Classroom Agent System

A portable classroom and academic agent prompt library, with legacy VS Code plugin compatibility.

This repository bundles:

• portable AGENTS.md specialist instructions
• portable AGENTS.md workflow instructions
• legacy VS Code custom agents and slash commands
• an orchestration layer centered on Router

It does not currently bundle skills, hooks, or MCP servers. That is intentional. The system is designed to stay lean, portable, and predictable.

What This System Does

The system provides a coordinated set of specialist agents for:

• instructional design
• student-simulation and ambiguity testing
• aggressive critique
• research planning
• citation cleanup
• polished communication
• workflow logging

The system is organized so that Router is the default orchestration layer and the specialists stay narrow.

Visual Map

System map

User
  |
  +--> /route -------------------------------> Router
  |                                             |
  |                                             +--> Alfred
  |                                             +--> Ms. Frizzle
  |                                             +--> Bobby
  |                                             +--> Cartman
  |                                             +--> Velma
  |                                             +--> Dexter
  |                                             +--> Journal
  |
  +--> /instructional-loop -------------------> Router -> Ms. Frizzle -> Bobby
  +--> /stress-test --------------------------> Router -> Ms. Frizzle -> Cartman
  +--> /citation-audit -----------------------> Router -> Bobby -> Velma
  +--> /research-to-lesson -------------------> Router -> Dexter -> Ms. Frizzle
  +--> /research-to-references --------------> Router -> Dexter -> Velma
  +--> /classroom-briefing -------------------> Router -> Ms. Frizzle -> Alfred
  +--> /submission-grinder -------------------> Router -> Bobby -> Cartman -> Ms. Frizzle
  +--> /workflow-log -------------------------> Journal

Specialist map

Router
  -> Alfred
  -> Ms. Frizzle
  -> Bobby
  -> Cartman
  -> Velma
  -> Dexter
  -> Journal

Ms. Frizzle
  -> Alfred
  -> Bobby
  -> Cartman
  -> Dexter
  -> Velma

Dexter
  -> Ms. Frizzle
  -> Velma

Agents

Router

The central workflow orchestrator.

Use Router when:

• you are not sure which specialist to use
• the task may benefit from multiple agents
• you want predefined classroom workflows instead of manual agent switching

Alfred

Professional communication assistant.

Use Alfred for:

• parent emails
• class announcements
• staff updates
• polished student-facing communication

Ms. Frizzle

Instructional design and co-teaching specialist.

Use Ms. Frizzle for:

• assignments
• rubrics
• lesson plans
• grading language
• student-facing instructions

Bobby

Literal student simulator.

Use Bobby for:

• ambiguity testing
• likely student misreads
• minimum-effort interpretations
• average-student stress testing

Cartman

Harsh but useful critic.

Use Cartman for:

• stress-testing prompts
• brutal critique
• exposing weak structure
• forcing sharper revisions

Velma

Citation specialist.

Use Velma for:

• APA
• MLA
• Chicago
• IEEE
• reference cleanup
• bibliography correction

Dexter

Research and compliance specialist.

Use Dexter for:

• research planning
• evidence quality review
• method design
• compliance and risk checks

Journal

Append-only workflow recorder.

Use Journal for:

• logging milestones
• tracking decisions
• building a chronological workflow trail in ./journal.md

Workflows And Legacy Slash Commands

Portable workflow instructions live in workflows/<workflow-slug>/AGENTS.md. Legacy VS Code slash commands remain in VSCode/commands/.

/route

Lets Router choose the best specialist or path.

/instructional-loop

Forces:

Ms. Frizzle -> Bobby

Best for assignment design plus student interpretation testing.

/stress-test

Forces:

Ms. Frizzle -> Cartman

Best for finding the weak points in instructional material.

/citation-audit

Forces:

Bobby -> Velma

Best for student-style drafts that need citation cleanup and unsupported-claim review.

/research-to-lesson

Forces:

Dexter -> Ms. Frizzle

Best for research-grounded instructional outputs.

/research-to-references

Forces:

Dexter -> Velma

Best for research plus clean citations.

/classroom-briefing

Forces:

Ms. Frizzle -> Alfred

Best for turning classroom material into polished communication.

/submission-grinder

Forces:

Bobby -> Cartman -> Ms. Frizzle

Best for running a submission through simulation, critique, and teacher-facing repair.

/workflow-log

Sends the note directly to Journal.

File Layout

classroom-agent-system/
  AGENTS.md
  README.md
  agents/
    alfred/AGENTS.md
    bobby/AGENTS.md
    cartman/AGENTS.md
    dexter/AGENTS.md
    journal/AGENTS.md
    ms-frizzle/AGENTS.md
    router/AGENTS.md
    velma/AGENTS.md
  workflows/
    route/AGENTS.md
    instructional-loop/AGENTS.md
    stress-test/AGENTS.md
    citation-audit/AGENTS.md
    research-to-lesson/AGENTS.md
    research-to-references/AGENTS.md
    classroom-briefing/AGENTS.md
    submission-grinder/AGENTS.md
    workflow-log/AGENTS.md
  VSCode/
    plugin.json
    agents/
      Alfred.agent.md
      Bobby.agent.md
      Cartman.agent.md
      Dexter.agent.md
      Journal.agent.md
      Ms. Frizzle.agent.md
      Router.agent.md
      Velma.agent.md
    commands/
      route.prompt.md
      instructional-loop.prompt.md
      stress-test.prompt.md
      citation-audit.prompt.md
      research-to-lesson.prompt.md
      research-to-references.prompt.md
      classroom-briefing.prompt.md
      submission-grinder.prompt.md
      workflow-log.prompt.md
    .github/
      copilot-instructions.md

The portable AGENTS.md files are the canonical cross-frontend instructions. The legacy .agent.md, .prompt.md, and plugin.json files under VSCode/ remain for VS Code users.

If you are not using VS Code or GitHub Copilot Chat customizations, you may delete the VSCode/ folder and keep only the portable AGENTS.md files.

Portable Use

Copy or reference the relevant agents/<agent-slug>/AGENTS.md file when adding one specialist to another agentic frontend. Use agents/router/AGENTS.md plus the relevant workflows/<workflow-slug>/AGENTS.md files when you want orchestration.

Legacy VS Code Installation

Option 1: Register as a local plugin

1. Make sure agent plugins are enabled in VS Code.

Example setting:

"chat.plugins.enabled": true

2. Add the VSCode/ compatibility folder path to your VS Code settings.

Example:

"chat.pluginLocations": {
  "/path/to/Classroom-Agent-System/VSCode": true
}

3. Reload VS Code.

4. Verify the plugin is loaded:

• Open Extensions and search @agentPlugins
• Or open Chat Customizations and check that the agents and slash commands appear

Option 2: Install from a Git repository later

If you use the VS Code compatibility folder as a plugin source, you can install it with:

• Chat: Install Plugin From Source in VS Code
• or a plugin marketplace, later, if you publish one

Recommended VS Code Settings

These are not strictly required, but they make the system easier to use.

{
  "chat.plugins.enabled": true,
  "chat.promptFilesRecommendations": true
}

Companion Instructions

The repository includes VSCode/.github/copilot-instructions.md.

Purpose:

• keep the system routing-first
• preserve upstream handoffs
• prefer usable artifacts over analysis-heavy outputs

Important:

• plugin support in VS Code currently focuses on commands, skills, agents, hooks, and MCP servers
• treat the instructions file as a companion workspace file for authoring, testing, or copying into a project workspace
• do not assume plugin installation alone will make workspace instructions apply globally in unrelated projects

What Was Intentionally Left Out

Skills

None included.

Reason:

• the current system already works well with agents plus commands
• adding skills now would duplicate behavior or add maintenance overhead

Hooks

None included.

Reason:

• hooks are easy to overuse
• the only plausible hook was workflow logging, but /workflow-log is cleaner and less intrusive

MCP Servers

None included.

Reason:

• there is no live external data source this system actually needs yet

Design Principles

• Router is the default orchestrator
• specialists stay narrow
• prompts launch workflows, not personas
• handoff context should be preserved
• outputs should be immediately usable
• logging should be opt-in

Editing and Maintenance

If you change the portable agents or workflows:

1. Update the relevant agents/<agent-slug>/AGENTS.md or workflows/<workflow-slug>/AGENTS.md file.
2. If legacy VS Code compatibility should stay aligned, update the matching file under VSCode/agents/ or VSCode/commands/.
3. If you change a Router path, update agents/router/AGENTS.md, VSCode/agents/Router.agent.md, the matching workflow, and the matching command if one exists.

Suggested Legacy VS Code Smoke Tests

Run these in chat after installing:

1. /route rewrite this class update for parents
2. /instructional-loop design a 10th-grade discussion prompt on Macbeth
3. /stress-test review this rubric for weak grading language
4. /research-to-lesson build a lesson on urban heat islands
5. /citation-audit fix these APA references
6. /workflow-log added the first plugin manifest

If those work, the system is loaded correctly and the main paths are alive.

Sources Used For This Packaging

• AGENTS.md portable instruction convention
• VS Code custom agents
• VS Code prompt files
• VS Code custom instructions
• VS Code agent plugins
• GitHub Copilot CLI plugin reference

Primary references:

• https://agents.md/
• https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/customization/custom-agents
• https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/customization/prompt-files
• https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/customization/custom-instructions
• https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/customization/agent-plugins
• https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/reference/copilot-cli-reference/cli-plugin-reference