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A Playbook is your automation written in plain English. It describes what you want to accomplish, who does the work, and how they collaborate. Think of it as a game plan for your AI team.

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Playbook Structure

Every Playbook has three core sections:

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Objectives (Game Plan)

The Objectives section defines what you want to accomplish and what success looks like. This is the foundation of your Playbook — everything else flows from here. 
## Objectives

Summarize client emails every morning and post a digest to Slack.

**Success criteria:**
- Digest posted to #client-updates by 9am
- Emails categorized by priority (urgent, normal, low)
- Summary includes action items if any

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Roster (The Team)

The Roster defines your AI team members — the specialists who will execute the workflow. Each role has a name, description, and the skills they need.

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Mandatory Roles

Every Playbook includes two essential roles that Aident adds automatically:
RoleResponsibility
Project ManagerCoordinates the workflow, delegates tasks, ensures agents work together
QA SpecialistValidates outputs, checks for errors, ensures quality before delivery

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Specialist Roles

You define additional specialists based on your workflow needs: 
## Roster

- **Email Analyst**: Reads and categorizes incoming client emails by priority and topic
- **Content Writer**: Creates concise, readable summaries from categorized emails
- **Slack Communicator**: Formats and posts the final digest to the appropriate channel
You don’t need to configure technical details. Just describe what each role does — Aident figures out the right capabilities.

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Collaboration Rules (Play Calls)

The Collaboration Rules define how your team members work together. Use @mentions to reference specific roles and describe the handoffs. 
## Collaboration Rules

1. @Email Analyst fetches all client emails from the past 24 hours
2. @Email Analyst categorizes each email by priority and sender
3. @Content Writer receives the categorized list and drafts a summary
4. @QA Specialist reviews the summary for accuracy and completeness
5. @Slack Communicator posts the approved summary to #client-updates

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Best Practices

Be Sequential

Number your steps in order. Clear sequence = predictable execution.

Use @Mentions

Always reference roles with @mentions so handoffs are explicit.

Define Conditions

Specify what happens in edge cases (no emails, errors, etc.).

Keep It Simple

Start with fewer steps. Add complexity as needed.

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Complete Example

Here’s a full Playbook that summarizes daily emails: 
## Objectives

Summarize client emails every morning and post a digest to Slack.

**Success criteria:**
- Digest posted to #client-updates by 9am
- Emails categorized by priority
- Summary is concise (under 500 words)

## Roster

- **Email Analyst**: Reads Gmail inbox and categorizes client emails
- **Content Writer**: Creates readable summaries from email data
- **Slack Communicator**: Posts formatted messages to Slack channels

## Collaboration Rules

1. @Email Analyst connects to Gmail and fetches emails from the past 24 hours
2. @Email Analyst filters for client domains and categorizes by priority
3. @Content Writer receives the categorized emails and drafts a digest
4. @QA Specialist reviews the digest for accuracy
5. @Slack Communicator formats and posts to #client-updates
6. If no client emails found, @Slack Communicator posts "No client emails in the past 24 hours"

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Writing Your Playbook

1

Start with Objectives

Describe what you want to achieve. Be specific about success criteria.
2

Define Your Roster

List the specialists you need. Describe what each role does in plain English.
3

Write Collaboration Rules

Describe the workflow step by step. Use @mentions for clarity.
4

Let Aiden Help

Aiden will suggest improvements, catch issues, and help refine your Playbook.

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Compilation

When you save your Playbook, Aident compiles it into an executable Agent Team. This process:
  1. Parses your natural language into structured instructions
  2. Assigns capabilities to each role
  3. Validates required integrations
  4. Creates a ready-to-run workflow

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Compilation Status

StatusMeaning
PendingChanges detected, waiting to compile
SucceededReady to run
FailedIssues found — Aiden will help you fix them
If compilation fails, Aiden explains what went wrong and suggests fixes. Common issues include missing integrations or unclear collaboration rules.

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Next Steps

Learn About Agents

Understand how your Agent Team works

Connect Integrations

Set up the tools your agents need