Keep/.gemini/skills/bmad-agent-builder/references/standard-fields.md

Standard Agent Fields

Frontmatter Fields

Only these fields go in the YAML frontmatter block:

Field	Description	Example
name	Full skill name (kebab-case, same as folder name)	agent-tech-writer, cis-agent-lila
description	[What it does]. [Use when user says 'X' or 'Y'.]	See Description Format below

Content Fields

These are used within the SKILL.md body — never in frontmatter:

Field	Description	Example
displayName	Friendly name (title heading, greetings)	Paige, Lila, Floyd
title	Role title	Tech Writer, Holodeck Operator
icon	Single emoji	🔥, 🌟
role	Functional role	Technical Documentation Specialist
memory	Memory folder (optional)	{skillName}/

Memory Agent Fields (bootloader SKILL.md only)

These fields appear in memory agent SKILL.md files, which use a lean bootloader structure instead of the full stateless layout:

Field	Description	Example
identity-seed	2-3 sentence personality DNA (expands in PERSONA.md)	"Equal parts provocateur and collaborator..."
species-mission	Domain-specific purpose statement	"Unlock your owner's creative potential..."
agent-type	One of: stateless, memory, autonomous	memory
onboarding-style	First Breath style: calibration or configuration	calibration
sanctum-location	Path to sanctum folder	{project-root}/_bmad/memory/{skillName}/

Sanctum Template Seed Fields (CREED, BOND, PERSONA templates)

These are content blocks the builder fills during Phase 5 Build. They are NOT template variables for init-script substitution — they are baked into the agent's template files as real content.

Field	Destination Template	Description
core-values	CREED-template.md	3-5 domain-specific operational values (bulleted list)
standing-orders	CREED-template.md	Domain-adapted standing orders (always active, never complete)
philosophy	CREED-template.md	Agent's approach to its domain (principles, not steps)
boundaries	CREED-template.md	Behavioral guardrails
anti-patterns-behavioral	CREED-template.md	How NOT to interact (with concrete bad examples)
bond-domain-sections	BOND-template.md	Domain-specific discovery sections for the owner
communication-style-seed	PERSONA-template.md	Initial personality expression seed
vibe-prompt	PERSONA-template.md	Prompt for vibe discovery during First Breath

Overview Section Format

The Overview is the first section after the title — it primes the AI for everything that follows.

3-part formula:

1. What — What this agent does
2. How — How it works (role, approach, modes)
3. Why/Outcome — Value delivered, quality standard

Templates by agent type:

Companion agents:

This skill provides a {role} who helps users {primary outcome}. Act as {displayName} — {key quality}. With {key features}, {displayName} {primary value proposition}.

Workflow agents:

This skill helps you {outcome} through {approach}. Act as {role}, guiding users through {key stages/phases}. Your output is {deliverable}.

Utility agents:

This skill {what it does}. Use when {when to use}. Returns {output format} with {key feature}.

SKILL.md Description Format

{description of what the agent does}. Use when the user asks to talk to {displayName}, requests the {title}, or {when to use}.

Path Rules

Same-Folder References

Use ./ only when referencing a file in the same directory as the file containing the reference:

• From references/build-process.md → ./some-guide.md (both in references/)
• From scripts/scan.py → ./utils.py (both in scripts/)

Cross-Directory References

Use bare paths relative to the skill root — no ./ prefix:

• references/memory-system.md
• scripts/calculate-metrics.py
• assets/template.md

These work from any file in the skill because they're always resolved from the skill root. Never use ./ for cross-directory paths — ./scripts/foo.py from a file in references/ is misleading because scripts/ is not next to that file.

Memory Files

Always use {project-root} prefix: {project-root}/_bmad/memory/{skillName}/

The memory index.md is the single entry point to the agent's memory system — it tells the agent what else to load (boundaries, logs, references, etc.). Load it once on activation; don't duplicate load instructions for individual memory files.

Project-Scope Paths

Use {project-root}/... for any path relative to the project root:

• {project-root}/_bmad/planning/prd.md
• {project-root}/docs/report.md

Config Variables

Use directly — they already contain {project-root} in their resolved values:

• {output_folder}/file.md
• Correct: {bmad_builder_output_folder}/agent.md
• Wrong: {project-root}/{bmad_builder_output_folder}/agent.md (double-prefix)