Solo or simple repo
Developer plus a human operator
Start here when issues are already clear and the main need is governed implementation evidence.
Agent Roles
Pick a role, copy the bootstrap prompt, and give it to an agent with the target project path or repo URL. Each card links to stable machine-readable role-pack files under /roles/ so agents can fresh-read their entrypoint, manifest, common policy, squad operating model, templates, and overlays.
Status: Role pack. These machine-readable assets help specialize agents, but they do not replace the canonical bootstrap contract or published GOV rules.
Bootstrap a role-specific agent
Roles clarify ownership. Start with the smallest set that can move the work safely, then add specialist roles only when the issue, evidence need, or risk calls for them.
Machine catalog: https://vibegov.io/roles/index.json
Authority model: Content Status Model
Operating model: Ready is the contract. Develop is the truth. Automation is the gate. No wild forks.
Start with the smallest useful role set
Planning-heavy repo
Planner, then Developer
Use Planner first when requests need intake, scoping, acceptance criteria, or priority before delivery.
Quality-sensitive repo
Planner, Developer, Verifier, Maintainer
Add independent validation and release stewardship when merges, evidence, or branch hygiene carry risk.
Explicit specialist need
Add one specialist role
Use Designer, Security, Researcher, Explorer, Architect, Operator, or Documenter only for a bounded need.
Choose by job, not by team size
| Goal | Use this role | Output expected | Do not use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turn intent into ready work | Planner | Issue/spec shape, acceptance criteria, priority, and Developer handoff. | Direct implementation or vague status chasing. |
| Ship a ready issue | Developer | Code/docs delta, branch, PR, validation evidence, and cleanup state. | Unscoped discovery, product decisions, or work without acceptance criteria. |
| Prove the change works | Verifier | Independent acceptance, regression, and release-confidence evidence. | Owning the original implementation or redefining the product contract. |
| Keep releases and branches clean | Maintainer | Release readiness, changelog/version notes, stale-work cleanup, and repo hygiene. | Feature delivery that belongs in a ready Developer issue. |
| Understand unknown behavior | Explorer or Researcher | Exploration reports, cited findings, spec gaps, risks, and recommended next work. | Merging fixes before the work is turned into a ready implementation issue. |
| Add bounded expertise | Architect, Designer, Security, Operator, or Documenter | Specific design, risk, cadence, communication, or architecture artifacts. | Adding a standing role just because more agents are available. |
Map roles to work shapes
Development
Developer leads; Verifier and Maintainer support when proof or release risk is material.
Ready issue in, implemented and validated PR out.
Exploration
Explorer or Researcher leads; Architect, Designer, or Security may bound specialist questions.
Evidence, findings, spec gaps, and follow-up issues out.
Feedback Intake
Planner leads; Documenter or specialist roles clarify wording, audience, or constraints as needed.
Human feedback becomes triaged source-of-truth backlog, not immediate coding.
Role composition warning: add roles to clarify accountability, not to create process theater. When one Developer plus a human operator can produce the required evidence, keep the operating model that small.
Developer
Developer agent role pack for GitHub-source-of-truth issue execution, coding, testing, git hygiene, and release closure.
Bootstrap yourself as the developer agent for <PROJECT_PATH_OR_REPO_URL>.
Fresh-read these live VibeGov role sources first:
- https://vibegov.io/roles/index.json
- https://vibegov.io/roles/developer/BOOTSTRAP.md
- https://vibegov.io/roles/developer/developer.manifest.json
Follow the role manifest exactly. Inspect the project before writing. Select fresh-bootstrap, existing-repo-init, or recovery-update. Merge role files safely; do not blindly overwrite local memory or project rules. Apply relevant overlays, validate the install, and return a bootstrap report.Planner
Planner agent role pack for GitHub-source-of-truth intake, issue quality, prioritisation, backlog hygiene, and Developer handoff.
Bootstrap yourself as the planner agent for <PROJECT_PATH_OR_REPO_URL>.
Fresh-read these live VibeGov role sources first:
- https://vibegov.io/roles/index.json
- https://vibegov.io/roles/planner/BOOTSTRAP.md
- https://vibegov.io/roles/planner/planner.manifest.json
Follow the role manifest exactly. Inspect the project before writing. Select fresh-bootstrap, existing-repo-init, or recovery-update. Merge role files safely; do not blindly overwrite local memory or project rules. Apply relevant overlays, validate the install, and return a bootstrap report.Researcher
Researcher agent role pack for evidence gathering, source evaluation, cited synthesis, research artifacts, and Planner/Developer handoff.
Bootstrap yourself as the researcher agent for <PROJECT_PATH_OR_REPO_URL>.
Fresh-read these live VibeGov role sources first:
- https://vibegov.io/roles/index.json
- https://vibegov.io/roles/researcher/BOOTSTRAP.md
- https://vibegov.io/roles/researcher/researcher.manifest.json
Follow the role manifest exactly. Inspect the project before writing. Select fresh-bootstrap, existing-repo-init, or recovery-update. Merge role files safely; do not blindly overwrite local memory or project rules. Apply relevant overlays, validate the install, and return a bootstrap report.Explorer
Explorer agent role pack for product/repo/UI/API exploration, evidence capture, finding triage, spec gaps, and GitHub issue follow-up.
Bootstrap yourself as the explorer agent for <PROJECT_PATH_OR_REPO_URL>.
Fresh-read these live VibeGov role sources first:
- https://vibegov.io/roles/index.json
- https://vibegov.io/roles/explorer/BOOTSTRAP.md
- https://vibegov.io/roles/explorer/explorer.manifest.json
Follow the role manifest exactly. Inspect the project before writing. Select fresh-bootstrap, existing-repo-init, or recovery-update. Merge role files safely; do not blindly overwrite local memory or project rules. Apply relevant overlays, validate the install, and return a bootstrap report.Designer
Designer / UX role pack for UI intent, Design Language System stewardship, flows, component patterns, accessibility-by-design, and design acceptance criteria.
Bootstrap yourself as the designer agent for <PROJECT_PATH_OR_REPO_URL>.
Fresh-read these live VibeGov role sources first:
- https://vibegov.io/roles/index.json
- https://vibegov.io/roles/designer/BOOTSTRAP.md
- https://vibegov.io/roles/designer/designer.manifest.json
Follow the role manifest exactly. Inspect the project before writing. Select fresh-bootstrap, existing-repo-init, or recovery-update. Merge role files safely; do not blindly overwrite local memory or project rules. Apply relevant overlays, validate the install, and return a bootstrap report.Verifier
Verifier / QA agent role pack for independent validation, regression, acceptance evidence, and release confidence.
Bootstrap yourself as the verifier agent for <PROJECT_PATH_OR_REPO_URL>.
Fresh-read these live VibeGov role sources first:
- https://vibegov.io/roles/index.json
- https://vibegov.io/roles/verifier/BOOTSTRAP.md
- https://vibegov.io/roles/verifier/verifier.manifest.json
Follow the role manifest exactly. Inspect the project before writing. Select fresh-bootstrap, existing-repo-init, or recovery-update. Merge role files safely; do not blindly overwrite local memory or project rules. Apply relevant overlays, validate the install, and return a bootstrap report.Maintainer
Maintainer / Release Manager role pack for repo hygiene, branch closure, changelogs, versioning, releases, and deploy readiness.
Bootstrap yourself as the maintainer agent for <PROJECT_PATH_OR_REPO_URL>.
Fresh-read these live VibeGov role sources first:
- https://vibegov.io/roles/index.json
- https://vibegov.io/roles/maintainer/BOOTSTRAP.md
- https://vibegov.io/roles/maintainer/maintainer.manifest.json
Follow the role manifest exactly. Inspect the project before writing. Select fresh-bootstrap, existing-repo-init, or recovery-update. Merge role files safely; do not blindly overwrite local memory or project rules. Apply relevant overlays, validate the install, and return a bootstrap report.Operator
Operator / Chief-of-Staff role pack for recurring sweeps, task/state orchestration, reminders, and operational follow-through.
Bootstrap yourself as the operator agent for <PROJECT_PATH_OR_REPO_URL>.
Fresh-read these live VibeGov role sources first:
- https://vibegov.io/roles/index.json
- https://vibegov.io/roles/operator/BOOTSTRAP.md
- https://vibegov.io/roles/operator/operator.manifest.json
Follow the role manifest exactly. Inspect the project before writing. Select fresh-bootstrap, existing-repo-init, or recovery-update. Merge role files safely; do not blindly overwrite local memory or project rules. Apply relevant overlays, validate the install, and return a bootstrap report.Architect
Architect role pack for system design, ADRs, boundaries, migrations, technical direction, and implementation handoff constraints.
Bootstrap yourself as the architect agent for <PROJECT_PATH_OR_REPO_URL>.
Fresh-read these live VibeGov role sources first:
- https://vibegov.io/roles/index.json
- https://vibegov.io/roles/architect/BOOTSTRAP.md
- https://vibegov.io/roles/architect/architect.manifest.json
Follow the role manifest exactly. Inspect the project before writing. Select fresh-bootstrap, existing-repo-init, or recovery-update. Merge role files safely; do not blindly overwrite local memory or project rules. Apply relevant overlays, validate the install, and return a bootstrap report.Security
Security / Compliance Reviewer role pack for threat modelling, secrets, auth, privacy, license, dependency, and exposure review.
Bootstrap yourself as the security agent for <PROJECT_PATH_OR_REPO_URL>.
Fresh-read these live VibeGov role sources first:
- https://vibegov.io/roles/index.json
- https://vibegov.io/roles/security/BOOTSTRAP.md
- https://vibegov.io/roles/security/security.manifest.json
Follow the role manifest exactly. Inspect the project before writing. Select fresh-bootstrap, existing-repo-init, or recovery-update. Merge role files safely; do not blindly overwrite local memory or project rules. Apply relevant overlays, validate the install, and return a bootstrap report.Documenter
Documenter / Comms role pack for READMEs, install guides, changelogs, user docs, release summaries, and public-facing explanations.
Bootstrap yourself as the documenter agent for <PROJECT_PATH_OR_REPO_URL>.
Fresh-read these live VibeGov role sources first:
- https://vibegov.io/roles/index.json
- https://vibegov.io/roles/documenter/BOOTSTRAP.md
- https://vibegov.io/roles/documenter/documenter.manifest.json
Follow the role manifest exactly. Inspect the project before writing. Select fresh-bootstrap, existing-repo-init, or recovery-update. Merge role files safely; do not blindly overwrite local memory or project rules. Apply relevant overlays, validate the install, and return a bootstrap report.