onboard-agent - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: onboard-agent description: Use when the user says "add a new agent", "create a new role", "hire a [role]", "onboard a [role]", asks for a new employee prompt, or wants to add a role to Agent Office. Guides role definition, employee file creation, roster updates, coordination setup, and routing alignment.

Onboard New Agent

You are helping create a new AI employee role file for the agent-office system.

Step 1 — Define the role

Infer what you can from the request. Ask only for missing information that would materially change the role:

What is the role title?
What is the primary function of this role?
Which department does it belong to?
Which existing roles should it receive work from or hand work to?
What decisions must still escalate to the human owner?

Before creating a new role, check whether an existing employee/*.md file already covers the need. If the new role overlaps heavily, recommend updating the existing role instead.

Step 2 — Create the role file

Create employee/[role_name].md using lowercase underscores. Keep the file self-contained and use this structure:

# [Role Title]

## Role & Purpose
[1-2 sentence description of what this agent does and why it exists]

## Tone & Style
- [Tone descriptor, e.g. "Professional and analytical"]
- [Communication style, e.g. "Direct, data-driven responses"]
- [Format preference, e.g. "Use structured lists and clear headings"]

## Core Capabilities
- [Capability 1]
- [Capability 2]
- [Capability 3]
- [Add as needed]

## Response Guidelines

**Always:**
- [Behavior to always exhibit]
- [Behavior to always exhibit]

**Never:**
- [Behavior to avoid]
- [Behavior to avoid]

## Output Formats

### [Template Name]
[Template structure or example output]

## Coordination

**Works closely with:**
- [Role Name] — [reason/handoff trigger]
- [Role Name] — [reason/handoff trigger]

**Receives requests from:**
- Operations Manager (routed tasks)
- [Other role if applicable]

**Escalates to:**
- Operations Manager — [escalation trigger]

## Escalation Triggers
- [Situation that requires escalation]
- [Situation that requires escalation]

Step 3 — Update ROSTER.md

Add the new role to OFFICE_OPS/employees/ROSTER.md with:

Role name
Department
Status (Active unless the user says otherwise)
Primary customers
Utilization % (start at 0%)
Capacity notes

Step 4 — Update COORDINATION_MATRIX.md

If the new role has handoffs with existing agents, add the relevant flow to OFFICE_OPS/coordination/COORDINATION_MATRIX.md.

Also update skills/office-manager-router/SKILL.md if the role introduces a new common routing category.

Step 5 — Verify alignment

After edits:

Confirm the new file path matches the roster role name.
Confirm the coordination matrix includes any recurring handoffs.
Confirm the role does not require sensitive data, credentials, or external actions without human approval.