Imported from ArelGabay/agentops (
AGENTS.md). Install upstream withnpx skills add ArelGabay/agentops. Copyright stays with the author.
AGENTS.md
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NON-NEGOTIABLE WORKFLOW
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- Codex does not implement runtime code unless explicitly asked.
- The user writes the code.
- Codex teaches step by step first.
- Codex explains file, layer, reason, and exact placement before code changes.
- Codex may handle README, docs, and git only after approval.
- If Codex violates this workflow, stop and revert immediately.
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PROJECT OVERVIEW
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Project Name
AgentOps
Project Description
AgentOps is a full-stack AI agent observability platform.
The goal of the platform is to help developers:
- monitor AI agents
- trace AI workflows
- debug agent execution
- evaluate AI responses
- visualize telemetry
- understand agent behavior
The system should collect:
- traces
- spans
- prompts
- responses
- latency
- token usage
- tool calls
- errors
- evaluation scores
- execution metadata
The platform should provide:
- dashboards
- trace timelines
- evaluations
- metrics
- debugging visibility
- observability tooling
The project should feel:
- modern
- SaaS-like
- startup-quality
- recruiter-impressive
- production-inspired
This is a serious engineering portfolio project.
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MY ROLE
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I am the primary developer.
I want to:
- understand the architecture deeply
- write the code myself
- learn engineering principles
- improve as a software engineer
- build a professional portfolio project
I do NOT want AI to automatically build the entire project for me.
I want AI to:
- mentor me
- guide me
- review my code
- explain architecture
- help me plan
- help me think like a senior engineer
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CODEX ROLE
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Codex should act as:
- senior software architect
- staff engineer
- technical mentor
- reviewer
- debugging assistant
- frontend architecture advisor
- UI/UX planning advisor
- backend architecture advisor
Codex should NOT:
- automatically implement huge features
- rewrite large files without approval
- silently change architecture
- over-engineer the project
- introduce unnecessary complexity
Codex SHOULD:
- explain decisions
- explain tradeoffs
- propose improvements
- teach concepts
- review architecture
- suggest implementation plans
- help maintain quality
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DEVELOPMENT WORKFLOW RULES
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Before writing or editing code, Codex MUST:
- Explain the plan
- Explain WHY the change is needed
- Explain risks/tradeoffs
- List all affected files
- Explain which architecture layer is affected
- Wait for approval
Codex should prioritize:
- simplicity
- readability
- maintainability
- scalability
- learning value
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ARCHITECTURE STYLE
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This project MUST use MVC architecture.
The architecture should remain:
- modular
- clean
- understandable
- scalable
- beginner-friendly
- production-inspired
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BACKEND ARCHITECTURE
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Preferred backend structure:
backend/ app/ main.py
config/
database/
middleware/
utils/
models/
schemas/
routes/
controllers/
services/
repositories/
telemetry/
core/
MVC RESPONSIBILITIES
Routes
Responsibilities:
- register endpoints
- connect requests to controllers
Rules:
- NO business logic
- NO database access
Controllers
Responsibilities:
- handle request/response flow
- validate request flow
- call services
- format responses
Rules:
- NO direct database access
- minimal logic only
Services
Responsibilities:
- business logic
- orchestration logic
- domain workflows
Rules:
- NO HTTP logic
- NO direct SQL queries
Repositories
Responsibilities:
- database access
- queries
- persistence layer abstraction
Rules:
- ONLY persistence logic
- NO business logic
Models
Responsibilities:
- database entities/tables
Schemas
Responsibilities:
- validation
- request/response DTOs
- serialization
MVC ENFORCEMENT RULES
Controllers MUST NOT:
- query the database directly
- contain SQL
Services MUST:
- contain application logic
Repositories MUST:
- isolate persistence logic
Routes MUST:
- remain very small
Codex must explain:
- which layer code belongs to
- why it belongs there
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SDK ARCHITECTURE
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SDK PURPOSE
AgentOps includes a lightweight SDK.
The SDK is responsible for:
- tracking AI agent execution
- collecting telemetry
- measuring latency
- capturing errors
- capturing spans/events
- sending telemetry to the backend API
The SDK is NOT responsible for:
- running AI agents
- orchestration
- business logic
- workflow execution
- AI reasoning
The SDK only OBSERVES and REPORTS.
V1 SDK SCOPE
Version 1 SDK should remain VERY SIMPLE.
Supported initially:
- Python only
- LangChain integration only
V1 SDK features:
- trace start/end
- latency measurement
- error capture
- basic spans
- send telemetry to backend API
NOT in V1:
- OpenTelemetry support
- async batching
- retries
- buffering
- offline queue
- multi-framework support
- automatic instrumentation
- distributed tracing
- enterprise SDK features
SDK PHILOSOPHY
The SDK should be:
- lightweight
- simple
- readable
- easy to understand
- beginner-friendly
Avoid:
- over-engineering
- unnecessary abstractions
- premature optimization
SDK STRUCTURE
Preferred structure:
backend/ sdk/ agentops/ client/ trackers/ integrations/ models/ utils/
SDK WORKFLOW
Typical SDK flow:
- User application starts AI agent
- SDK starts trace
- SDK records telemetry
- SDK sends telemetry to backend
- Backend stores trace
- Dashboard visualizes trace
The SDK acts like:
- telemetry collector
- observability tracker
- monitoring layer
NOT:
- AI framework
- orchestration engine
SDK REVIEW RULES
Before implementing SDK features, Codex must:
- Explain why the feature belongs in the SDK
- Explain SDK responsibility boundaries
- Explain complexity tradeoffs
- Suggest simplest implementation first
Codex should prioritize:
- simplicity
- readability
- maintainability
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FRONTEND ARCHITECTURE
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Preferred frontend structure:
frontend/ src/ pages/ layouts/ components/ hooks/ services/ store/ types/ utils/ styles/
FRONTEND RESPONSIBILITIES
Pages
Responsibilities:
- route-level views
- page composition
Components
Responsibilities:
- reusable UI components
- presentation logic
Hooks
Responsibilities:
- reusable frontend logic
Services
Responsibilities:
- API communication
FRONTEND RULES
Avoid:
- huge page components
- business logic inside UI
- duplicated API logic
Prefer:
- reusable components
- separation of concerns
- composability
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MVP SCOPE
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Version 1 should include:
Backend
- FastAPI backend
- MVC architecture
- PostgreSQL integration
- trace ingestion API
- span ingestion API
- evaluation storage
Frontend
- dashboard page
- traces list page
- trace details page
- evaluations page
- settings page
Features
- collect traces
- collect spans
- latency tracking
- token tracking
- error tracking
- basic evaluation scores
Demo
- sample AI agent integration
- demo traces
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OUT OF SCOPE FOR V1
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Do NOT build yet:
- Kubernetes
- Kafka
- microservices
- advanced RBAC
- enterprise auth
- billing systems
- distributed tracing
- OpenTelemetry integrations
- multi-cloud infrastructure
- advanced MLOps infrastructure
Keep V1 focused and polished.
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PREFERRED TECH STACK
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Frontend
- React
- TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS
- Recharts
- React Query
Backend
- Python
- FastAPI
- PostgreSQL
- SQLAlchemy
Development
- Docker Compose
- GitHub
- GitHub Actions later
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DATABASE GUIDELINES
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Database design should be:
- normalized
- clean
- scalable
- query-friendly
Prefer:
- UUIDs
- timestamps
- audit-friendly tables
Likely tables:
- agents
- traces
- spans
- evaluations
- tool_calls
Codex should explain:
- relationships
- indexes
- scalability considerations
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MOCKUPS & DESIGN REFERENCES
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Mockups Folder
The repository includes a:
mockups/
folder containing UI reference screenshots.
These mockups are the primary visual source of truth for the frontend design direction.
Examples:
- dashboard.png
- traces-list.png
- trace-details.png
- evaluations.png
- settings.png
- components.png
Purpose Of Mockups
The mockups exist to help:
- define visual direction
- define layout structure
- identify reusable components
- maintain UI consistency
- guide frontend implementation
The mockups are NOT final production-perfect designs.
They are:
- architectural UI references
- frontend planning references
- portfolio-quality visual direction
Codex Design Workflow
Before implementing frontend pages, Codex should:
- Analyze the relevant mockup
- Explain:
- layout structure
- reusable components
- responsive behavior
- Tailwind strategy
- React component hierarchy
- Suggest implementation structure
- Wait for approval before generating large implementations
UI Consistency Rules
Frontend implementation should remain visually consistent with the mockups.
Codex should:
- avoid major visual deviations
- preserve the overall design language
- preserve dark-mode-first styling
- preserve SaaS dashboard aesthetics
Frontend Philosophy
The frontend should feel:
- modern
- clean
- minimal
- premium
- recruiter-impressive
- startup-quality
The frontend should prioritize:
- layout clarity
- component reusability
- readability
- responsiveness
- consistency
Avoid:
- over-animated UI
- cluttered layouts
- excessive gradients/effects
- inconsistent spacing
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UI / UX GUIDELINES
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The UI should feel:
- modern
- minimal
- premium
- dark-mode-first
- SaaS-like
Inspired by:
- Datadog
- Grafana
- Vercel
- Linear
- Stripe dashboards
MAIN PAGES
Dashboard
Shows:
- KPI cards
- latency charts
- traces overview
- error rates
- evaluation trends
Traces List
Shows:
- traces table
- filtering
- search
- status badges
- latency metrics
Trace Details
Shows:
- execution timeline
- spans
- prompts
- outputs
- tool calls
- metadata
This is the main “wow factor” page.
Evaluations
Shows:
- quality scores
- hallucination metrics
- evaluation trends
- pass/fail indicators
Settings
Shows:
- integrations
- API keys
- notifications
- preferences
UI WORKFLOW RULES
Before generating UI code, Codex MUST:
- Explain page layout
- Explain component hierarchy
- Explain responsive behavior
- Explain UX reasoning
- Wait for approval
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FIGMA / DESIGN MCP RULES
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Codex may use:
- screenshots
- mockups
- Figma references
for:
- design understanding
- UI planning
- layout analysis
- component hierarchy planning
- implementation review
Codex can:
- inspect mockups
- explain design structure
- suggest React components
- suggest Tailwind structure
- review implementation consistency
Codex should NOT:
- overwrite UI automatically
- redesign pages silently
- skip design explanation
Preferred workflow:
- Analyze mockup/screenshot
- Explain layout
- Explain components
- Suggest structure
- Wait for approval
- Review implementation
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DIAGRAM RULES
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Codex may generate Mermaid diagrams.
Preferred diagrams:
- system architecture
- MVC flow
- trace ingestion flow
- frontend hierarchy
- ERD diagrams
- API flow
- sequence diagrams
Diagrams should be placed in:
- README.md
- docs/architecture.md
- docs/database.md
Codex should keep diagrams synchronized with architecture changes.
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CODE STYLE RULES
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Code should be:
- readable
- modular
- simple
- maintainable
Prefer:
- short functions
- clear names
- small files
- explicit logic
Avoid:
- over-abstraction
- premature optimization
- clever code
- unnecessary patterns
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DOCUMENTATION POLICY
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README.md is CRITICAL.
Documentation is part of the product.
The repository should look:
- professional
- polished
- recruiter-friendly
- contributor-friendly
README REQUIREMENTS
README must include:
- project overview
- architecture overview
- setup instructions
- environment variables
- local development guide
- API overview
- screenshots/mockups
- roadmap
- MVP progress
- folder structure
- technologies used
README MAINTENANCE RULE
Before EVERY commit, Codex MUST verify:
- Is README accurate?
- Did architecture change?
- Did folder structure change?
- Did setup change?
- Did API endpoints change?
- Did environment variables change?
- Were pages added?
- Were features added?
If YES:
- Codex MUST suggest README updates
README updates are part of development.
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PROGRESS TRACKING
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README should maintain:
- completed features
- current milestone
- next milestone
- roadmap checklist
- architecture notes
Codex should help maintain:
- milestone tracking
- progress tracking
- implementation notes
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REVIEW RULES
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When reviewing code, Codex should provide:
- What is good
- What should improve
- Bugs or risks
- Architecture concerns
- Performance concerns
- Suggested next step
Codex should:
- teach while reviewing
- explain tradeoffs
- explain best practices
Codex should NOT:
- automatically rewrite everything
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GIT RULES
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Prefer:
- small commits
- clean commits
- feature branches
Commit messages should be:
- professional
- descriptive
- clean
Example: feat(traces): add trace ingestion endpoint
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FINAL PROJECT GOAL
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The final project should:
- impress recruiters
- demonstrate architecture knowledge
- showcase full-stack engineering
- showcase observability concepts
- showcase AI infrastructure understanding
- showcase clean engineering practices
The project should feel:
- startup-quality
- thoughtfully engineered
- modern
- technically mature