/nxtg-forge:agent-assign

Level	L1 Vibe Coder
Category	Feature Development
Syntax	/nxtg-forge:agent-assign [task description] [--list] [--auto] [--agent <name>]

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What It Does

/nxtg-forge:agent-assign is the intelligent dispatcher for Forge's 33 specialized agents. You describe a task, and the command analyzes its domain (architecture, backend, frontend, testing, devops, security, docs), complexity, and required skills, then recommends the best-fit agent with a match score and reasoning. It also suggests alternative agents in case you want a different approach.

Behind the scenes, the command uses keyword mapping to score each agent against the task description. Terms like "refactor" and "pattern" score high for the architect agents; "deploy" and "docker" score high for the devops agent; "vulnerability" and "audit" score high for the security agent. The scoring is transparent -- you see why a particular agent was chosen.

Without this command, you would need to memorize which of the 33 agents handles what, manually invoke the Task tool with the right agent type and prompt, and handle orchestrator task claiming yourself. /nxtg-forge:agent-assign automates the matching, handles orchestrator integration (claiming tasks, locking files, recording knowledge), and confirms before launching.

Syntax & Options

/nxtg-forge:agent-assign [task description] [--list] [--auto] [--agent <name>]

Option	Description
task description	Natural language description of the task to assign
--list	Display all 33 available agents with their specialties and tools
--auto	Auto-assign based on task analysis without asking for confirmation (default behavior)
--agent <name>	Manually assign to a specific agent by name, bypassing the matching algorithm

When to Use It

• Delegating specialized work: "Scan the codebase for XSS vulnerabilities" goes to the security agent; "Refactor the auth module into smaller functions" goes to the refactor agent.
• Exploring available agents: Run --list to see all 33 agents and what they can do.
• Connecting orchestrator tasks to agents: The command checks the orchestrator task board for pending tasks and offers to assign agents to them.

For full-lifecycle feature implementation with specs and quality gates, use /nxtg-forge:feature instead. For running multiple agents in a coordinated pipeline, use the orchestrator agent or /nxtg-forge:command-center.

Examples

Example 1: Auto-Matched Assignment

/nxtg-forge:agent-assign "Add comprehensive unit tests for the payment service"

TASK ANALYSIS
==============
Task: Add comprehensive unit tests for the payment service
Domain: testing
Complexity: medium

RECOMMENDED AGENT
  Agent: testing
  Match score: 92%
  Reason: Task mentions tests, unit testing, and coverage -- direct match for testing agent

Alternative agents:
  - guardian: Can run quality gates after tests are written
  - builder: Can implement tests as part of feature building

After confirmation, the testing agent is launched with the Task tool.

Example 2: Listing All Agents

/nxtg-forge:agent-assign --list

Displays all 33 agents with descriptions, available tools, and specialties. Useful for discovering agents you did not know existed.

Example 3: Manual Assignment

/nxtg-forge:agent-assign --agent security "Review all API endpoints for OWASP Top 10"

Bypasses the matching algorithm and directly assigns to the security agent.

Power Use Cases

Before assigning an agent, the command checks forge_get_tasks for pending orchestrator tasks. If there are unassigned tasks on the board, it offers to assign agents to those first -- bridging the gap between orchestrator planning and agent execution.

After an agent completes its work, the command calls forge_complete_task and forge_capture_knowledge to record what was done and what was learned, building institutional memory.

Combines With

Feature	Synergy
/nxtg-forge:feature	Feature uses agents internally; agent-assign is for standalone tasks
/nxtg-forge:command-center	Command center's "Continue" option shows pending tasks that can be assigned to agents
orchestrator MCP	Tasks from forge_get_tasks can be claimed and completed through agent assignment
guardian agent	Assign the guardian after other agents finish to run quality gates on their output

Level Progression

Level	What You Get
L1 Vibe Coder	Full agent matching, scoring, and launch with all 33 plugin agents
L2 Pro Builder	Orchestrator task board integration: claim tasks, lock files, complete tasks, capture knowledge
L3 Ship Lord	Agent activity and task completion visible in the forge-ui dashboard

Tips & Gotchas

• The 33 agents are loaded from the plugin automatically. You do not need to create or configure them.
• Agents run via the Task tool and execute autonomously. Review their output after completion.
• The --agent flag requires an exact agent name from the list (e.g., security, testing, refactor). Use --list to see valid names.
• If no agent is a strong match (all scores below 50%), the command suggests the closest option and offers manual selection.

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See also: feature | command-center | spec