configs-create

What this skill does

# Create Config

You're using a skill that will guide you through creating a config in LaunchDarkly. Your job is to understand the use case, choose the right mode, create the config and its variations, and verify everything is set up correctly.

> **⚠️ This skill creates a config — it does not make it servable.** A freshly-created config has its **fallthrough pointing at an auto-generated disabled variation**, not at the variation you just created. The SDK will return `ai_config.enabled=False` on every evaluation until you flip targeting on and point the fallthrough at your new variation. This is not a bug — it's the default state. **You must run `/configs-targeting` (or the equivalent REST / CLI call shown in Step 5) before verifying against the SDK**, or verification will look like the LD-served path is broken when it isn't. The single most common failure mode users hit with this skill is skipping the targeting step and spending time debugging `enabled=False` in their application code.

## Prerequisites

This skill requires the remotely hosted LaunchDarkly MCP server to be configured in your environment.

**Primary MCP tool:**
- `setup-ai-config` -- create a config with its first variation in one step (recommended)

**Alternative MCP tools (for more control):**
- `create-ai-config` -- create just the config shell (key, name, mode)
- `create-ai-config-variation` -- add a variation with model, prompts, and parameters
- `get-ai-config` -- verify the config was created correctly

**Optional MCP tools (enhance workflow):**
- `list-ai-configs` -- browse existing configs to understand naming conventions
- `create-project` -- create a project if one doesn't exist yet

## Important: Bias Towards Action

When the user provides enough context (use case, model, mode), proceed through the entire workflow without stopping to ask for details you can infer. Use reasonable defaults for unspecified fields: `default` for variation key, the use case as the basis for instructions/messages, kebab-case for config keys. Complete all steps (create + verify) in one pass.

## Workflow

### Step 1: Understand the Use Case

Before creating, identify what you're building:

- **What framework?** LangGraph, LangChain, CrewAI, Strands, OpenAI SDK, Anthropic SDK, custom
- **What does the agent need?** Just text generation, or tools/function calling?
- **Agent or completion?** See the decision matrix below

### Step 2: Choose Agent vs Completion Mode

This choice is about **input schema and framework compatibility**, not execution behavior. Agent mode returns an `instructions` string; completion mode returns a `messages` array. Both provide provider abstraction, A/B testing, and metrics tracking.

| Your Need | Mode | Why |
|-----------|------|-----|
| LangGraph, CrewAI, Strands, AutoGen frameworks | **Agent** | Frameworks expect goal/instruction input |
| Persistent instructions across interactions | **Agent** | Single instructions string, SDK method: `agent_config()` (Python) / `agentConfig()` (Node) |
| Direct OpenAI/Anthropic API calls | **Completion** | Messages array maps directly to provider APIs |
| Full control of message structure | **Completion** | System/user/assistant role-based messages |
| One-off text generation | **Completion** | Standard chat format |
| Need online evaluations (LLM-as-judge) | **Completion** | Online evals are only available in completion mode |

**Both modes support tools.** Not all models support agent mode -- check model compatibility if using agent mode. If unsure, start with completion mode (it's the API default and more flexible).

### Step 3: Create the Config (Recommended: One Step)

Use `setup-ai-config` to create the config and its first variation in one call. This is the recommended approach: it handles creation, variation setup, and verification automatically.

**Config fields:**
- `key` -- unique identifier (lowercase, hyphens)
- `name` -- human-readable name
- `mode` -- `"agent"` or `"completion"`
- Optional: `description`, `tags`

**Variation fields:**
- `variationKey`, `variationName` -- identifiers for the first variation
- `modelConfigKey` -- must be `Provider.model-id` format (e.g., `OpenAI.gpt-4o`, `Anthropic.claude-sonnet-4-5`)
- `modelName` -- the model identifier (e.g., `gpt-4o`). **Always pass this in the initial call** — leaving it off produces a variation that displays "NO MODEL" and forces a second PATCH to set it. The field is `modelName`; it is **not** `name` or `model.name` on this endpoint.

**For agent mode**, provide:
- `instructions` -- a string with the agent's system instructions

Example agent-mode call:
```json
{
  "projectKey": "my-project", "key": "support-agent", "name": "Support Agent",
  "mode": "agent", "variationKey": "default", "variationName": "Default",
  "modelConfigKey": "OpenAI.gpt-4o", "modelName": "gpt-4o",
  "instructions": "You are a customer support agent. Help users resolve their issues."
}
```

**For completion mode**, provide:
- `messages` -- an array of `{role, content}` objects (system, user, assistant)

Example completion-mode call:
```json
{
  "projectKey": "my-project", "key": "product-descriptions", "name": "Product Descriptions",
  "mode": "completion", "variationKey": "default", "variationName": "Default",
  "modelConfigKey": "Anthropic.claude-sonnet-4-5", "modelName": "claude-sonnet-4-5",
  "messages": [
    {"role": "system", "content": "You are a product copywriter. Write compelling descriptions."},
    {"role": "user", "content": "Write a description for: {{product_name}}"}
  ]
}
```

**Optional:**
- `parameters` -- model parameters like `{temperature: 0.7, max_tokens: 2000}` (match the UI's snake_case keys)

The tool returns the full verified config detail with the variation attached.

### Step 3 (Alternative): Two-Step Creation

If the user asks for more control or a step-by-step approach, use the individual tools:

1. `create-ai-config` -- create the config shell
2. `create-ai-config-variation` -- add the variation with model, prompts, and parameters
3. `get-ai-config` -- verify the result

**Execute all three steps without stopping to ask for details.** Infer the variation key (`default`), name (`Default`), instructions/messages, and model from the user's request context. If the user asked for GPT-4o agent mode, you have enough to complete the entire flow. Only ask clarifying questions if the mode or model is truly ambiguous.

### Step 4: Verify

If you used `setup-ai-config`, verification is automatic: the response includes the full config with variations. Check:

1. Config exists with the correct mode
2. Variation has a model assigned (not "NO MODEL")
3. Instructions or messages are present
4. Parameters are set

**Use `get-ai-config` for the verification call — do not drop to raw `curl` + `jq`.** The MCP tool returns a typed object you can inspect directly. Hand-rolled `jq` filters against the REST response routinely break: the configs detail endpoint returns the variation list under different keys depending on `expand`, and a filter like `.variations.items[]` will fail with `Cannot index array with string "items"` when the response shape is a bare array. If you must call the REST API, use `jq -e .` first to inspect the actual shape before drilling in.

**Report results:**
- Config created with correct structure
- Variation has model assigned
- Flag any missing model or parameters
- Provide config URL: `https://app.launchdarkly.com/projects/{projectKey}/ai-configs/{configKey}`

### Step 5: Make the variation servable

`setup-ai-config` and `create-ai-config-variation` create the variation but **do not promote it to fallthrough**. The new config will return `enabled=False` to every consumer until targeting is updated. This is the single most common "I created a config but my SDK still gets the fallback" failure. **The workflow is not complete until this step is done.**

#### What to tell the user

Print this checklist verbatim to the user after Step 4, then wait for con