| name | agent-readiness |
| description | Assess and improve codebase readiness for AI coding agents. Dispatches
parallel subagents to evaluate style, testing, docs, architecture, CI,
observability, security, and dev environment. Produces a scored report
with prioritized remediation. Then executes the highest-impact fixes.
Use when: "agent readiness", "is this codebase agent-ready",
"readiness report", "make this codebase agent-friendly",
"agent-ready assessment", "readiness audit", "prepare for agents".
Trigger: /agent-readiness, /readiness.
|
| argument-hint | [--assess-only] [--fix] [--pillar <name>] |
/agent-readiness
Assess how well this codebase supports autonomous AI coding agents.
Then fix the highest-impact gaps.
Target: $ARGUMENTS
Execution Stance
You are the executive orchestrator.
- Keep prioritization, remediation approval, and final readiness judgment on the lead model.
- Delegate pillar assessments and bounded fixes to focused subagents.
- Use parallel fanout by default for independent pillars.
Core Insight
The agent is not broken. The environment is. A codebase with fast feedback
loops and clear instructions makes any agent dramatically more effective.
A codebase with poor feedback loops defeats any agent you throw at it.
Workflow
Phase 1: Assess
Dispatch parallel subagents — one per pillar — to evaluate the codebase.
Each subagent runs the checks from references/pillar-checks.md for its
assigned pillar and returns a structured verdict.
Launch all pillar assessments simultaneously:
| Subagent | Pillar | What it checks |
|---|
| 1 | Style & Validation | Linters, formatters, type checkers, pre-commit hooks |
| 2 | Build & CI | Build commands, dependency pinning, CI config, feedback speed |
| 3 | Testing | Coverage, speed, local execution, unit/integration/E2E layers |
| 4 | Documentation | CLAUDE.md/AGENTS.md, README, setup guide, architecture docs, ADRs |
| 5 | Dev Environment | Reproducibility, env templates, devcontainers, isolated workspaces |
| 6 | Code Quality | Modularity, complexity, file organization, coupling, dead code |
| 7 | Observability | Structured logging, error handling, metrics, tracing |
| 8 | Security & Governance | Branch protection, CODEOWNERS, secret scanning, dependency audit |
Each subagent uses Explore agent type and reads references/pillar-checks.md
for its pillar's specific pass/fail criteria. Output format per subagent:
## [Pillar Name]
Score: X/Y checks passed
Maturity: L1-L5
### Passing
- [check]: [evidence]
### Failing
- [check]: [what's missing] → [recommended fix]
### Highest-Impact Fix
[The single change that would most improve this pillar]
Phase 2: Report
Synthesize subagent results into a single readiness report:
# Agent Readiness Report: [project-name]
## Overall: Level X — [Maturity Name] (XX%)
| Pillar | Score | Level | Top Fix |
|--------|-------|-------|---------|
| Style & Validation | 4/6 | L3 | Add pre-commit hooks |
| Testing | 2/7 | L1 | Add unit test runner |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |
## Maturity Levels
- L1 Functional: Code runs, but agents need hand-holding
- L2 Documented: Processes written down, some automation
- L3 Standardized: Enforced automation, agents handle routine work
- L4 Optimized: Fast feedback, data-driven improvement
- L5 Autonomous: Self-improving, sophisticated orchestration
## Top 5 Recommendations (by impact)
1. [highest impact fix across all pillars]
2. ...
## Detailed Findings
[per-pillar sections from subagents]
Maturity level is gated: must pass 80% of criteria at current level
and all previous levels before advancing. This prevents cherry-picking.
Phase 3: Clarify
Present the report and top 5 recommendations to the user. Ask:
- Which recommendations should we execute now?
- Any pillars to skip or deprioritize?
- Any constraints (don't change CI provider, keep current test framework, etc.)?
One question at a time. Don't dump all three at once.
Phase 4: Fix
For each approved recommendation, spawn a builder subagent (or use
worktrees for parallel fixes on disjoint files). Each fix follows the
project's existing patterns — don't introduce new tools the team hasn't
chosen.
Typical fix categories:
| Fix type | Example | Subagent approach |
|---|
| Config addition | Add .editorconfig, pre-commit hooks | Single builder, quick |
| Documentation | Create/update CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md | Single builder |
| Test infrastructure | Add test runner, coverage config | Builder + TDD cycle |
| CI enhancement | Add lint/typecheck/test to CI | Single builder, verify locally |
| Architecture doc | Create ADR, architecture overview | Builder reads codebase first |
| Security hardening | Add CODEOWNERS, branch protection | Builder + gh CLI |
After fixes: re-run the failing checks to verify improvement. Report
the before/after delta.
Phase 5: Re-assess (optional)
If --fix was used, re-run the full assessment to show the improved score.
Present the before/after comparison.
Routing
| Argument | Behavior |
|---|
| (none) | Full assess → report → clarify → fix cycle |
--assess-only | Assess and report only, no fixes |
--fix | Skip clarification, fix all top 5 recommendations |
--pillar <name> | Assess only the named pillar |
Pillar Check Reference
All specific checks are in references/pillar-checks.md. Each check is:
- Binary: pass or fail (no subjective scoring)
- Evidence-based: the subagent must cite the file/config/output that proves pass/fail
- Actionable: every failing check has a concrete remediation
See references/agent-readiness-principles.md for the deeper "why" behind
each pillar — useful when explaining recommendations to the user.
Gotchas
- Scoring without fixing is theater. The report is only useful if it
leads to action. Always push toward Phase 4.
- Don't introduce tools the team hasn't chosen. If they use Jest, don't
suggest Vitest. If they use ESLint, don't add Biome. Work within existing
choices.
- Pre-commit hooks are the highest-leverage single fix for most codebases.
They give agents instant feedback instead of waiting for CI.
- CLAUDE.md/AGENTS.md is the highest-leverage documentation fix. It's the
file agents actually read. A perfect README that agents ignore is worth less
than a scrappy CLAUDE.md they always load.
- Don't conflate coverage percentage with test quality. 80% coverage with
shallow tests is worse than 50% coverage with behavior-focused tests.
Check for assertion density, not just line coverage.
- Monorepos need per-app assessment. A monorepo score is the floor of
its worst app, not the average.
- Speed matters as much as existence. A test suite that takes 20 minutes
is nearly as bad as no tests for agent workflows. Measure execution time.
- The codebase is the product, not the agent. Every fix here improves
the experience for ALL agents and ALL developers, not just one tool.
