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GSD Agent Reference

All 21 specialized agents — roles, tools, spawn patterns, and relationships. For architecture context, see Architecture.

Overview

GSD uses a multi-agent architecture where thin orchestrators (workflow files) spawn specialized agents with fresh context windows. Each agent has a focused role, limited tool access, and produces specific artifacts.

Agent Categories

Category Count Agents
Researchers 3 project-researcher, phase-researcher, ui-researcher
Analyzers 2 assumptions-analyzer, advisor-researcher
Synthesizers 1 research-synthesizer
Planners 1 planner
Roadmappers 1 roadmapper
Executors 1 executor
Checkers 3 plan-checker, integration-checker, ui-checker
Verifiers 1 verifier
Auditors 3 nyquist-auditor, ui-auditor, security-auditor
Mappers 1 codebase-mapper
Debuggers 1 debugger
Doc Writers 2 doc-writer, doc-verifier
Profilers 1 user-profiler

Agent Details

gsd-project-researcher

Role: Researches domain ecosystem before roadmap creation.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-new-project, /gsd-new-milestone
Parallelism 4 instances (stack, features, architecture, pitfalls)
Tools Read, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob, WebSearch, WebFetch, mcp (context7)
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Produces .planning/research/STACK.md, FEATURES.md, ARCHITECTURE.md, PITFALLS.md

Capabilities:

  • Web search for current ecosystem information
  • Context7 MCP integration for library documentation
  • Writes research documents directly to disk (reduces orchestrator context load)

gsd-phase-researcher

Role: Researches how to implement a specific phase before planning.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-plan-phase
Parallelism 4 instances (same focus areas as project researcher)
Tools Read, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob, WebSearch, WebFetch, mcp (context7)
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Produces {phase}-RESEARCH.md

Capabilities:

  • Reads CONTEXT.md to focus research on user's decisions
  • Investigates implementation patterns for the specific phase domain
  • Detects test infrastructure for Nyquist validation mapping

gsd-ui-researcher

Role: Produces UI design contracts for frontend phases.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-ui-phase
Parallelism Single instance
Tools Read, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob, WebSearch, WebFetch, mcp (context7)
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color #E879F9 (fuchsia)
Produces {phase}-UI-SPEC.md

Capabilities:

  • Detects design system state (shadcn components.json, Tailwind config, existing tokens)
  • Offers shadcn initialization for React/Next.js/Vite projects
  • Asks only unanswered design contract questions
  • Enforces registry safety gate for third-party components

gsd-assumptions-analyzer

Role: Deeply analyzes codebase for a phase and returns structured assumptions with evidence, confidence levels, and consequences if wrong.

Property Value
Spawned by discuss-phase-assumptions workflow (when workflow.discuss_mode = 'assumptions')
Parallelism Single instance
Tools Read, Bash, Grep, Glob
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color Cyan
Produces Structured assumptions with decision statements, evidence file paths, confidence levels

Key behaviors:

  • Reads ROADMAP.md phase description and prior CONTEXT.md files
  • Searches codebase for files related to the phase (components, patterns, similar features)
  • Reads 5-15 most relevant source files to form evidence-based assumptions
  • Classifies confidence: Confident (clear from code), Likely (reasonable inference), Unclear (could go multiple ways)
  • Flags topics that need external research (library compatibility, ecosystem best practices)
  • Output calibrated by tier: full_maturity (3-5 areas), standard (3-4), minimal_decisive (2-3)

gsd-advisor-researcher

Role: Researches a single gray area decision during discuss-phase advisor mode and returns a structured comparison table.

Property Value
Spawned by discuss-phase workflow (when ADVISOR_MODE = true)
Parallelism Multiple instances (one per gray area)
Tools Read, Bash, Grep, Glob, WebSearch, WebFetch, mcp (context7)
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color Cyan
Produces 5-column comparison table (Option / Pros / Cons / Complexity / Recommendation) with rationale paragraph

Key behaviors:

  • Researches a single assigned gray area using Claude's knowledge, Context7, and web search
  • Produces genuinely viable options — no padding with filler alternatives
  • Complexity column uses impact surface + risk (never time estimates)
  • Recommendations are conditional ("Rec if X", "Rec if Y") — never single-winner ranking
  • Output calibrated by tier: full_maturity (3-5 options with maturity signals), standard (2-4), minimal_decisive (2 options, decisive recommendation)

gsd-research-synthesizer

Role: Combines outputs from parallel researchers into a unified summary.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-new-project (after 4 researchers complete)
Parallelism Single instance (sequential after researchers)
Tools Read, Write, Bash
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color Purple
Produces .planning/research/SUMMARY.md

gsd-planner

Role: Creates executable phase plans with task breakdown, dependency analysis, and goal-backward verification.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-plan-phase, /gsd-quick
Parallelism Single instance
Tools Read, Write, Bash, Glob, Grep, WebFetch, mcp (context7)
Model (balanced) Opus
Color Green
Produces {phase}-{N}-PLAN.md files

Key behaviors:

  • Reads PROJECT.md, REQUIREMENTS.md, CONTEXT.md, RESEARCH.md
  • Creates 2-3 atomic task plans sized for single context windows
  • Uses XML structure with <task> elements
  • Includes read_first and acceptance_criteria sections
  • Groups plans into dependency waves
  • Performs reachability check to validate plan steps reference accessible files and APIs (v1.32)

gsd-roadmapper

Role: Creates project roadmaps with phase breakdown and requirement mapping.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-new-project
Parallelism Single instance
Tools Read, Write, Bash, Glob, Grep
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color Purple
Produces ROADMAP.md

Key behaviors:

  • Maps requirements to phases (traceability)
  • Derives success criteria from requirements
  • Respects granularity setting for phase count
  • Validates coverage (every v1 requirement mapped to a phase)

gsd-executor

Role: Executes GSD plans with atomic commits, deviation handling, and checkpoint protocols.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-execute-phase, /gsd-quick
Parallelism Multiple (parallel within waves, sequential across waves)
Tools Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color Yellow
Produces Code changes, git commits, {phase}-{N}-SUMMARY.md

Key behaviors:

  • Fresh 200K context window per plan
  • Follows XML task instructions precisely
  • Atomic git commit per completed task
  • Handles checkpoint types: auto, human-verify, decision, human-action
  • Reports deviations from plan in SUMMARY.md
  • Invokes node repair on verification failure

gsd-plan-checker

Role: Verifies plans will achieve phase goals before execution.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-plan-phase (verification loop, max 3 iterations)
Parallelism Single instance (iterative)
Tools Read, Bash, Glob, Grep
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color Green
Produces PASS/FAIL verdict with specific feedback

8 Verification Dimensions:

  1. Requirement coverage
  2. Task atomicity
  3. Dependency ordering
  4. File scope
  5. Verification commands
  6. Context fit
  7. Gap detection
  8. Nyquist compliance (when enabled)

gsd-integration-checker

Role: Verifies cross-phase integration and end-to-end flows.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-audit-milestone
Parallelism Single instance
Tools Read, Bash, Grep, Glob
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color Blue
Produces Integration verification report

gsd-ui-checker

Role: Validates UI-SPEC.md design contracts against quality dimensions.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-ui-phase (validation loop, max 2 iterations)
Parallelism Single instance
Tools Read, Bash, Glob, Grep
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color #22D3EE (cyan)
Produces BLOCK/FLAG/PASS verdict

gsd-verifier

Role: Verifies phase goal achievement through goal-backward analysis.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-execute-phase (after all executors complete)
Parallelism Single instance
Tools Read, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color Green
Produces {phase}-VERIFICATION.md

Key behaviors:

  • Checks codebase against phase goals, not just task completion
  • PASS/FAIL with specific evidence
  • Logs issues for /gsd-verify-work to address
  • Milestone scope filtering: gaps addressed in later phases are marked as "deferred", not reported as failures (v1.32)
  • Test quality audit (v1.32): verifies that tests prove what they claim by checking for disabled/skipped tests on requirements, circular test patterns (system generating its own expected values), assertion strength (existence vs. value vs. behavioral), and expected value provenance. Blockers from test quality audit override an otherwise passing verification

gsd-nyquist-auditor

Role: Fills Nyquist validation gaps by generating tests.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-validate-phase
Parallelism Single instance
Tools Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Produces Test files, updated VALIDATION.md

Key behaviors:

  • Never modifies implementation code — only test files
  • Max 3 attempts per gap
  • Flags implementation bugs as escalations for user

gsd-ui-auditor

Role: Retroactive 6-pillar visual audit of implemented frontend code.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-ui-review
Parallelism Single instance
Tools Read, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color #F472B6 (pink)
Produces {phase}-UI-REVIEW.md with scores

6 Audit Pillars (scored 1-4):

  1. Copywriting
  2. Visuals
  3. Color
  4. Typography
  5. Spacing
  6. Experience Design

gsd-codebase-mapper

Role: Explores codebase and writes structured analysis documents.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-map-codebase
Parallelism 4 instances (tech, architecture, quality, concerns)
Tools Read, Bash, Grep, Glob, Write
Model (balanced) Haiku
Color Cyan
Produces .planning/codebase/*.md (7 documents)

Key behaviors:

  • Read-only exploration + structured output
  • Writes documents directly to disk
  • No reasoning required — pattern extraction from file contents

gsd-debugger

Role: Investigates bugs using scientific method with persistent state.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-debug, /gsd-verify-work (for failures)
Parallelism Single instance (interactive)
Tools Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob, WebSearch
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color Orange
Produces .planning/debug/*.md, knowledge-base updates

Debug Session Lifecycle: gathering → investigating → fixing → verifying → awaiting_human_verify → resolved

Key behaviors:

  • Tracks hypotheses, evidence, and eliminated theories
  • State persists across context resets
  • Requires human verification before marking resolved
  • Appends to persistent knowledge base on resolution
  • Consults knowledge base on new sessions

gsd-user-profiler

Role: Analyzes session messages across 8 behavioral dimensions to produce a scored developer profile.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-profile-user
Parallelism Single instance
Tools Read
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color Magenta
Produces USER-PROFILE.md, /gsd-dev-preferences, CLAUDE.md profile section

Behavioral Dimensions: Communication style, decision patterns, debugging approach, UX preferences, vendor choices, frustration triggers, learning style, explanation depth.

Key behaviors:

  • Read-only agent — analyzes extracted session data, does not modify files
  • Produces scored dimensions with confidence levels and evidence citations
  • Questionnaire fallback when session history is unavailable

gsd-doc-writer

Role: Writes and updates project documentation. Spawned with a doc_assignment block specifying doc type, mode, and project context.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-docs-update
Parallelism Multiple instances (one per doc type)
Tools Read, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color Purple
Produces Project documentation files (README, architecture, API docs, etc.)

Key behaviors:

  • Supports modes: create, update, supplement, fix
  • Handles doc types: readme, architecture, getting_started, development, testing, api, configuration, deployment, contributing, custom
  • Monorepo-aware: can generate per-package READMEs
  • Fix mode accepts failure objects from gsd-doc-verifier for targeted corrections
  • Writes directly to disk — does not return content to orchestrator

gsd-doc-verifier

Role: Verifies factual claims in generated documentation against the live codebase.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-docs-update (after doc-writer completes)
Parallelism Multiple instances (one per doc file)
Tools Read, Write, Bash, Grep, Glob
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color Orange
Produces Structured JSON verification results per doc

Key behaviors:

  • Extracts checkable claims (file paths, function names, CLI commands, config keys)
  • Verifies each claim against filesystem using tools only — no assumptions
  • Writes structured JSON result file for orchestrator to process
  • Failed claims feed back to doc-writer in fix mode

gsd-security-auditor

Role: Verifies threat mitigations from PLAN.md threat model exist in implemented code.

Property Value
Spawned by /gsd-secure-phase
Parallelism Single instance
Tools Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, Grep
Model (balanced) Sonnet
Color #EF4444 (red)
Produces {phase}-SECURITY.md

Key behaviors:

  • Verifies each threat by its declared disposition (mitigate / accept / transfer)
  • Does NOT scan blindly for new vulnerabilities — verifies declared mitigations only
  • Implementation files are read-only — never patches implementation code
  • Unmitigated threats reported as OPEN_THREATS or ESCALATE
  • Supports ASVS levels 1/2/3 for verification depth

Agent Tool Permissions Summary

Agent Read Write Edit Bash Grep Glob WebSearch WebFetch MCP
project-researcher ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
phase-researcher ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
ui-researcher ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
assumptions-analyzer ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
advisor-researcher ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
research-synthesizer ✓ ✓ ✓
planner ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
roadmapper ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
executor ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
plan-checker ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
integration-checker ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
ui-checker ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
verifier ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
nyquist-auditor ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
ui-auditor ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
codebase-mapper ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
debugger ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
user-profiler ✓
doc-writer ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
doc-verifier ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
security-auditor ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Principle of Least Privilege:

  • Checkers are read-only (no Write/Edit) — they evaluate, never modify
  • Researchers have web access — they need current ecosystem information
  • Executors have Edit — they modify code but not web access
  • Mappers have Write — they write analysis documents but not Edit (no code changes)