dyad (Agent Skills)
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AGENTS.md
# Repository Agent Guide
Please read `CONTRIBUTING.md` which includes information for human code contributors. Much of the information is applicable to you as well.
## Rules index
> **IMPORTANT: BEFORE writing any code or making changes, you MUST read the relevant rule files from the table below.** Identify which areas your task touches and read those rule files first. Skipping this step leads to avoidable mistakes and rework.
Detailed rules and learnings are in the `rules/` directory. Read the relevant file when working in that area.
| File | Read when... |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| [rules/electron-ipc.md](rules/electron-ipc.md) | Adding/modifying IPC endpoints, handlers, React Query hooks, or renderer-to-main communication |
| [rules/app-operation-coordination.md](rules/app-operation-coordination.md) | Adding/modifying main-process operations that coordinate app paths, runtime, Git, providers, chats, media, tests, or app deletion |
| [rules/dyad-errors.md](rules/dyad-errors.md) | Classifying IPC/main errors with `DyadError` / `DyadErrorKind` and PostHog exception filtering |
| [rules/local-agent-tools.md](rules/local-agent-tools.md) | Adding/modifying local agent tools, tool flags (`modifiesState`), or read-only/plan-only guards |
| [rules/e2e-testing.md](rules/e2e-testing.md) | Writing or debugging E2E tests (Playwright, Base UI radio clicks, Lexical editor, test fixtures) |
| [rules/hybrid-testing.md](rules/hybrid-testing.md) | Writing or debugging Vitest integration tests, especially renderer+IPC harness tests and fake Dyad Engine/Gateway routing |
| [rules/git-workflow.md](rules/git-workflow.md) | Pushing branches, creating PRs, or dealing with fork/upstream remotes |
| [rules/base-ui-components.md](rules/base-ui-components.md) | Using TooltipTrigger, ToggleGroupItem, or other Base UI wrapper components |
| [rules/database-drizzle.md](rules/database-drizzle.md) | Modifying the database schema, generating migrations, or resolving migration conflicts |
| [rules/native-modules.md](rules/native-modules.md) | Adding Electron native modules or binaries that must survive Forge packaging/rebuild |
| [rules/typescript-strict-mode.md](rules/typescript-strict-mode.md) | Debugging type errors from `npm run ts` (tsgo) that pass normal tsc |
| [rules/openai-reasoning-models.md](rules/openai-reasoning-models.md) | Working with OpenAI reasoning model (o1/o3/o4-mini) conversation history |
| [rules/prompt-guides.md](rules/prompt-guides.md) | Editing prompt guide Markdown under `src/prompts/guides/` or prompt assembly snapshots |
| [rules/adding-settings.md](rules/adding-settings.md) | Adding a new user-facing setting or toggle to the Settings page |
| [rules/chat-mentions.md](rules/chat-mentions.md) | Modifying chat input mention parsing, `@app:` formatting, Lexical mention sync, or referenced app extraction |
| [rules/chat-message-indicators.md](rules/chat-message-indicators.md) | Using `<dyad-status>` tags in chat messages for system indicators |
| [rules/chat-modes.md](rules/chat-modes.md) | Adding or modifying features that select, create, persist, or fall back between Agent, Build, Ask, and Plan modes |
| [rules/supabase-functions.md](rules/supabase-functions.md) | Deploying, bundling, or queueing Supabase Edge Functions |
| [rules/product-principles.md](rules/product-principles.md) | Planning new features, especially via `dyad:swarm-to-plan`, to guide design trade-offs |
| [rules/jotai-testing.md](rules/jotai-testing.md) | Unit-testing Jotai atoms/hooks with `renderHook`, especially across unmount/remount |
| [rules/jotai-state.md](rules/jotai-state.md) | Adding or refactoring Jotai atoms, especially deciding React Query vs Jotai ownership, entity-keyed state, derived atoms, and async runtime state |
| [rules/claude-github-workflows.md](rules/claude-github-workflows.md) | Editing `.github/workflows/*.yml` that invoke `anthropics/claude-code-action` — workflow shape, untrusted-input handling, and **permission/`.claude/settings.json` hardening** |
| [rules/ui-styling.md](rules/ui-styling.md) | Adding provider/brand icons, styling scrollable popovers, or using Tailwind v4 arbitrary values |
| [rules/auto-update.md](rules/auto-update.md) | Debugging Squirrel/update-electron-app failures, update feed URLs, or updater log capture in bug reports and session debug bundles |
| [rules/safe-storage.md](rules/safe-storage.md) | Working with Electron `safeStorage`, macOS Keychain identities, or legacy os_crypt secret recovery |
| [rules/electron-workers.md](rules/electron-workers.md) | Spawning `worker_threads`/`utilityProcess`, moving heavy computation off the main process, or diagnosing main-process memory usage and OOM crashes |
| [rules/app-naming.md](rules/app-naming.md) | Touching app display names, folder slugs, or flows that create/move app directories (create, copy, import, rename, blueprint approval, template apply) |
| [rules/state-machines.md](rules/state-machines.md) | Adding or modifying explicit state machines, transition functions, controllers, command runners, keyed hosts, or renderer bindings |
| [rules/windows-spawn.md](rules/windows-spawn.md) | Spawning child processes with arguments on Windows — `.cmd` shim resolution and what `cmd.exe` quoting can and cannot contain |
| [rules/i18n.md](rules/i18n.md) | Adding translation keys to `src/i18n/locales/*/chat.json` or building i18n-aware chat tool cards |
## Project setup and lints
Make sure you run this once after doing `npm install` because it will make sure whenever you commit something, it will run pre-commit hooks like linting and formatting.
```sh
npm run init-precommit
```
**Note:** Running `npm install` may update `package-lock.json` with version changes or peer dependency flag removals. If rebasing or performing git operations, commit these changes first to avoid "unstaged changes" errors.
## Git worktrees
When you create a new git worktree for this repository, run `npm install` inside the new worktree before starting development. Each worktree has its own working directory and needs its dependencies installed there.
After installation, verify that `node_modules/.bin/oxfmt` exists before running formatting. If `npm install` reports success without materializing `node_modules`, run `npm ci`; otherwise `npx` may download an unpinned formatter and rewrite unrelated files.
A worktree's `node_modules` can also be _sparsely_ populated — every package directory exists, so `npm install` exits 0 and repairs nothing, but files inside are missing (`Cannot find module '.../oxfmt/dist/cli.js'`, `oxlint/dist/cli.js`, or a dangling `.bin/tsgo` symlink). Deleting the broken package directories and rerunning `npm install` then aborts at the `better-sqlite3` native rebuild (`gyp ERR! not ok`) before any JS package is written. Use `npm install --ignore-scripts` to restore the JS toolchain; it skips the native rebuild, which `npm run fmt` / `lint` / `ts` do not need.
Also run `npm install` in `testing/fake-llm-server/` before `npm run ts` in a fresh worktree. Otherwise the root type-check reports missing declarations for that package's local `express` and `cors` dependencies.
If you symlink a worktree's `node_modules` at a shared install instead of installing into it, see [rules/git-workflow.md](rules/git-workflow.md) for why `.gitignore` must keep listing `node_modules` without a trailing slash.
## Pre-commit checks
RUN THE FOLLOWING CHECKS before you do a commit.
**Formatting**
```sh
npm run fmt
```
**Linting**
```sh
npm run lint
```
If you get any lint errors, you can usually fix it by doing:
```sh
npm run lint:fix
```
> **WARNING: Do NOT run `npx eslint` directly.** The project uses **oxlint** (not eslint) via `npm run lint`. Running `npx eslint <file>` produces spurious `import/no-unresolved` errors for `@/...` path aliases and other false positives — ignore those and rely on `npm run lint` / `npm run lint:fix`.
> **WARNING: Do NOT run `npx prettier --write` either.** Formatting is **oxfmt** via `npm run fmt` (check with `npm run fmt:check`). Prettier disagrees with oxfmt on operator/argument indentation, so it silently reformats untouched blocks in files you edited — `worker/dyad-recorder-client.js` picked up an unrelated 6-line hunk this way. `npm run fmt` reverts it, but only if you notice; check `git diff` for hunks you did not write.
> **WARNING: Never run `npx oxlint --fix` or `npx oxfmt` before `node_modules` is installed.** Without the pinned local binary, `npx` downloads the _latest_ version, which can rewrite files repo-wide differently from the pinned version (observed: de-indented code blocks inside `e2e-tests/fixtures/*.md` and reflowed unrelated `src/` files). Use the lockfile-pinned `./node_modules/.bin/oxlint` / `./node_modules/.bin/oxfmt`, and check `git status` for collateral edits after any repo-wide `--fix` run.
**Type-checks**
```sh
npm run ts
```
Note: if you do this, then you will need to re-add the changes and commit again.
## Running TypeScript
> **WARNING: Do NOT run `npx tsc` or `tsc` directly.** The project is not set up for direct `tsc` invocation and will produce incorrect or misleading results.
**Always use:**
```sh
npm run ts
```
This is the only supported way to type-check the project. It uses the correct configuration and compiler (`tsgo`). Any other method of running TypeScript checks is unsupported and will likely give wrong results.
## Project context
- This is an Electron application with a secure IPC boundary.
- Frontend is a React app that uses TanStack Router (not Next.js or React Router).
- Data fetching/mutations should be handled with TanStack Query when touching IPC-backed endpoints.
- Main-process IPC errors that are **not bugs** (validation, missing entities, auth, user refusal, etc.) should be thrown as **`DyadError`** with a **`DyadErrorKind`** so they can be excluded from PostHog exception telemetry. See [rules/dyad-errors.md](rules/dyad-errors.md).
## Verifying your changes
You should test your changes before committing or pushing. Run relevant unit tests and E2E tests to verify expected behavior. If it's truly impossible to test a change locally (e.g. CI-only behavior, third-party service integration), note this in the PR description explaining why and what manual verification is needed.
When diagnosing a bug the user hit in their running dev app, read `logs/main.log` under the dev app's userData directory — `NODE_ENV=development` repoints Electron's userData away from the OS path (`~/.config/dyad/logs/main.log`), which holds unit-test noise instead. That directory is `./userData` **inside the repo** by default, but `DYAD_DEV_USER_DATA_DIR` overrides it (see `getUserDataPath` in `src/paths/paths.ts`) — `npm run start:onboarding` sets it to a throwaway directory, so a plain `userData/logs/main.log` there is stale or absent. Check the env var first, or read the path `electron-log` prints on startup. The main log carries scoped lines (`process_manager`, `app_runtime_service`, timings) that pin down whether a failure is main-process or renderer-side.
## General guidance
- Favor descriptive module/function names that mirror IPC channel semantics.
- Keep Electron security practices in mind (no `remote`, validate/lock by `appId` when mutating shared resources).
- **Never embed GitHub tokens in git remote URLs** (e.g., `https://<token>@github.com/...`) — they persist in plaintext in users' `.git/config` and leak via git error output. Native git network operations (clone/fetch/pull/push) in `src/ipc/utils/git_utils.ts` inject auth per-invocation via `getGitNetworkEnv(accessToken)` (`GIT_CONFIG_*` env vars); any new network-touching git command must pass this env or auth will silently be missing for private repos.
- Add tests in the same folder tree when touching renderer components.
- **Sandbox hook restrictions:** inline `python3 -c "..."` is blocked, and Python scripts only run when the file lives inside the repo's `.claude/` directory — write helper scripts to `.claude/tmp/` (and clean them up before committing).
- **Always use Base UI (`@base-ui/react`) for UI primitives, never Radix UI.** This includes menus, tooltips, accordions, context menus, and other headless UI components. See [rules/base-ui-components.md](rules/base-ui-components.md) for component-specific guidance.
Use these guidelines whenever you work within this repository.
## Testing
Our project relies on a combination of unit tests, Vitest integration tests, and Playwright E2E tests. Unless your change is trivial, you MUST add a test; prefer the narrowest test type that proves the behavior.
### Unit testing
Use unit testing for pure business logic and util functions.
Target a Vitest file with `npm test -- path/to/file.test.ts`. Do not pass Jest-only flags such as `--runInBand`; Vitest will fail with `Unknown option '--runInBand'`.
The pinned Vitest version does not support `--repeat`; it fails with `Unknown option '--repeat'`. Stress-run a target by repeating the supported `npm test -- path/to/file.test.ts` command externally.
Tests that inspect repository text files must account for Git's platform-specific line endings. Normalize newlines or match `\r?\n`; for a Windows-only failure, exercise synthetic LF and CRLF inputs locally so the regression does not depend on the runner OS.
When a Git unit test needs an unmerged index, seed explicit stage 1/2/3 blob entries instead of relying on `git merge` to reject. On Windows, a merge can reject later in the workflow while leaving a stage-0 entry, so rejection alone does not prove the intended conflict fixture exists.
When mocking a widely imported module such as `@/lib/schemas`, prefer a partial mock with `importOriginal` and override only the target exports. A full replacement can make unrelated transitive imports fail with `No "<export>" export is defined` as the module graph evolves.
When adding another suite or prerequisite to the root `test` script, keep Vitest as the final shell command. `npm test -- <path>` appends its arguments only to the final command, so placing another runner last silently turns a targeted Vitest run into the full suite.
Package-local Vitest suites may use their own config and not match the root `npm test -- path` include globs. For example, run `npm --prefix packages/ts-pg-schema-diff test` and `npm --prefix packages/ts-pg-schema-diff run typecheck` for `packages/ts-pg-schema-diff`.
### Vitest integration testing
Use Vitest integration tests (`*.integration.test.ts` / `*.integration.test.tsx`) when the behavior spans real app modules such as IPC handlers, sqlite, git, fake LLM/Engine routes, or renderer+IPC wiring, but does not require a packaged Electron app or browser-only behavior. Prefer this over Playwright when you can assert the behavior through the chat-flow or renderer+IPC harness with deterministic fake services.
Use Playwright E2E instead when the test needs the packaged Electron runtime, real browser/Electron behavior, native dialogs, screenshots, Monaco/Lexical browser interactions, full navigation flows, or confidence that only the real app shell provides. See [rules/hybrid-testing.md](rules/hybrid-testing.md) for integration-test guidance and [rules/e2e-testing.md](rules/e2e-testing.md) for Playwright guidance.
If `npm test` fails in files unrelated to your change, verify the failure is pre-existing before debugging: `git worktree add /tmp/main-check main`, symlink the repo's `node_modules` into it, and run the failing test file there. If it also fails on clean main, note it in the PR summary and move on. (Known example: `src/ipc/handlers/app_collection_handlers.test.ts` failed on main as of 2026-07-01.)
### E2E testing
> **IMPORTANT: You MUST run `npm run build` before running E2E tests.** E2E tests run against the built application, not the dev server. If you have changed any application code (i.e. anything outside of test files), you MUST re-run `npm run build` before running the tests, otherwise the tests will run against stale code and results will be misleading. Only changes to test code itself (e.g. files in `e2e-tests/`) do not require a rebuild.
See [rules/e2e-testing.md](rules/e2e-testing.md) for full E2E testing guidance, including Playwright tips and fixture setup.
**Debugging E2E test failures with screenshots:** When an E2E test fails and you can't determine the cause from the error message alone, use the `/dyad:debug-with-playwright` skill to add screenshots at key points in the test. Playwright's built-in `screenshot: "on"` does NOT work with Electron — you must use manual `page.screenshot()` calls. The skill walks you through adding debug screenshots, running the test, viewing the captured PNGs, and cleaning up afterward.
## Git workflow
When pushing changes and creating PRs:
1. If the branch already has an associated PR, push to whichever remote the branch is tracking.
2. If the branch hasn't been pushed before, default to pushing to `origin` (the fork `wwwillchen/dyad`), then create a PR from the fork to the upstream repo (`dyad-sh/dyad`).
3. If you cannot push to the fork due to permissions, push directly to `upstream` (`dyad-sh/dyad`) as a last resort.
### Skipping automated review
Add `#skip-bugbot` to the PR description for trivial PRs that won't affect end-users, such as:
- Claude settings, commands, or agent configuration
- Linting or test setup changes
- Documentation-only changes
- CI/build configuration updates