Using Agents

Agents are specialized AI expert profiles that provide deep domain knowledge. Instead of generic AI responses, agents give you guidance tailored to specific areas like frontend development, database design, or security.

How Agents Work#

When you invoke an agent, Bootspring:

  1. Loads the agent's specialized instructions
  2. Combines them with your project context
  3. Provides the enhanced context to your AI assistant
  4. The AI responds with expert-level guidance
Your Request Bootspring AI Assistant │ │ │ │ "Use database- │ │ │ expert to..." │ │ │ ─────────────> │ │ │ │ Load agent profile │ │ │ + project context │ │ │ ─────────────────────────> │ │ │ │ Expert │ │ Enhanced response │ Response │ <──────────────────────────────────────────── │

Invoking Agents#

Natural Language#

Simply ask your AI assistant:

Use the frontend-expert agent to help me create a responsive navigation component.
Use the database-expert agent to optimize this query.
Use the security-expert agent to review my authentication flow.

CLI#

bootspring agent invoke frontend-expert

MCP Tool#

Your AI can use the bootspring_agent tool directly:

Use the bootspring_agent tool with agent="security-expert" to review the login code.

Available Agents#

Technical Agents (Free Tier)#

AgentExpertiseWhen to Use
frontend-expertReact, Next.js, Vue, CSS, accessibilityUI components, styling, client-side logic
backend-expertNode.js, APIs, server architectureServer logic, middleware, integrations
database-expertSQL, Prisma, MongoDB, schema designQueries, migrations, optimization
api-expertREST, GraphQL, tRPC, OpenAPIAPI design, versioning, documentation
testing-expertVitest, Jest, Playwright, TDDUnit tests, integration tests, E2E
security-expertOWASP, auth, encryption, auditingSecurity reviews, vulnerability fixes
performance-expertCaching, optimization, profilingPerformance tuning, bundle optimization
devops-expertCI/CD, Docker, KubernetesDeployment, infrastructure, pipelines
ui-ux-expertDesign systems, accessibility, UXUser experience, design patterns
architecture-expertSystem design, patterns, scalabilityArchitecture decisions, technical planning
code-review-expertBest practices, refactoring, qualityCode reviews, improvements

Platform Agents (Free Tier)#

AgentExpertiseWhen to Use
vercel-expertVercel, Edge Functions, deploymentVercel-specific optimization
railway-expertRailway, deployment, databasesRailway deployment and scaling
auth-expertNextAuth, Clerk, Auth0, sessionsAuthentication implementation
payment-expertStripe, subscriptions, billingPayment integration
email-expertResend, SendGrid, templatesEmail implementation
ai-integration-expertLLMs, embeddings, RAGAI/ML features
monitoring-expertSentry, logging, APMObservability setup
data-modeling-expertERD, normalization, schemasData architecture

Business Agents (Pro Tier)#

AgentExpertiseWhen to Use
business-strategy-expertStrategy, positioning, GTMBusiness planning
growth-expertPLG, retention, metricsGrowth optimization
financial-expertModeling, projections, metricsFinancial planning
fundraising-expertPitch decks, investor outreachRaising capital
legal-expertContracts, compliance, GDPRLegal questions
marketing-expertSEO, content, campaignsMarketing strategy
sales-expertB2B sales, negotiationsSales processes
product-expertRoadmapping, prioritizationProduct strategy
operations-expertProcess, scaling, efficiencyOperations
competitive-analysis-expertMarket research, intelligenceCompetitive insights

Enterprise Agents (Team Tier)#

AgentExpertiseWhen to Use
investor-relations-expertBoard management, reportingInvestor communications
partnerships-expertStrategic partnerships, BDPartnership development
private-equity-expertM&A, due diligencePE transactions

Agent Examples#

Frontend Expert#

Use the frontend-expert agent to create an accessible dropdown menu with keyboard navigation, proper ARIA attributes, and smooth animations.

The agent provides:

  • Complete React component with TypeScript
  • Keyboard navigation (arrow keys, escape, enter)
  • ARIA attributes for screen readers
  • Focus management
  • Tailwind CSS styling
  • Animation with Framer Motion

Database Expert#

Use the database-expert agent to design a schema for a multi-tenant SaaS application with row-level security in PostgreSQL.

The agent provides:

  • Prisma schema with tenant isolation
  • Row-level security policies
  • Index recommendations
  • Query patterns for tenant filtering
  • Migration strategy

Security Expert#

Use the security-expert agent to review this authentication code and identify vulnerabilities.

The agent provides:

  • Security vulnerability assessment
  • OWASP Top 10 check
  • Specific code fixes
  • Rate limiting recommendations
  • Session security improvements

Chaining Agents#

For complex features, chain multiple agents together:

Example: Building a Payment Feature#

Step 1: Architecture Planning

Use the architecture-expert agent to plan a subscription billing system.

Step 2: Database Design

Use the database-expert agent to design the subscription and payment schema.

Step 3: API Implementation

Use the payment-expert agent to implement Stripe subscription webhooks.

Step 4: Frontend

Use the frontend-expert agent to create a pricing page with plan selection.

Step 5: Security Review

Use the security-expert agent to review the payment implementation.

Step 6: Testing

Use the testing-expert agent to write tests for the billing system.

Agent Collaboration#

Some tasks benefit from multiple agent perspectives:

Performance Optimization#

Use the performance-expert and frontend-expert agents together to optimize the dashboard loading time.

Security Audit#

Use the security-expert, backend-expert, and database-expert agents to perform a comprehensive security audit.

Customizing Agent Behavior#

Per-Project Instructions#

Add custom instructions in bootspring.config.js:

1// bootspring.config.js 2module.exports = { 3 agents: { 4 customInstructions: { 5 'frontend-expert': ` 6 - Always use TypeScript strict mode 7 - Prefer server components in Next.js 8 - Use Tailwind CSS, never inline styles 9 - Include loading and error states 10 - Add proper accessibility attributes 11 `, 12 'database-expert': ` 13 - Use Prisma as the ORM 14 - Always include indexes for foreign keys 15 - Use soft deletes for user data 16 - Include createdAt and updatedAt on all tables 17 `, 18 'testing-expert': ` 19 - Use Vitest for unit tests 20 - Use Playwright for E2E tests 21 - Aim for 80% coverage minimum 22 - Mock external services 23 `, 24 }, 25 }, 26};

Enabling/Disabling Agents#

1// bootspring.config.js 2module.exports = { 3 agents: { 4 // Only enable specific agents 5 enabled: [ 6 'frontend-expert', 7 'backend-expert', 8 'database-expert', 9 ], 10 11 // Or disable specific ones 12 // disabled: ['devops-expert', 'mobile-expert'], 13 }, 14};

Agent Best Practices#

1. Be Specific#

Less effective:

Use the frontend-expert to help with the form.

More effective:

Use the frontend-expert agent to create a multi-step checkout form with Stripe Elements, address validation, and proper error handling.

2. Provide Context#

Less effective:

Use the database-expert to fix the slow query.

More effective:

Use the database-expert agent to optimize this query that takes 3 seconds to load 1000 users with their orders. Here's the current query and schema: [paste code]

3. Chain for Complex Tasks#

Don't try to do everything with one agent. Break complex tasks into steps:

  1. Plan with architecture-expert
  2. Design data with database-expert
  3. Build backend with backend-expert
  4. Build frontend with frontend-expert
  5. Test with testing-expert
  6. Review security with security-expert

4. Iterate with the Same Agent#

Keep the conversation going for refinements:

[First request] Use the frontend-expert to create a data table component. [Follow-up] Now add sorting and filtering to the table. [Follow-up] Add pagination with 25 items per page. [Follow-up] Make the columns resizable.

Listing Available Agents#

CLI#

1# List all agents 2bootspring agent list 3 4# List agents by category 5bootspring agent list --category technical 6 7# Search agents 8bootspring agent search "authentication"

In Your AI Assistant#

List all available Bootspring agents.
Which agent should I use for implementing OAuth?

Agent Tiers#

TierAgent Access
FreeTechnical agents (12), Platform agents (8)
ProAll Free + Business agents (10)
TeamAll Pro + Enterprise agents (3) + Custom agents

Troubleshooting#

"Agent not found"#

Check the agent name:

bootspring agent list | grep frontend

"Agent response seems generic"#

  1. Make sure CLAUDE.md is up to date: bootspring generate
  2. Add more specific instructions to your request
  3. Check custom instructions in config

"Need an agent that doesn't exist"#

Create a feature request or use the closest agent with custom instructions:

Use the backend-expert agent, but focus specifically on WebSocket implementation for real-time features.

Next Steps#