Agentic Patterns

Reusable patterns for AI-assisted development workflows.

What is this?

A catalog of proven patterns for working with AI coding assistants. These patterns help you:

• Structure context for agents using hierarchical files and conventions
• Maintain memory across sessions with knowledge bases
• Debug systematically using techniques like binary search and five whys
• Explore codebases methodically when working with unfamiliar code
• Hand off work cleanly between humans and agents

Pattern Hierarchy

primitives/  → Atomic building blocks (templates, formats, structures)
    ↓ compose into
techniques/  → Single-purpose methods (debugging, discovery, docs)
    ↓ combine into
workflows/   → Multi-step processes
    ↓ operate within
systems/     → Full infrastructure patterns

Collaboration patterns sit alongside this hierarchy, focusing on human-agent interaction.

Quick Start

I want to...	Start here
Set up context files for agents	AGENTS.md Convention
Give agents persistent memory	Knowledge Base
Track work across sessions	Plan-Driven Development
Debug issues systematically	Troubleshooting Cycle
Explore unfamiliar code	Codebase Exploration
Find a template	Primitives: Templates

Full Index

See INDEX.md for the complete pattern catalog with descriptions.

Usage

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/amp-rh/agentic-patterns.git

# Browse patterns locally, or
# Reference patterns from your project's AGENTS.md files

The patterns are markdown files designed to be read by both humans and AI assistants. Reference them in your project's context files, copy templates into your workspace, or adapt the structures for your needs.

Repository Structure

agentic-patterns/
├── README.md           # This file
├── INDEX.md            # Complete pattern index
├── AGENTS.md           # Context for AI assistants
└── patterns/
    ├── primitives/     # Atomic building blocks
    │   ├── templates/  # Document templates
    │   ├── formats/    # Output formats
    │   ├── structures/ # Organization patterns
    │   └── principles/ # Coding principles
    ├── techniques/     # Single-purpose methods
    │   ├── debugging/  # Problem-solving
    │   ├── discovery/  # Code exploration
    │   ├── documentation/
    │   ├── communication/
    │   └── composition/
    ├── workflows/      # Multi-step processes
    ├── systems/        # Full infrastructure
    └── collaboration/  # Human-agent interaction

Contributing

When adding new patterns:

1. Identify a repeatable workflow or structure
2. Document the problem it solves
3. Create generic templates (no project-specific dependencies)
4. Include concrete examples
5. Place in the appropriate category
6. Update INDEX.md

See INDEX.md for more details.

License

Apache License 2.0 - see LICENSE for details.