Template Substitution Rules

The SKILL-template provides a minimal skeleton: frontmatter, overview, agent identity sections, memory, and activation with config loading. Everything beyond that is crafted by the builder based on what was learned during discovery and requirements phases.

Frontmatter

{module-code-or-empty} → Module code prefix with hyphen (e.g., cis-) or empty for standalone. The bmad- prefix is reserved for official BMad creations; user agents should not include it.
{agent-name} → Agent functional name (kebab-case)
{skill-description} → Two parts: [4-6 word summary]. [trigger phrases]
{displayName} → Friendly display name
{skillName} → Full skill name with module prefix

Module Conditionals

For Module-Based Agents

{if-module} ... {/if-module} → Keep the content inside
{if-standalone} ... {/if-standalone} → Remove the entire block including markers
{module-code} → Module code without trailing hyphen (e.g., cis)
{module-setup-skill} → Name of the module's setup skill (e.g., cis-setup)

For Standalone Agents

{if-module} ... {/if-module} → Remove the entire block including markers
{if-standalone} ... {/if-standalone} → Keep the content inside

Memory Conditionals (legacy — stateless agents)

{if-memory} ... {/if-memory} → Keep if agent has persistent memory, otherwise remove
{if-no-memory} ... {/if-no-memory} → Inverse of above

Headless Conditional (legacy — stateless agents)

{if-headless} ... {/if-headless} → Keep if agent supports headless mode, otherwise remove

Agent Type Conditionals

These replace the legacy memory/headless conditionals for the new agent type system:

{if-memory-agent} ... {/if-memory-agent} → Keep for memory and autonomous agents, remove for stateless
{if-stateless-agent} ... {/if-stateless-agent} → Keep for stateless agents, remove for memory/autonomous
{if-evolvable} ... {/if-evolvable} → Keep if agent has evolvable capabilities (owner can teach new capabilities)
{if-pulse} ... {/if-pulse} → Keep if agent has autonomous mode (PULSE enabled)

Mapping from legacy conditionals:

{if-memory} is equivalent to {if-memory-agent} — both mean the agent has persistent state
{if-headless} maps to {if-pulse} — both mean the agent can operate autonomously

Template Selection

The builder selects the appropriate SKILL.md template based on agent type:

Stateless agent: Use ./assets/SKILL-template.md (full identity, no Three Laws/Sacred Truth)
Memory/autonomous agent: Use ./assets/SKILL-template-bootloader.md (lean bootloader with Three Laws, Sacred Truth, 3-path activation)

Beyond the Template

The builder determines the rest of the agent structure — capabilities, activation flow, sanctum templates, init script, First Breath, capability routing, external skills, scripts — based on the agent's requirements. The template intentionally does not prescribe these.

Path References

All generated agents use ./ prefix for skill-internal paths:

Stateless agents:

./references/{capability}.md — Individual capability prompts
./scripts/ — Python/shell scripts for deterministic operations

Memory agents:

./references/first-breath.md — First Breath onboarding (loaded when no sanctum exists)
./references/memory-guidance.md — Memory philosophy
./references/capability-authoring.md — Capability evolution framework (if evolvable)
./references/{capability}.md — Individual capability prompts
./assets/{FILE}-template.md — Sanctum templates (copied by init script)
./scripts/init-sanctum.py — Deterministic sanctum scaffolding

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