Agentic Workflows - Layer 2: Agent Primitives¶

Complete execution processes implemented as .prompt.md files providing systematic workflows for specific AL development tasks in Business Central.

📋 What Are Agentic Workflows?¶

Agentic Workflows (formerly called "prompts") are: - Task-specific execution processes with step-by-step guidance - Complete workflows from planning through validation - Tool-integrated processes that can execute AL commands - Reusable templates for common development scenarios

🎯 How to Use Agentic Workflows¶

Activate workflows explicitly when needed:

@workspace use [workflow-name]

Examples:
@workspace use al-initialize
@workspace use al-diagnose
@workspace use al-build

📦 Available Workflows (18 files)¶

Environment & Setup¶

File	Purpose	When to Use
al-initialize	Complete environment and workspace initialization	First-time setup, new projects, onboarding

Development & Diagnostics¶

File	Purpose	When to Use
al-diagnose	Runtime debugging and configuration troubleshooting	Debugging issues, auth problems, symbol errors
al-spec.create	Create functional specifications	Planning new features
al-pages	Design and implement page objects	Creating UI components
al-events	Implement event publishers/subscribers	Extending BC without modifying base

Build & Deployment¶

File	Purpose	When to Use
al-build	Build, package, and deploy extensions	Building for release, deployment
al-permissions	Generate permission sets	Setting up security
al-migrate	Data migration strategies	Moving data between systems/versions

Quality & Performance¶

File	Purpose	When to Use
al-performance.triage	Quick performance diagnosis (static analysis)	Rapid performance assessment, code review
al-performance	Deep performance analysis (runtime profiling)	Slow queries, bottlenecks, optimization

Code Review & Documentation¶

File	Purpose	When to Use
al-pr-prepare	Prepare pull request documentation	Before code review/merge
al-context.create	Generate project context.md file	Setting up project for AI assistants
al-memory.create	Generate/update memory.md file	Maintaining session continuity

AI/Copilot Features¶

File	Purpose	When to Use
al-copilot-capability	Register Copilot capability	Adding AI features to BC
al-copilot-promptdialog	Create PromptDialog pages	Building Copilot UI
al-copilot-test	Test Copilot features	Validating AI functionality
al-copilot-generate	Generate Copilot code from natural language	Creating AI-powered features

Translation & Localization¶

File	Purpose	When to Use
al-translate	XLF translation file management	Localization workflows

Note: Total of 18 workflow files matching the prompts/ directory contents.

🏗️ Workflow Structure¶

Each workflow follows this pattern:

1. Objective¶

Clear statement of what the workflow accomplishes

2. Prerequisites¶

Required context (files, settings)
Required tools
Required knowledge

3. Step-by-Step Process¶

Detailed instructions with: - Context gathering - Analysis phase - Implementation steps - Validation gates

4. Validation Criteria¶

How to verify success

5. Common Issues & Solutions¶

Troubleshooting guide

💡 Best Practices¶

Choosing the Right Workflow¶

graph TD
    Start[Task to Complete] --> Setup{First Time?}
    Setup -->|Yes| InitFlow[al-initialize]
    Setup -->|No| Type{Task Type?}

    Type -->|Issue/Bug| Diagnose[al-diagnose]
    Type -->|Build/Deploy| Build[al-build]
    Type -->|Performance| Perf{Quick or Deep?}
    Type -->|New Feature| Spec[al-spec.create]

    Perf -->|Quick Check| Triage[al-performance.triage]
    Perf -->|Deep Analysis| PerfFull[al-performance]

Workflow Combinations¶

Common workflow sequences:

New Feature Development

al-spec.create → al-pages → al-events → al-build → al-diagnose

Performance Issue

al-performance.triage → al-performance → al-build

Security Setup

al-permissions → al-build → al-diagnose

Integration Work

al-events → al-migrate → al-build → al-diagnose

First-Time Setup

al-initialize → al-spec.create → al-build

Integration with Other Primitives¶

Workflows complement: - Instructions - Automatically loaded context during workflow execution - Agents - Strategic consultation before/after workflow execution - Use al-architect to design before implementing workflow (entry point for new features) - Use al-conductor for TDD orchestration on medium/high complexity tasks - Use al-debugger when workflow execution reveals issues

🔄 Workflow Evolution¶

This collection has evolved to optimize clarity and completeness:

Current State (v2.8)¶

18 Agentic Workflows:

al-initialize - Environment & workspace setup
al-diagnose - Debug & troubleshoot
al-build - Build/package/deploy
al-events - Event implementation
al-performance - Deep performance profiling
al-performance.triage - Quick performance check
al-permissions - Permission set generation
al-migrate - Version migration
al-pages - Page design & UI
al-spec.create - Functional specifications
al-pr-prepare - Pull request preparation
al-context.create - Project context generation
al-memory.create - Session memory management
al-copilot-capability - Copilot capability registration
al-copilot-promptdialog - PromptDialog creation
al-copilot-test - Copilot feature testing
al-copilot-generate - AI code generation
al-translate - XLF translation management

Historical Changes¶

v2.3 Consolidations: - al-setup + al-workspace → al-initialize - al-debug + al-troubleshoot → al-diagnose

v2.7 Additions: - al-context.create - Project context for AI assistants - al-memory.create - Session continuity - al-copilot-generate - Natural language code generation

Collection Manifest: collections/al-development.collection.yml
Framework Reference: docs/framework/ai-native-instructions-architecture.md
User Guide: al-development.md
Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md

📊 Validation¶

Run npm run validate to verify: - All workflow files exist - Frontmatter is properly formatted - File naming conventions are followed - Required fields are present

🎯 Quick Reference¶

Need to...	Use Workflow
Set up new project/environment	`al-initialize`
Debug or troubleshoot issues	`al-diagnose`
Build & deploy	`al-build`
Fix performance issues	`al-performance.triage` → `al-performance`
Create new feature	`al-spec.create` → `al-pages`
Add events	`al-events`
Set up security	`al-permissions`
Migrate data	`al-migrate`
Prepare for review	`al-pr-prepare`

Framework Compliance: These workflows implement AI-Native Instructions Architecture - Layer 2 (Agent Primitives) providing systematic execution processes that coordinate Instructions and Agents for complete task fulfillment.

Version: 2.8.0 Total Workflows: 18 Last Updated: 2025-11-25