orchestration-helper

name	orchestration-helper
description	Meta-skill explaining the Conductor pattern and agent orchestration. Use when users ask about: "how does the Conductor work", "agent orchestration", "workflow coordination", "multi-agent setup", or "subagent delegation". Provides guidance on structuring agent workflows with mandatory pause points.
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"azure-agentic-infraops","version":"1.0","category":"workflow-automation"}

Agent Orchestration Skill

A reference guide for the InfraOps Conductor pattern and multi-agent orchestration in VS Code 1.109+.

🎭 Conductor Pattern Overview

The InfraOps Conductor implements agent orchestration - a pattern where a master agent coordinates specialized subagents through a structured development workflow.

Key Benefits

Benefit	Description
Context Efficiency	Each subagent operates in its own context window
Specialization	Different agents use models optimized for their task
Human Control	Mandatory pause points for approval at critical stages
Quality Gates	Validation cycles ensure standards before proceeding
Parallel Execution	Independent tasks can run across multiple subagents

📋 The 7-Step Workflow

Step 1: Requirements      →  @Requirements      →  01-requirements.md
Step 2: Architecture      →  @Architect         →  02-architecture-assessment.md
Step 3: Design (optional) →  @Design            →  03-des-*.md/py/png
Step 4: Planning          →  @Bicep Plan        →  04-implementation-plan.md
Step 5: Implementation    →  @Bicep Code        →  infra/bicep/{project}/
Step 6: Deploy            →  @Deploy            →  06-deployment-summary.md
Step 7: Documentation     →  Skills             →  07-*.md

🚦 Mandatory Approval Gates

The Conductor MUST pause at these points:

Gate	After Step	Artifact to Review	User Action
1	Requirements	01-requirements.md	Confirm requirements complete
2	Architecture	02-architecture-assessment.md	Approve WAF assessment
3	Planning	04-implementation-plan.md	Approve implementation plan
4	Pre-Deploy	Validation results	Approve lint/what-if/review
5	Post-Deploy	06-deployment-summary.md	Verify deployment

🔄 Validation Cycle (Step 5)

Before deployment, the Bicep Code agent runs a TDD-style validation:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  @bicep-lint-subagent                                       │
│    └─ bicep lint, bicep build                               │
│    └─ Returns: PASS/FAIL with diagnostics                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  @bicep-whatif-subagent                                     │
│    └─ az deployment group what-if                           │
│    └─ Returns: Change summary, policy violations            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  @bicep-review-subagent                                     │
│    └─ AVM standards, naming, security review                │
│    └─ Returns: APPROVED/NEEDS_REVISION/FAILED               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

📦 Agent Hierarchy

Primary Agents (User-Invokable)

Agent	Role	Model
InfraOps Conductor	Master orchestrator	Claude Opus 4.6
Requirements	Requirements gathering	Claude Opus 4.6
Architect	WAF assessment	Claude Opus 4.6
Design	Diagrams & ADRs	Claude Sonnet 4.5
Bicep Plan	Implementation planning	Claude Opus 4.6
Bicep Code	Template generation	Claude Sonnet 4.5
Deploy	Azure deployment	Claude Sonnet 4.5
Diagnose	Troubleshooting	Claude Sonnet 4.5

Subagents (Conductor-Invoked Only)

Subagent	Role	Model
bicep-lint-subagent	Syntax validation	Claude Haiku 4.5
bicep-whatif-subagent	Deployment preview	Claude Haiku 4.5
bicep-review-subagent	Code review	Claude Sonnet 4.5

🛠️ VS Code 1.109 Frontmatter

User-Invokable Agent

---
name: My Agent
description: What this agent does
model: ["Claude Opus 4.6 (copilot)", "Claude Sonnet 4.5 (copilot)"]
user-invokable: true
agents: ["Agent1", "Agent2"]  # Agents this can delegate to
tools: [...]
handoffs:
  - label: "Button Label"
    agent: TargetAgent
    prompt: "Context for handoff"
    send: true
    model: "Claude Sonnet 4.5 (copilot)"  # Optional: model for handoff
---

Subagent (Hidden from UI)

---
name: my-subagent
description: What this subagent does
model: "Claude Haiku 4.5 (copilot)"
user-invokable: false
disable-model-invocation: false
agents: []  # Subagents typically don't delegate
tools: [...]
---

📝 Settings for Orchestration

Enable in .vscode/settings.json:

{
  "chat.customAgentInSubagent.enabled": true,
  "chat.agentFilesLocations": {
    ".github/agents": true,
    ".github/agents/_subagents": true
  },
  "chat.agentSkillsLocations": {
    ".github/skills": true
  },
  "github.copilot.chat.responsesApiReasoningEffort": "high"
}

🎯 Starting the Conductor

1. Open VS Code Chat
2. Select "InfraOps Conductor" from agent dropdown
3. Describe your Azure infrastructure project
4. The Conductor will guide you through all 7 steps with approval gates

🔘 Understanding Handoff Buttons

When the Conductor responds, you'll see multiple handoff buttons. Here's when to use each:

Navigation Buttons

Button	When to Use
▶ Start New Project	Begin a fresh project from Step 1
▶ Resume Workflow	Continue from where you left off (checks existing artifacts)
▶ Review Artifacts	View summary of all generated artifacts for current project

Step Buttons

Button	Purpose
Step 1: Gather Requirements	Jump to requirements gathering
Step 2: Architecture Assessment	Jump to WAF assessment
Step 4: Implementation Plan	Jump to planning (skips optional Step 3)
Step 5: Generate Bicep	Jump to code generation
Step 6: Deploy	Jump to deployment

Utility Buttons

Button	Purpose
Diagnose Issues	Troubleshoot Azure resource problems

Best Practices

1. Sequential workflow: Use step buttons in order (1 → 2 → 4 → 5 → 6)
2. After completing a step: Click the next step button or use "Resume Workflow"
3. Returning to a session: Use "Resume Workflow" to detect existing artifacts
4. Reviewing progress: Use "Review Artifacts" before continuing

Example Session

User: Build a web app with Azure SQL backend in Sweden Central

Conductor: 📋 Starting new project workflow...
           Creating: agent-output/webapp-sql/

           [Delegates to @Requirements]
           ...gathering requirements...

─────────────────────────────────────────────
📋 GATE 1: REQUIREMENTS COMPLETE
Artifact: agent-output/webapp-sql/01-requirements.md

Shall I proceed to Architecture Assessment (Step 2)?
─────────────────────────────────────────────

User: Yes, proceed

           [Delegates to @Architect]
           ...WAF assessment...

─────────────────────────────────────────────
🏗️ GATE 2: ARCHITECTURE COMPLETE
Cost Estimate: $150/month

Shall I proceed to Implementation Planning (Step 4)?
─────────────────────────────────────────────

[...continues through all gates...]

Reference Links

• VS Code 1.109 Release Notes
• Agent Orchestration Docs
• Copilot Orchestra
• GitHub Copilot Atlas