What are Specialists?
Specialists are role-based agent configurations that define how agents behave in Routa’s multi-agent orchestration system. Each specialist has a specific purpose, system prompt, and set of constraints that guide its behavior. Routa provides four core specialists:- Routa (Coordinator) - Plans work, breaks down tasks, delegates to sub-agents
- Crafter (Implementor) - Executes implementation tasks, writes code
- Gate (Verifier) - Reviews work and verifies completeness against acceptance criteria
- Developer - Plans and implements by itself without delegation
Specialist Architecture
Loading Priority
Specialists are loaded from multiple sources with the following priority (highest to lowest):- Database user specialists (highest priority) - Custom specialists created via the web UI
- File-based user specialists (
~/.routa/specialists/) - User’s custom specialist definitions - File-based bundled specialists (
resources/specialists/) - Default specialists shipped with Routa - Hardcoded fallback (lowest priority) - Built-in fallbacks in the codebase
Specialist Configuration
Each specialist is defined by:src/core/orchestration/specialist-prompts.ts:22 for the full interface definition.
File Format
Specialists can be defined in Markdown files with YAML frontmatter:systemPrompt.
Frontmatter Fields
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
name | Yes | Display name of the specialist |
description | Yes | Brief description of the specialist’s purpose |
role | No | Agent role: ROUTA, CRAFTER, GATE, or DEVELOPER |
modelTier | No | Model tier: fast, balanced, or smart (default: smart) |
roleReminder | No | Short reminder of key constraints |
model | No | Specific model override (e.g., claude-3-5-haiku-20241022) |
If
role is not specified, Routa infers it from the specialist ID:- IDs like
routa,coordinator,spec-writer→ROUTA - IDs like
crafter,implementor→CRAFTER - IDs like
gate,verifier→GATE - IDs like
developer→DEVELOPER
Agent Roles
ROUTA (Coordinator)
Plans work, breaks down tasks into@@@task blocks, and delegates to CRAFTER agents. Never implements code directly.
Model tier: smart (requires reasoning and planning capabilities)
CRAFTER (Implementor)
Executes specific implementation tasks. Follows the task scope strictly, no refactoring or scope creep. Model tier:fast (optimized for efficiency)
GATE (Verifier)
Verifies implementations against acceptance criteria. Evidence-driven, no partial approvals. Model tier:smart (requires careful analysis)
DEVELOPER
Combines planning and implementation. Works alone without delegation, suitable for smaller tasks. Model tier:smart (handles both planning and implementation)
Model Tiers
- fast - Optimized for speed and cost (e.g., Claude 3.5 Haiku)
- balanced - Balance between capability and cost
- smart - Maximum capability for complex tasks (e.g., Claude 3.5 Sonnet)
src/core/models/agent.ts:13 for tier definitions.
Loading Specialists
Programmatic Loading
Cache Management
Specialists are cached after the first load. To reload:File Locations
- Bundled specialists:
resources/specialists/in the project root - User specialists:
~/.routa/specialists/in the user’s home directory - Core types:
src/core/orchestration/specialist-prompts.ts - File loader:
src/core/specialists/specialist-file-loader.ts - Database loader:
src/core/specialists/specialist-db-loader.ts
Next Steps
Routa Coordinator
Learn about the coordinator specialist
Crafter Implementor
Learn about the implementor specialist
Gate Verifier
Learn about the verifier specialist
Creating Custom Specialists
Build your own specialist