Project: Creative Apps - VS Code Squads

Track

Creative Apps (GitHub Copilot)

Project Name

Squads

GitHub Username

amih90

Repository URL

https://github.com/amih90/vscode-squad

Project Description

VS Code Squad is a VS Code extension for managing AI agent teams using a human-readable, file-first protocol.

Why Squad?

As AI agents become teammates, you need a way to define who does what, who owns which files, and how they collaborate. Squad provides:

• Structured Roles: Each agent has a charter defining responsibilities, owned files, and expertise
• Decision Tracking: Log architectural decisions with context and rationale
• Ceremonies: Run standups, retrospectives, and planning sessions
• Health Monitoring: Real-time health scores based on agent activity and coverage

Key Features

🗂️ File-First Protocol — All team state lives in .squad/ as Markdown. Version it, review it, branch it.

🔀 Multi-Squad Support — Run specialized squads (backend, frontend, infra) and switch between them instantly.

💬 Chat Integration — @squad chat participant lets you query status, assign tasks, and switch squads conversationally.

📊 Dashboard & Views — Activity bar with roster, activity feed, and command queue. Webview dashboard for at-a-glance monitoring.

📋 Templates — Bootstrap with Scrum, DevOps, Data Science, Security, or Minimal templates.

Zero Overhead

No databases. No servers. No external dependencies. Just Markdown files in your repository.

Demo Video or Screenshots

Screenshots: https://github.com/amih90/vscode-squad/blob/main/docs/screenshot-v0.0.1.png

Primary Programming Language

TypeScript/JavaScript

Key Technologies Used

VSCode extension tools

Submission Type

Individual

Team Members

No response

Submission Requirements

• My project meets the track-specific challenge requirements
• My repository includes a comprehensive README.md with setup instructions
• My code does not contain hardcoded API keys or secrets
• I have included demo materials (video or screenshots)
• My project is my own work with proper attribution for any third-party code
• I agree to the Code of Conduct
• I have read and agree to the Disclaimer
• My submission does NOT contain any confidential, proprietary, or sensitive information
• I confirm I have the rights to submit this content and grant the necessary licenses

Quick Setup Summary

1. Clone the repo: git clone https://github.com/amih90/vscode-squad.git
2. Install dependencies: npm install
3. Compile: npm run compile
4. Press F5 in VS Code to launch Extension Development Host
5. Create a squad: Cmd+Shift+P → "Squad: Create Squad"

Technical Highlights

• Built a VS Code Chat Participant (@squad) that orchestrates AI agents with role-based charters, enabling Copilot to act as the execution engine for a team of specialized agents

• Designed a real-time dashboard using VS Code Webview API with bidirectional messaging (EventBus pattern) for live agent status, command queue, and log streaming

• Implemented a callback protocol (@squad /progress, @squad /complete) allowing Copilot to report execution status back to the extension, creating a closed-loop agent orchestration system

• Created a team.md parser/serializer that stores agent definitions, routing rules, and ceremonies in human-readable Markdown while maintaining full round-trip fidelity

Challenges & Learnings

The biggest challenge was making Copilot reliably report task completion back to the extension. VS Code's Chat API doesn't provide completion callbacks, so I designed a prompt engineering solution with explicit "status reporting protocol" instructions and slash commands (/progress, /complete) that Copilot can invoke.

Key learning: AI agent orchestration requires treating the LLM as a collaborative partner rather than a black box - building explicit communication channels and clear protocols makes the system predictable and debuggable.

Contact Information

amih90@gmail.com

Country/Region

Israel

This issue is a project submission rather than a defined contribution task, and it points to the external vscode-squad repository. Start with its README.md and the setup commands (npm install, npm run compile, then F5 in VS Code). No target change, test, or completion criterion is specified, so done cannot be determined from this issue.