Agent Loader

Agent Loader

Use this skill to list and load agent brains from two scopes:

REPO: $CWD/.agents/agents up to $REPO_ROOT/.agents/agents
USER: $HOME/.agents/agents

Repo scope is searched from the current working directory upward to the repository root. User scope is searched after repo scope. If the same agent name exists in multiple places, the first discovered agent wins.

For a global setup, clone this repository to ~/.agents/agent-brains, then symlink ~/.agents/agents to ~/.agents/agent-brains/agents.

The discovery roots can be overridden with AGENT_BRAINS_ROOT or the script's --root option. Overrides use custom scope.

Modes

List Agents

Use when the user asks what agents exist, asks for agent names, or is unsure which agent to load.

Run the bundled script:

uv run python skills/agent-loader/scripts/list_agents.py

Report each agent's name, description, scope, and path. Discovery only reads AGENTS.md frontmatter; it does not read the body or any other core file. If an agent has no description, say so directly.

List Workflows

Use when the user asks what workflows an agent has, or when loading an agent and a lightweight workflow summary is useful.

Run:

uv run python skills/agent-loader/scripts/list_agents.py --agent  --workflows

The script resolves ` through the same repo/user discovery order, then reads only each workflow's WORKFLOW.md frontmatter. Report each workflow's name, description, and path`. Do not read workflow bodies just to list workflows.

Load An Agent

Use when the user names an agent or asks to start working as an agent.

First resolve the agent path:

uv run python skills/agent-loader/scripts/list_agents.py --agent 

The script prints:

namedescriptionscopepath

For the resolved path, read in this order:

1. path/AGENTS.md
2. path/SOUL.md
3. path/MEMORY.md

Then acknowledge the active agent and summarize:

• identity
• main responsibilities
• key operating rules
• available skills
• available workflows

Do not read every file under memories/ by default. Read a memory file only when AGENTS.md, MEMORY.md, or the user's task points to it.

Do not read every skills/*/SKILL.md by default. Read a skill only when the task matches that skill or the agent's AGENTS.md tells you to use it for the current task.

Do not read every workflows/*/WORKFLOW.md by default. Use the workflow frontmatter list first; read a workflow body only when the current task matches it or the user asks for it.

Validation

If the agent cannot be resolved, list available agents instead of guessing.

If AGENTS.md, SOUL.md, or MEMORY.md is missing, report the missing file and load only the existing files.

If AGENTS.md lacks frontmatter with name and description, report that the agent brain needs metadata cleanup.

If skills/ contains files directly under it instead of skills/SKILL_NAME/SKILL.md, report that the agent brain violates the current skill layout.

If workflows/ contains files directly under it instead of workflows/WORKFLOW_NAME/WORKFLOW.md, report that the agent brain violates the current workflow layout.

If a WORKFLOW.md lacks frontmatter with name and description, report that the workflow needs metadata cleanup.

Boundaries

This skill loads agent context. It does not create, update, or audit agent brains unless the user explicitly asks for that work.

For creating, updating, or auditing agent brains, load agent-creator.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: samzong
• Source: samzong/agent-brains
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.