---
title: "Pipeline Overview"
description: "The 15-agent SDLC pipeline from environment discovery to cost estimation."
---

## The complete pipeline

RStack ships 15 SDLC pipeline agents (stages 00–14) that cover the full software delivery lifecycle:

| # | Agent file | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 00 | `agents/sdlc/00-environment.md` | Environment discovery |
| 01 | `agents/sdlc/01-transcript.md` | Transcript processing |
| 02 | `agents/sdlc/02-requirements.md` | Requirements extraction |
| 03 | `agents/sdlc/03-documentation.md` | Documentation writing |
| 04 | `agents/sdlc/04-planning.md` | Sprint planning |
| 05 | `agents/sdlc/05-jira.md` | Ticketing / Jira |
| 06 | `agents/sdlc/06-architecture.md` | Architecture design |
| 07 | `agents/sdlc/07-code.md` | Code generation |
| 08 | `agents/sdlc/08-testing.md` | Test generation |
| 09 | `agents/sdlc/09-deployment.md` | Deployment pipelines |
| 10 | `agents/sdlc/10-summary.md` | Summary / handoff |
| 11 | `agents/sdlc/11-feedback-loop.md` | Feedback and retrospectives |
| 12 | `agents/sdlc/12-security-threat-model.md` | Security threat modeling |
| 13 | `agents/sdlc/13-compliance-checker.md` | Compliance checking |
| 14 | `agents/sdlc/14-cost-estimation.md` | Cloud cost estimation |

## Pipeline routing map

```text
Product clarification  →  00-environment, 01-transcript
Requirements           →  02-requirements, 04-planning, 05-jira
Architecture           →  06-architecture, 12-security-threat-model, 14-cost-estimation
Implementation         →  07-code
Testing                →  08-testing
Security review        →  12-security-threat-model, 13-compliance-checker
Documentation          →  03-documentation, 10-summary
Release readiness      →  09-deployment, 10-summary, 11-feedback-loop
```

## How agents are invoked

Agents are not invoked directly — the orchestrator selects them based on the current lifecycle stage and packages them into task packets.

In **Pi native mode**, the orchestrator uses `sdlc_build_next` to assemble the right agents automatically.

In **asset-only mode**, you can reference agents by path in your prompt:

```text
Use agents/sdlc/06-architecture.md to design the system architecture.
Include agents/sdlc/12-security-threat-model.md in the review.
```

## Adding to the pipeline

Custom pipeline stages can be added by creating agent files and registering them in the routing config:

```bash
# Create a custom pipeline agent
touch agents/sdlc/15-my-custom-stage.md

# Re-validate to update the registry
rstack-agents validate
```

Then reference it in your custom `.rstack/plugins/` or override `routing.json`.