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Agently Development Playbook (Aligned with Official Agently Skills)

This page is for teams building real systems with Agently. The goal is not to repeat API references. The goal is to turn business problem -> owner layer -> official skill -> docs entry into an executable path.

Scope: Agently 4.x docs. The routing language on this page follows the official Agently-Skills model.

1. Route by skill first, then drill into docs

How to read this diagram

  • agently-playbook is the top-level router. Use it to decide whether the problem belongs to the request side, supporting capability side, orchestration side, or migration side.
  • Pick the narrowest skill first, then open the matching docs. Do not escalate everything into orchestration on day one.
  • A real system usually combines several capabilities, but it should still have one clear owner layer.

2. Native-first rules

  1. First ask whether one request is enough.
  2. If the problem fits on the request side, do not jump to TriggerFlow first.
  3. Prefer native Agently surfaces before inventing wrappers, parsers, retry glue, or pseudo-workflows.
  4. Upgrade to agently-triggerflow only when branching, concurrency, waits, resume, or runtime events are the actual core problem.
  5. Tools, MCP, knowledge-base, and session memory are often supporting capabilities rather than the owner layer.

3. Scenario -> official skill -> docs entry

Business problemPriority skillDocs entryWhy
New project or unclear owner layeragently-playbook/en/agent-docs + this pageRoute first, implement second
Provider wiring, env vars, model settingsagently-model-setup/en/model-settingsGet config boundaries right before app logic
Prompt structure, reusable prompt config, prompt-as-dataagently-prompt-management/en/prompt-management/overviewPrompt design is request-side, not workflow by default
Structured fields, required keys, machine-readable outputagently-output-control/en/output-control/overviewUse output() / ensure_keys before writing custom parsers
Streaming consumption, response reuse, text/data/meta accessagently-model-response/en/model-response/overviewStart here when one response feeds multiple consumers
Session continuity, memo, restoreagently-session-memory/en/agent-extensions/session-memo/Session state is not the same as workflow state
Tools, MCP, FastAPIHelper, KeyWaiteragently-agent-extensions/en/agent-extensions/tools, /en/agent-extensions/mcp, /en/agent-extensions/fastapi-helper, /en/agent-systems/key-waiterExtend native surfaces instead of hiding them behind a private abstraction layer
Retrieval, vector indexing, knowledge-base answersagently-knowledge-base/en/case-studies/kb-dialogThe current docs site shows KB-to-answer mainly through runnable scenarios
Explicit control flow, concurrency, waits/resume, runtime streamagently-triggerflow/en/triggerflow/overview + /en/agent-systems/triggerflow-orchestrationUpgrade only when control flow becomes the owner layer
LangChain / LangGraph migrationagently-migration-playbook/en/agent-docsUse the official migration skills to decide whether the target stays on the agent side or orchestration side

4. Common solution recipes

System shapeRecommended skill combinationSite entry
Ticket triage / structured extractionagently-playbook + agently-output-control/en/agent-systems/ticket-triage
Live UI feedback plus structured downstream fieldsagently-playbook + agently-output-control + agently-model-response/en/agent-systems/streaming-structured
Multi-turn assistant with memoryagently-playbook + agently-session-memory/en/agent-systems/session-memo
Early field handlingagently-playbook + agently-agent-extensions/en/agent-systems/key-waiter
Natural-language control with action planning and executionagently-playbook + agently-output-control + agently-model-response, then add agently-triggerflow when execution stages and branching become explicit/en/case-studies/talk-to-control
Long-running flow, concurrency, state convergenceagently-playbook + agently-triggerflow/en/agent-systems/triggerflow-orchestration

5. Common mistakes

  • Sending every slightly complex requirement straight to TriggerFlow.
  • Writing custom JSON parsers when the real problem is output control.
  • Treating prompt-role separation as if it already requires workflow orchestration.
  • Mistaking transport or integration layers such as FastAPI or controller wiring for the owner layer itself.

6. Existing playbook pages

7. From playbook to full projects

If you have already identified the owner layer and want to see how capabilities become systems, continue with: