The Autopilot System

The Autopilot system is Hatcher's tactical automation framework that transforms complex development workflows into intelligent, executable recipes. Where Playbooks define the strategy (standards and patterns), Autopilots are the tactics that automate the implementation of those patterns with AI-powered intelligence.

What Are Autopilots?

Autopilots are structured workflows that combine:

• Task Automation: Multi-step processes executed with precision
• AI Intelligence: Context-aware decisions during execution
• Tool Integration: Seamless interaction with development tools
• Error Handling: Intelligent recovery from common issues

They are the "recipes" that know HOW to achieve what your Playbooks declare you WANT to achieve.

Autopilot Structure

A basic Autopilot follows this structure:

{
  "name": "Create Vue Component",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Generate a complete Vue 3 component with tests",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "name": "componentName",
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Name of the component in PascalCase",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "name": "useTypeScript",
      "type": "boolean",
      "description": "Use TypeScript",
      "default": true
    }
  ],
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "create-component",
      "action": "file.create",
      "path": "src/components/${componentName}.vue"
    },
    {
      "name": "create-test",
      "action": "file.create",
      "path": "tests/${componentName}.spec.ts"
    },
    {
      "name": "validate-quality",
      "action": "run.action",
      "name": "test:component"
    }
  ]
}

Built-in Autopilots

Hatcher ships with powerful Autopilots for common development patterns:

Component Autopilots

• Create Component: Generate complete components with tests
• Extract Component: Refactor code into reusable components
• Update Props: Modify component interfaces safely

Refactoring Autopilots

• Extract Function: Pull logic into utility functions
• Rename Symbol: Safely rename across entire codebase
• Move Module: Relocate code with import updates

Testing Autopilots

• Generate Tests: Create test suites from implementation
• Update Snapshots: Refresh test snapshots intelligently
• Coverage Report: Analyze and improve test coverage

Documentation Autopilots

• Generate JSDoc: Add documentation from code analysis
• Update README: Keep documentation synchronized
• API Documentation: Generate API docs from code

Creating Custom Autopilots

Basic Workflow Autopilots

Create Autopilots for your team's specific workflows:

name: Setup New Feature
description: Initialize a new feature with all required structure
inputs:
  - name: featureName
    type: string
    required: true
  - name: includeTests
    type: boolean
    default: true

steps:
  - name: Create feature directory
    action: directory.create
    path: src/features/${featureName}

  - name: Generate index file
    action: file.create
    path: src/features/${featureName}/index.ts
    template: feature-index

  - name: Create component structure
    action: run.autopilot
    name: Create Vue Component
    inputs:
      componentName: ${featureName}View

  - name: Setup routing
    action: file.modify
    path: src/router/index.ts
    operation: add-route
    route:
      path: /${featureName}
      component: ${featureName}View

  - name: Validate with Actions
    action: run.actions
    actions: ["test:unit", "lint:check", "types:validate"]

AI-Enhanced Autopilots

Leverage AI for intelligent task execution:

name: Optimize Component Performance
description: Analyze and optimize Vue component performance
ai-mode: enhanced

steps:
  - name: Analyze component
    action: ai.analyze
    prompt: |
      Analyze this Vue component for performance issues:
      - Unnecessary re-renders
      - Missing memoization
      - Inefficient computed properties
      - Large bundle size

  - name: Apply optimizations
    action: ai.refactor
    playbooks:
      - vue-performance
      - bundle-optimization
    constraints:
      - Maintain all existing functionality
      - Keep TypeScript types intact
      - Preserve component API

  - name: Verify changes
    action: run.actions
    actions: ['test:component', 'performance:benchmark']

Autopilot Triggers

Manual Execution

Run Autopilots on demand:

hatcher run create-component --name UserProfile

File Watch Triggers

Execute Autopilots on file changes:

{
  "triggers": [
    {
      "type": "file-change",
      "pattern": "**/*.vue",
      "autopilot": "update-component-docs"
    }
  ]
}

Git Hook Integration

Automate Autopilots with Git workflows:

{
  "triggers": [
    {
      "type": "pre-commit",
      "autopilot": "format-and-lint"
    },
    {
      "type": "post-merge",
      "autopilot": "update-dependencies"
    }
  ]
}

Autopilot Composition

Sequential Autopilots

Chain Autopilots for complex workflows:

name: Complete Feature Development
steps:
  - action: run.autopilot
    name: Create Component

  - action: run.autopilot
    name: Generate Tests

  - action: run.autopilot
    name: Update Documentation

  - action: git.commit
    message: 'feat: Add ${featureName} component'

  - action: run.actions
    name: Final Quality Gates
    actions: ['coverage:verify', 'bundle:size']

Parallel Autopilots

Execute independent tasks simultaneously:

name: Project Setup
parallel: true
steps:
  - action: npm.install
  - action: generate.types
  - action: setup.environment

Conditional Autopilots

Add logic to your workflows:

steps:
  - name: Check TypeScript
    action: config.check
    key: useTypeScript

  - name: Generate types
    condition: ${steps.checkTypeScript.result}
    action: typescript.generate

Error Handling

Retry Logic

Handle transient failures gracefully:

steps:
  - name: API Setup
    action: api.initialize
    retry:
      attempts: 3
      delay: 1000
      backoff: exponential

Fallback Autopilots

Provide alternative paths:

steps:
  - name: Use npm
    action: npm.install
    fallback:
      - action: yarn.install
      - action: pnpm.install

Error Recovery

Clean up on failure:

steps:
  - name: Database migration
    action: db.migrate
    onError:
      - action: db.rollback
      - action: notify.team
        message: Migration failed

Autopilot Marketplace

Community Autopilots

Browse and install Autopilots from the community:

• Framework-specific: Optimized for React, Vue, Angular
• Tool integrations: Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD
• Domain-specific: E-commerce, SaaS, Mobile

Publishing Autopilots

Share your Autopilots with the community:

hatcher autopilot publish my-awesome-workflow

Autopilot Versioning

• Semantic Versioning: Track compatibility
• Dependency Management: Handle Autopilot dependencies
• Update Notifications: Stay current with improvements

Configuration

Global Autopilots

Configure default Autopilots for all projects:

{
  "globalAutopilots": [
    "code-formatter",
    "commit-validator",
    "dependency-checker"
  ]
}

Project Autopilots

Define project-specific Autopilots in hatcher.config.json:

{
  "autopilots": {
    "directory": "./autopilots",
    "autoload": ["setup", "deploy"],
    "aliases": {
      "dev": "start-development",
      "ship": "deploy-production"
    }
  }
}

Best Practices

Autopilot Design

• Single Responsibility: Each Autopilot should orchestrate one workflow well
• Idempotent: Autopilots should be safe to run multiple times
• Composable: Design Autopilots to work together
• Documented: Clear descriptions and examples

Performance

• Cache Results: Avoid redundant operations
• Parallel Execution: Use parallelism where possible
• Progressive Enhancement: Start simple, add complexity as needed

Security

• Input Validation: Verify all inputs before execution
• Sandboxed Execution: Run untrusted Autopilots safely
• Audit Logging: Track all Autopilot executions

Integration with Playbooks and Actions

Autopilots orchestrate between Playbooks (strategy) and Actions (validation):

name: Implement Feature
playbooks:
  - vue3-typescript # The standards to follow
  - team-standards # The patterns to use

steps:
  - name: Generate component
    action: ai.create
    prompt: Create a Vue component following our standards

  - name: Apply team patterns
    action: playbook.apply
    strict: true

  - name: Validate with Actions
    action: run.actions
    actions:
      - test:unit # Verify tests pass
      - lint:check # Verify code quality
      - coverage:verify # Verify test coverage

Monitoring and Analytics

Execution Tracking

Monitor Autopilot performance:

• Execution Time: Track duration and bottlenecks
• Success Rate: Monitor reliability
• Usage Patterns: Understand team workflows

Optimization Suggestions

AI-powered insights:

• Workflow Improvements: Suggest better Autopilot sequences
• Performance Tips: Identify optimization opportunities
• Pattern Detection: Discover automation opportunities

Future Features

Visual Autopilot Builder

Drag-and-drop interface for creating complex workflows without code.

AI Autopilot Generation

Automatically generate Autopilots by observing developer patterns.

Distributed Execution

Run Autopilots across multiple machines for massive parallelism.

Time Travel Debugging

Step through Autopilot execution history to debug complex workflows.

The Power of Tactical Automation

The Autopilot system transforms repetitive development tasks into intelligent, automated workflows that learn and improve over time. They are the tactical layer that bridges the gap between strategic Playbooks and validating Actions, creating a complete automation ecosystem that respects your standards while accelerating your development.

Remember: Playbooks define WHAT, Autopilots execute HOW, Actions validate IF.

Deploy Your First Autopilot

Automate complex workflows with intelligent, self-improving AI agents

Launch Autopilot System→

From repetition to automation. From manual to magical.