Imported from JieZhou-222/Deerflow (AGENTS.md). Install upstream with npx skills add JieZhou-222/Deerflow. Copyright stays with the author.

AGENTS.md

This file provides guidance to AI coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, and others) when working with code in this repository. It is the source of truth; the sibling CLAUDE.md imports it via @AGENTS.md.

It is the monorepo orientation layer: it maps the whole repo and points to the module guides that own the depth. For anything inside a module, read that module's guide rather than expecting full detail here:

• backend/AGENTS.md — backend depth: harness/app split, agent & middleware chain, sandbox, MCP, skills, memory, IM channels, persistence/migrations, config system, test layout.
• frontend/AGENTS.md — frontend depth: Next.js App Router layout, thread/streaming data flow, code style, commands.

What is DeerFlow

DeerFlow is a LangGraph-based AI super-agent system with a full-stack architecture. The backend runs a "super agent" with sandboxed execution, persistent memory, subagent delegation, and extensible tools (built-in, MCP, community), all per-thread isolated. The frontend is a Next.js chat UI. External IM platforms (Feishu, Slack, Telegram, Discord, DingTalk) bridge into the same agent through the Gateway.

Service Topology

A single make dev / Docker stack runs four cooperating services:

Nginx is the single public entry: it serves the frontend and proxies /api/langgraph/* to the Gateway's LangGraph runtime, rewriting it to Gateway's native /api/* routes; all other /api/* go straight to the Gateway REST routers. See backend/AGENTS.md for the runtime and router detail.

Repository Map

deer-flow/
├── Makefile                        # Root orchestration: drives the full stack (dev/start/stop, docker, setup)
├── config.example.yaml             # Template → copy to config.yaml (gitignored) at repo root
├── extensions_config.example.json  # Template → copy to extensions_config.json (gitignored): MCP servers + skills
├── backend/                        # Python backend — see backend/AGENTS.md
│   ├── Makefile                    # Per-module backend commands (dev, gateway, test, lint, migrate-rev)
│   ├── packages/harness/           # deerflow-harness package (import: deerflow.*) — agent framework
│   └── app/                        # FastAPI Gateway + IM channels (import: app.*)
├── frontend/                       # Next.js frontend (pnpm) — see frontend/AGENTS.md
├── docker/                         # docker-compose files, nginx config, provisioner
├── skills/                         # Agent skills: public/ (committed), custom/ (gitignored)
├── contracts/                      # Cross-component JSON contracts (e.g. subagent status)
├── scripts/                        # Root orchestration scripts invoked by the Makefile (check, configure, doctor, support_bundle, serve, docker, deploy, setup_wizard)
├── tests/                          # Root-level tests (currently tests/skills/ — public skill tests)
└── docs/                           # Cross-cutting docs, plans, and design notes

Runtime config lives at the repo root: copy config.example.yaml → config.yaml (main app config) and extensions_config.example.json → extensions_config.json (MCP servers + skills). Both real files are gitignored and may be edited at runtime via the Gateway API. Config schema and resolution order are documented in backend/AGENTS.md.

Commands: Root vs. Module

Root make targets drive the whole stack (run from the repo root):

make setup       # Interactive setup wizard (recommended for new users)
make doctor      # Check configuration and system requirements
make support-bundle  # Generate redacted troubleshooting summary, AI issue draft, and optional zip
make config      # Generate local config files from the examples
make check       # Check that required tools are installed
make install     # Install all dependencies (frontend + backend + pre-commit hooks)
make dev         # Start all services with hot-reload (Gateway + Frontend + Nginx)
make start       # Start all services in production mode (local, optimized)
make stop        # Stop all running services
make up / down   # Build/stop the production Docker stack (browser at localhost:2026)
make docker-start / docker-stop / docker-logs   # Docker development environment

Run make help for the full list.

Per-module commands drive a single module (run inside that module):

# Backend (see backend/AGENTS.md for the full set)
cd backend && make dev        # Gateway API with reload (port 8001)
cd backend && make test       # Backend test suite
cd backend && make lint       # ruff check
cd backend && make format     # ruff format

# Frontend (see frontend/AGENTS.md for the full set)
cd frontend && pnpm dev       # Dev server with Turbopack (port 3000)
cd frontend && pnpm check     # Lint + type check (run before committing)
cd frontend && pnpm test      # Unit tests

Rule of thumb: root make = the full application; backend/Makefile and frontend/ (pnpm) = per-module work.

Where to Go Next

• Backend work → backend/AGENTS.md
• Frontend work → frontend/AGENTS.md
• Setup & install → Install.md, CONTRIBUTING.md
• Project overview & usage → README.md (translations: README_zh.md, README_ja.md, README_fr.md, README_ru.md)
• Security policy → SECURITY.md
• Changes → CHANGELOG.md

Cross-Cutting Conventions

These apply repo-wide; module guides own the module-specific detail.

• Documentation update policy — keep docs in sync with code: update README.md for user-facing changes and the relevant AGENTS.md for development/architecture changes in the same change set.
• Test-driven development — features and bug fixes ship with tests. Backend tests live in backend/tests/ (TDD is mandatory there; see backend/AGENTS.md); frontend tests live in frontend/tests/.
• Format before pushing — run make format (backend) / pnpm check (frontend). Backend CI enforces ruff format --check, so formatting must be clean before a push.