builder-dogfooding

name	builder-dogfooding
description	How to use `builder` cli or change your behavior/config. Read to learn `builder` commands; to debug project/workspace errors; when user asks to change builder config/settings/behavior.

Builder is the harness you are running inside, but it's also a server that runs agentic loops, a TUI, and a CLI interface that humans see.

Source-of-truth for commands and public docs:

• Run builder --help and builder <command> --help for exact current CLI flags.
• Full docs index: https://opensource.respawn.pro/builder/llms.txt.

You can directly curl -S each of the docs pages' .md file to get its content. Avoid using web fetch tools on those.

Projects And Workspace Bindings

Builder tracks projects and workspace roots so sessions can move across checkouts and remote/local server boundaries. If your subagent commands fail with errors about workspace binding or projects, simply attach a workspace folder where you want to run the subagent to the project where you are running:

$ builder attach <path/to/subagent/workspace>

More info in --help.

Config Locations

Global config (applies to all projects) ~/.builder/config.toml (%USERPROFILE%\.builder\ on Windows), local config is at <workspace-root>/.builder/config.toml. Workspace root is usually your cwd. Config schema and full notes at https://opensource.respawn.pro/builder/config.md.

Most behavior changes affect only new sessions and only after server restart. Existing sessions will keep captured conversation logs and settings. After changing config, ask the user to restart the service builder service restart, restart the Builder GUI, and then start a new session, for changes to apply.

Important: do not make changes to your configuration that were not authorized or directly asked for by the user. If your environment is buggy/broken, ask the user for help instead of messing with your internals.

Change Agent Behavior

Use prompt files for broad behavior changes, skills for reusable on-demand workflows, and subagent roles for specialized headless agents. Start by reading docs at https://opensource.respawn.pro/builder/prompts.md

Note that you shouldn't be rewriting main agent's system prompt: the output can be biased and low-quality. System prompts need to be crafted carefully and vary strongly per LLM model family and use-case. Either the user should supply an existing prompt they want to use, or use {{.DefaultSystemPrompt}} for sane defaults, and add additional instructions to it.

Subagent roles

User may ask you to define new "subagent roles". Subagents are builder run commands you call. You can also use them for scripting of user's personal builder-based workflows. More info at builder run --help and https://opensource.respawn.pro/builder/headless.md.

Worktrees

Builder manages worktrees you work in. You can customize the process of worktree creation by providing a setup script, use it to prepare a newly created worktree with files that a worktree checkout did not bring over, like .env, private credentials, encryption keys, symlinks to local docs or other files, install dependencies, etc. It's designed to go from "just did a git checkout" to "fully ready for development". Read how to create the hook at https://opensource.respawn.pro/builder/worktrees.md.

Shell Postprocess Hooks

Builder can post-process shell command output before you see it. Hook shape, output, and config are at https://opensource.respawn.pro/builder/command-postprocessing.md

You can disable this feature with raw=true in your exec_command tool. This hook is intended to optimize, shrink, or log the commands that you run. For example, a user may want you to use a tool that makes outputs smaller. Builder also ships embedded optimizers (builtin mode toggle) out of the box.