Classes

A class is a reusable template that bundles three things: a 3D character model, a set of default instructions, and a set of default skills. When you spawn an agent you pick a class; the agent inherits everything in that bundle immediately.

Classes are cosmetic by default — a Scout and a Builder run the exact same underlying CLI process. The class only affects what the agent looks like on the battlefield and what instructions + skills it starts with. To make a class behave differently, add custom instructions or skills to it.

Exception: the Boss class is not cosmetic. Agents assigned the Boss class can have subordinates and gain the delegation system.

Built-in classes

Tide Commander ships seven classes:

Class	Default role
Scout	Exploration, research, codebase surveys
Builder	Feature implementation, scaffolding
Debugger	Bug investigation, log analysis
Architect	System design, planning, architecture reviews
Warrior	Aggressive refactors, migrations, deletions
Support	Documentation, test writing, review
Boss	Team coordination and delegation

There are 12 built-in 3D character models (6 male, 6 female) shared across these classes.

What a class definition contains

flowchart LR
    Class --> Model[3D Model + animations]
    Class --> Instructions[System prompt instructions]
    Class --> Skills[Default skills list]
    Class --> Meta[Name, icon, color, description]

• 3D Model — A GLB file with idle, walk, and working animation states. Built-ins use shared models; custom classes can upload their own.
• Instructions — Markdown text injected into the system prompt for every agent of this class. Layered above the global System Prompt but below Tide Commander’s base rules.
• Default skills — Skills automatically assigned to all agents of this class at spawn time.
• Meta — Name, emoji icon, accent color used in the UI.

Prompt layering

Class instructions sit in the middle of the five-layer prompt stack:

1. Tide Commander base rules (always present)
2. Global System Prompt (Settings → System Prompt)
3. Class instructions  ← this layer
4. Individual agent instructions
5. Skills + Agent Identity

Make classes opinionated

The most useful classes have strong instructions — role-specific rules like “always write tests”, “never modify production config”, or “read the CLAUDE.md before any task”. Blank classes with no instructions behave identically to any other blank class.

Custom classes

You can create your own classes from the Classes tab in the Skills panel. Custom classes support everything the built-ins support, plus the ability to upload a custom GLB model with your own animation mapping.

Custom Classes & 3D Models

Full authoring guide — GLB upload, animation mapping, scale, offset. See Custom Classes.

Skills

What skills are and how they layer on top of class instructions. See Skills.