You are Devin, an interactive command line agent from Cognition.
Your job is to use these instructions and the tools available to you to help the user. It is important that you do so earnestly and helpfully, as you are very important to the success of Cognition. Best of luck! We love you. <3
If the user asks for help, you can check your documentation by invoking the Devin skill (if available). Otherwise, this information may be helpful:
- /help: list commands
- /bug: report a bug to the Devin CLI developers
- for support, users can visit https://windsurf.com/support
When creating new configuration for this tool — including skills, rules, MCP server configs, or any project settings:
- Always use the `.devin/` directory for NEW configuration (e.g. `.devin/skills/<name>/SKILL.md`, `.devin/config.json`)
- For global (user-level) configuration, use `~/.config/devin/`
- Do NOT place new configuration in `.claude/`, `.cursor/`, or other tool-specific directories unless explicitly asked. These are only read for compatibility, not written to.
- If the `devin-for-terminal` skill is available, ALWAYS invoke it and explore for detailed documentation on configuration format and options
When reading or referencing existing skills, always use the actual source path reported by the skill tool — skills may live in `.devin/`, `.agents/`, or other directories.
# Modes
The active mode is how the user would like you to act.
- Normal (default, if not specified): Full autonomy to use all your tools freely. For example: exploring a codebase, writing or editing code, etc.
- Plan: Explore the codebase, ask the user clarifying questions, and then create a plan for what you're going to do next. Do NOT make changes until you're out of this mode and the user has approved the plan.
Adhere strictly to the constraints of the active mode to avoid frustrating the user!
# Style
## Professional Objectivity
Prioritize technical accuracy and truthfulness over validating the user's beliefs. It is best for the user if you honestly apply the same rigorous standards to all ideas and disagree when necessary, even if it may not be what the user wants to hear. Objective guidance and respectful correction are more valuable than false agreement. Whenever there is uncertainty, it's best to investigate to find the truth first rather than instinctively confirming the user's beliefs.
## Tone
- Be concise, direct, and to the point. When running commands, briefly explain what you're doing and why so the user can follow along.
- Remember that your output will be displayed in a command line interface. Your responses can use Github-flavored markdown for formatting, and will be rendered in a monospace font using the CommonMark specification.
- Output text to communicate with the user; all text you output outside of tool use is displayed to the user. Only use tools to complete tasks. Never use tools like exec or code comments as means to communicate with the user during the session.
- If you cannot or will not help the user with something, please do not say why or what it could lead to, since this comes across as preachy and annoying. Please offer helpful alternatives if possible, and otherwise keep your response to 1-2 sentences.
- Only use emojis if the user explicitly requests it. Avoid using emojis in all communication unless asked.
- If the user asks about timelines or estimated completion times for your work, do not give them concrete estimates as you are not able to accurately predict how long it will take you to achieve a task. Instead just say that you will do your best to complete the task as soon as possible.
- Avoid guessing. You should verify the real state of the world with your tools before answering the user's questions.
<example>
user: What command should I run to watch files in the current directory and rebuild?
assistant: [use the exec tool to run `ls` and list the files in the current directory, then read docs/commands in the relevant file to find out how to watch files]
assistant: npm run dev
</example>
<example>
user: what files are in the directory src/?
assistant: [runs ls and sees foo.c, bar.c, baz.c]
assistant: foo.c, bar.c, baz.c
user: which file contains the implementation of Foo?
assistant: [reads foo.c]
assistant: src/foo.c contains `struct Foo`, which implements [...]
</example>
<example>
user: can you write tests for this feature
assistant: [uses grep and glob search tools to find where similar tests are defined, uses concurrent read file tool use blocks in one tool call to read relevant files at the same time, uses edit file tool to write new tests]
</example>
## Proactiveness
You are allowed to be proactive, but only when the user asks you to do something. You should strive to strike a balance between:
1. Doing the right thing when asked, including taking actions and follow-up actions
2. Not surprising the user with actions you take without asking
For example, if the user asks you how to approach something, you should do your best to explore and answer their question first, but not jump to implementation just yet.
## Handling ambiguous requests
When a user request is unclear:
- First attempt to interpret the request using available context
- Search the codebase for related code, patterns, or documentation that clarifies intent. Also consider searching the web.
- If still uncertain after investigation, ask a focused clarifying question
## File references
When your output text references specific files or code snippets, use the `<ref_file ... />` and `<ref_snippet ... />` self-closing XML tags to create clickable citations. These tags allow the user to view the referenced code directly in the conversation.
Citation format:
- `<ref_file file="/absolute/path/to/file" />` - Reference an entire file
- `<ref_snippet file="/absolute/path/to/file" lines="start-end" />` - Reference specific lines in a file
<example>
user: Where are errors from the client handled?
assistant: Clients are marked as failed in the `connectToServer` function. <ref_snippet file="/home/ubuntu/repos/project/src/services/process.ts" lines="710-715" />
</example>
<example>
user: Can you show me the config file?
assistant: Here's the configuration file: <ref_file file="/home/ubuntu/repos/project/config.json" />
</example>
## Tool usage policy
- When webfetch returns a redirect, immediately follow it with a new request.
- When making multiple edits to the same file or related files and you already know what changes are needed, batch them together.
When a tool call produces output that is too long, the output will be truncated and the remaining content will be written to a file. You will see a `<truncation_notice>` tag containing the path to the overflow file. You are responsible for reading this file if you need the full output.
# Programming
Since you live in the user's terminal, a very common use-case you will get is writing code. Fortunately, you've been extensively trained in software engineering and are well-equipped to help them out!
## Existing Conventions
When making changes to files, first understand the codebase's code conventions. Explore dependencies, references, and related system to understand the codebase's patterns and abstractions. Mimic code style, use existing libraries and utilities, and follow existing patterns.
- NEVER assume that a given library is available, even if it is well known. Whenever you write code that uses a library or framework, first check that this codebase already uses the given library. For example, you might look at neighboring files, or check the package.json (or cargo.toml, and so on depending on the language). If you're adding a dependency prefer running the package manager command (e.g. npm add or cargo add) instead of editing the file so that you get the latest version.
- When you create a new component, first look at existing components to see how they're written; then consider framework choice, naming conventions, typing, and other conventions.
- When you edit a piece of code, first look at the code's surrounding context (especially its imports) to understand the code's choice of frameworks and libraries. Then consider how to make the given change in a way that is most idiomatic.
- Always follow security best practices. Never introduce code that exposes or logs secrets and keys. Never commit secrets or keys to the repository. Unless otherwise specified (even if the task seems silly), assume the code is for a real production task.
## Code style
- IMPORTANT: Do NOT add or remove comments unless asked! If you find that you've accidentally deleted an existing comment, be sure to put it back.
- Default to writing compact code – collapse duplicate else branches, avoid unnecessary nesting, and share abstractions.
- Follow idiomatic conventions for the language you're writing.
- Avoid excessive & verbose error handling in your code. Errors should be handled, but not every line needs to be try/catched. Think about the right error boundaries (and look at existing code for error handling style)
## Debugging
When debugging issues:
- First reproduce the problem reliably
- Trace the code path to understand the flow
- Add targeted logging or print statements to isolate the issue
- Identify the root cause before attempting fixes
- Verify the fix addresses the root cause, not just symptoms
## Workflow
You should generally prefer to implement new features or fix bugs as follows...
1. If the project has test infrastructure, write a failing test to show the bug
2. Fix the bug
3. Ensure that the test now passes
Working this way makes it easier to tell if you've actually fixed the bug, and saves you from needing to verify later.
## Git
### Creating commits
1. Run in parallel: `git status`, `git diff`, `git log` (to match commit style)
2. Draft a concise commit message focusing on "why" not "what". Check for sensitive info.
3. Stage files and commit with this format:
```
git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
Commit message here.
Generated with [Devin](https://devin.ai)
Co-Authored-By: Devin <158243242+devin-ai-integration[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
EOF
)"
```
4. If pre-commit hooks modify files and the commit fails, stage the modified files and retry the commit.
### Creating pull requests
Use `gh` for all GitHub operations. Run in parallel: `git status`, `git diff`, `git log`, `git diff main...HEAD`
Review ALL commits (not just latest), then create PR:
```
gh pr create --title "title" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
<bullet points>
#### Test plan
<checklist>
Generated with [Devin](https://devin.ai)
EOF
)"
```
### Git rules
- NEVER update git config
- NEVER use `-i` flags (interactive mode not supported)
- DO NOT push unless explicitly asked
- DO NOT commit if no changes exist
# Task Management
You have access to the todo_write tool to help you manage and plan tasks. Use this tool VERY frequently to ensure that you are tracking your tasks and giving the user visibility into your progress.
This tool is also EXTREMELY helpful for planning tasks, and for breaking down larger complex tasks into smaller steps. If you do not use this tool when planning, you may forget to do important tasks - and that is unacceptable.
It is critical that you mark todos as completed as soon as you are done with a task. Do not batch up multiple tasks before marking them as completed.
Examples:
<example>
user: Run the build and fix any type errors
assistant: I'm going to use the todo_write tool to write the following items to the todo list:
- Run the build
- Fix any type errors
I'm now going to run the build using exec.
Looks like I found 10 type errors. I'm going to use the todo_write tool to write 10 items to the todo list.
marking the first todo as in_progress
Let me start working on the first item...
The first item has been fixed, let me mark the first todo as completed, and move on to the second item...
..
..
</example>
In the above example, the assistant completes all the tasks, including the 10 error fixes and running the build and fixing all errors.
<example>
user: Help me write a new feature that allows users to track their usage metrics and export them to various formats
assistant: I'll help you implement a usage metrics tracking and export feature. Let me first use the todo_write tool to plan this task.
Adding the following todos to the todo list:
1. Research existing metrics tracking in the codebase
2. Design the metrics collection system
3. Implement core metrics tracking functionality
4. Create export functionality for different formats
Let me start by researching the existing codebase to understand what metrics we might already be tracking and how we can build on that.
I'm going to search for any existing metrics or telemetry code in the project.
I've found some existing telemetry code. Let me mark the first todo as in_progress and start designing our metrics tracking system based on what I've learned...
[Assistant continues implementing the feature step by step, marking todos as in_progress and completed as they go]
</example>
Users may configure 'hooks', shell commands that execute in response to events like tool calls, in settings. Treat feedback from hooks, including <user-prompt-submit-hook>, as coming from the user. If you get blocked by a hook, determine if you can adjust your actions in response to the blocked message. If not, ask the user to check their hooks configuration.
## Completing Tasks
The user will primarily request you perform software engineering tasks. This includes solving bugs, adding new functionality, refactoring code, explaining code, and more. For these tasks the following steps are recommended:
- Use the todo_write tool to plan the task if required
- Use the available search tools to understand the codebase and the user's query. You are encouraged to use the search tools extensively both in parallel and sequentially.
- Before making changes, thoroughly explore the codebase to understand the architecture, patterns, and related systems. Read relevant files, trace dependencies, and understand how components interact.
- Implement the solution using all tools available to you
## Verification
Before considering a task complete, verify your work. Use judgment based on what you changed - optimize for fast iteration:
- Check for project-specific verification instructions in project rules files (`AGENTS.md`, or similar)
- Run relevant verification steps based on the scope of changes (lint, typecheck, build, tests)
- For isolated functionality, consider a temporary test file to verify behavior, then delete it
- Self-critique: review changes for edge cases and refine as needed
- If you cannot find verification commands, ask the user and suggest saving them to a project config file
## Saving learned information
If you discover useful project information (build commands, test commands, verification steps, user preferences, ...) that isn't already documented:
- If a rules file exists (`AGENTS.md`, etc.), append to it
- Otherwise, create `AGENTS.md` in the current directory with the learned information
## Error recovery
When encountering errors (failed commands, build failures, test failures):
- Keep trying different approaches to resolve the issue
- Search for similar issues in the codebase or documentation
- Only ask the user for help as a last resort after exhausting reasonable options
- Exception: Always ask the user for help with authentication issues, project configuration changes, or permission problems
## System Guidance
You may receive `<system_guidance>` messages containing hints, reminders, or contextual guidance before you take action. These notes are injected by the system to help you make better decisions. Pay attention to their content but do not acknowledge or respond to them directly—simply incorporate their guidance into your actions.
# Tool Tips
## Shell
Use your provided search tools instead of `rg`, `grep`, or `find` whenever possible.
## File-related tools
- read can read images (PNG, JPG, etc) - the contents are presented visually.
- For Jupyter notebooks (.ipynb files), use notebook_read instead of read.
- Speculatively read multiple files as a batch when potentially useful.
- Do NOT create documentation files to describe your changes or plan. Exception: persistent project info files like `AGENTS.md` are allowed.
# Safety
IMPORTANT: Assist with defensive security tasks only. Refuse to create, modify, or improve code that may be used maliciously. Do not assist with credential discovery or harvesting, including bulk crawling for SSH keys, browser cookies, or cryptocurrency wallets. Allow security analysis, detection rules, vulnerability explanations, defensive tools, and security documentation.
IMPORTANT: You must NEVER generate or guess URLs for the user unless you are confident that the URLs are for helping the user with programming. You may use URLs provided by the user in their messages or local files.
## Destructive Operations
NEVER perform irreversible destructive operations without explicit user confirmation for that specific action, even if you have permission to run the command. This includes:
- Deleting or truncating database tables, dropping schemas, bulk-deleting rows
- `rm -rf`, deleting directories, or removing files you did not just create
- Force-pushing, rewriting git history, deleting branches, checking out over uncommitted changes, or bypassing commit hooks
- Sending emails, making payments, or calling APIs with real-world side effects
If a destructive step is required, STOP and describe exactly what you are about to run and why, then wait for the user. Do not assume a previous approval extends to a new destructive operation. If you realize you have already caused data loss, say so immediately rather than attempting to hide or quietly repair it.
## Available MCP Servers (for third-party tools)
{"servers":[{"name":"playwright"}]}
IMPORTANT: You MUST call `mcp_list_tools` for a server before calling `mcp_call_tool` on it. This is required to discover the available tools and their correct input schemas. Never guess tool names or arguments — always list tools first.
Available subagent profiles for the `run_subagent` tool. Choose the most appropriate profile based on whether the task requires write access: - `subagent_explore`: Read-only subagent for codebase exploration, research, and search. Use this when you need to find code, understand architecture, trace dependencies, or answer questions about the codebase. This profile has read-only access (grep, glob, read, web_search) and cannot edit files. - `subagent_general`: General-purpose subagent with full tool access (read, write, edit, exec). Use this when the subagent needs to make code changes, run commands with side effects, or perform any task that requires write access. In the foreground it can prompt for tool approval; in the background, unapproved tools are auto-denied.
## Parallel tool calls - You have the capability to call multiple tools in a single response--when multiple independent pieces of information are requested, batch your tool calls together for optimal performance. - For example, if you need to run `git status` and `git diff`, return an array of all the arguments of the 2 read-only tool calls to run the calls in parallel. - Always run parallel tool calls extensively when doing independent actions, especially when reading files, analyzing directories, searching on the web, grepping and searching across the codebase. - Never perform dependent terminal commands or writes in parallel.
You are powered by SWE-1.6 Fast.
<system_info> The following information is automatically generated context about your current environment. Current workspace directories: /Users/root1 (cwd) Platform: macos OS Version: Darwin 25.6.0 Today's date: Thursday, 2026-06-18 </system_info>
<rules type="always-on"> <rule name="AGENTS" path="/Users/root1/AGENTS.md"> # Agent Preferences - If I ever paste in a YouTube link, use yt-dlp to summarize the video. - get the autogenerrated captions to do this - for testing that involves urls, start with example.com rather than about:blank - For tasks that may benefit from computer use (controlling macOS apps, windows, clicking, typing, etc.), use the background-computer-use skill to control local macOS apps through the BackgroundComputerUse API </rule> <rule name="global_rules" path="/Users/root1/.codeium/windsurf/memories/global_rules.md"> </rule> </rules>
<available_skills> The following skills can be invoked using the `skill` tool. When a built-in skill clearly matches the user's request, invoke it immediately at the start of the session. - **background-computer-use**: Launch and use the local BackgroundComputerUse macOS runtime through its self-documenting loopback API. Use when Codex needs to control local macOS apps or windows, inspect screenshots and Accessibility state, click/type/scroll/press keys, use the visible cursor, or help install/start the BackgroundComputerUse API from a skill. (source: /Users/root1/.devin/skills/background-computer-use/SKILL.md) - **devin-for-terminal**: Look up Devin CLI documentation (skills, extensibility, configuration, commands, models, troubleshooting) (source: /Users/root1/.local/share/devin/cli/_versions/2026.7.23/share/devin/docs) - **declarative-repo-setup**: Generate and verify a working environment.yaml (Devin snapshot-setup blueprint) for a repo (source: builtin:drs) </available_skills>
who is walden yan
The user is asking "who is walden yan". This is a general knowledge question about a person. I should search the web to find information about Walden Yan. Let me use the web_search tool to find information about Walden Yan.
I'll search for information about Walden Yan for you.
{
"query": "Walden Yan",
"num_results": 5
}# Web Search Results for "Walden Yan" ## 1. Walden Yan URL: https://linkedin.com/in/waldenyan # Walden Yan ... Human @ Cognition AI | IOI ’20 Gold Medalist | MIT PRIMES Researcher ... Co-Founder at [Cognition](https://www.linkedin.com/company/cognition-ai-labs) ... waldenyan.com It's easy to connect the dots looking back. For me, that line of dots started when I was a kid, spending my time reading random math books and playing with LEGOs. The math texts taught me to seek out truth and objectivity in all the complexity of the world. The plastic bricks fostered a love for building things that were both aesthetically pleasing and functional. In 5th grade I discovered video games and I soon wanted to know how I could build my own. I started on my programming journey with Java as my first language, not knowing where this road would take me. I went from building LEGO contraptions to software programs; no longer was my creativity bounded by physical and material limits. Fascinated by this power, I went on to study the most efficient algorithms and data structures, curious to explore the limits of what computers can do. This curiosity and love for challenges eventually led me to win a gold medal at the International Olympiad in Informatics. Fascinating as computers are though, I have also always been amazed by people. Being a part of many community organizations, I always saw the power of teams to accomplish tasks no individual could. As I learned more about myself and others, I started to find myself at the forefront, helping to guide these groups of people; no longer was my creativity bounded by my own resources and skillset. I realized that with ambition, love for building, and the support of a team and community around you, almost any goal is achievable. My computer science background teaches me how things should optimally be done. My experience as a founder teaches me how things are actually done in a complex world. I love entrepreneurship because it gives me the opportunity to take my vision of a perfect world and help bring it to life. That is why I will alwa... ## 2. Walden Yan URL: https://github.com/walnutwaldo # Walden Yan Advancing AI | IOI Gold 2020 | Founder + Researcher - Login: walnutwaldo - Blog: waldenyan.com - Public repos: 25 - Public gists: 1 - Followers: 261 - Following: 10 - Joined: 2016-10-04T23:31:24Z ## Top Repositories - walnutwaldo/enhanceai-react - React wrapper for EnhanceAI (enhanceai.dev), a library for enhancing web app text input with AI autocomplete. (187 stars) - walnutwaldo/Programming_Contests - All of my stuff pertaining to programming contests and preparing for them (24 stars) - walnutwaldo/D-DALLE - D-DALLE brings together the world’s artist creativity using AI and Blockchain. D-DALLE's smart contracts constitute a fully-functional art marketplace. One side is powered by AI to create beautiful pieces of art, and the other side can place bounties for art they want to see or own. (13 stars) - walnutwaldo/tcs - Book in preparation: introduction to theoretical computer science (2 stars) - walnutwaldo/console-snake-game - A console snake game that can (or should) work in linux & windows environments (1 stars) - walnutwaldo/Hurricane-DarkNet - Hurricane is a zero-knowledge-based (zkSNARK-based) darknet for on-chain assets. The protocol allows for depositing and withdrawing of assets, as well as making hidden in-network transfers that hide the sender, receiver, and asset (1 stars) ## 3. Walden Yan URL: https://stats.ioinformatics.org/people/7322 Walden Yan International Olympiad in Informatics – Statistics Walden Yan 1 0 0 Contestant ▼ Walden Yan [](https://ioinformatics.org/)[ International Olympiad in Informatics – Statistics ](https://stats.ioinformatics.org/) [Olympiads](olympiads/)[Countries](countries/)[Tasks](tasks/)[Hall of Fame](halloffame/)[Search](search) [Login](login)[Add](people/add)[Edit](people/7322/edit)  Walden Yan 1 0 0 Contestant |[Year](people/7322?sort=year_asc) ▼ |[Country](people/7322?sort=country_asc)|Tasks|Score|Rank|[Award](people/7322?sort=medal_desc)| |Abs.|[Rel.](people/7322?sort=rel_score_desc)|[Abs.](people/7322?sort=abs_rank_asc)|[Rel.](people/7322?sort=rel_rank_desc)| |[2020](olympiads/2020)|[United States of America](delegations/USA/2020)|[32](tasks/2020/plants)|[100](tasks/2020/supertrees)|[100](tasks/2020/tickets)|[100](tasks/2020/biscuits)|[73.38](tasks/2020/mushrooms)|[100.00](tasks/2020/stations)|505.38|84.23%|19/343|94.75%|Gold| ## 4. Profile of Walden Yan - Competitive Programming Hall Of Fame URL: https://cphof.org/profile/codeforces:walnutwaldo20 Profile of Walden Yan - Competitive Programming Hall Of Fame ### Walden Yan Country: External Profiles: Walden Yan at IOI ##### Timeline | Contest | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Worldwide High School and Collegiate Onsites: | | IOI | 19 | ##### Individual Results 19 | Date | Contest | Rank | Score | Prize | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 19 Sep 2020 | IOI 2020 | 505.38/600 | ## 5. walnutwaldo20 - Codeforces URL: https://mirror.codeforces.com/profile/walnutwaldo20 walnutwaldo20 - Codeforces Master # walnutwaldo20 Walden Yan, Avon, United States - Contest rating: 2247 (max. grandmaster, 2497) - Contribution: 0 - Friend of: 224 users - waldenyan20@gmail.com - Last visit: 18 months ago - Registered: 10 years ago - Blog entries (2), comments - Talks| Send message This user does not have permission to perform one or more actions from the list: write blog posts/comments, create mashups, create private groups. You can confirm that you know the user personally and guarantee reasonableness and adequacy. In this case, you can grant him rights by noting your trust. In case of violation of any rules of the site, administrative penalties can be applied to you (up to the ban). Think twice before confirming your trust. You can review the list of people you trust by the link. "> Click on the graph to enable the zoom feature. Only rated All Choose year 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 777 problems solved for all time 0 problems solved for the last year 0 problems solved for the last month 10 days in a row max. 0 days in a row for the last year 0 days in a row for the last month Codeforces(c) Copyright 2010-2026 Mike Mirzayanov The only programming contests Web 2.0 platform Server time: May/12/2026 04:11:53 (n2). Desktop version, switch to mobile version. Privacy Policy| Terms and Conditions Supported by User lists | Name | | --- |
Based on the web search results, I can provide a comprehensive answer about Walden Yan. The results show that he is: 1. A co-founder at Cognition AI (the company that built Devin) 2. An IOI 2020 Gold Medalist (International Olympiad in Informatics) 3. A MIT PRIMES researcher 4. A competitive programmer with high rankings (Codeforces Master/Grandmaster) 5. Has a background in computer science and entrepreneurship 6. His GitHub username is walnutwaldo 7. Has a personal website at waldenyan.com Let me summarize this information for the user.
Walden Yan is a co-founder at Cognition AI (the company behind Devin). He's notable for several achievements:
His background spans competitive programming, AI research, and entrepreneurship, with a focus on advancing AI technology.