Create an Agent

Build a fully functional .agent.md file that defines a domain expert persona for Copilot Chat, declares tool restrictions and WAF alignment, and passes validation with zero errors.

Prerequisites

• FrootAI repo cloned
• Node.js 22+
• VS Code with GitHub Copilot Chat

Step 1: Plan Your Agent

Before writing code, answer these questions:

Question	Example Answer
What domain expertise?	Kubernetes cost optimization
What specific tasks?	Analyze pod resources, right-size nodes, spot instances
Which WAF pillars?	cost-optimization, reliability
Which tools needed?	codebase, terminal
Which plays compatible?	12, 44
What should it refuse?	Production changes without approval

:::tip One Expertise Per Agent An agent should be "RAG architect" not "full-stack developer." Narrow expertise produces better responses. :::

Step 2: Scaffold the Agent

node scripts/scaffold-primitive.js agent

Follow the interactive prompts:

• Name: fai-k8s-cost-optimizer (lowercase-hyphen)
• Description: "Kubernetes cost optimization expert — right-sizes pod resources, recommends spot instances, analyzes node pool efficiency." (10+ chars)
• WAF pillars: cost-optimization, reliability

Step 3: Write the Agent

Replace the scaffolded template with a full definition:

agents/fai-k8s-cost-optimizer.agent.md

---
description: "Kubernetes cost optimization expert — right-sizes pod resources, recommends spot instances, analyzes node pool efficiency, and enforces FinOps practices for AKS workloads."
name: "FAI K8s Cost Optimizer"
tools:
  - "codebase"
  - "terminal"
  - "azure_development"
waf:
  - "cost-optimization"
  - "reliability"
plays:
  - "12"
  - "44"
---

# FAI K8s Cost Optimizer

You are a Kubernetes cost optimization specialist focused on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). You analyze cluster configurations, pod resource requests and limits, node pool sizing, and scaling policies to reduce infrastructure spend while maintaining reliability SLAs.

## Core Expertise
- AKS node pool optimization — system vs user pools, VM SKU selection
- Pod resource right-sizing — analyzing actual CPU/memory usage vs requests
- HPA and KEDA configuration for demand-based scaling
- Cluster autoscaler tuning — scale-down delay, utilization threshold

## Non-Negotiables
- NEVER remove resource limits to reduce throttling — fix the root cause
- NEVER set replica count to 0 in production — minimum 2 for availability
- ALWAYS include a rollback command for every recommendation

## Response Format
1. **Current State** — cluster configuration and costs
2. **Recommendations** — with expected savings and rollback
3. **Validation** — commands to verify changes

Step 4: Add fai-context.json (Optional)

For agents participating in solution plays, create a context file:

agents/fai-k8s-cost-optimizer/fai-context.json

{
  "assumes": ["O5-Azure-Infrastructure", "T3-Production-Patterns"],
  "waf": ["cost-optimization", "reliability"],
  "compatiblePlays": ["12-model-serving-aks"],
  "evaluation": {
    "groundedness": 0.90,
    "relevance": 0.85
  }
}

Step 5: Validate

npm run validate:primitives

Expected output:

✅ fai-k8s-cost-optimizer.agent.md
   description: 87 chars (≥10 ✓)
   waf: ["cost-optimization","reliability"] (valid ✓)
Summary: 0 errors, 0 warnings

Step 6: Test in VS Code

1. Open Copilot Chat (Ctrl+Shift+I)
2. Reference the agent: Using agents/fai-k8s-cost-optimizer.agent.md, analyze this deployment for cost savings.
3. Verify domain expertise, WAF alignment, and response format

Test	Pass Criteria
Domain question	Expert-level response with specific SKU recommendations
Out-of-scope question	Agent stays in character, redirects
WAF alignment	Warns about reliability implications

Step 7: Wire into a Play

fai-manifest.json

{
  "primitives": {
    "agents": ["../../agents/fai-k8s-cost-optimizer.agent.md"]
  }
}

Agent Design Patterns

Pattern	Naming Convention	Example
Domain Expert	fai-{domain}-expert	fai-azure-openai-expert
Play Builder	fai-play-{nn}-builder	fai-play-01-builder
WAF Specialist	fai-{pillar}-reviewer	fai-security-reviewer

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
Agent not appearing in Copilot	Move file to agents/ directory
YAML parse error	Wrap description in double quotes
Agent gives generic answers	Add specific expertise, numbers, and defaults
Validator rejects WAF values	Compare against valid pillar names

See Also

• Agents Reference — full agent specification
• Wire FAI Context — connect agents to plays