Bug: [Ideate Phase does not use predefined agents to create RFE]

[abiazett]

🐛 Bug Description

Summary: Ideate Phase does not use predefined agents to create RFE

Expected Behavior: As shown in previous demos and discussions, the Ideate phase was supposed to use the pre-defined agent definitions to create the rfe.md based on multiple persona inputs.

Actual Behavior: Claude created the rfe.md using its own perspective and data. It did not call the specific agents.

🔄 Steps to Reproduce

1. Go to: https://ambient-code.apps.rosa.vteam-stage.7fpc.p3.openshiftapps.com/projects - shared cluster
2. Click on Projects -> New Project
3. RFE Workspaces -> New Workspace
4. Click on Ideate -> Provide info for RFE prompt
5. Wait for rfe.md to be created. Check messages and see no Agent was called.

🌍 Environment

Component: [RAT System / Ambient Agentic Runner / vTeam Tools]:
Using Ambient Agentic Runner on Oct 14th

Version/Commit: [e.g. v1.2.3 or commit hash]

Operating System: [e.g. macOS 14.0, Ubuntu 22.04, Windows 11]

Browser: [if applicable - Chrome 119, Firefox 120, Safari 17]

Python Version: [if applicable - e.g. 3.11.5]

Kubernetes Version: [if applicable - e.g. 1.28.2]

📋 Additional Context

Error Messages: [Paste any error messages or logs]

[Error logs here]

Configuration: [Any relevant configuration details]

Recent Changes: [Any recent changes that might be related]

🔍 Possible Solution

According to @Gkrumbach07 the original Ideate prompt which directed Claude to use the subagents got lost in one of the recent updates. Could it please be added back?

✅ Acceptance Criteria

• Bug is reproduced and root cause identified
• Fix is implemented and tested
• Regression tests added to prevent future occurrences
• Documentation updated if needed
• Fix is verified in staging environment

🏷️ Labels

• Priority: [low/medium/high/critical]
• Complexity: [trivial/easy/medium/hard]
• Component: [frontend/backend/operator/tools/docs]

[MichaelClifford]

#185 should address this issue

[bobbravo2]

@MichaelClifford thank you!

@claude confirm that the steps to reproduce the issue have been resolved in main. If they have, report back and let us know we can close this issue. If not, share a root-cause-analysis and suggest a fix for another agent to help triage.

[claude]

Claude finished @bobbravo2's task —— View job

---

Investigation Complete: Issue NOT Fully Resolved

I've completed my investigation and found that the issue reported in #182 has NOT been fully resolved, even though PR #185 has been merged to main.

Tasks

• Check PR add agent selector to RFE Workspace page #185 status and merge state
• Review the changes in PR add agent selector to RFE Workspace page #185
• Examine current Ideate phase implementation
• Verify if predefined agents are being invoked
• Provide conclusion and recommendation

---

Root Cause Analysis

Finding: PR #185 added an agent selector UI and passes selected agents to the Ideate prompt, but the prompt does not actually invoke the agents - it only mentions them as "available."

Evidence:

1. PR add agent selector to RFE Workspace page #185 (commit 2096b4c) is merged to main (5 commits back from HEAD)
2. The PR added agent selection UI and modified /api/projects/[name]/rfe-workflows/[id]/agents/route.ts
3. However, the Ideate phase prompt in components/frontend/src/app/projects/[name]/rfe/[id]/rfe-phase-cards.tsx:214-215 still has the same behavior

Current Behavior (lines 62-81 in rfe-phase-cards.tsx):

const getAgentInstructions = () => {
  // ... builds a list of selected agents ...
  
  return `\n\nIMPORTANT - Selected Agents for this workflow:
The following agents have been selected to participate in this workflow. 
Invoke them by name to get their specialized perspectives:

${agentList}

You can invoke agents by using their name in your prompts. 
For example: "Let's get input from ${selectedAgentDetails[0]!.name} on this approach."`;
};

The Problem: This instruction is passive - it tells Claude that agents are available but doesn't direct Claude to proactively invoke them. The original behavior (per @Gkrumbach07's comment in the issue) was supposed to have an explicit prompt that instructs Claude to use the agents.

---

Recommended Fix

The getAgentInstructions() function should be modified to actively direct Claude to invoke the selected agents, not just mention them as available. For example:

const getAgentInstructions = () => {
  if (selectedAgents.length === 0) return '';
  
  const selectedAgentDetails = selectedAgents
    .map(persona => AVAILABLE_AGENTS.find(a => a.persona === persona))
    .filter(Boolean);
    
  if (selectedAgentDetails.length === 0) return '';
  
  const agentList = selectedAgentDetails
    .map(agent => `- ${agent!.name} (${agent!.role})`)
    .join('\n');
    
  return `\n\nIMPORTANT - Multi-Agent Collaboration Required:
You MUST gather input from ALL of the following selected agents before finalizing the rfe.md:

${agentList}

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. For EACH agent listed above, invoke them by name using the Task tool
2. Ask each agent to provide their specialized perspective on the feature requirements
3. Synthesize all agent inputs into a comprehensive rfe.md
4. Ensure the final rfe.md reflects diverse viewpoints from all selected personas

Example invocation: "I need to get ${selectedAgentDetails[0]!.name}'s perspective on the technical architecture requirements for this feature."`;
};

---

Summary

✅ PR #185 has been merged to main
❌ The issue is NOT resolved - agents are still not being invoked
📋 Action needed: Modify getAgentInstructions() to actively direct Claude to invoke selected agents

The fix requires changing the prompt in components/frontend/src/app/projects/[name]/rfe/[id]/rfe-phase-cards.tsx (specifically the getAgentInstructions() function starting at line 62).

Recommendation: Keep issue #182 open and implement the suggested fix above, or create a new issue to track this remaining work.

---

[Gkrumbach07]

Closing as stale - RFE workflow structure has evolved significantly since this was reported.