AGENTS.md Template for Release Rollback Planning

Overview

Direct answer: This AGENTS.md template for Release Rollback Planning provides a complete operating manual for coordinating AI coding agents to safely roll back a deployment, including single-agent and multi-agent orchestration patterns.

The template describes the agent workflow, governance, context handling, handoffs, and escalation rules to ensure traceability and recoverability during rollback scenarios.

When to Use This AGENTS.md Template

When you need a structured, auditable rollback plan for a failed release.
When coordinating multiple agents across planning, execution, verification, and incident response.
When enforcing tool governance and approval gates around production changes.

Copyable AGENTS.md Template

The block below is copyable into AGENTS.md for your project. It defines roles, rules, and the operating model for the rollback workflow.

# AGENTS.md

Project role: Release Rollback Architect

Agent roster and responsibilities:
 - Planner: orchestrates rollback plan, defines criteria, assigns tasks.
 - Implementer: executes rollback scripts and configuration changes.
 - Verifier: validates system state post-rollback.
 - Auditor: records actions and maintains an audit trail.
 - Incident Commander: coordinates escalation and communications.

Supervisor or orchestrator behavior:
 The Planner acts as the central orchestrator, enforcing policies, routing tasks, and escalating when needed.

Handoff rules between agents:
 - Planner to Implementer upon approval of rollback plan.
 - Implementer to Verifier after actions complete.
 - Verifier to Auditor and Incident Commander when results are recorded.

Context, memory, and source-of-truth rules:
 - Context: current release, rollback window, affected services, monitored metrics.
 - Memory: maintain a rolling record of actions in a dedicated context store.
 - Source of truth: release history, deployment logs, and monitoring signals.

Tool access and permission rules:
 - Grant least-privilege access to deployment and config tools.
 - Do not expose secrets in logs or messages.
 - Require approvals for production actions.

Architecture rules:
 - Idempotent rollback steps.
 - Declarative configuration changes where possible.

File structure rules:
 - /workflows/release-rollback/
   - /ai-skills/agents-md-templates/
     - planner/
     - rollback-implementer/
     - rollback-verifier/
     - auditor/
     - incident-commander/
   - /configs/
   - /scripts/

Data, API, or integration rules:
 - Use stable rollback APIs, with rate limits and retries.

Validation rules:
 - Verify service health, data integrity, and monitoring signals.

Security rules:
 - Encrypt secrets at rest and in transit. Do not log sensitive data.

Testing rules:
 - Unit tests for rollback actions.
 - Integration tests in staging with representative data.
 - End-to-end tests of the rollback workflow.

Deployment rules:
 - Rollback steps must be reversible; maintain an audit log.

Human review and escalation rules:
 - Escalate to Incident Commander on critical regressions or non-deterministic outcomes.

Failure handling and rollback rules:
 - Revert to last known-good state; preserve data integrity.

Things Agents must not do:
 - Do not bypass approvals or run in production without consent.
 - Do not mutate the source of truth.

Recommended Agent Operating Model

Roles and decision boundaries for release rollback: Planner coordinates; Implementer executes; Verifier validates; Auditor records; Incident Commander manages escalation. Escalate to humans when uncertain or when safety thresholds are breached.

Recommended Project Structure

/workflows/release-rollback/
  /ai-skills/agents-md-templates/
    /planner/
    /rollback-implementer/
    /rollback-verifier/
    /auditor/
    /incident-commander/
  /configs/
  /scripts/
  /monitors/
  /docs/

Core Operating Principles

Single source of truth for rollback decisions.
Idempotent and auditable actions.
Least-privilege access and strict approval gates.
Deterministic outcomes with clear rollback paths.

Agent Handoff and Collaboration Rules

Define explicit handoffs between Planner, Implementer, Verifier, and Auditor. Use triggers based on actions completed and signals from monitoring systems.

Tool Governance and Permission Rules

Grant deployment tools with least privilege; require approvals for changes; enforce secrets management and audit trails.

Code Construction Rules

All rollback scripts must be idempotent, testable, and reversible. Avoid hard-coded production tokens.

Security and Production Rules

Enforce encryption, access control, and production safeguards. All rollback events must be auditable.

Testing Checklist

Unit tests for rollback actions.
Integration tests in staging with representative data.
End-to-end tests of the rollback workflow.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Skipping approvals for production changes.
Unclear ownership or ambiguous handoffs.
Overlooking data integrity during rollback.

FAQ

What is the purpose of this AGENTS.md template for Release Rollback Planning?

It defines roles, handoffs, and governance for orchestrating safe, auditable release rollbacks using AI coding agents.

Who is the supervisor or orchestrator in this template?

The Planner acts as the central orchestrator, enforcing policies, routing tasks, and escalating when required.

How are handoffs between agents managed during rollback?

Handoffs are governed by explicit rules in the Copyable AGENTS.md Template block, including trigger conditions, memory context, and source of truth.

What are the security and production rules?

We require least-privilege access, approval gates for deployment changes, and audit logs for all rollback actions.

How is validation performed after rollback?

Validation checks verify system state, data integrity, and monitoring signals before declaring rollback success.

Target User

Use Cases