Examples & use cases
Real, end‑to‑end runs and the focus that drove them. Each shows the pattern, a focus you can copy, and what it produces. Use these as starting points — adapt the specifics to your repo.
Batch‑add catalog content (additive)
Pattern: grow a catalog — plugins, fixtures, examples, sample configs — by N new entries per run, without touching anything that already exists. Pairs well with a persistent objective (e.g. "8000 plugins") so the scheduler keeps making progress run after run.
Focus:
OBJECTIVE: Add exactly 5 NEW plugins to the plugin catalog.
Each plugin is a NEW directory under plugins/<name>/ containing a plugin.json
that follows the EXACT schema of existing plugins — inspect any existing
plugins/*/plugin.json first to match the format precisely.
Pick 5 distinct, real, useful tools NOT already present under plugins/ — verify
each target directory does NOT already exist before creating it. Do NOT modify
or delete any existing entry; keep the change strictly additive. Deliver a
single PR titled "feat: add 5 new plugins".
Produces: one PR, strictly additive — e.g. five new plugin directories
(frawk, slumber, vgrep, xplr, zenith), 15 files, 0 deletions, nothing
outside the new folders touched. The team's reviewer
checks the diff stays on‑objective before it opens.
Why it works: an exact count, an explicit "additive only" constraint, and "verify it doesn't already exist" keep the agent from drifting or duplicating.
Add one focused test
Pattern: raise coverage one honest test at a time — small, mergeable, low‑risk. Good as a scheduled background drip.
Focus:
Add ONE unit test for an untested or under-tested function. Pick the function,
write a single focused test that asserts real behaviour (not a tautology), make
it pass, and commit. Don't refactor the code under test.
Produces: a tiny PR adding one test file or case. Pair with a
verify command (go test ./..., npm test) so the
run only ships when the suite is green.
Safe dependency bump
Pattern: keep dependencies current without breakage risk.
Focus:
Update ONE outdated dependency safely — minor or patch only, NO major versions.
Update the manifest + lockfile, run the build and tests, and commit only if
everything passes.
Produces: a single‑dependency PR with the lockfile updated and the gate green. See Playbooks for a ready‑made version of this.
Resolve a specific GitHub issue
Pattern: point AM at one issue and let it open a fix PR. With Issue solving enabled, AM can pick issues on its own; you can also target one directly.
Focus:
Fix GitHub issue #123. Read the issue and reproduce the problem, make the
smallest change that resolves it, add a regression test, and reference the issue
in the PR description.
Produces: a focused fix PR linked to the issue. Set an acceptance command when "fixed" is mechanically checkable.
Documentation pass
Pattern: improve docs without changing behaviour — safe to auto‑merge on higher trust.
Focus:
Improve documentation quality only — READMEs, module docs, doc comments, typos.
Do NOT change code behaviour. Pick ONE under-documented area and expand it.
Produces: a docs‑only PR. Because there's no behaviour change, it's a good candidate for auto‑merge once you trust the repo.
Tips that apply to all of these
- Bound the run. An exact count or a single named target beats "improve X".
- Constrain the blast radius. "Strictly additive", "don't modify existing", "minor/patch only" keep diffs reviewable.
- Gate it. A verify command turns "looks done" into "is correct".
- Make it persistent. For ongoing work, set an objective and a schedule so runs repeat without you re‑triggering.