Squad Templates

Squad Templates are pre-configured agent team blueprints that let you create a fully functional squad in one click. Instead of manually selecting a leader and members, you pick a template tailored to your use case.

Available templates

AACWorkflow ships with five starter templates, each optimized for a different kind of work:

Each template comes with a description, member preview, and default instructions that guide the squad's collaboration.

Create a squad from a template

Via UI

1. Go to Squads and click + New Squad
2. In the modal, scroll to Start from a template section
3. Click a template card (name, description, member list)
4. Either:
   • Click Apply template for one-click creation, OR
   • Customize the squad name and members in the form below, then click Create
5. You're redirected to the new squad page

The squad is created with:

• Leader: the template's leader agent (e.g., "Frontend builder")
• Members: the template's member agents (e.g., "Implementer", "Reviewer")
• Instructions: the template's default collaboration guidelines

Via API

curl -X POST https://aacworkflow.example.com/api/squads/from-template \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "template_id": "frontend_squad",
    "name": "My UI Team"  # optional; auto-generated if omitted
  }'

Returns:

{
  "id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
  "name": "My UI Team",
  "workspace_id": "...",
  "leader_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440001",
  "members": [
    {
      "agent_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440002",
      "role": "implementer"
    },
    {
      "agent_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440003",
      "role": "reviewer"
    }
  ],
  "instructions": "Coordinate UI work: implement, then review before done.",
  "created_at": "2025-06-22T15:30:00Z"
}

Template structure

Each template is defined as JSON in the AACWorkflow embed catalog:

{
  "id": "frontend_squad",
  "name": "Frontend Squad",
  "description": "Ships UI features end to end",
  "leader": {
    "agent_template_id": "frontend-builder",
    "role": "leader"
  },
  "members": [
    {
      "agent_template_id": "frontend-builder",
      "role": "implementer"
    },
    {
      "agent_template_id": "code-reviewer",
      "role": "reviewer"
    }
  ],
  "default_instructions": "Coordinate UI work: implement, then review before done."
}

When you apply the template:

1. The leader agent template is materialized (a new agent is created from it)
2. Each member agent template is materialized
3. A squad is created with the materialized leader and members
4. The default instructions are applied

Customization

After template creation

Once a squad is created from a template, you can:

• Rename the squad — click the squad name to edit
• Change instructions — go to Squad settings → Instructions and edit
• Add/remove members — go to Members and manage the roster
• Change leader — promote a member or invite a new agent to lead

The squad is now independent of the template. Changing the template (in a future AACWorkflow version) won't affect existing squads.

Template customization (future)

In future versions, you'll be able to:

• Star/favorite templates — keep frequently-used templates at the top
• Create custom templates — save your squad configuration as a reusable template
• Org-wide templates — templates stored at the workspace level, shared across teams

How template agents are created

When you apply a template, AACWorkflow:

1. Resolves the template by ID (must exist in the embedded catalog)
2. For each referenced agent template (leader + members), calls CreateAgentFromTemplate
3. Creates a squad with the materialized leader
4. Adds each materialized member to the squad
5. Sets the default instructions

All UUIDs are internal round-trips. User input is only the template_id (validated against the catalog) and optional squad_name.

List available templates

Via UI

Go to Squads → New Squad. The modal displays all available templates.

Via API

curl https://aacworkflow.example.com/api/squad-templates \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

Returns:

[
  {
    "id": "frontend_squad",
    "name": "Frontend Squad",
    "description": "Ships UI features end to end",
    "member_preview": [
      { "agent_template_id": "frontend-builder", "role": "implementer" },
      { "agent_template_id": "code-reviewer", "role": "reviewer" }
    ]
  },
  {
    "id": "backend_squad",
    "name": "Backend Squad",
    "description": "Implement server-side features",
    "member_preview": [...]
  }
]

Get template details

curl https://aacworkflow.example.com/api/squad-templates/frontend_squad \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>"

Returns:

{
  "id": "frontend_squad",
  "name": "Frontend Squad",
  "description": "Ships UI features end to end",
  "leader": {
    "agent_template_id": "frontend-builder",
    "role": "leader"
  },
  "members": [
    {
      "agent_template_id": "frontend-builder",
      "role": "implementer"
    },
    {
      "agent_template_id": "code-reviewer",
      "role": "reviewer"
    }
  ],
  "default_instructions": "Coordinate UI work: implement, then review before done."
}

Localization

Template names and descriptions are localized in all supported languages (English, Russian, Korean, Chinese).

When you create a squad via the UI, the template name and description are shown in your workspace's configured language. The default_instructions remain in English (by design — they are injected into agent prompts).

Security

• Template IDs are validated against the embedded catalog before any write
• Created agents and squads are scoped to your workspace
• Creating a squad from a template requires the same permissions as manual creation
• No special permissions needed; any workspace member can create a squad

Troubleshooting

"Template not found" when applying

The template ID may have changed or been removed. Check the available templates via the API:

curl https://aacworkflow.example.com/api/squad-templates

"Some agents failed to create"

If agent creation fails midway through a template application, the squad is not created (atomic). Fix the underlying issue (e.g., quota reached) and try again.

"Squad created but doesn't have the expected members"

Check the squad page:

1. Go to Squads → squad name
2. Click Members and verify the list
3. If members are missing, manually add them or recreate the squad

Related

• Agent Templates — see how agent templates work in the Agents guide
• Squad Delegation — see how squads coordinate work in Squad Delegation Audit