cortex-material

name	cortex-material
description	Use when creating or reviewing materials, instances, parameter collections, or material graphs

cortex-material

Creates and reviews materials, instances, and parameter collections using the Material Developer agent.

Mode Detection

Determine mode from user intent:

• Create/Modify: User wants to build or change something Examples: "create a material", "add a parameter to", "update the texture slot", "create an instance of" → Launch material-developer agent with max_turns: 25

• Review/Analyze: User wants to understand or audit existing assets Examples: "review materials in /Game/Materials", "check naming conventions", "audit material complexity", "list all instances" → Launch material-developer agent with max_turns: 15

• Ambiguous → Default to Review (read-only, safe)

Agent Routing

Mode	Agent	max_turns
Create/Modify	material-developer	25
Review/Analyze	material-developer	15

Steps

1. Launch Material Developer Agent

Use the Task tool with subagent_type: "cortex-toolkit:material-developer" and the appropriate max_turns for the detected mode.

For Create/Modify, structure the prompt as a mandatory pipeline directive:

Create the following material using the MANDATORY pipeline:

**Material:** [name, e.g. M_PulsatingRed]
**Path:** [e.g. /Game/Materials/]
**Prefetched state:** [embed the main-thread `prefetched_state` block here before launching]
**Description:** [visual description of what the material should look like]
**Parameters to expose:** [list of ScalarParameter/VectorParameter names and defaults]
**Material instances:** [list of instances to derive, if any]

MANDATORY WORKFLOW:
1. Read `.cortex/domains/material.md` for pin conventions
2. Use `prefetched_state` first and avoid re-fetching the same baseline
3. Run independent read calls in parallel
4. Design your nodes[] and connections[] arrays as a JSON spec
5. Call `material_compose(name, path, nodes, connections)` as a SINGLE call
6. Include `expected_fingerprint` on every mutation that touches a prefetched asset
7. Create material instances if requested

PROHIBITED:
- For NEW materials: never call `create_material`, `add_node`, `connect`, `set_node_property`, or `auto_layout` individually — use `material_compose` exclusively.
- For EXISTING materials with 2+ changes: never make N sequential individual tool calls — use `core_cmd(batch)` with `stop_on_error: true` and `$ref` wiring (see `resources/batch-pipeline-guide.md`).
- Individual tools are only acceptable for a single isolated change on an existing asset.

**For Review/Analyze**, include the same `prefetched_state` block in the launch prompt, consume it before fresh reads, and keep independent reads parallel. Any follow-up mutation must carry `expected_fingerprint`.

For Review/Analyze, pass the review scope and focus:

• Specific materials to review, or a path for full review
• Specific concerns (graph complexity, parameter usage, instance hierarchy, naming)

2. Handling Agent Results

If the agent's response includes a Status line:

• completed — present results to the user. For creates, include created asset paths. For reviews, include findings grouped by severity.
• blocked / partial — surface what was done, what remains, and what blocked it.

If the agent's response has no Status line (e.g., turn limit reached), treat as partial — summarize whatever was produced and warn the review or creation may be incomplete.