Squad presets

A squad preset supplies the starting configuration for a new squad. Manage them in Settings → Administration → Squad Presets, then select one when creating a squad. Onboarding preselects Engineering.

Once created, a squad owns its settings. Editing, disabling, reverting, or deleting its original preset does not change the squad. Tau keeps squadPresetId as provenance, including after the preset is deleted.

What gets copied

Preset setting	New squad behavior
Purpose	Suggested in the creation form; describe the squad’s actual responsibility.
Default agents	Initial persistent members. Explicitly choosing an empty list leaves only the manager.
Manager instructions	Copied into typeContext.manager, editable under Squad Settings → Context. An explicit manager context at creation overrides this default.
Default workflow	Copied into metadata.workflow. Engineering starts with Solo Coding. Without a saved default, Tau uses Solo.
Guidance and choices	Copied into metadata.workflowSetup. The manager reads these recommendations when choosing a flow; they are not automatic matching rules.
Schedule templates	Provisioned once after the manager and persistent members exist. The resulting schedules belong to the squad.

Worker instructions belong in agent expertise and workflows, not squad presets. Presets have no workerInstructions field.

Workflows remain shared

The squad’s default and alternatives can reference global workflow IDs. These references are copied, not the entire catalog definition. Each new work stream resolves its selected style and snapshots its flow and agent types.

For example, two squads can use Reviewed Coding. Updating that global style affects future work streams that use it. It does not rewrite either squad’s preferences or any running stream’s snapshot.

Configure with the CLI or YAML

tau squad-preset list
tau squad-preset get engineering
tau squad create "Platform" --preset engineering --purpose "Maintain our platform"

Self-hosted preset YAML lives in config/squad-presets/. The catalog API uses /api/squad-presets; its permissions are squad-presets:read, create, update, and delete.

The upgrade from squad types renames stored preset IDs and permission grants, copies previously inherited defaults and manager context into existing squads, and removes worker instructions. Move custom configuration files from config/squad-types/ into config/squad-presets/, remove workerInstructions, and update scripts using tau squad-type or tau squad create --type to the commands above. Update custom role and agent YAML permissions from squad-types:* to squad-presets:* too; persisted grants are migrated automatically. Existing squads retain their own members, schedules, and work preferences.