Agent: general

The default — the plain @-mention. A fast model with a small, workspace-free toolset: it answers directly, reads the org's repositories and acts on their issues through OpenSwitchboard's GitHub credential, and reads a linked URL — so the everyday asks are answered here, and only code changes, PR reviews, and web research are handed to the other agents.

• Code: src/agents/registry.ts (general, GENERAL_SYSTEM), src/tools/workspace.ts (the assistant toolset), src/tools/github.ts, default model in the deployed config (config/config.example.yaml documents the key)
• Docs: The agents and their toolsets, github-tools.md
• Budgets: 8 turns / 5 min / 16k tokens · toolset assistant

Behavior

1. Answers directly and concisely in Slack-friendly formatting. Its tools are the assistant toolset (github-tools.md items 4–5): the GitHub reads (github_repos, github_tree, github_file, github_search_code, github_issue_list, github_issue_get), the issue writes (github_issue_create / update / comment / delete), web_fetch, and update_status — no shell, no file writes, no web_search, no verdict or PR submission.
2. Runs on a fast/cheap model by default (production: haiku) — the speed is the feature; 8 turns is room for repos → tree → file or an issue action, not for exploration.
3. Never claims abilities it lacks and never fabricates: when a request needs a code change, a PR review, or web research it redirects to agent:coding / agent:review / agent:research explicitly (the system prompt names them with examples). When it acts, it reports exactly what the tool did (issue number + URL) and never claims an action it did not perform. A loosely-named repo ("the switchboard app") is resolved with github_repos or the thread, not by asking. Deleting an issue happens only on an explicit delete request — closing is an update; and since GitHub grants deletion only to a repo admin's user credential, the App-backed delete reports its refusal and offers to close instead (github-tools.md item 1). Regression pins: inventing a repo URL and telling the user to run git; bouncing "open an issue on the switchboard app" to agent:coding with "I have no tools for that".
4. Declares no resources (AgentDef.resources omits repo): a general ask never creates, reconnects, or touches a sandbox or workspace — even when remote execution (E2B/Cloudflare) is configured, and even when the sandbox credential is missing. The GitHub tools are REST calls in the bot process, not a workspace. See execution.md behavior 7.
5. Knows its own settings — and itself. Like every agent, its system prompt carries the dispatcher's config block (routing-and-config.md behavior 8) naming the agent/model that actually resolved and how users tune them, and the self-description block (behavior 11) saying what Switchboard is, which agents exist, how residents work, and where the source and specs live — so "what are your settings?" and "how does your resident system work?" are answered from fact, never with a confabulated "I'm stateless" or a public-web 404.
6. Issue writes are permission-gated per repo (github-tools.md item 3): restrict.repos against the requesting user's repos grant, checked before any API call; a refusal is reported to the user, not retried.

Validation criteria

Criterion	Proof
Toolset assistant, 8 turns, 5 min	[unit] src/agents/registry.test.ts::general: the assistant toolset*
assistant = GitHub reads + issue writes + web_fetch + update_status, nothing else	[unit] src/tools/github.test.ts::toolset wiring::assistant has no shell*
Declares no repo resource (coding/review declare required)	[unit] src/agents/registry.test.ts::resource declarations: coding and review require a repo; general declares none
With remote execution configured, a general ask provisions no sandbox and still answers	[unit] src/core/dispatcher.test.ts::a general ask with remote execution configured provisions no sandbox and still answers
Prompt names its GitHub tools, forbids claiming unperformed actions, redirects coding/review/research, never says "NO tools"	[unit] src/agents/registry.test.ts::general's prompt names its GitHub tools*
A plain mention opens an issue through github_issue_create and the reply quotes number + URL; a restricted repo refuses an ungranted user before the API	[unit] src/core/dispatcher.test.ts::self-description in the system prompt … and the github_* tools::a plain mention opens an issue*, ::the issue write is gated*
Plain question → direct answer in seconds	[agent] @switchboard what is a Durable Object? — expect a concise answer, status card showing general and single-digit seconds.
Settings question → truthful answer naming the resolved agent/model and the tuning commands	[unit] src/core/dispatcher.test.ts::config awareness in the system prompt::a default dispatch names the resolved agent+model and says config is tunable; live check in routing-and-config.md (behavior 8 [agent] row). Regression pin: general must never claim "stateless … no per-user or per-channel tuning".
Self question → answered from the About block	[agent] @switchboard how does your resident repo system work, and how do I add a repo? (fresh thread, no directive) — expect residents, repo onboard, the cap, and a pointer to docs/reference/specs/resident-repos.md; never "I have no access".
Issue ask → done, not redirected	[agent] @switchboard open an issue on the switchboard app with the title "foo" and the body "bar" → the reply quotes <owner>/<repo>#<n> + URL and the issue exists on GitHub.
Code-change / PR-review ask → honest redirect	[agent] @switchboard fix the flaky test in acme/api and open a PR (no agent: directive, fresh thread) — expect a redirect to agent:coding; no invented diffs, commands-to-run-yourself, or fabricated output.