team-building

Team Building

This skill teaches you how to create Markus team packages — self-contained directory-based artifacts that define a group of specialized AI agents with shared norms and coordination structure.

Core Philosophy

Every agent in a team must be a specialist. Do NOT simply pick generic templates and give them names. Design each agent with a unique identity, expertise, and detailed role documentation. Safety constraints are defined in each agent's POLICIES.md, not through tool restrictions.

Artifact Directory

CRITICAL: Team artifacts MUST be saved under this exact path — the Builder page, install system, and deliverable detection all depend on it:

~/.markus/builder-artifacts/teams/{team-name}/
├── team.json                    # Manifest (auto-created from your JSON output)
├── README.md                    # Public-facing team overview for Hub/Builder (REQUIRED)
├── ANNOUNCEMENT.md              # Team announcement (you write via file_write)
├── NORMS.md                     # Working norms (you write via file_write)
├── workflows/                   # Workflow templates (optional)
│   └── {workflow-name}.yaml     # YAML workflow DAG definition
└── members/
    ├── {manager-slug}/
    │   ├── ROLE.md              # Identity and system prompt (REQUIRED)
    │   ├── HEARTBEAT.md         # Periodic self-check checklist (RECOMMENDED)
    │   ├── POLICIES.md          # Constraints and guardrails (optional)
    │   └── CONTEXT.md           # Domain context and references (optional)
    └── {worker-slug}/
        ├── ROLE.md              # Identity and system prompt (REQUIRED)
        ├── HEARTBEAT.md         # Periodic self-check checklist (RECOMMENDED)
        ├── POLICIES.md          # Constraints and guardrails (optional)
        └── CONTEXT.md           # Domain context and references (optional)

Do NOT write artifacts to ~/.markus/shared/, your working directory, or any other location. Only ~/.markus/builder-artifacts/teams/ is recognized by the system.

Where files are deployed on install

Creation Workflow

Output the team in up to three steps — manifest first, then content files, then optional workflow YAML. Never put file content inline in the JSON.

Chat Mode vs Task Mode

• Chat mode (user conversation): Output the manifest JSON in a ```json code block → system auto-saves and creates the directory → then use file_write for each content file.
• Task mode (assigned task): Use file_write to write the manifest JSON file directly (e.g., file_write("~/.markus/builder-artifacts/teams/{name}/team.json", ...)) → then use file_write for each content file. When submitting deliverables, set the reference to the artifact directory path.
• A2A mode (agent-to-agent): Same as task mode — write all files via file_write.

Step 1: Output Manifest JSON

In chat mode: Output the team structure as a JSON code block. The system auto-saves it. In task/A2A mode: Write the manifest JSON file directly via file_write.

This JSON contains ONLY metadata and structure — no file content.

{
  "type": "team",
  "name": "team-name-kebab-case",
  "displayName": "Team Display Name",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Team purpose and goals",
  "author": "",
  "category": "development | devops | management | productivity | general",
  "tags": ["tag1", "tag2"],
  "team": {
    "members": [
      {
        "name": "Manager Name",
        "role": "manager",
        "count": 1,
        "skills": ["skill-id-1"]
      },
      {
        "name": "Worker Name",
        "role": "worker",
        "count": 1,
        "skills": ["skill-id-1", "skill-id-2"]
      }
    ],
    "workflow": {
      "phases": ["plan", "implement", "review", "validate"],
      "parallelImplementation": true,
      "worktreeIsolation": true,
      "requireReviewBeforeComplete": true
    },
    "workflows": ["workflows/my-workflow.yaml"]
  }
}

The system automatically saves this JSON and creates the directory. After that, you proceed to write files.

Step 2: Write Files with file_write

After the JSON is saved, write each file individually using file_write. The base path is ~/.markus/builder-artifacts/teams/{team-name}/ (use the name from your JSON).

Write files in this order:

1. README.md (REQUIRED) — The public-facing overview displayed on Markus Hub and the Builder detail page. This is what users see first when browsing the team. Write 2-4 paragraphs covering:

   • What this team does and what problem it solves
   • Team composition overview (who the key members are)
   • Key capabilities and workflow highlights
   • Example use cases or when to deploy this team

2. ANNOUNCEMENT.md — Team mission, member introduction, how the team works, key capabilities. At least 3 paragraphs.

3. NORMS.md — Phase-based workflow documentation aligned with team.workflow.phases. This is critical for team effectiveness. Structure it as:

   • A section for each workflow phase (e.g., "### 1. Plan", "### 2. Implement", "### 3. Review & Merge")
   • Each phase explains what happens, who is responsible, and which platform capabilities to use
   • Include file/module ownership rules if the team does parallel development
   • Include communication protocols (when to use agent_send_message, agent_broadcast_status)
   • Reference platform capabilities: spawn_subagent, background_exec, shell_execute (git/gh), worktree isolation, deliverable_create, etc.

4. Each member's ROLE.md — Write one at a time. Before writing, read the existing base role template via file_read to understand the expected depth and conventions. Each ROLE.md should be at least 5 paragraphs, covering:

   • Who this agent is (identity, personality)
   • Core expertise and responsibilities
   • Workflow with platform capabilities — when to use spawn_subagent, background_exec, shell_execute, etc.
   • Output standards and quality criteria
   • Collaboration expectations within the team
   • For developers: worktree isolation, TDD, submit-for-review flow
   • For reviewers: review-then-merge workflow (git merge or gh pr)
   • For managers: file ownership planning, dependency graphs, spawn_subagent for analysis

5. Each member's HEARTBEAT.md (RECOMMENDED) — Defines what the agent proactively checks every ~30 minutes. Without this file, the agent is purely reactive and will only respond to direct messages. Write a role-specific checklist covering:

   • Check mailbox for new messages and respond to urgent items
   • Review assigned tasks — update progress, unblock if possible
   • Check team announcements and norms for updates
   • Role-specific patrol items (e.g., managers: check team task board and unblock members; developers: check build status and PR reviews; reviewers: check tasks awaiting review)
   • Scan recent channel messages for anything requiring attention

6. POLICIES.md (optional) — For members that need specific constraints.

7. CONTEXT.md (optional) — Additional domain context, references, or knowledge specific to a member.

Example file_write calls:

file_write("~/.markus/builder-artifacts/teams/research-team/README.md", "# Research Team\n\nA collaborative AI research team that...\n\n## Team Composition\n- Research Director (manager)...\n- Senior Researcher (worker)...\n\n## Use Cases\n- Academic literature review and synthesis...")
file_write("~/.markus/builder-artifacts/teams/research-team/ANNOUNCEMENT.md", "# Research Team — Team Announcement\n\n...")
file_write("~/.markus/builder-artifacts/teams/research-team/NORMS.md", "# Research Team — Working Norms\n\n...")
file_write("~/.markus/builder-artifacts/teams/research-team/members/research-director/ROLE.md", "# Research Director\n\nYou are **Research Director** — ...\n\n...")
file_write("~/.markus/builder-artifacts/teams/research-team/members/research-director/HEARTBEAT.md", "# Heartbeat Checklist\n\n- [ ] Check mailbox ...\n- [ ] Review team task board ...\n- [ ] Unblock members ...")
file_write("~/.markus/builder-artifacts/teams/research-team/members/senior-researcher/ROLE.md", "# Senior Researcher\n\nYou are **Senior Researcher** — ...\n\n...")
file_write("~/.markus/builder-artifacts/teams/research-team/members/senior-researcher/HEARTBEAT.md", "# Heartbeat Checklist\n\n- [ ] Check mailbox ...\n- [ ] Review assigned tasks ...\n- [ ] Check build status ...")

IMPORTANT: The member directory slug is derived from the member's name field — lowercased, spaces to hyphens, non-alphanumeric removed.

Step 3: Write Workflow YAML (optional)

If the team has repeatable multi-step processes that should run as automated DAGs, add workflow templates. Each workflow is a YAML file that defines a sequence of tasks with dependencies, role assignments, and optional scheduling.

When to include workflows:

• The team has a process that runs repeatedly (e.g., weekly content publishing, daily reports)
• Multiple members need to collaborate in a defined sequence
• You want steps to run in parallel where possible and wait on dependencies automatically

Write each workflow YAML to workflows/:

file_write("~/.markus/builder-artifacts/teams/{team-name}/workflows/content-publishing.yaml", "<YAML content>")

Make sure team.workflows in your manifest references the file:

"workflows": ["workflows/content-publishing.yaml"]

Minimal workflow example:

name: content-publishing
displayName: Content Publishing
description: Plan, write, and review content
version: "1.0.0"

params:
  - name: topic
    type: string
    required: true

steps:
  - id: plan
    name: Plan Content
    type: agent_task
    role: editor
    prompt: "Create a content plan for: {{topic}}"

  - id: write
    name: Write Draft
    type: agent_task
    role: writer
    depends_on: [plan]
    inputs: [{ from: plan, as: content_plan }]
    prompt: "Write content about {{topic}} following the plan."

  - id: review
    name: Review & Publish
    type: agent_task
    role: editor
    depends_on: [write]
    inputs: [{ from: write, as: draft }]
    prompt: "Review the draft and finalize for publishing."

For the full YAML format reference, DAG patterns, scheduling, and more examples, activate the workflow-building skill.

Field Reference

Top-level fields

• type: Always "team"
• name: MUST be English kebab-case (e.g., frontend-squad, research-team). Even for Chinese teams, use English slug.
• displayName: Human-readable name, any language (e.g., "前端开发小队")
• version: Semver (default "1.0.0")
• description: Team purpose (any language)
• category: One of development, devops, management, productivity, general
• tags: Descriptive tags

team.members[] — Member Specifications (REQUIRED)

• name: Display name (the slug for file paths is derived from this)
• role: "manager" or "worker"
• count: Number of instances (default 1)
• skills: Skill IDs from the dynamic context. Actively assign skills — don't leave empty!

Note: The roleName field is not needed for team members. Each member's identity is fully defined by their ROLE.md file under members/{slug}/. Do NOT include roleName unless you specifically want to inherit defaults from a built-in role template (rare).

team.workflow — Workflow Configuration (recommended)

• phases: Array of phase names defining the team's workflow (e.g., ["plan", "implement", "review", "validate"])
• parallelImplementation: true if multiple members work in parallel during implementation
• worktreeIsolation: true if developers should work in isolated git worktrees (recommended for coding teams)
• requireReviewBeforeComplete: true if tasks must pass review before completion

team.workflows — Workflow Template Files (optional)

• Array of YAML file paths relative to the package root, e.g. ["workflows/content-publishing.yaml"]
• These files are copied to ~/.markus/teams/{teamId}/workflows/ on install and become runnable via the Workflows UI or workflow_run tool
• See the workflow-building skill for the full YAML format

After Creation

CRITICAL: Creating an artifact is NOT the same as installing/deploying it. Creating writes files to builder-artifacts/; installing deploys live agents that consume resources and join the org. NEVER auto-install. Only install when the user explicitly says "install", "deploy", or "hire". This applies to ALL modes (chat, task, A2A).

Once all files are written, tell the user:

1. The team has been created and saved — summarize the team composition (name, members, their roles).
2. Ready to install — the user can install from the Builder page, or ask you to install it (you would use package_install). Do NOT install unless asked.
3. To modify or improve this team (e.g., add new members, update roles, change team norms), just continue the conversation here — describe what you want to change and I'll update the files directly.

Rules

• DO NOT invent skill IDs. Only use values from the dynamic context.
• DO NOT leave skills empty when relevant skills are available. Review the skills list!
• DO NOT put file content in the JSON. Always use file_write for files.
• DO NOT write artifacts to ~/.markus/shared/ or your working directory. Always use ~/.markus/builder-artifacts/teams/{name}/.
• The name field MUST be English kebab-case.
• All top-level fields must be the correct type: author must be a plain string (e.g. "John") — NOT an object. tags must be an array of strings. version must be semver string. description must be a string. The system validates the manifest on write and will reject malformed files.
• Every team MUST have exactly one member with "role": "manager" and at least one "worker".
• Write each ROLE.md with full attention — at least 5 substantive paragraphs per member.
• Do NOT rush through members. Each one deserves careful, tailored content.
• After outputting the JSON, write files one by one — announce what you're writing each time.