This spec outlines the development of Snap Squad, an addon designed to eliminate the "cold start" initialization lag in the bradygaster/squad framework. It moves the project from a "Hire-on-the-fly" model to a "Pre-Baked/Warm-Start" model.

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Specification: Snap Squad (Addon for Squad)

1. Project Overview

• Project Name: Snap Squad
• Target Framework: bradygaster/squad (AI Agent Teams)
• Core Problem: Initializing a squad via the standard "interview/hiring" process is too slow for rapid POCs and repetitive workflows.
• Proposed Solution: A caching and templating layer that injects pre-defined agent archetypes, grounding data, and MCP tools directly into the .squad/ directory to enable instant deployment.

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2. Key Decisions & Design Principles

• "Warm Start" Architecture: Use a manifest-driven approach to bypass dynamic agent discovery.
• Safe & Friendly Branding: Avoid tactical/strike-team themes. Use approachable, community-focused names.
• Addon Strategy: Develop as a separate repository/CLI wrapper to allow for rapid iteration, with the goal of a future upstream PR to the main Squad repo.
• Compatibility: Must strictly follow Squad's file-based persistence (team.md, decisions.md) and support MCP (Model Context Protocol).

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3. The Squad Archetypes (The Manifests)

Snap Squad will ship with four "Warm-Start" presets:

Squad Name	Role/Vibe	Particular Set of Skills
The Default	Default / Generalist	High-level logic, project structure, reliable general-purpose building.
The Fast Squad	Rapid POC / Speed	Minimalist prompts, high-velocity code generation, zero conversational "fluff."
The Mentors	Learning / Mentor	Explains the "why," focuses on best practices, documentation, and architectural critique.
The Artisans	Precision Specialists	Niche MCP tool experts (e.g., UI/UX polish, DB tuning, Security hardening).

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4. Technical Requirements for the Coding Agent

A. The Snap-Registry (Metadata Store)

• Create a local storage mechanism (JSON or YAML) that maps the four archetypes to:
• System Prompts: Distinct "Charter" text for each role.
• Tool Manifests: Pre-configured MCP server endpoints and tool definitions.
• Grounding Templates: Path mappings to common repo structures.

B. The CLI Wrapper (snap-squad)

• Command: snap-squad init --type [archetype]
• Functionality: 1. Detect if a .squad/ folder exists.

2. Instead of triggering a chat-based interview, pull the relevant manifest from the Snap-Registry.
3. Automatically write/overwrite .squad/team.md and .squad/decisions.md with the pre-baked context.
4. Initialize the session so the user can immediately run squad up.

C. The "Skill Locker"

• Implement a repository for common MCP tool configurations.
• Ensure the Artisans can dynamically "snap" into specific toolsets (e.g., "Snap in the Postgres-Toolbox").

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5. Summary of Prompt History

• Concept: Rapid-response squads that "live in cache" to solve slow initialization and repetitive hiring.
• Refinement: Names finalized as Snap Squad, Neighbors, Dash Squad, Sages, and Artisans.
• Guardrails: Friendly, safe, and non-violent terminology.
• Integration: Designed as a "Provider" that prepares the environment before the main Squad runtime takes over.

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Suggested Next Step

Would you like me to generate the specific YAML manifest files for the four archetypes so the coding agent has the exact "personality" and "skill" data to work with?

Squad: AI Agent Teams for Any Project This video explains the core architecture of AI agent teams and the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which are the fundamental building blocks for your Snap Squad extension.