Personas — Smart SDLC

Personas are named AI roles, each with a defined skill set, communication style, and domain focus. Every team member picks one persona as their primary_persona during npx @supermldev/smart-sdlc persona.

The 6 Personas

Scout — Code Archaeologist

   
Default name Scout
Copilot agent @sml-agent-scout
Slash command /sml-agent-scout
Skill file _superml/skills/0-relearn/agent-scout/SKILL.md
Persona key (shared — all personas can use Scout)

Scout is the universal starting point for any brownfield project. It reads the existing codebase and produces living documentation — structure maps, architecture summaries, API references, and reverse-engineered ADRs.

Primary skills:

Skill What It Does
relearn-codebase Full 5-step reverse-engineering: scan, architecture, data/API, patterns, docs
generate-readme Generate or refresh README.md from the actual codebase
generate-api-docs Auto-generate API reference (markdown or OpenAPI)
reverse-adr Recover Architecture Decision Records from code evidence

When to use: Always at the start of any brownfield project, before any other persona activates. Also useful when onboarding new team members.

Product / BA — Agent PM

   
Default name Aria
Copilot agent @sml-agent-pm
Slash command /sml-agent-pm
Skill file _superml/skills/2-planning/agent-pm/SKILL.md
Persona key product

The Product Manager / Business Analyst persona handles requirements discovery, product thinking, and documentation. It bridges business needs and technical execution.

Primary skills:

Skill What It Does Access
agent-analyst Analyse existing projects, write product briefs product
product-brief Guided product brief creation product
create-prd Full 3-step PRD creation workflow product
edit-prd Refine an existing PRD section by section product
validate-prd Check PRD for completeness and implementation-readiness product
document-project Produce structured project documentation all
elicitation Advanced requirements elicitation technique all

Cross-persona collaboration:

  • Call @sml-agent-architect when architecture and technical design decisions are needed
  • Call @sml-agent-developer to validate implementation feasibility

Architect

   
Default name Rex
Copilot agent @sml-agent-architect
Slash command /sml-agent-architect
Skill file _superml/skills/3-solutioning/agent-architect/SKILL.md
Persona key architect

The Architect persona translates requirements into technical designs. It creates architecture documents, Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), and breaks work into implementable epics and stories.

Primary skills:

Skill What It Does Access
create-architecture Full architecture document with diagrams and ADRs architect
create-epics-stories Break architecture + PRD into epics and user stories architect, team_lead
generate-context Produce project-context.md optimised for AI loading architect
reverse-adr Extract ADRs from existing codebase all

Prerequisites: Architect expects a completed PRD (prd_complete: true in config.yml). If no PRD exists, activate @sml-agent-pm first.

Cross-persona collaboration:

  • Call @sml-agent-pm for requirements clarification and product decisions
  • Call @sml-agent-developer to validate implementation approach

Developer

   
Default name Nova
Copilot agent @sml-agent-developer
Slash command /sml-agent-developer
Skill file _superml/skills/4-implementation/agent-developer/SKILL.md
Persona key developer

The Developer persona implements stories using test-driven development, reviews code, and manages technical debt. It operates sprint by sprint.

Primary skills:

Skill What It Does Access
dev-story TDD implementation loop: Red → Green → Refactor developer
code-review Structured review against acceptance criteria and quality standards developer
create-story Write a detailed story with acceptance criteria developer, team_lead
sprint-planning Select, estimate, and assign stories for a sprint developer, team_lead

Prerequisites: Developer expects epics and stories to exist (epics_complete: true). Use @sml-agent-scout first if working on an unfamiliar codebase.

Cross-persona collaboration:

  • Call @sml-agent-architect for design decisions during implementation
  • Call @sml-agent-pm to clarify acceptance criteria

Modernization Lead — Agent Sage

   
Default name Sage
Copilot agent @sml-agent-sage
Slash command /sml-agent-sage
Skill file _superml/skills/5-modernize/agent-sage/SKILL.md
Persona key modernization

The Modernization Lead handles legacy system analysis and migration planning. It has its own multi-phase workflow distinct from the standard SDLC — see Modernization Workflow for the full journey.

Primary skills:

Skill What It Does Access
read-legacy-code Step-by-step analysis of legacy programs, data structures, and flows modernization
build-knowledge-graph Map entities, business rules, and processes into a knowledge graph modernization
define-target-architecture Assess legacy state, design target architecture, plan migration modernization
validate-business-rules Verify extracted business rules against the legacy system modernization
create-migration-epics Break the migration plan into actionable epics and stories modernization

Cross-persona collaboration:

  • Call @sml-agent-architect for target architecture design decisions
  • Call @sml-agent-pm for domain business rules and stakeholder requirements

Team Lead / PM — Agent Lead

   
Default name Lead
Copilot agent @sml-agent-lead
Slash command /sml-agent-lead
Skill file _superml/skills/4-implementation/sprint-planning/SKILL.md
Persona key team_lead

The Team Lead / PM persona focuses on delivery coordination — breaking architecture into epics, planning sprints, managing capacity, and tracking progress.

Primary skills:

Skill What It Does Access
create-epics-stories Break PRD + architecture into epics and stories architect, team_lead
sprint-planning Sprint setup, capacity, story selection developer, team_lead
create-story Write an individual story with full acceptance criteria developer, team_lead

Cross-persona collaboration:

  • Call @sml-agent-pm for requirements and product direction
  • Call @sml-agent-architect for technical planning and feasibility

Persona Guard — How Skill Access Is Enforced

Each generated skill file (.github/skills/<name>/SKILL.md) contains a Persona Guard block. When the skill is activated:

  1. The AI reads _superml/persona.yml silently
  2. If primary_persona matches the skill’s allowed list → proceeds normally
  3. If not → stops and presents this message:

This skill is outside your role. This skill is designed for: [Role Name]. Your current persona does not typically use it.

To collaborate with the right persona: /sml-meeting — bring other personas into the conversation

To see your own skills: /sml-help — context-aware guidance for your role

Access Map

Skill Allowed Personas
agent-scout, relearn-codebase, generate-readme, generate-api-docs All
reverse-adr, brainstorming, elicitation, document-project, help All
agent-analyst, product-brief, create-prd, edit-prd, validate-prd product
agent-architect, create-architecture, generate-context architect
agent-developer, dev-story, code-review developer
agent-sage, read-legacy-code, build-knowledge-graph modernization
define-target-architecture, validate-business-rules, create-migration-epics modernization
create-epics-stories architect, team_lead
sprint-planning, create-story developer, team_lead

Escape Hatch — Meetings

When you need a skill outside your role, use /sml-meeting to bring the correct persona into a shared AI session. This keeps collaboration explicit and traceable rather than letting any persona silently drift into another’s domain.

Choosing Your Persona

Your actual job Choose
Product Manager, Business Analyst, UX Lead product
Software Architect, Tech Lead, Solutions Architect architect
Software Developer, Engineer, Full-stack Dev developer
Modernization Consultant, Legacy Migration Lead modernization
Engineering Manager, Scrum Master, Delivery Manager team_lead

You can change your persona at any time:

npx @supermldev/smart-sdlc persona