decisions and rejected alternatives
  • docs/design/PIPELINE_DESIGN.md — pipeline engine design doc (keep in sync with code)

Commands

• uv sync — install all dependencies
• uv run pytest — run tests (coverage enforced --cov-fail-under=25)
• uv run pytest -m unit / -m integration / -m slow — run by marker
• uv run black ace/ tests/ examples/ — format code
• uv run mypy ace/ — type check

Coding Style

• PEP 8 with Black formatting (line length 88)
• Type hints and docstrings for public APIs
• Python 3.12 target
• Test files: tests/test_*.py; functions: test_*; classes: Test*

Testing

• Pytest is the primary runner
• Add tests for new features; include regression tests for bug fixes

Commits

• Conventional Commits: feat(scope): subject, fix(scope): subject
• Do NOT add Co-Authored-By trailers to commit messages
• PRs should include description, test results, and relevant docs updates

ACE Roles (quick reference)

Role	Responsibility	Key Class
Agent	Executes tasks using skillbook strategies	Agent
Reflector	Analyzes execution results	Reflector
SkillManager	Updates the skillbook with new strategies	SkillManager

Integration Runners

Runner	Framework	Use Case
ACELiteLLM	LiteLLM (100+ providers)	Simple self-improving agent
ACELangChain	LangChain	Wrap chains/agents with learning
ACEBrowserUse	browser-use	Browser automation with learning
ACEClaudeCode	Claude Code CLI	Coding tasks with learning

NEVER USE FALLBACKS OR IMPLEMENT THINGS I NEVER ASKED FOR. IF IT'S STRAIGHFORWARD, IMPLEMENT IT STRAIGHFORWARD.