Hands-on exploration and learning of Duo Agent Platform (DAP)

Background

As part of implementing role-based access permissions for DAP (Duo Agent Platform), engineers need hands-on experience with the platform to understand its capabilities, user workflows, and technical implementation.

Parent Epic

This work is part of: Implement role-based access permissions for DAP... (&19601)

Objective

Gain practical experience with Duo Agent Platform by creating, editing, and using agents and flows to understand better:

• User workflows and pain points
• Technical architecture and implementation
• Permission boundaries and access controls
• Integration points with existing GitLab features
• Relationship with Duo Core

Learning Activities

The following points are optional and only should guide you through the hands-on exploration.

Getting Started

• Set up access to Duo Agent Platform
• Review existing documentation and resources
  • https://docs.gitlab.com/development/duo_agent_platform/
  • https://docs.gitlab.com/user/duo_agent_platform/
  • https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/blob/main/doc/howto/duo_agent_platform.md
• Explore the AI catalog and available agents
• Understand the relationship between agents, flows, and tools

Hands-on Experience

• Create a simple agent from scratch
• Build and test a basic flow
• Experiment with different tools and integrations
• Test agent publishing and sharing workflows
• Try using agents created by others
• Explore project-level settings and configurations

Technical Investigation

• Identify key code locations for agents and flows
• Understand data models and relationships
• Map user actions to backend services
• Document permission checkpoints in the user journey
• Note integration points with existing GitLab permissions
• Availability in relation to Duo Core
  • Agentic Duo Chat
  • DAP remote flow execution

Documentation

• Document key learnings and insights
• Create notes on user experience observations
• Identify potential areas for permission controls
• Note any gaps or issues discovered during exploration

Tracking

This issue serves as a tracking vehicle for all hands-on exploration activities. Engineers should:

• Add comments with key findings and insights
• Share interesting discoveries or challenges encountered
• Document any questions or areas needing clarification

Acceptance Criteria

• Each engineer has practical experience creating and using agents/flows
• Key technical insights are documented in issue comments
• Understanding of user workflows is sufficient to inform permission design
• Questions and knowledge gaps are identified for follow-up

Resources

• AI Catalog documentation
• Existing Duo settings and configuration
• Parent epic requirements: https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/19119+
• Design materials and meeting notes (as available)

Related Issues

• Parent epic: Implement role-based access permissions for DAP... (&19601)
• Permission verification: Verify DAP permissions are bound to Maintainer ... (#575453)

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Note: This is a learning and exploration issue. All engineers working on the DAP permissions epic should feel free to assign themselves and log time spent on hands-on activities.