feat: Skill/package discovery from APM and automated update checking
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- Dominant language
- TypeScript
- Stars
- 1.1k
- Forks
- 94
- Avg merge
- 8d 3h
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 7
Description
Problem
AgentRC generates repo-specific instructions and skills. APM distributes reusable agent packages. But there's no discovery layer connecting the two: a user running agentrc init on a TypeScript repo has no way to know that a curated typescript-conventions instruction package exists on APM, and installed packages have no mechanism to receive updates when upstream content improves.
This gap means:
- Teams duplicate effort creating instructions that already exist as shared packages
- Installed packages go stale as best practices evolve
- There's no feedback loop from AgentRC's analysis to APM's package ecosystem
Proposal
1. Skill/package discovery during init and instructions
When agentrc init or agentrc instructions runs, and APM is available:
agentrc init
Analyzing repository...
Language: TypeScript (98%), Framework: React, Test: Vitest
📦 Recommended APM packages for this repo:
microsoft/typescript-conventions — TypeScript coding standards & patterns
microsoft/react-best-practices — React component & hook guidelines
microsoft/vitest-testing — Vitest testing patterns
Install recommended packages? [y/N]
Implementation:
- After
agentrc analyze, map detected languages/frameworks/tools to APM package tags - Query APM registry (or a curated mapping file) for matching packages
- Present recommendations with descriptions
- If user accepts, delegate to
apm install <package>
2. Update checking
Add an agentrc update command (or integrate into agentrc readiness):
agentrc update --check
Installed APM packages:
microsoft/typescript-conventions v1.2.0 → v1.3.0 (update available)
microsoft/react-best-practices v2.0.1 (up to date)
Run `apm update` to update all packages.
This reads the local APM manifest (apm.yml / apm-lock.yml) and checks for newer versions.
3. Readiness criterion for package freshness
Add a readiness criterion under the AI tooling pillar:
| Criterion ID | What it checks | Impact |
|---|---|---|
apm-packages-current |
All installed APM packages are on latest version | Medium |
apm-recommended-installed |
Recommended packages for detected stack are installed | Low |
4. Curated package mapping
Maintain a mapping file (in AgentRC or shared):
{
"typescript": ["microsoft/typescript-conventions"],
"react": ["microsoft/react-best-practices"],
"python": ["microsoft/python-standards"],
"rust": ["microsoft/rust-conventions"]
}
This can start as a static file and evolve into an API or registry query.
Design considerations
- APM is optional — discovery features degrade gracefully when APM isn't installed (just skip recommendations)
- No auto-install — always prompt the user;
--yesskips APM suggestions entirely (consistent with init bridge in PR #94) - Subprocess boundary — AgentRC calls
apmCLI commands, doesn't import APM's Python internals - Registry vs. static mapping — start with a static mapping file, evolve to registry queries as the APM ecosystem grows
Context
- Discussed in "AgentRC: Quick Chat on Futures" meeting
- Question of overlap with marketplaces like "Awesome Copilot"
- Clarification: AgentRC = repo-specific generation, APM = distribution of reusable packages; discovery bridges the two
- Related: APM integration epic #96, reference APM package #99, init bridge PR #94
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start with the existing init bridge referenced by PR #94 and the APM integration context in epic #96. Trace the agentrc analyze, init, instructions, readiness, and proposed update entry points, along with the apm.yml and apm-lock.yml manifests and the proposed curated mapping file. Done means optional APM discovery, update checking, and readiness criteria work without APM and preserve the stated prompting behavior.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- typescript
- Domain
- cli, developer-experience, tooling
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100