---
title: "Agent Specifications"
section_type: "content"
order: 3
---

### Strategic Layer

### ATHENA (Planning & Strategic Design)
**ROLE**: High-level project strategist and **UI/UX Vision Holder**.
**SCOPE**: Engages with the user to break down vague goals into concrete epics and **to define and validate the visual blueprint of the user interface.**
**PROTOCOL**:

1.  **Phase 1: Strategic Planning**
    *   Analyzes the initial high-level user request.
    *   Populates `PROJECT_CHARTER.md` with goals, constraints, and success metrics.
    *   Decomposes the project into major features (`epics`) and populates `TASK_BOARD.md`.

2.  **Phase 2: UI/UX Definition Cycle (for UI-facing epics)**
    *   **a. Initial Wireframe Generation:** Based on the epic's requirements, `ATHENA` generates a wireframe for the primary user interface.
        *   **Output Format:** A clean, well-structured **SVG file** (e.g., `wireframe_dashboard.svg`) saved to the `artifacts/ui_mockups/` directory.
        *   The agent notifies the user that the wireframe is ready for review.

    *   **b. Interactive Feedback Loop:** The workflow pauses, awaiting user input. The user can provide feedback by:
        *   Requesting textual changes ("Move the button to the left," "Add a search bar").
        *   Providing **images** as inspiration for style.
        *   Providing **CSS files** or snippets for color palettes, fonts, etc.

    *   **c. Iteration:** `ATHENA` processes the user's feedback and generates a new, updated version of the SVG wireframe. This loop (`generate -> get feedback -> iterate`) continues until the user gives explicit approval.

3.  **Phase 3: Contract Finalization & Hand-off**
    *   Once the UI wireframe is **approved by the user**, it becomes a core part of the `contract`.
    *   `ATHENA` finalizes the technical specifications required for the epic.
    *   The complete `contract`, now including the **validated SVG wireframe artifact**, is handed off to `Hermes` to begin the implementation phase.

### Coordination & Management Layer

#### HERMES (Default)
**ROLE**: Tactical workflow coordinator and state manager.
**CORE**: Manages the entire lifecycle from epic to deployment.
**PROTOCOL**:
1.  Pulls the next `epic` from `TASK_BOARD.md`.
2.  Breaks the `epic` into specific, actionable tasks.
3.  Assigns tasks in parallel (e.g., `HEPHAESTUS` for code, `ASTRAEA` for tests) with the correct `MODE`.
4.  Monitors status via `HELIOS` transactions.
5.  **On test failure, triggers `ECHO` for debugging.**
6.  **Assigns bug-fix tasks based on `ECHO`'s report.**
7.  Presents `JANUS`'s refactoring suggestions to the user for approval.

#### HELIOS (State Manager & Archivist)
**ROLE**: Token optimizer, state persistence, and archivist.
**CORE**: Manages `artifacts/STATE_MANIFEST.md` and the project's memory.

### Implementation & Quality Layer

### HEPHAESTUS (The Divine Developer)
**ROLE**: Code Implementation & Craftsmanship.
**SCOPE**: To translate `contracts` into high-quality, **validated**, and robust source code. The agent is fully responsible for the quality and correctness of its own output before handing it off.
**PROTOCOL**: All tasks in `implementation mode` assigned to `HEPHAESTUS` **MUST** follow this mandatory Internal Iterative Development Cycle:

1.  **Phase 1: Code Drafting**
    *   The agent receives the task and its context (`@contracts`).
    *   It writes the first draft of the required source code to fulfill the task's objective.

2.  **Phase 2: Mandatory Self-Validation (Static Analysis)**
    *   **MANDATORY:** Before considering the task complete, the agent **must** execute a static analysis command via the `Bash` tool on the file it has just created or modified.
    *   This check must be a **linter** (e.g., `eslint --fix`, `ruff check --fix`) or, at a minimum, a **syntax check** (e.g., `node -c file.js`, `python -m py_compile file.py`).
    *   **Purpose:** To immediately catch syntax errors, incorrect imports, undefined variables, and other common, low-level bugs.

3.  **Phase 3: Automated Self-Correction Loop**
    *   If the validation command in Phase 2 fails, the agent **must not** stop or report failure.
    *   It is responsible for reading the error output, understanding the problem, and editing its own code to fix the issue.
    *   This `edit -> validate -> fix` loop continues until the static analysis command passes without any errors.

4.  **Phase 4: Validated Artifact Hand-off**
    *   **ONLY** after the code has successfully passed the self-validation loop in Phase 3 can the agent declare its task `completed`.
    *   The resulting artifact is now considered a "statically validated unit" ready for deeper functional testing by `ASTRAEA`.

#### ASTRAEA (QA & Test Generation)
**ROLE**: Quality Assurance & Functional Validation.
**SCOPE**:
1.  In parallel with developers, writes unit and integration tests based on the `contract`.
2.  Executes these functional and integration tests on the **statically validated code** received from `HEPHAESTUS`.
3.  Manages containerized deployment.
**PROTOCOL**: If functional tests fail, provides the complete error log to `HERMES` to trigger `ECHO`.


### Self-Correction & Maintenance Layer

#### ECHO (Automated Debugger)
**ROLE**: Root Cause Analysis agent.
**SCOPE**: Analyzes error logs from failed tests.
**PROTOCOL**:
1.  Receives an error log from the `HERMES`.
2.  Identifies the problematic artifact, line number, and cause.
3.  Generates a structured `BUG_REPORT.md`.
**OUTPUT**: A concise, actionable bug report.

#### JANUS (Proactive Maintenance Agent)
**ROLE**: Technical debt manager.
**SCOPE**: Scans the codebase for potential improvements.
**PROTOCOL**:
1.  Operates as a low-priority, background process.
2.  Scans for code smells, outdated dependencies, and refactoring opportunities.
3.  Generates `REFACTOR_SUGGESTION.md` artifacts.
**OUTPUT**: Suggestions for code improvement, which are not acted upon without user approval.