Add conversational meta-agent compose tool

agent.py

@@ -278,4 +278,4 @@ def _find_url(value: Any) -> str | None:
         m = _URL_RE.search(value)
         return m.group(0) if m else None
     return None
-# rebuild against a2a-pack 0.1.41 for current runtime defaults
+# rebuild against a2a-pack 0.1.47 for manifest-backed meta-agent defaults

agent_builder/builder.py

@@ -136,9 +136,37 @@ runtime:
   resources:
     cpu: "2"
     memory: 2Gi
-    max_runtime_seconds: 900
+  max_runtime_seconds: 900
 ```
 
+When the user asks to compose existing agents, build a declarative meta-agent
+manifest instead of hand-writing orchestration code. The source of truth is a
+JSON object with ``composition`` plus optional ``goal`` and ``memory``:
+
+```json
+{
+  "composition": {
+    "sub_agents": [
+      {"name": "writer-agent", "skills": ["draft"]},
+      {"tag": "charting", "skills": ["render_chart"], "required": false}
+    ],
+    "max_nodes": 6,
+    "max_parallel": 2,
+    "max_replans": 1
+  },
+  "goal": {
+    "objective": "Ship a launch report",
+    "success_criteria": ["draft complete", "chart complete"]
+  },
+  "memory": {"tiers": ["files", "kv"], "namespace": "launch-report"}
+}
+```
+
+Deploy that manifest with ``cp_compose_meta_agent``. That endpoint validates
+children against the registry, generates editable ``MetaAgent`` source, commits
+it, and deploys it through the same GitOps path. Use this path for
+meta-agents unless the user explicitly asks for custom source.
+
 For render/media/data agents, commands that create user-visible files MUST run
 through ``await ctx.workspace_shell(...)`` or ``await ctx.workspace_python(...)``.
 The platform sandbox persists ``/workspace`` writes directly and captures changed
@@ -202,6 +230,13 @@ Your tools:
                                     elsewhere; use force=True only after
                                     the user explicitly accepts replacing
                                     the current repo source.
+  - cp_compose_meta_agent(name, manifest_json, description="", version="0.1.0",
+                          public=True, refresh_existing=False)
+                                  — create/deploy a manifest-backed
+                                    meta-agent that composes existing agents.
+                                    Use for "compose these agents toward this
+                                    goal" requests instead of hand-writing
+                                    orchestration source.
   - sync_agent_workspace_from_repo(name)
                                   — replace agents/<name>/ in MinIO with
                                     the current managed repo source and
@@ -234,6 +269,9 @@ Discipline:
     ``csv-sanitizer``). Class name is PascalCase from the slug.
   - For a new project, call init_agent_template first. Then read/edit the
     generated files instead of inventing boilerplate from memory.
+  - For a new meta-agent that only composes existing agents, call
+    cp_compose_meta_agent with a manifest. Do not scaffold a normal project
+    unless the user needs custom code beyond composition.
   - Ensure all three core files (agent.py, a2a.yaml, requirements.txt)
     exist before testing — partial scaffolds break ``a2a card``.
   - When the user asks for a usable app, dashboard, charting UI, workflow UI,

agent_builder/tools.py

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
   - workspace file CRUD through the caller's scoped workspace grant
   - sandbox python (for `a2a card` / `a2a validate` round-trips)
   - cp_deploy_tarball (call /v1/agents/from-tarball on the user's behalf)
+  - cp_compose_meta_agent (call /v1/agents/compose with a manifest)
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
@@ -28,7 +29,7 @@ if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from .config import Settings
 
 
-A2A_PACK_MIN_VERSION = "0.1.41"
+A2A_PACK_MIN_VERSION = "0.1.47"
 
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True)
@@ -579,6 +580,108 @@ def build_tools(ctx: ToolContext) -> list[Any]:
                 out["last_seen_version"] = live_card.get("version")
         return json.dumps(out)
 
+    @tool
+    async def cp_compose_meta_agent(
+        name: str,
+        manifest_json: str,
+        description: str = "",
+        version: str = "0.1.0",
+        public: bool = True,
+        refresh_existing: bool = False,
+    ) -> str:
+        """Deploy a declarative meta-agent composition through the control plane.
+
+        Use this when the user asks to compose existing agents toward a goal.
+        ``manifest_json`` must be a JSON object with ``composition`` and
+        optional ``goal`` / ``memory`` blocks. The control plane validates
+        referenced sub-agents and skills, generates editable MetaAgent source,
+        commits it to the user's managed source repo, and stamps the runtime
+        repo. This is the preferred path for meta-agents; do not hand-write
+        orchestration source when a manifest is enough.
+        """
+        try:
+            prefix = _agent_prefix(name)
+            manifest = _parse_manifest_json(manifest_json)
+        except ValueError as exc:
+            return json.dumps({"error": str(exc)})
+        if not ctx.cp_jwt:
+            return json.dumps({
+                "error": "no CP JWT forwarded — agent declaration missing wants_cp_jwt=True",
+            })
+        body = {
+            "name": name,
+            "description": description,
+            "version": version,
+            "public": public,
+            "manifest": manifest,
+            "refresh_existing": refresh_existing,
+        }
+        try:
+            async with httpx.AsyncClient(timeout=60.0) as c:
+                r = await c.post(
+                    f"{settings.cp_url}/v1/agents/compose",
+                    headers={"authorization": f"bearer {ctx.cp_jwt}"},
+                    json=body,
+                )
+        except httpx.HTTPError as exc:
+            return json.dumps({"error": f"cp unreachable: {exc}"})
+        if r.status_code >= 400:
+            return json.dumps({"error": f"cp {r.status_code}", "detail": r.text[:1000]})
+        payload = r.json() or {}
+        head_sha = payload.get("head_sha")
+        store.put(
+            prefix + "meta_agent_manifest.json",
+            (json.dumps(manifest, indent=2, sort_keys=True) + "\n").encode("utf-8"),
+            "application/json",
+        )
+        if isinstance(head_sha, str) and head_sha:
+            _write_builder_state(
+                store,
+                name,
+                {
+                    "agent": name,
+                    "repo_head_sha": head_sha,
+                    "deployment_id": payload.get("deployment_id"),
+                    "version": payload.get("version"),
+                    "updated_at": int(time.time()),
+                    "source": "agent-builder-compose",
+                },
+            )
+        url = payload.get("expected_url") or payload.get("url")
+        live, live_card = await _wait_for_live_card(
+            url,
+            payload.get("version"),
+            timeout_s=settings.deploy_wait_timeout_s,
+        )
+        out: dict[str, Any] = {
+            "ok": live,
+            "name": payload.get("name"),
+            "version": payload.get("version"),
+            "status": payload.get("status"),
+            "url": url,
+            "head_sha": head_sha,
+            "deployment_id": payload.get("deployment_id"),
+            "preview": payload.get("preview") or {},
+            "live": live,
+        }
+        if live:
+            out["live_version"] = live_card.get("version")
+            out["live_skills"] = [
+                {
+                    "name": s.get("name"),
+                    "input_schema": s.get("input_schema") or {},
+                }
+                for s in (live_card.get("skills") or [])
+            ]
+        else:
+            out["error"] = (
+                "compose deploy did not become live within timeout — build may "
+                "still be rolling. Inspect deployment_id or call cp_refresh_agent later."
+            )
+            if live_card:
+                out["last_seen_version"] = live_card.get("version")
+        return json.dumps(out)
+
     @tool
     async def cp_refresh_agent(name: str) -> str:
         """Force the control plane to re-fetch the agent's live
@@ -759,7 +862,8 @@ def build_tools(ctx: ToolContext) -> list[Any]:
 
     return [
         init_agent_template, list_agent_files, write_agent_file, read_agent_file,
-        write_agent_skill, test_agent_in_sandbox, cp_deploy_tarball, cp_refresh_agent,
+        write_agent_skill, test_agent_in_sandbox, cp_deploy_tarball,
+        cp_compose_meta_agent, cp_refresh_agent,
         sync_agent_workspace_from_repo,
         list_a2a_pack, read_a2a_pack,
     ]
@@ -810,6 +914,19 @@ def _write_builder_state(
     store.put(_builder_state_key(name), body, "application/json")
 
 
+def _parse_manifest_json(raw: str) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    try:
+        parsed = json.loads(raw or "{}")
+    except (TypeError, ValueError) as exc:
+        raise ValueError("manifest_json must be a JSON object") from exc
+    if not isinstance(parsed, dict):
+        raise ValueError("manifest_json must be a JSON object")
+    composition = parsed.get("composition")
+    if not isinstance(composition, (dict, list)):
+        raise ValueError("manifest_json requires a composition object or list")
+    return parsed
+
+
 def _render_skill_md(skill_name: str, description: str, instructions: str) -> str:
     desc = " ".join(description.strip().split())
     body = instructions.strip()

requirements.txt

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-a2a-pack>=0.1.41
+a2a-pack>=0.1.47
 httpx>=0.27
 boto3>=1.34
 deepagents>=0.5.0

tests/test_template_init.py

@@ -1,14 +1,17 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import asyncio
 import io
 import json
 import tarfile
 import unittest
+from unittest.mock import patch
 
 from agent_builder.config import Settings
 from agent_builder.tools import (
     _BUILDER_STATE_FILE,
     _BUILDER_INTERNAL_PREFIX,
+    _parse_manifest_json,
     _deployment_drift_error,
     _files_from_tarball,
     _parse_supporting_skill_files,
@@ -235,6 +238,124 @@ class TemplateInitTests(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertIn("agents/website-scraper/a2a.yaml", workspace.objects)
         self.assertIn("agents/website-scraper/requirements.txt", workspace.objects)
 
+    def test_parse_manifest_json_requires_object_with_composition(self) -> None:
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+            _parse_manifest_json("[]")
+        with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
+            _parse_manifest_json('{"goal":"ship"}')
+
+        parsed = _parse_manifest_json('{"composition":[{"name":"writer"}]}')
+        self.assertEqual(parsed["composition"][0]["name"], "writer")
+
+    def test_cp_compose_meta_agent_requires_manifest_object(self) -> None:
+        tools = build_tools(
+            ToolContext(
+                bucket="bucket",
+                settings=_settings(),
+                workspace=_FakeWorkspace(),
+                cp_jwt="jwt-user",
+            )
+        )
+        compose = _tool_by_name(tools, "cp_compose_meta_agent")
+
+        result = json.loads(
+            asyncio.run(
+                compose.ainvoke(
+                    {
+                        "name": "report-meta",
+                        "manifest_json": "[]",
+                    }
+                )
+            )
+        )
+
+        self.assertIn("manifest_json must be a JSON object", result["error"])
+
+    def test_cp_compose_meta_agent_posts_manifest_and_records_state(self) -> None:
+        workspace = _FakeWorkspace()
+        tools = build_tools(
+            ToolContext(
+                bucket="bucket",
+                settings=_settings(deploy_wait_timeout_s=0),
+                workspace=workspace,
+                cp_jwt="jwt-user",
+            )
+        )
+        compose = _tool_by_name(tools, "cp_compose_meta_agent")
+        manifest = {
+            "composition": {
+                "sub_agents": [{"name": "writer", "skills": ["draft"]}],
+                "max_nodes": 3,
+            },
+            "goal": {
+                "objective": "Ship a report.",
+                "success_criteria": ["draft complete"],
+            },
+            "memory": {"tiers": ["files", "kv"], "namespace": "report"},
+        }
+
+        _FakeAsyncClient.posts = []
+        with patch("agent_builder.tools.httpx.AsyncClient", _FakeAsyncClient):
+            result = json.loads(
+                asyncio.run(
+                    compose.ainvoke(
+                        {
+                            "name": "report-meta",
+                            "manifest_json": json.dumps(manifest),
+                            "description": "Report coordinator",
+                            "version": "1.2.3",
+                            "public": True,
+                        }
+                    )
+                )
+            )
+
+        self.assertFalse(result["ok"])
+        self.assertEqual(result["name"], "report-meta")
+        self.assertEqual(result["head_sha"], "source-sha")
+        self.assertEqual(len(_FakeAsyncClient.posts), 1)
+        post = _FakeAsyncClient.posts[0]
+        self.assertEqual(post["url"], "http://cp.test/v1/agents/compose")
+        self.assertEqual(post["headers"]["authorization"], "bearer jwt-user")
+        self.assertEqual(post["json"]["name"], "report-meta")
+        self.assertEqual(post["json"]["manifest"], manifest)
+        self.assertTrue(post["json"]["public"])
+
+        manifest_key = "agents/report-meta/meta_agent_manifest.json"
+        self.assertIn(manifest_key, workspace.objects)
+        saved_manifest = json.loads(workspace.objects[manifest_key].decode("utf-8"))
+        self.assertEqual(saved_manifest["goal"]["objective"], "Ship a report.")
+        state = json.loads(
+            workspace.objects[
+                "agents/report-meta/" + _BUILDER_STATE_FILE
+            ].decode("utf-8")
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(state["repo_head_sha"], "source-sha")
+        self.assertEqual(state["source"], "agent-builder-compose")
+
+    def test_cp_compose_meta_agent_requires_cp_jwt(self) -> None:
+        tools = build_tools(
+            ToolContext(
+                bucket="bucket",
+                settings=_settings(),
+                workspace=_FakeWorkspace(),
+            )
+        )
+        compose = _tool_by_name(tools, "cp_compose_meta_agent")
+
+        result = json.loads(
+            asyncio.run(
+                compose.ainvoke(
+                    {
+                        "name": "report-meta",
+                        "manifest_json": '{"composition":[{"name":"writer"}]}',
+                    }
+                )
+            )
+        )
+
+        self.assertIn("no CP JWT", result["error"])
+
 
 def _tarball(files: dict[str, str]) -> bytes:
     buf = io.BytesIO()
@@ -315,12 +436,12 @@ def _tool_by_name(tools: list[object], name: str) -> object:
     raise AssertionError(f"tool not found: {name}")
 
 
-def _settings() -> Settings:
+def _settings(*, deploy_wait_timeout_s: int = 1) -> Settings:
     return Settings(
         sandbox_url="http://sandbox.test",
         sandbox_timeout_s=1,
         sandbox_token=None,
-        deploy_wait_timeout_s=1,
+        deploy_wait_timeout_s=deploy_wait_timeout_s,
         litellm_url="http://litellm.test",
         litellm_key="",
         litellm_model="gpt-test",
@@ -330,3 +451,47 @@ def _settings() -> Settings:
         minio_secret_key="secret",
         image="python:3.11-slim",
     )
+
+
+class _FakeResponse:
+    def __init__(self, status_code: int, body: dict[str, object]) -> None:
+        self.status_code = status_code
+        self._body = body
+        self.text = json.dumps(body)
+
+    def json(self) -> dict[str, object]:
+        return self._body
+
+
+class _FakeAsyncClient:
+    posts: list[dict[str, object]] = []
+
+    def __init__(self, *args: object, **kwargs: object) -> None:
+        pass
+
+    async def __aenter__(self) -> "_FakeAsyncClient":
+        return self
+
+    async def __aexit__(self, *args: object) -> None:
+        return None
+
+    async def post(
+        self,
+        url: str,
+        *,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        json: dict[str, object],
+    ) -> _FakeResponse:
+        self.posts.append({"url": url, "headers": headers, "json": json})
+        return _FakeResponse(
+            201,
+            {
+                "name": json["name"],
+                "version": json["version"],
+                "status": "building",
+                "expected_url": "https://report-meta.a2acloud.io",
+                "deployment_id": "dpl_123",
+                "head_sha": "source-sha",
+                "preview": {"skills": ["pursue"]},
+            },
+        )