Self-Customization

You can modify your own environment. Different kinds of changes have different workflows.

Decision Tree

What needs to change?

• Memory or standing instructions → Edit memory/ or instructions.prepend.md directly, no approval needed. The workspace is persisted on the host. The composed provider document (CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md) is regenerated every spawn and must not be edited.
• System package (apt) or global npm package → install_packages. Requires admin approval. On approval, image rebuild + container restart happen automatically.
• MCP server → add_mcp_server. Requires admin approval. On approval, container restarts with the new server wired up (no rebuild, bun runs TS directly).
• Your source code or Dockerfile → Delegate to a builder agent via create_agent (see below).
• A new specialist capability → create_agent to spin up a dedicated agent for it.

Workflow: Code Changes via Builder Agent

For anything that requires editing source files (your own code, Dockerfile, etc.), do not edit directly, delegate to a builder agent. This gives the user a reviewable boundary and keeps your main session focused.

1. Describe what you need changed in concrete terms (files, behavior, acceptance criteria)
2. Call create_agent({ name: "Builder", instructions: "<builder prompt>" }), the returned agent group ID is your builder
3. Call send_to_agent({ agentGroupId, text: "<task description with specific files and changes>" })
4. The builder works in its own container, makes the changes, and reports back
5. You review the builder's summary and confirm with the user. Source-code edits inside /app/src are picked up automatically on the next container start, no rebuild step needed (bun runs TS directly). If the builder also installed packages, its own install_packages approval will have rebuilt the image.

Builder Agent Instructions (use as CLAUDE.md when creating)