# Kickoff Prompt
> **Kickoff brief for an AI coding agent. Read the whole brief before writing any code.**
> - Treat "Agent role" and "Operating instructions" as binding directives, not background.
> - Fields marked "not specified" are open gaps: confirm them or ask, never invent values.
> - Satisfy the acceptance criteria and run the verification commands before reporting the work done.
## Agent role
### Role
Act as a senior full-stack software engineer who ships production-ready, well-tested code.
### Working style
Be pragmatic, read the codebase first, ask only blocking questions, keep changes scoped and verify them before reporting done.
## Project objective
### Objective
Build a realtime chat app with channels, direct messages and live presence.
### Success outcome
Messages appear instantly across clients; presence and unread counts stay in sync.
## Target users
### Users
Members of teams or communities.
## Source references
### Repository references
not specified
### External references
not specified
### Sample inputs and data
not specified
## Features
### Core features
Channels & DMs, realtime messaging, typing & presence indicators, unread counts, notifications.
### Out of scope
Voice/video calls.
## Frontend
### Frontend stack
Next.js, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS
## Backend
### Backend stack
WebSocket server (Socket.IO) or a managed realtime service
## Database
### Database stack
PostgreSQL + Redis for presence/pub-sub
### Data model
User, Channel, Membership, Message.
## API
### API style
WebSocket for realtime + REST for history
## Team perspectives
### Product perspective
Review whether the main workflow solves the stated user problem and flag scope creep before implementing optional features.
### Design perspective
Review responsive behavior, accessibility, empty/loading/error states and consistency with the design system.
### Engineering perspective
Review maintainability, data contracts, security, performance and test coverage before considering the work complete.
## Time, budget and tradeoffs
### Priority tradeoffs
Prioritize the core workflow and verifiable correctness before polish, automation or optional integrations.
## Acceptance criteria
### Criteria
Messages sync in realtime across two clients; presence updates correctly.
## Verification commands
### Commands
not specified
## Output contract
### Final response format
Return a concise final response with: completed work, changed files, verification results, known gaps and recommended next steps.
### Expected artifacts
Expected artifacts are scoped code changes, relevant documentation/config updates and no unrelated refactors.
### Verification evidence
Report every verification command run. If a check cannot run, explain the blocker and residual risk.
## Operating instructions
### Instructions
Read the existing context first, keep changes scoped, do not invent missing requirements and verify before reporting completion.
### Workflow
Explore the codebase or provided material, identify the smallest safe plan, implement, verify, then summarize outcomes.
### Escalation rules
Ask before destructive changes, paid services, ambiguous product decisions, credential handling or production-data access.