Switchyard AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md — Switchyard

Switchyard is a Python library for LLM traffic orchestration. It sits between client applications (Claude Code, OpenAI / Anthropic SDK clients, Codex CLI) and LLM backends, handling routing, format translation, logging, A/B testing, and health-aware multi-endpoint serving.

Note: The public distribution is nemo-switchyard. All imports use switchyard.*, and the CLI command is switchyard (registered via pyproject.toml scripts).

Engineering Guidelines

Working principles for any agent (or human) writing code in this repo. These are about how to work; project-specific conventions and validation commands live elsewhere in this AGENTS.md.

1. Think Before Coding

Don't assume. Don't hide confusion. Surface tradeoffs.

Before implementing:

• State your assumptions explicitly. If uncertain, ask.
• If multiple interpretations exist, present them — don't pick silently.
• If a simpler approach exists, say so. Push back when warranted.
• If something is unclear, stop. Name what's confusing. Ask.

2. Simplicity First

Minimum code that solves the problem. Nothing speculative.

• No features beyond what was asked.
• No abstractions for single-use code.
• No "flexibility" or "configurability" that wasn't requested.
• No error handling for impossible scenarios.
• If you write 200 lines and it could be 50, rewrite it.

Ask yourself: "Would a senior engineer say this is overcomplicated?" If yes, simplify.

3. Surgical Changes

Touch only what you must. Clean up only your own mess.

When editing existing code:

• Don't "improve" adjacent code, comments, or formatting.
• Don't refactor things that aren't broken.
• Match existing style, even if you'd do it differently.
• If you notice unrelated dead code, mention it — don't delete it.

When your changes create orphans:

• Remove imports/variables/functions that YOUR changes made unused.
• Don't remove pre-existing dead code unless asked.

The test: Every changed line should trace directly to the user's request.