MANDATORY PREPARATION
Invoke /agent-workflow — it contains workflow principles, anti-patterns, and the Context Gathering Protocol. Follow the protocol before proceeding — if no workflow context exists yet, you MUST run /teach-maestro first. Consult the tool-orchestration reference in the agent-workflow skill for adding tools effectively.
Take a working workflow and make it more capable. Amplification adds new abilities without breaking existing functionality.
Amplification Strategies
Better Prompts
- Add few-shot examples for edge cases the model currently mishandles
- Add chain-of-thought for tasks where reasoning quality matters
- Add negative instructions for common mistakes
- Upgrade output schema with more structured fields
Better Tools
- Add tools for capabilities the model currently lacks
- Improve existing tool descriptions for better selection accuracy
- Add confirmation steps for high-stakes operations
- Add tools for verification/validation of outputs
Better Context
- Add RAG for domain-specific knowledge
- Add real-time data sources for current information
- Add user profile/history for personalization
- Add project documentation as reference context
Better Models
- Upgrade to a more capable model for critical steps
- Use model cascading (cheap model for simple, capable model for complex)
- Add vision capabilities if processing images/documents
- Add code execution capabilities if generating code
Amplification Process
- Identify the gap: What can't the workflow do that it should?
- Choose the strategy: Which amplification approach addresses the gap?
- Implement incrementally: Add one capability at a time
- Verify: Run the evaluation suite to confirm improvement without regression
Impact Assessment
| Strategy | Cost Impact | Latency Impact | Quality Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Better prompts | None | None | Medium-High |
| Better tools | Low | Low-Medium | High |
| Better context (RAG) | Medium | Medium | High |
| Better models | High | Medium-High | High |
Amplification Checklist
- Gap identified with concrete evidence (not assumption)
- Single strategy selected (don't amplify everything at once)
- Baseline quality score recorded before change
- Change implemented and tested
- Quality score improved without regression
- Cost/latency impact documented
Recommended Next Step
After amplification, run /evaluate to verify the new capability works, or /iterate to set up quality monitoring for the enhanced workflow.
NEVER:
- Amplify without a specific gap to address (amplification without purpose is bloat)
- Add capabilities without testing them
- Upgrade models without recalculating cost
- Add tools without updating tool descriptions