Lesson 1: What is ReArch?

Overview

ReArch is a background AI agent that lets your entire workforce ship code. Instead of switching between an editor, a chat window, and a terminal, you describe what you want built — and ReArch handles the implementation, testing, and delivery.

Think of it as having a junior developer who never sleeps, never forgets the style guide, and gets faster the more context you give it.

Core Concepts

Agents

An agent is a configured AI worker. Each agent has:

• A system prompt that defines its personality and constraints
• Access to a set of tools (file system, Git, shell, APIs)
• A context window — the information it can see at any given time

You can have multiple agents for different purposes: one for writing features, another for writing tests, another for documentation.

Pipelines

A pipeline is a sequence of steps that an agent executes. For example:

1. Read the issue description
2. Explore the relevant codebase
3. Write the implementation
4. Run the test suite
5. Create a pull request

Pipelines are defined in your project configuration and can be triggered manually or automatically.

Tasks

A task is a single unit of work assigned to an agent. It includes:

• A natural-language description of what needs to be done
• Optional constraints (target branch, files to modify, tests to pass)
• A pipeline to execute

# Example task definition
task:
  description: "Add input validation to the user registration form"
  pipeline: feature
  constraints:
    branch: feat/registration-validation
    files:
      - src/components/RegisterForm.tsx
      - src/utils/validation.ts
    tests: true

How ReArch Fits Your Workflow

ReArch is not a replacement for developers — it is a force multiplier. Here is a typical flow:

1. You create an issue or describe a task
2. ReArch picks it up, explores the codebase, and writes an implementation
3. You review the pull request, provide feedback
4. ReArch iterates based on your comments
5. You approve and merge

The key insight: you stay in control of what gets built and how it is reviewed. ReArch handles the mechanical work of writing, testing, and formatting code.

Key Terminology

Term	Definition
Agent	An AI worker configured with a prompt and tool access
Pipeline	A defined sequence of steps an agent follows
Task	A unit of work with a description and constraints
Context	The information an agent can see (files, history, docs)
Tool	A capability an agent can use (read file, run command, etc.)

What’s Next

In the next lesson, you will install ReArch and configure your workspace. If you are already familiar with these concepts, feel free to mark this lesson as complete and move on.

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