agents: drop the dead type enum

agents.<name>.type (assistant|coding|research) was validated, stored, and
displayed — and consumed by nothing. Neither Hermes nor OpenClaw has role
enums: the standard both share is identity as prose (SOUL.md) plus behavior
as real config (model, reasoning). We have both; the role menu was a third
concept that changed nothing and invited users to deliberate over a choice
with no effect. Removed pre-adoption; unknown yaml keys are ignored on load,
so an existing config with type: still parses. The admin overview now shows
the knobs that do exist (model, reasoning) instead.

Author: timothyerwin

cmd/admin_tools.go

@@ -130,7 +130,15 @@ func adminOverview(ctx context.Context) (string, error) {
 	}
 	sort.Strings(agentNames)
 	for _, name := range agentNames {
-		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "- %s: type=%s (home: ~/.memcode/agents/%s)\n", name, settings.Agents[name].Type, name)
+		a := settings.Agents[name]
+		extra := ""
+		if a.Model != "" {
+			extra += " model=" + a.Model
+		}
+		if a.Reasoning != "" {
+			extra += " reasoning=" + a.Reasoning
+		}
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "- %s:%s (home: ~/.memcode/agents/%s)\n", name, extra, name)
 	}
 	b.WriteString("\nSCHEDULES:\n")
 	if len(settings.Schedules) == 0 {
@@ -401,7 +409,6 @@ func adminAgent(input json.RawMessage) (string, error) {
 	var in struct {
 		Action    string `json:"action"`
 		Name      string `json:"name"`
-		Type      string `json:"type"`
 		Model     string `json:"model"`
 		Reasoning string `json:"reasoning"`
 	}
@@ -419,24 +426,17 @@ func adminAgent(input json.RawMessage) (string, error) {
 	}
 	switch action {
 	case "add":
-		typ := strings.TrimSpace(in.Type)
-		if typ == "" {
-			typ = "assistant"
-		}
-		if typ != "assistant" && typ != "coding" && typ != "research" {
-			return "", fmt.Errorf("type must be assistant, coding, or research")
-		}
 		if settings.Agents == nil {
 			settings.Agents = map[string]gwconfig.Agent{}
 		}
 		if r := strings.TrimSpace(in.Reasoning); r != "" && r != "off" && r != "medium" && r != "high" {
 			return "", fmt.Errorf("reasoning must be off, medium, or high")
 		}
-		settings.Agents[name] = gwconfig.Agent{Type: typ, Model: strings.TrimSpace(in.Model), Reasoning: strings.TrimSpace(in.Reasoning)}
+		settings.Agents[name] = gwconfig.Agent{Model: strings.TrimSpace(in.Model), Reasoning: strings.TrimSpace(in.Reasoning)}
 		if err := gwconfig.Save(settings); err != nil {
 			return "", err
 		}
-		return fmt.Sprintf("Created agent %s (type %s). Bind a channel to it with gw_channel field=agent; its standing instructions live at ~/.memcode/agents/%s/MEMCODE.md.", name, typ, name), nil
+		return fmt.Sprintf("Created agent %s. Bind a channel to it with gw_channel field=agent; its identity lives at ~/.memcode/agents/%s/SOUL.md.", name, name), nil
 	case "reasoning":
 		p, ok := settings.Agents[name]
 		if !ok {

cmd/migrate.go

@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ func runMigration(cmd *cobra.Command, src migrationSource) error {
 					cur.Agents = map[string]gwconfig.Agent{}
 				}
 				if _, ok := cur.Agents[id]; !ok {
-					cur.Agents[id] = gwconfig.Agent{Type: "assistant"}
+					cur.Agents[id] = gwconfig.Agent{}
 					if err := gwconfig.Save(cur); err != nil {
 						res.Notes = append(res.Notes, fmt.Sprintf("identity: agent %q written but not registered: %v", id, err))
 					}
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ func runMigration(cmd *cobra.Command, src migrationSource) error {
 					if cur.Agents == nil {
 						cur.Agents = map[string]gwconfig.Agent{}
 					}
-					cur.Agents[id] = gwconfig.Agent{Type: "assistant"}
+					cur.Agents[id] = gwconfig.Agent{}
 					if err := gwconfig.Save(cur); err != nil {
 						res.Notes = append(res.Notes, fmt.Sprintf("agent memory: memory written but agent %q not registered: %v", id, err))
 					}

docs/gateway/README.md

@@ -91,8 +91,8 @@ projects:                                # written by `memcode project add`
   www:     { path: ~/github/www, enabled: true }
 default_project: memcode
 agents:                                  # durable agents; identity + state in ~/.memcode/agents/<id>
-  personal: { type: assistant }
-  coder:    { type: coding }
+  personal: {}
+  coder:    { model: claude-sonnet-5, reasoning: medium }
 schedules:
   - name: standup
     cron: "0 9 * * 1-5"                  # or  every: "24h"

internal/agent/tools/admin.go

@@ -56,7 +56,6 @@ func AdminDefs() []wire.ToolDef {
 			InputSchema: obj(map[string]any{
 				"action":    str("add, remove, model, or reasoning"),
 				"name":      str("agent name, e.g. personal, coder, researcher"),
-				"type":      str("add only: assistant (default), coding, or research"),
 				"model":     str("add/model: pin the model that drives this agent everywhere (catalog id, e.g. \"claude-sonnet-5\"); empty = automatic routing"),
 				"reasoning": str("add/reasoning: pin thinking effort — off, medium, or high; empty = per-turn automatic"),
 			}, "action", "name"),

internal/gateway/config/config.go

@@ -96,7 +96,6 @@ type Settings struct {
 // a project and NOT the `memcode run` CLI command — the agent's context is
 // composed and handed to the coding engine as generic supplemental context.
 type Agent struct {
-	Type string `yaml:"type,omitempty"` // assistant | coding | research (coarse behavior hint)
 	// Model pins the model that drives this agent (an id from the catalog,
 	// e.g. "claude-sonnet-5"). Empty = automatic routing. Wherever the agent
 	// answers — any channel, any schedule — this is the model that serves it.