Microagents Overview

Microagents are specialized prompts that enhance OpenHands with domain-specific knowledge. They provide expert guidance, automate common tasks, and ensure consistent practices across projects.

Microagent Types

Currently OpenHands supports the following types of microagents:

• General Repository Microagents: General guidelines for OpenHands about the repository.
• Keyword-Triggered Microagents: Guidelines activated by specific keywords in prompts.

To customize OpenHands' behavior, create a .openhands/microagents/ directory in the root of your repository and add <microagent_name>.md files inside.

note

Loaded microagents take up space in the context window. These microagents, alongside user messages, inform OpenHands about the task and the environment.

Example repository structure:

some-repository/
└── .openhands/
    └── microagents/
        └── repo.md            # General repository guidelines
        └── trigger_this.md    # Microagent triggered by specific keywords
        └── trigger_that.md    # Microagent triggered by specific keywords

Microagents Frontmatter Requirements

Each microagent file may include frontmatter that provides additional information. In some cases, this frontmatter is required:

Microagent Type	Frontmatter Requirement
General Repository Microagents	Required only if more than one of this type exists.
Keyword-Triggered Microagents	Required.