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feat(agents): add agile-coach agent#562

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WilliamBerryiii merged 16 commits intomicrosoft:mainfrom
erikschlegel:feat/agent/agile-coach
Feb 18, 2026
Merged

feat(agents): add agile-coach agent#562
WilliamBerryiii merged 16 commits intomicrosoft:mainfrom
erikschlegel:feat/agent/agile-coach

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@erikschlegel erikschlegel commented Feb 14, 2026

Pull Request

Description

Adds a socratic conversational agent that helps create or refine goal-oriented user stories.

What it does

  1. Create mode: Turns rough ideas into polished user stories
  2. Refine mode: Improves existing vague stories into concrete, outcome-focused items

Outputs copy-paste ready stories with action-oriented titles, concise descriptions, and testable acceptance criteria.

Related Issue(s)

Closes #561

Type of Change

Select all that apply:

Code & Documentation:

  • Bug fix (non-breaking change fixing an issue)
  • New feature (non-breaking change adding functionality)
  • Breaking change (fix or feature causing existing functionality to change)
  • Documentation update

Infrastructure & Configuration:

  • GitHub Actions workflow
  • Linting configuration (markdown, PowerShell, etc.)
  • Security configuration
  • DevContainer configuration
  • Dependency update

AI Artifacts:

  • [] Reviewed contribution with prompt-builder agent and addressed all feedback
  • Copilot instructions (.github/instructions/*.instructions.md)
  • Copilot prompt (.github/prompts/*.prompt.md)
  • Copilot agent (.github/agents/*.agent.md)
  • Copilot skill (.github/skills/*/SKILL.md)

Other:

  • Script/automation (.ps1, .sh, .py)
  • Other (please describe):

Sample Prompts (for AI Artifact Contributions)

Create Mode:

  1. Starting from a vague idea:
    "I need a story for adding dark mode to our app"

  2. Technical feature:
    "We need to migrate our database from Postgres to CockroachDB"

  3. Bug-related improvement:
    "Users keep complaining that search is slow"

  4. New capability:
    "I want to add Slack notifications when builds fail"

Refine Mode:

  1. Vague existing story:
"Can you help me refine this story?
Title: Improve performance
Description: Make the app faster
AC: It should be fast"
  1. Incomplete acceptance criteria:
"Refine this please:
Title: Add user export feature
Description: As a user, I want to export my data
AC: User can export data
Works correctly"

Output Artifacts:

Copy-paste ready user stories formatted for any tracking tool (GitHub Issues, Jira, ADO, etc.)

Each story includes:

Title – Action-oriented, verb-first
Description – 1-3 sentences in the clearest format for the context
Acceptance Criteria – 5-10 binary, testable checklist items
Definition of Done notes (optional) – Team standards like tests, docs, observability
Open questions/risks/dependencies (optional) – Assumptions made, things needing follow-up
The output is markdown-formatted so users can copy directly into their issue tracker without reformatting.

Success Indicators:

Testing

My team has used this agent for the last 3x sprints of an existing engagement to help engineers create more objective and clearer acceptance criteria

Checklist

Required Checks

  • Documentation is updated (if applicable)
  • Files follow existing naming conventions
  • Changes are backwards compatible (if applicable)
  • Tests added for new functionality (if applicable)

AI Artifact Contributions

  • Used /prompt-analyze to review contribution

  • Addressed all feedback from prompt-builder review

  • Verified contribution follows common standards and type-specific requirements

Required Automated Checks

The following validation commands must pass before merging:

  • Markdown linting: npm run lint:md
  • Spell checking: npm run spell-check
  • Frontmatter validation: npm run lint:frontmatter
  • Link validation: npm run lint:md-links
  • PowerShell analysis: npm run lint:ps

Security Considerations

  • This PR does not contain any sensitive or NDA information
  • Any new dependencies have been reviewed for security issues
  • Security-related scripts follow the principle of least privilege

Additional Notes

@erikschlegel erikschlegel requested a review from a team as a code owner February 14, 2026 19:02
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 14, 2026 19:02
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codecov-commenter commented Feb 14, 2026

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 85.47%. Comparing base (1486dd7) to head (ba83428).

Additional details and impacted files

Impacted file tree graph

@@            Coverage Diff             @@
##             main     #562      +/-   ##
==========================================
- Coverage   85.49%   85.47%   -0.03%     
==========================================
  Files          23       23              
  Lines        4543     4543              
==========================================
- Hits         3884     3883       -1     
- Misses        659      660       +1     
Flag Coverage Δ
pester 85.47% <ø> (-0.03%) ⬇️

Flags with carried forward coverage won't be shown. Click here to find out more.
see 1 file with indirect coverage changes

🚀 New features to boost your workflow:
  • ❄️ Test Analytics: Detect flaky tests, report on failures, and find test suite problems.
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Pull request overview

Adds a new custom Copilot agent intended to coach users through creating or refining goal-oriented, outcome-driven user stories with testable acceptance criteria.

Changes:

  • Introduces a new .agent.md file defining the “User Story Coach” conversational flow (create vs refine modes)
  • Defines a copy-paste output template for title/description/acceptance criteria, plus optional DoD notes and open questions
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 14, 2026 19:40
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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 1 out of 1 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 14, 2026 19:51
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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 1 out of 1 changed files in this pull request and generated 7 comments.

@erikschlegel erikschlegel force-pushed the feat/agent/agile-coach branch from b9cf3c5 to 526b30e Compare February 14, 2026 21:07
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 14, 2026 21:11
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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

@WilliamBerryiii
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Hey @erikschlegel, thanks for contributing the agile-coach agent! The Socratic coaching approach for user story creation/refinement is a great addition to the toolkit.

A few items from our contributing guidelines still need attention before we can merge:

AI Artifact Review
The prompt-builder review items in the PR checklist are still unchecked. Please run /prompt-analyze against the agent file, address any feedback, and check off those items. Details are in our AI Artifacts Contributing Guide.

Missing Agent Sections
Per the custom agents guide, agent files should include:

  • A Success Criteria section defining what a successful interaction looks like
  • An attribution footer (e.g., 🤖 Brought to you by microsoft/hve-core)

Plugin Files Are Generated
Files under plugins/ are generated outputs and shouldn't be edited directly. Your collection manifest update to collections/hve-core-all.collection.yml is correct, but please revert the manual changes to plugins/hve-core-all/README.md and plugins/hve-core-all/agents/agile-coach.md, then run npm run plugin:generate to regenerate them.

Automated Checks
Once the above is addressed, run npm run lint:all and mark those items complete in the PR description.

There's also one unresolved Copilot review comment about phase completion criteria wording worth addressing.

Update the PR description checkboxes when these are done and we'll get this reviewed. Thanks again for putting this together!

@erikschlegel
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erikschlegel commented Feb 15, 2026

Including the results of the prompt analyzer below:
image

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erikschlegel commented Feb 15, 2026

Hey @erikschlegel, thanks for contributing the agile-coach agent! The Socratic coaching approach for user story creation/refinement is a great addition to the toolkit.

A few items from our contributing guidelines still need attention before we can merge:

AI Artifact Review The prompt-builder review items in the PR checklist are still unchecked. Please run /prompt-analyze against the agent file, address any feedback, and check off those items. Details are in our AI Artifacts Contributing Guide.

Missing Agent Sections Per the custom agents guide, agent files should include:

  • A Success Criteria section defining what a successful interaction looks like
  • An attribution footer (e.g., 🤖 Brought to you by microsoft/hve-core)

Plugin Files Are Generated Files under plugins/ are generated outputs and shouldn't be edited directly. Your collection manifest update to collections/hve-core-all.collection.yml is correct, but please revert the manual changes to plugins/hve-core-all/README.md and plugins/hve-core-all/agents/agile-coach.md, then run npm run plugin:generate to regenerate them.

Automated Checks Once the above is addressed, run npm run lint:all and mark those items complete in the PR description.

There's also one unresolved Copilot review comment about phase completion criteria wording worth addressing.

Update the PR description checkboxes when these are done and we'll get this reviewed. Thanks again for putting this together!

Addressed the following in my latest commit:

  1. Ran the prompt analyzer on the agent definition and attached the passing results in a follow up comment. Also updated the PR description and checked this criteria
  2. Addressed the GH Copilot comment
  3. Added the missing sections from the agent guidance into the newly added agent
  4. Reverted the folllowing files (plugins/hve-core-all/README.md and plugins/hve-core-all/agents/agile-coach.md) to match main then reran npm run plugin:generate. Please confirm the auto-generated committed changes look correct?
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 15, 2026 21:09
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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated no new comments.

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WilliamBerryiii commented Feb 16, 2026

@erikschlegel - Will get this reviewed shortly ... thanks for running all the artifact validation!

@WilliamBerryiii WilliamBerryiii added this to the v2.7.0 milestone Feb 16, 2026
🔄 - Generated by Copilot
…e-coach

- add create/refine mode sample prompts
- add sample refined story example
- define success criteria for coaching sessions
- add hve-core attribution footer

✨ - Generated by Copilot
- replace 'when the story feels complete' with 'when acceptance criteria are defined and measurable'
- replace 'when the refined version feels solid' with 'when gaps are filled and outcomes are measurable'

🔧 - Generated by Copilot
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 17, 2026 13:25
@erikschlegel erikschlegel force-pushed the feat/agent/agile-coach branch from db4e761 to e740bed Compare February 17, 2026 13:25
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erikschlegel commented Feb 17, 2026

@WilliamBerryiii - Should the agile coach agent be included as part of the HVE Core Planning Plugin? If so, should I go ahead and update /collections/project-planning.collection.yml manually or is there a recommended automated path you suggest?

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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.

- add name frontmatter and attribution suffix
- align H1 title with filename and fix typo
- add probing questions and user-confirmed transitions to phases 2-3
- add confirmation gate and optional section guidance to phase 4

🛠️ - Generated by Copilot
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 17, 2026 14:00
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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated no new comments.

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WilliamBerryiii commented Feb 17, 2026

@WilliamBerryiii - Should the agile coach agent be included as part of the HVE Core Planning Plugin? If so, should I go ahead and update /collections/project-planning.collection.yml manually or is there a recommended automated path you suggest?

@erikschlegel yes go ahead and add it for distro in project planning ... that's a great call. And you can do it within the scope of this PR

- add agile-coach agent entry to project-planning collection yml
- update collection readme with agile-coach description
- regenerate plugin outputs

📋 - Generated by Copilot
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erikschlegel commented Feb 17, 2026

@WilliamBerryiii - Should the agile coach agent be included as part of the HVE Core Planning Plugin? If so, should I go ahead and update /collections/project-planning.collection.yml manually or is there a recommended automated path you suggest?

@erikschlegel yes go ahead and add it for distro in project planning ... that's a great call. And you can do it within the scope of this PR

Pushed a new commit to include the new agent in the HVE Core Planning Plugin. Please review to verify this was added as expected @WilliamBerryiii

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 18, 2026 00:26
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WilliamBerryiii commented Feb 18, 2026

@erikschlegel - merging now ... expect it to be a few days before we cut an extensions release; but will hopefully be this week. Thanks again for your work on this! Appreciate the contribution.

@WilliamBerryiii WilliamBerryiii merged commit de8d86c into microsoft:main Feb 18, 2026
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Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 8 out of 8 changed files in this pull request and generated no new comments.

WilliamBerryiii pushed a commit that referenced this pull request Feb 20, 2026
🤖 I have created a release *beep* *boop*
---


##
[3.0.0](hve-core-v2.3.10...hve-core-v3.0.0)
(2026-02-20)


### ⚠ BREAKING CHANGES

* **skills:** migrate PR reference generation to self-contained skill
([#669](#669))
* restructure RPI collection to HVE Core naming convention
([#668](#668))

### ✨ Features

* **agents:** add agile-coach agent
([#562](#562))
([de8d86c](de8d86c))
* **agents:** add DT coach agent with tiered instruction loading
([#656](#656))
([206d3a7](206d3a7))
* **agents:** add product manager advisor and UX/UI designer agents
([#627](#627))
([539eb8a](539eb8a))
* **agents:** add system architecture reviewer for design trade-offs and
ADR creation ([#626](#626))
([de5cfd6](de5cfd6))
* **build:** pin devcontainer image and align tool parity
([#704](#704))
([6258b1c](6258b1c))
* **design-thinking:** add manufacturing industry context template
([#682](#682))
([ce864bf](ce864bf))
* **instructions:** add DT coaching state protocol for session
persistence ([#654](#654))
([5a5be4e](5a5be4e))
* **instructions:** add dt-coaching-identity ambient instruction
([#642](#642))
([6209a0d](6209a0d))
* **instructions:** add dt-method-01-deep for advanced scope
conversation techniques
([#673](#673))
([cc92ef9](cc92ef9))
* **instructions:** add dt-method-03-deep for advanced input synthesis
techniques ([#676](#676))
([0079a4f](0079a4f))
* **instructions:** add dt-method-09-deep instructions for Method 9
advanced coaching
([#703](#703))
([150b2a6](150b2a6))
* **instructions:** add dt-method-sequencing ambient instruction
([#650](#650))
([e465b2f](e465b2f))
* **instructions:** add dt-quality-constraints and design-thinking
collection ([#645](#645))
([17002bd](17002bd))
* **instructions:** add DT-to-RPI handoff contract specification
([#679](#679))
([87f9962](87f9962))
* **instructions:** add energy industry context template
([#687](#687))
([41088d8](41088d8))
* **instructions:** add healthcare industry context template
([#686](#686))
([b2d5281](b2d5281))
* **instructions:** add Method 1 Scope Conversations coaching knowledge
([#651](#651))
([93e2d48](93e2d48))
* **instructions:** add Method 2 Design Research coaching knowledge
([#652](#652))
([30f7f3b](30f7f3b))
* **instructions:** add Method 3 Input Synthesis coaching knowledge
([#653](#653))
([1efdb7d](1efdb7d))
* **instructions:** add Method 7 High-Fidelity Prototypes coaching
instruction ([#666](#666))
([9233eab](9233eab))
* **instructions:** add pull request instructions for PR generation
workflow ([#706](#706))
([73d23eb](73d23eb))
* **instructions:** create DT curriculum content (9 modules)
([#690](#690))
([9f7378f](9f7378f)),
closes [#617](#617)
* **instructions:** create dt-method-02-deep.instructions.md
([#700](#700))
([4d4d0ca](4d4d0ca))
* **instructions:** create dt-method-06-lofi-prototypes.instructions.md
([#684](#684))
([4d5f757](4d5f757))
* **instructions:** create dt-method-07-deep.instructions.md
([#678](#678))
([d3ec70d](d3ec70d))
* **instructions:** Create dt-method-08-deep.instructions.md
([#683](#683))
([d9e1115](d9e1115))
* **instructions:** create dt-method-08-testing.instructions.md
([#681](#681))
([3008ad8](3008ad8))
* **instructions:** create dt-method-09-iteration.instructions.md
([#685](#685))
([9d7f4f5](9d7f4f5))
* **instructions:** create dt-rpi-research-context.instructions.md
([#689](#689))
([34c7b89](34c7b89))
* **instructions:** create manufacturing reference learning scenario
([#692](#692))
([1bd3994](1bd3994))
* **instructions:** Design Thinking Method 4 brainstorming instruction
file ([#664](#664))
([06f90b0](06f90b0))
* **prompts:** add DT start-project prompt for coaching initialization
([#657](#657))
([ce583d5](ce583d5))
* **prompts:** add dt-resume-coaching prompt for session recovery
([#665](#665))
([11b93cb](11b93cb))
* **prompts:** create dt-handoff-problem-space.prompt.md
([#688](#688))
([277963d](277963d))
* **scripts:** add collection-level maturity field with validation,
gating, and notices
([#697](#697))
([7b1c8e8](7b1c8e8))
* **scripts:** add per-violation CI annotations and colorized console
output ([#637](#637))
([bd7d512](bd7d512))
* **skills:** edit SKILL frontmatter schema, add CI validation, and
documentation ([#625](#625))
([0138a78](0138a78))
* **skills:** mandate unit testing and document language support
([#636](#636))
([9263617](9263617))
* **skills:** migrate PR reference generation to self-contained skill
([#669](#669))
([cf8805f](cf8805f))


### 🐛 Bug Fixes

* **collections:** migrate artifacts into collection-based
subdirectories
([#658](#658))
([dfa5261](dfa5261))
* **instructions:** optimize Phase 1 DT token budgets and close
[#564](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/issues/564)/[#565](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/issues/565)
gaps ([#675](#675))
([4f42f00](4f42f00))
* **scripts:** add CI annotations and step summary to copyright header
check ([#638](#638))
([5fa6328](5fa6328))
* **scripts:** add grouped link-lang console diagnostics and failure
summary ([#661](#661))
([4d6871f](4d6871f))
* **scripts:** add per-violation Write-Host and Write-CIAnnotation
output to Test-DependencyPinning
([#640](#640))
([9d3b71d](9d3b71d))
* **scripts:** align agent frontmatter schema with VS Code spec
([#469](#469))
([254d445](254d445))
* **scripts:** optimize PSScriptAnalyzer linting performance in WSL2
([#667](#667))
([f120b93](f120b93))
* **scripts:** stabilize YAML display key ordering in collection
manifest ([#701](#701))
([73c0d2c](73c0d2c))
* **scripts:** use text stubs for plugin links when symlinks unavailable
([#695](#695))
([d7650a3](d7650a3))
* **skills:** fix powershell test coverage in pr-reference skill
([#699](#699))
([408e6b7](408e6b7))


### 📚 Documentation

* **dt:** add Method 5 Concepts and Method 6 Lo-Fi Prototypes
instructions ([#693](#693))
([cfdcf11](cfdcf11))
* **hve-guide:** add role-based guides and project lifecycle
documentation ([#663](#663))
([17a85da](17a85da))


### ♻️ Refactoring

* restructure RPI collection to HVE Core naming convention
([#668](#668))
([120dde0](120dde0))
* **scripts:** consolidate duplicate logging into shared SecurityHelpers
module ([#655](#655))
([627a877](627a877))
* **scripts:** use shared SecurityHelpers and CIHelpers modules in
security scripts
([#705](#705))
([3a0baa7](3a0baa7))


### 🔧 Maintenance

* **deps-dev:** bump markdownlint-cli2 from 0.20.0 to 0.21.0 in the
npm-dependencies group
([#609](#609))
([1486dd7](1486dd7))

---
This PR was generated with [Release
Please](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please). See
[documentation](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please#release-please).

Co-authored-by: hve-core-release-please[bot] <254602402+hve-core-release-please[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
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