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2026-02-210

name	agent-orchestration-improve-agent
description	Systematic improvement of existing agents through performance analysis, prompt engineering, and continuous iteration.

Agent Performance Optimization Workflow

Systematic improvement of existing agents through performance analysis, prompt engineering, and continuous iteration.

[Extended thinking: Agent optimization requires a data-driven approach combining performance metrics, user feedback analysis, and advanced prompt engineering techniques. Success depends on systematic evaluation, targeted improvements, and rigorous testing with rollback capabilities for production safety.]

Phase 1: Performance Analysis and Baseline Metrics

Comprehensive analysis of agent performance using context-manager for historical data collection.

1.1 Gather Performance Data

Use: context-manager
Command: analyze-agent-performance $ARGUMENTS --days 30

Collect metrics including:

Task completion rate (successful vs failed tasks)
Response accuracy and factual correctness
Tool usage efficiency (correct tools, call frequency)
Average response time and token consumption
User satisfaction indicators (corrections, retries)
Hallucination incidents and error patterns

1.2 User Feedback Pattern Analysis

Identify recurring patterns in user interactions:

Correction patterns: Where users consistently modify outputs
Clarification requests: Common areas of ambiguity
Task abandonment: Points where users give up
Follow-up questions: Indicators of incomplete responses
Positive feedback: Successful patterns to preserve

1.3 Failure Mode Classification

Categorize failures by root cause:

Instruction misunderstanding: Role or task confusion
Output format errors: Structure or formatting issues
Context loss: Long conversation degradation
Tool misuse: Incorrect or inefficient tool selection
Constraint violations: Safety or business rule breaches
Edge case handling: Unusual input scenarios

1.4 Baseline Performance Report

Generate quantitative baseline metrics:

Performance Baseline:
- Task Success Rate: [X%]
- Average Corrections per Task: [Y]
- Tool Call Efficiency: [Z%]
- User Satisfaction Score: [1-10]
- Average Response Latency: [Xms]
- Token Efficiency Ratio: [X:Y]

Phase 2: Prompt Engineering Improvements

Apply advanced prompt optimization techniques using prompt-engineer agent.

2.1 Chain-of-Thought Enhancement

Implement structured reasoning patterns:

Use: prompt-engineer
Technique: chain-of-thought-optimization

Add explicit reasoning steps: "Let's approach this step-by-step..."
Include self-verification checkpoints: "Before proceeding, verify that..."
Implement recursive decomposition for complex tasks
Add reasoning trace visibility for debugging

2.2 Few-Shot Example Optimization

Curate high-quality examples from successful interactions:

Select diverse examples covering common use cases
Include edge cases that previously failed
Show both positive and negative examples with explanations
Order examples from simple to complex
Annotate examples with key decision points

Example structure:

Good Example:
Input: [User request]
Reasoning: [Step-by-step thought process]
Output: [Successful response]
Why this works: [Key success factors]

Bad Example:
Input: [Similar request]
Output: [Failed response]
Why this fails: [Specific issues]
Correct approach: [Fixed version]

2.3 Role Definition Refinement

Strengthen agent identity and capabilities:

Core purpose: Clear, single-sentence mission
Expertise domains: Specific knowledge areas
Behavioral traits: Personality and interaction style
Tool proficiency: Available tools and when to use them
Constraints: What the agent should NOT do
Success criteria: How to measure task completion

2.4 Constitutional AI Integration

Implement self-correction mechanisms:

Constitutional Principles:
1. Verify factual accuracy before responding
2. Self-check for potential biases or harmful content
3. Validate output format matches requirements
4. Ensure response completeness
5. Maintain consistency with previous responses

Add critique-and-revise loops:

Initial response generation
Self-critique against principles
Automatic revision if issues detected
Final validation before output

2.5 Output Format Tuning

Optimize response structure:

Structured templates for common tasks
Dynamic formatting based on complexity
Progressive disclosure for detailed information
Markdown optimization for readability
Code block formatting with syntax highlighting
Table and list generation for data presentation

Phase 3: Testing and Validation

Comprehensive testing framework with A/B comparison.

3.1 Test Suite Development

Create representative test scenarios:

Test Categories:
1. Golden path scenarios (common successful cases)
2. Previously failed tasks (regression testing)
3. Edge cases and corner scenarios
4. Stress tests (complex, multi-step tasks)
5. Adversarial inputs (potential breaking points)
6. Cross-domain tasks (combining capabilities)

3.2 A/B Testing Framework

Compare original vs improved agent:

Use: parallel-test-runner
Config:
  - Agent A: Original version
  - Agent B: Improved version
  - Test set: 100 representative tasks
  - Metrics: Success rate, speed, token usage
  - Evaluation: Blind human review + automated scoring

Statistical significance testing:

Minimum sample size: 100 tasks per variant
Confidence level: 95% (p < 0.05)
Effect size calculation (Cohen's d)
Power analysis for future tests

3.3 Evaluation Metrics

Comprehensive scoring framework:

Task-Level Metrics:

Completion rate (binary success/failure)
Correctness score (0-100% accuracy)
Efficiency score (steps taken vs optimal)
Tool usage appropriateness
Response relevance and completeness

Quality Metrics:

Hallucination rate (factual errors per response)
Consistency score (alignment with previous responses)
Format compliance (matches specified structure)
Safety score (constraint adherence)
User satisfaction prediction

Performance Metrics:

Response latency (time to first token)
Total generation time
Token consumption (input + output)
Cost per task (API usage fees)
Memory/context efficiency

3.4 Human Evaluation Protocol

Structured human review process:

Blind evaluation (evaluators don't know version)
Standardized rubric with clear criteria
Multiple evaluators per sample (inter-rater reliability)
Qualitative feedback collection
Preference ranking (A vs B comparison)

Phase 4: Version Control and Deployment

Safe rollout with monitoring and rollback capabilities.

4.1 Version Management

Systematic versioning strategy:

Version Format: agent-name-v[MAJOR].[MINOR].[PATCH]
Example: customer-support-v2.3.1

MAJOR: Significant capability changes
MINOR: Prompt improvements, new examples
PATCH: Bug fixes, minor adjustments

Maintain version history:

Git-based prompt storage
Changelog with improvement details
Performance metrics per version
Rollback procedures documented

4.2 Staged Rollout

Progressive deployment strategy:

Alpha testing: Internal team validation (5% traffic)
Beta testing: Selected users (20% traffic)
Canary release: Gradual increase (20% → 50% → 100%)
Full deployment: After success criteria met
Monitoring period: 7-day observation window

4.3 Rollback Procedures

Quick recovery mechanism:

Rollback Triggers:
- Success rate drops >10% from baseline
- Critical errors increase >5%
- User complaints spike
- Cost per task increases >20%
- Safety violations detected

Rollback Process:
1. Detect issue via monitoring
2. Alert team immediately
3. Switch to previous stable version
4. Analyze root cause
5. Fix and re-test before retry

4.4 Continuous Monitoring

Real-time performance tracking:

Dashboard with key metrics
Anomaly detection alerts
User feedback collection
Automated regression testing
Weekly performance reports

Success Criteria

Agent improvement is successful when:

Task success rate improves by ≥15%
User corrections decrease by ≥25%
No increase in safety violations
Response time remains within 10% of baseline
Cost per task doesn't increase >5%
Positive user feedback increases

Post-Deployment Review

After 30 days of production use:

Analyze accumulated performance data
Compare against baseline and targets
Identify new improvement opportunities
Document lessons learned
Plan next optimization cycle

Continuous Improvement Cycle

Establish regular improvement cadence:

Weekly: Monitor metrics and collect feedback
Monthly: Analyze patterns and plan improvements
Quarterly: Major version updates with new capabilities
Annually: Strategic review and architecture updates

Remember: Agent optimization is an iterative process. Each cycle builds upon previous learnings, gradually improving performance while maintaining stability and safety.