Jumping straight into code can leave teams vulnerable to missed requirements and avoidable mistakes. Google's Conductor extension for Gemini CLI introduces a new paradigm: context-driven development. By insisting on upfront planning and storing specifications in Markdown files beside the code, Conductor ensures that both humans and AI agents work from a shared, well-documented foundation.
The Power of Persistent Context
Conventional AI development tools often rely on short-lived chat logs, which can cause confusion and inconsistencies. Conductor takes a different approach by treating context as a first-class citizen in the workflow.
It embeds key project information, like coding standards, technology stacks, and product objectives, directly in the codebase. This persistence means every contributor and AI agent operates from an up-to-date, unified source of truth, boosting productivity and ensuring quality.
Core Features
- Plan before you build: Teams formalize requirements and action plans before a single line of code is written, leading to smoother, more predictable development.
- Persistent context: AI agents draw from the same technical and business context, which sharpens the relevance and accuracy of their output.
- Safe iteration: All plans are reviewed and approved before work begins, giving human developers control and reducing nasty surprises.
- Team alignment: Shared guidelines and workflows make it easy for everyone,veterans and newcomers alike,to stay on track, simplifying onboarding and collaboration.
- Support for brownfield projects: Conductor is tailored to help teams document and evolve existing codebases, not just greenfield projects.
Helping Teams Tame Legacy Code
Real-world software development often requires working in mature, complex codebases. Conductor addresses this head-on by offering interactive sessions to document architecture, guidelines, and goals for legacy systems. As teams add new features, Conductor updates this living knowledge base, ensuring AI support grows smarter alongside the project. Google is investing in ongoing improvements, making Conductor an ever-more valuable tool for teams dealing with established code.
Unlocking Teamwide Efficiency
With Conductor, teams define essential project context, like vision, tech stack, and workflow, just once. This context underpins every feature and bug fix, so all code contributions feel cohesive and aligned. Onboarding becomes quicker, as new developers gain instant access to standards and constraints that previously took weeks or months to learn.
How the Conductor Workflow Works
1. Establish Project Context
Teams start with the /conductor:setup command, capturing fundamental details such as product goals, user personas, technology choices, and workflow processes. This context persists throughout the project's lifecycle.
2. Specify and Plan Tasks
When a new feature or bug needs attention, /conductor:newTrack kicks off a track. Each track includes two key artifacts:
- Specs: A detailed breakdown of what needs to be built and why it matters.
- Plan: An actionable to-do list, organized into phases, tasks, and sub-tasks.
Conductor helps populate these docs, using existing context to ensure nothing important is missed and to save time.
3. Implement and Iterate with Confidence
Once a plan is approved, /conductor:implement triggers the coding agent to work through the plan.md, checking off tasks as they’re completed. Developers can pause, resume, and update plans mid-flight, thanks to persistent state and flexible checkpoints.
Getting Started and Looking Forward
Conductor is ready for installation and use today. Google encourages development teams to embrace this context-driven workflow for more maintainable, higher-quality projects. Treating documentation as an integral part of the codebase means Gemini becomes a true collaborator, always in sync with the team and project goals.
Source: Google Developers Blog
Boosting Developer Productivity with Context-Driven Development and Google's Conductor