The 8 Core Engineering Principles
The Agentic Engineering Skills workflow connects human intent, project context, formal specifications, implementation, and multi-axis verification throughout development. Rather than aiming for unconstrained agent autonomy, the goal is to eliminate the gap between what is intended and what is implemented.
Ambiguity unresolved during planning becomes incorrect implementation later.
Decisions live in CONTEXT.md and ADRs, not lost in transient chat logs.
Specifications capture agreed decisions; they do not invent missing architecture.
Code connects directly to acceptance criteria and established domain boundaries.
Unit tests, typechecks, browser tests, and dual-axis code reviews answer distinct questions.
Specialist skills add targeted leverage without creating fragmented competing flows.
The human remains in charge of high-impact product and architectural decisions.
Alignment between intent and code is always more valuable than unsupervised agent loops.
Installation & Skill Locations
Skills are directory-based bundles containing SKILL.md instructions.
curl -fsSL https://dmg-skills.pages.dev/install.sh | bash
Installs globally to ~/.agents/skills/.
irm https://dmg-skills.pages.dev/install.ps1 | iex
Initializing a Repository with /init-skills
Run /init-skills once when adopting the workflow for a new or existing repository.
The initialization skill performs four automated steps:
- Explores repository structure, package manifests, and git history.
- Prompts for issue tracker conventions (GitHub Issues, GitLab, Jira, or Local markdown tickets).
- Generates configuration files under
docs/agents/. - Updates
AGENTS.mdorCLAUDE.mdwith the configured workflow.
Repository Configuration Map
| File Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
| docs/agents/issue-tracker.md | Defines where work items live and how the agent queries and updates them. |
| docs/agents/domain.md | Specifies location of CONTEXT.md and ADR documents. |
| CONTEXT.md | Defines canonical domain glossary, ubiquitous language, and system concepts. |
| docs/adr/ | Architecture Decision Records documenting key technical choices and trade-offs. |
The Main Spine Workflow
idea → /grill-with-docs → /to-spec → /to-tickets → /implement → /code-review
1. /grill-with-docs
Invoked at the concept or feature planning phase. Conducts a structured, multi-round interview to surface hidden trade-offs, clarify ambiguities, and record durable ADRs.
2. /to-spec
Converts agreed decisions into a durable written specification document containing problem summary, proposed solution, user stories, non-goals, and concrete acceptance criteria.
3. /to-tickets
Decomposes the specification into vertical-slice tracer tickets with minimal surface area and clear dependencies.
4. /implement
Executes a ticket using Test-Driven Development (TDD). Verifies changes continuously with focused unit tests, typechecks, and regression runs.
5. /code-review
Evaluates completed work in parallel across two distinct axes: Standards Review (codebase hygiene, deep module seams) and Spec Review (acceptance criteria fidelity).
Greenfield Feature Development
In greenfield development, there is no legacy code. Early stages focus heavily on establishing domain models, ubiquitous language, and system boundaries before writing code.
idea → /domain-modeling → /grill-with-docs → /to-spec → /to-tickets → /implement → /code-review
Brownfield Projects & Architectural Debt
In brownfield projects, the agent must not assume a feature can be implemented in isolation. The flow begins with Context Recovery and seam analysis:
investigate codebase → /improve-codebase-architecture → /codebase-design → /grill-with-docs → spine
Use /improve-codebase-architecture to identify shallow modules and tightly-coupled dependencies.
Frontend UI Testing & Design Audit
For UI and web applications, code review is complemented by visual, browser, and accessibility verification:
/implement → /playwright-cli → /design-taste-frontend → /web-design-guidelines → /code-review
Interacts with live browser sessions and captures DOM snapshots.
Evaluates typography, visual hierarchy, and anti-slop guidelines.
Audits accessibility, keyboard focus, and responsive reflow.
Claude Code Setup
Claude Code automatically discovers skills placed in ~/.agents/skills/ or repository .agents/skills/. Skills are invoked using slash commands (e.g. /grill-with-docs).
Google Antigravity
Antigravity indexes skills in workspace directories and builtin customization folders. Skills define instructions for Planner and specialized subagents.
Cursor & Windsurf
Add a pointer in .cursorrules or .windsurfrules referencing .agents/skills/*/SKILL.md.
Updating & Version Management
Re-run the install command with --force to update skill files without prompting:
curl -fsSL https://dmg-skills.pages.dev/install.sh | bash -s -- --force
Uninstallation
curl -fsSL https://dmg-skills.pages.dev/install.sh | bash -s -- --uninstall
Creating & Bundling Skills
- Create a new directory:
.agents/skills/your-skill/ - Add a
SKILL.mdwith YAML frontmatter (name,description). - Run
npm run bundle— rebuilds manifest, archive, and UI catalog automatically.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Run with bypass: powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File install.ps1
Download skills-bundle.tar.gz or skills-bundle.zip directly and extract to ~/.agents/skills/.