Output Standards

Output Standards — WrongStack

Standardizes the format of agent output, particularly the next_steps section in final messages. This ensures system-level parsing and automation can reliably extract structured data from agent responses.

Rules

1. Only the leader agent's final message SHOULD include <nextsteps> — subagents report findings only. If nothing is pending, omit the tag entirely; do not append a loose "next steps" or goodwill-style follow-up line.
2. Any suggested next prompt MUST be inside <nextsteps>...</nextsteps> — never emit parseable-looking prose such as "Next steps:", "next suggests", "Suggested next:", or "Let me know if you want..." when you intend /next to work.
3. <nextsteps> is for prompt options only — every item is the exact natural-language message that can be submitted back to the agent through the current TUI or WebUI prompt input. It asks the agent to perform work; it is not a checklist of work the user must do. Human-only actions (e.g., "open DevTools yourself", "manually check the browser console") belong outside the tag as informational text.
4. Tags must be exact and properly closed — <nextsteps>...</nextsteps> with no attributes on either tag. In particular, never emit <nextsteps auto="true">.
5. No markdown inside tags — plain text only, one item per line.
6. Items are agent-directed prompt inputs — imperative wording is valid when it tells the agent what to do. Write the complete message the user would send, not an instruction addressed to the user.
7. Only item 1 may be marked auto="true" — at most one item may carry the marker, and its input must be complete enough to submit directly.
8. Keep concise — max 5 items unless the task genuinely requires more.
9. Skip <nextsteps> whenever the live ctx.todos list still has open items — any pending or in_progress todo means the in-flight task list is not done, and surfacing new prompt options would race the todo loop (YOLO+auto could pick the top suggestion and pivot away from the unfinished work; /next 1 would replace the next todo with an arbitrary prompt). Finish the todo list first, re-arm the tag on the turn where the last todo flips to completed. The runtime enforces the same gate, so emitting it mid-task is parsed-and-discarded — the rule exists to keep the output focused, not to override runtime behavior.

Output Format

[... task results ...]

<nextsteps>
1. Run the focused parser tests and fix any failures
2. Review the current diff and implement any necessary corrections
</nextsteps>

Informational text for human-only actions (outside the tag, no tag wrapper).

Format Requirements

✅ Correct Examples

Bug Hunt complete. Found 3 critical issues.

<nextsteps>
1. Fix the shell injection in packages/cli/src/slash-commands/dev.ts:15
2. Replace Math.random() with randomUUID() in the affected files
3. Run the type checker and fix any errors
</nextsteps>

Open browser DevTools → Network tab to verify the WebSocket
connection is established before testing.

Audit complete. Found bash command timeout pattern in iterations 14–20.

<nextsteps>
1. Run the session tests and type checker, then fix any failures
</nextsteps>

Review iterations 14–20 in the session log to characterize the loop.

❌ Incorrect Examples

Task done. Next steps: 1) fix bug 2) run tests

# ❌ No tags — not parseable

<nextsteps>
- Fix the bug in auth.ts  # ❌ Dash, not number
- Run tests
</nextsteps>

# ❌ Wrong bullet character

<nextsteps>
1. **Fix the bug** — use execFile instead  # ❌ Markdown inside tags
2. Run `pnpm test`
</nextsteps>

# ❌ Markdown formatting not allowed inside tags

Next steps:
1. Fix auth.ts

# ❌ Missing opening/closing tags

<nextsteps>
1. Open the browser console and check for errors  # ❌ Human-only action, not a prompt
</nextsteps>

auto="true" Format

When the first item should be auto-submitted, append auto="true" to that item. Never put it on the <nextsteps> tag or on items 2+:

<nextsteps>
1. Run the type checker and fix any errors auto="true"
2. Fix the shell injection in packages/cli/src/slash-commands/dev.ts:15 and add a regression test
</nextsteps>

The text before auto="true" is the exact prompt the user would type. There can be at most one auto item and it must be item 1. Items without auto="true" are suggestions the user can select manually.

Subagent Requirements

When a leader agent synthesizes output from subagents, the leader MUST:

1. Collect findings from subagents (they return results, not <nextsteps>)
2. Based on findings, produce a unified <nextsteps> section with prompt options
3. Remove duplicates (dedupe by file path + action)
4. Re-prioritize if needed (critical > high > medium > low)
5. Human-only findings (e.g., "check the browser console") go outside the tag
6. Keep the unified list within the 5-item guideline, but no hard cap

When a subagent completes its task, it MUST:

1. NOT include <nextsteps> in its output — report findings only
2. Report what it found/achieved in a structured, self-contained format
3. Let the leader decide what next steps follow from the findings

Anti-patterns

• Don't put human-only actions in <nextsteps> — those belong outside the tag as plain text
• Don't address instructions to the user — agent-directed imperatives are valid because the selected text is submitted back to the agent verbatim
• Don't use markdown inside <nextsteps> — plain text only
• Don't skip the tag when there are prompt options — the tag enables the /next workflow
• Don't use dashes or asterisks — use 1., 2., 3. numbering
• Don't be vague — "fix bugs" is useless, "fix auth/session.ts:42" is a valid prompt
• Don't exceed 5 items without reason — if >5, it's probably not a single task
• Don't write declarations of intent — "we should refactor X" is not a prompt; "refactor core/config.ts" is
• Don't assign manual work to the user — "manually check if X is correct yourself" is not a valid next prompt; when tools permit it, use an agent-directed prompt such as "Use the browser tools to verify X and fix any issue you find"
• Don't include <nextsteps> in subagent output — subagents report findings, leaders produce next steps