AGENTS.md

This file provides guidance to AI coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, and others) when working with code in this repository. It is the source of truth; the sibling CLAUDE.md imports it via @AGENTS.md.

It is the monorepo orientation layer: it maps the whole repo and points to the module guides that own the depth. For anything inside a module, read that module's guide rather than expecting full detail here:

backend/AGENTS.md — backend depth: harness/app split, agent & middleware chain, sandbox, MCP, skills, memory, IM channels, persistence/migrations, config system, test layout.
frontend/AGENTS.md — frontend depth: Next.js App Router layout, thread/streaming data flow, code style, commands.

What is DeerFlow

DeerFlow is a LangGraph-based AI super-agent system with a full-stack architecture. The backend runs a "super agent" with sandboxed execution, persistent memory, subagent delegation, and extensible tools (built-in, MCP, community), all per-thread isolated. The frontend is a Next.js chat UI. External IM platforms (Feishu, Slack, Telegram, Discord, DingTalk) bridge into the same agent through the Gateway.

Service Topology

A single make dev / Docker stack runs four cooperating services:

Service	Port	Role
Nginx	`2026`	Unified reverse-proxy entry point — open this in the browser
Gateway API	`8001`	FastAPI REST API + embedded LangGraph-compatible agent runtime
Frontend	`3000`	Next.js web interface
Provisioner	`8002`	Optional — only when sandbox is configured for provisioner/K8s mode

Nginx is the single public entry: it serves the frontend and proxies /api/langgraph/* to the Gateway's LangGraph runtime, rewriting it to Gateway's native /api/* routes; all other /api/* go straight to the Gateway REST routers. See backend/AGENTS.md for the runtime and router detail.

Repository Map

deer-flow/
├── Makefile                        # Root orchestration: drives the full stack (dev/start/stop, docker, setup)
├── config.example.yaml             # Template → copy to config.yaml (gitignored) at repo root
├── extensions_config.example.json  # Template → copy to extensions_config.json (gitignored): MCP servers + skills
├── backend/                        # Python backend — see backend/AGENTS.md
│   ├── Makefile                    # Per-module backend commands (dev, gateway, test, lint, migrate-rev)
│   ├── packages/harness/           # deerflow-harness package (import: deerflow.*) — agent framework
│   └── app/                        # FastAPI Gateway + IM channels (import: app.*)
├── frontend/                       # Next.js frontend (pnpm) — see frontend/AGENTS.md
├── docker/                         # docker-compose files, nginx config, provisioner
├── skills/                         # Agent skills: public/ (committed), custom/ (gitignored)
├── contracts/                      # Cross-component JSON contracts (e.g. subagent status)
├── scripts/                        # Root orchestration scripts invoked by the Makefile (check, configure, doctor, support_bundle, serve, nginx, docker, deploy, setup_wizard)
├── tests/                          # Root-level tests (currently tests/skills/ — public skill tests)
└── docs/                           # Cross-cutting docs, plans, and design notes

Runtime config lives at the repo root: copy config.example.yaml → config.yaml (main app config) and extensions_config.example.json → extensions_config.json (MCP servers + skills). Both real files are gitignored and may be edited at runtime via the Gateway API. Config schema and resolution order are documented in backend/AGENTS.md.

Commands: Root vs. Module

Root make targets drive the whole stack (run from the repo root):

make setup       # Interactive setup wizard (recommended for new users)
make doctor      # Check configuration and system requirements
make support-bundle  # Generate redacted troubleshooting summary, AI issue draft, and optional zip
make config      # Generate local config files from the examples
make check       # Check that required tools are installed
make install     # Install all dependencies (frontend + backend + pre-commit hooks)
make dev         # Start all services with hot-reload (Gateway + Frontend + Nginx)
make start       # Start all services in production mode (local, optimized)
make stop        # Stop all running services
make up / down   # Build/stop the production Docker stack (browser at localhost:2026)
make docker-start / docker-stop / docker-logs   # Docker development environment

Run make help for the full list.

Per-module commands drive a single module (run inside that module):

# Backend (see backend/AGENTS.md for the full set)
cd backend && make dev        # Gateway API with reload (port 8001)
cd backend && make test       # Backend test suite
cd backend && make lint       # ruff check
cd backend && make format     # ruff format

# Frontend (see frontend/AGENTS.md for the full set)
cd frontend && pnpm dev       # Dev server with Turbopack (port 3000)
cd frontend && pnpm check     # Lint + type check (run before committing)
cd frontend && pnpm test      # Unit tests

Rule of thumb: root make = the full application; backend/Makefile and frontend/ (pnpm) = per-module work.

Where to Go Next

Backend work → backend/AGENTS.md
Frontend work → frontend/AGENTS.md
Setup & install → Install.md, CONTRIBUTING.md
Project overview & usage → README.md (translations: README_zh.md, README_ja.md, README_fr.md, README_ru.md)
Security policy → SECURITY.md
Changes → CHANGELOG.md

Cross-Cutting Conventions

These apply repo-wide; module guides own the module-specific detail.

Documentation update policy — keep docs in sync with code: update README.md for user-facing changes and the relevant AGENTS.md for development/architecture changes in the same change set.
Test-driven development — features and bug fixes ship with tests. Backend tests live in backend/tests/ (TDD is mandatory there; see backend/AGENTS.md); frontend tests live in frontend/tests/.
Format before pushing — run make format (backend) / pnpm check (frontend). Backend CI enforces ruff format --check, so formatting must be clean before a push.

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