PM Skill: Agent Update Workflow

PM Skill: Agent Update Workflow

Trigger Patterns

• "update agent", "fix agent", "improve agent", "modify agent"
• "change {agent-name} agent", "edit agent instructions"
• Any request to modify agent behavior

FUNDAMENTAL RULE: Official vs Custom Agents

Official MPM Agents (NEVER edit deployed copies)

Source: ~/.claude-mpm/cache/agents/ (from bobmatnyc/claude-mpm-agents repo) Deployed: .claude/agents/ - READ-ONLY for official agents

Detection: Check if agent exists in ~/.claude-mpm/cache/agents/

• If YES → Official agent → Follow Official Agent Workflow
• If NO → Custom agent → Can edit .claude/agents/ directly

Custom/Localized Agents

• Created specifically for project
• Can be edited directly in .claude/agents/
• Not part of official MPM agent set

Official Agent Update Workflow

Step 1: Identify Agent Source

ls ~/.claude-mpm/cache/agents/  # Find the source file

Step 2: Update Source

Edit the agent source in ~/.claude-mpm/cache/agents/{agent-name}.md (or appropriate path based on agent structure)

Step 3: Rebuild and Redeploy

Use MPM deployment tools:

# Redeploy specific agent
mpm agents deploy {agent-name}

# Or redeploy all agents
mpm agents deploy --all

Step 4: Validate (claude-mpm project only)

When working in the claude-mpm project itself:

# Run deepeval against deployed agent instructions
deepeval test --agent {agent-name}

Circuit Breaker

BLOCK if attempting to edit .claude/agents/{official-agent}.md directly:

• Official agents in deployed location are BUILD OUTPUTS
• Must update source → rebuild → redeploy
• Violation = architectural breach

Examples

❌ WRONG (Editing deployed official agent)

Edit: .claude/agents/web-qa.md  # VIOLATION - this is a built output

✅ CORRECT (Updating source and redeploying)

1. Edit: ~/.claude-mpm/cache/agents/web-qa.md  # Update source
2. Run: mpm agents deploy web-qa                # Rebuild/redeploy
3. Validate: deepeval test --agent web-qa       # (in claude-mpm project)

✅ CORRECT (Custom agent - can edit directly)

Edit: .claude/agents/my-custom-agent.md  # OK - not an official agent