Configuring Static Agent For Self-Iteration

by Admin 44 views
Configuring Static Agent for Self-Iteration: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hey guys! Let's dive into a plan to set up our templates to support the "Agentic Self-Iteration" loop. This is where things get really interesting, as we're going to update the hello template and create a brand new astro template. The cool part? Both templates will use static task configurations that are checked right into the repository, instead of generating them at runtime. This approach makes our setup cleaner, more predictable, and easier to manage. Buckle up, because we're about to make our lives a whole lot easier!

1. Enhancing the src/hello Template

First things first, we'll start by updating the existing hello template. The main goal here is to get it to include the agent configuration file directly. This allows the agent to kick off the self-iteration process. It's like giving it a starting pistol! This is a super important step, so pay close attention. We're going to create a new file and then update our devcontainer.json file. It's all about making sure the correct tools are installed and ready to go.

A. Adding the Agent Configuration File

  • Create File: Inside the src/hello directory, we'll add a new file: .codesandbox/tasks.json. This file is the heart of our static configuration for this template. You will need to make sure you follow the instructions below exactly as stated, otherwise, it may not work.

    The tasks.json file tells the agent what tasks it needs to perform. In this case, we define an agent task that uses a 'gemini' command to kick things off. This agent will iterate on the code. Remember that manual execution only needs to be used for the tasks.json file. It helps to define everything, so it runs according to your needs. This part is critical for setting up our self-iteration process.

    Add the following content to src/hello/.codesandbox/tasks.json:

    {
  "agent": {
    "name": "Agent Loop",
    "command": "gemini /iterate",
    "runAtStart": false
  }
}

  • Explanation:

    • "agent":: Defines the agent task.
    • "name": "Agent Loop": A descriptive name for the task.
    • "command": "gemini /iterate": The command that the agent will execute. This command, using the gemini tool, will initiate the self-iteration process.
    • "runAtStart": false: This indicates that the agent should not run automatically when the container starts. We want control over when the agent starts.

B. Updating devcontainer.json

  • Now, we need to update the devcontainer.json file to make sure that the command-line interface (CLI) is available and all other dependencies are installed when our development environment gets created. This is super important because it ensures everything is prepared for our agent to work its magic. We want to be sure that the command works as expected and without a hitch. This step is about setting up the environment, so our agent can do its thing. Without this step, we will get errors, and nobody wants that.

    • Modify postCreateCommand to ensure the CLI is available by adding the following command:

      npm install -g @google/gemini-cli && cat /usr/local/etc/greeting.txt

    • Explanation:

      • npm install -g @google/gemini-cli: Installs the Gemini CLI globally in the container. This makes sure the gemini command is available.
      • cat /usr/local/etc/greeting.txt: This part is just to verify that the container setup is working correctly and prints the contents of a sample file. You can adjust this to any test command you need.

2. Creating the src/astro Template

Alright, let's move on to creating a new astro template. We're going to scaffold a standard Astro project, which gives us a realistic workload. This gives you a more real-world example of how to implement the agent configuration. This is where you can start experimenting and trying out various things. Following the directions is important, so you can learn the fundamentals and then begin experimenting on your own.

A. Static Scaffolding for the astro Project

  • First, we're going to generate the astro project using the Astro CLI. This means using npm create astro@latest. We are setting up a minimal Astro project. This gives us a base to work from. To keep things clean, we will skip the initial install and git setup.

    • Run the following command in your terminal:

      npm create astro@latest src/astro -- --template minimal --no-install --no-git --yes

  • Next, clean up any unnecessary files by removing the .git folder inside src/astro. This keeps the project focused and neat. The project will now be ready for you to add your specific files and configurations.

B. Setting up the Template Metadata

  • Now, we'll create a devcontainer-template.json file for our astro project. This file gives the project some vital metadata, like its ID, name, and a short description. This will help with identifying and using the template later on. The name and description are important to make it easy for others (and yourself!) to understand what the template is all about.

    • Create File: src/astro/devcontainer-template.json with the following contents:
    {
  "id": "astro",
  "name": "Astro Agent Scaffold",
  "description": "A pre-configured Astro project with a self-iterating Gemini agent."
}
    • Explanation:
      • "id": "astro": A unique identifier for the template.
      • "name": "Astro Agent Scaffold": A user-friendly name.
      • "description": "A pre-configured Astro project with a self-iterating Gemini agent.": A brief explanation of what the template does.

C. Setting up the Static Task Configuration

  • Like we did with the hello template, we'll create a tasks.json file. This file lists the tasks that the agent will perform. It's really important for setting up the Astro project to run the agent.

    • Create File: src/astro/.codesandbox/tasks.json with the following content:
    {
  "setup": {
    "name": "Install Dependencies",
    "command": "npm install",
    "runAtStart": false
  },
  "dev": {
    "name": "Start Astro",
    "command": "npm run dev",
    "runAtStart": true,
    "preview": { "port": 4321 }
  },
  "agent": {
    "name": "Agent Loop",
    "command": "gemini /iterate",
    "runAtStart": false
  }
}
    • Explanation:
      • "setup": This is where the dependencies get installed by using npm install.
      • "dev": This runs the Astro development server using the command npm run dev. We want this to run right away, so we set runAtStart to true. This tells the agent that the dev server needs to run first.
      • "agent": This is where the agent loop gets initiated by using the gemini /iterate command.

D. Configuring the Container

  • Finally, we need to create the devcontainer.json file. This file configures the development environment for our Astro project. It sets up the image to use, installs necessary extensions, and defines the workspace and all other configurations. These are important for making sure the whole process works correctly.

    • Create File: src/astro/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json with the following contents:
    {
  "name": "Astro Agent",
  "image": "[mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/javascript-node:1-20-bookworm](https://mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/javascript-node:1-20-bookworm)",
  "features": {
  },
  "workspaceMount": "source=\${localWorkspaceFolder},target=/workspace,type=bind",
  "workspaceFolder": "/workspace",
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": ["astro-build.astro-vscode", "github.copilot"]
    }
  },
  "postCreateCommand": "npm install -g @google/gemini-cli && npm install"
}
    • Explanation:
      • "name": "Astro Agent": The name of the development container.
      • "image": "[mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/javascript-node:1-20-bookworm](https://mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/javascript-node:1-20-bookworm)": Specifies the Docker image to use for the container. Here, we're using a Node.js image.
      • "features": {}: Allows you to include additional features in your container (currently empty).
      • "workspaceMount": "source=\${localWorkspaceFolder},target=/workspace,type=bind": Mounts the local workspace folder to the /workspace directory inside the container.
      • "workspaceFolder": "/workspace": Sets the workspace folder inside the container to /workspace.
      • "customizations": {"vscode": {"extensions": ["astro-build.astro-vscode", "github.copilot"]}}: Customizes the VS Code settings, including installing the Astro and GitHub Copilot extensions.
      • "postCreateCommand": "npm install -g @google/gemini-cli && npm install": Installs the Gemini CLI globally and installs all other dependencies after the container is created.

Verification

Now, let's make sure everything works correctly. We want to be sure our setup is doing what it should. We need to run some commands to make sure that our configuration is correct and that the setup is running well.

  • First, run devcontainer templates apply for both src/hello and src/astro. This applies the configuration templates that we just created. The agent now will be configured with what you did in the previous steps.
  • Verify that .codesandbox/tasks.json exists in the output directories of both src/hello and src/astro. This is a quick way to confirm that the task configurations have been correctly applied.
  • Astro Specific: Verify that the container mounts to /workspace and that npm run dev works. Make sure you can access your Astro project in a browser. This ensures that the entire Astro environment is working as expected. These steps help us ensure we did everything right.

And there you have it! You've successfully configured both hello and astro templates to use static task configurations and support the Agentic Self-Iteration loop. Great job, guys! You're now ready to use this setup for your projects and get the agent to work.