## Summary DWS side of letting custom flows use AI Catalog agents as sub-agents. THIS IS EFFECTIVELY A STUB TO UNBLOCK OTHER WORK. Rails resolves each referenced agent when the flow starts and sends the full agent data in the `catalog_items` field of the start request, which is the same way workspace agents are implemented. As of now, only workspace agents can be attached to a flow as sub-agents ([!6694](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/merge_requests/6694), [!6703](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/merge_requests/6703)). When DWS builds a flow, at save-time and execution-time validation, it looks up a source for each `include` entry in `catalog/sources/registry.py`. No source is registered for `source: ai-catalog`, so any flow that declares one fails with "not supported yet". This work item makes that better :tm: This work item covers accepting the reference when a flow is saved. Attaching the pushed agents during execution is #2870. ## References - Rails side epic: gitlab-org&23526 - Save-time work in gitlab-org/gitlab#628153 - Execution-time work in gitlab-org/gitlab#628315 (Rails) and #2870 (DWS) ## Scope Allow `ai-catalog` entries in `include`, but attach nothing yet. Attaching the pushed agents is #2870. 1. Add `AiCatalogAgentSource` to [`_STRATEGIES`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/duo_workflow_service/agent_platform/v1/catalog/sources/registry.py#L28) with `SOURCE = ai-catalog` ([already an enum member](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/duo_workflow_service/agent_platform/v1/catalog/sources/reference.py#L45)) and `ITEM_TYPE = agent`. Add `AGENT` to [`CatalogItemType`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/duo_workflow_service/agent_platform/v1/catalog/sources/reference.py#L48-56). 2. [`validate_ref`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/duo_workflow_service/agent_platform/v1/catalog/sources/base.py#L76-87) requires `version` and a non-empty `item_id`. It does not look the agent up. 3. In this issue no agents are sent with the request, so [`bind`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/duo_workflow_service/agent_platform/v1/catalog/sources/workspace_agent.py#L303-328) has nothing to attach. `bind` removes the `ai-catalog` entry from the component's `subagents` list and returns the flow otherwise unchanged. The flow then runs as if the entry was never there. [`_rewrite_claimant`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/duo_workflow_service/agent_platform/v1/catalog/sources/workspace_agent.py#L166-214) already does this for workspace agents and can be reused. 4. Custom flows are sent inline in the start request, and [`InlineFlowRequest`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/duo_workflow_service/flow_request.py#L107-117) currently answers `False` to [`supports_catalog_items`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/duo_workflow_service/flow_request.py#L55-61) for all of them. Change it to return `True` when the flow's schema version is `v1`, matching what [registry flows already do](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/duo_workflow_service/flow_request.py#L102-104). Update the [`catalog_items` comment](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/contract/contract.proto#L89-92) in `contract.proto`, which says the server rejects a start request that includes `catalog_items` with an inline flow config. 5. Tests. Add cases to the [existing `ValidateFlowConfig` tests](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/tests/duo_workflow_service/test_server.py#L4210) for the [RPC](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/duo_workflow_service/server.py#L961): - A flow with an `ai-catalog` entry in `include`, and the same entry in a component's `subagents`, is valid. - A flow whose `ai-catalog` entry has no `version` is invalid. - A flow whose `subagents` entry does not match any `include` entry is invalid. The check for this [already exists](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/duo_workflow_service/agent_platform/v1/catalog/binding.py#L134-139). Two existing tests assert that `ai-catalog` fails with "not supported yet": one in [test_registry.py](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/tests/duo_workflow_service/agent_platform/v1/catalog/sources/test_registry.py#L36) and one in [test_binding.py](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/modelops/applied-ml/code-suggestions/ai-assist/-/blob/6a096cf81e378453f5cf5fcda3fbad828d830040/tests/duo_workflow_service/agent_platform/v1/catalog/test_binding.py#L157). Update both to expect success. ## Out of scope - Catalog agents as top-level components, custom flows calling custom flows (#2749), foundational flows - Attaching the pushed agents at run time (#2870) - Save-time permission checks and dependency recording (gitlab-org/gitlab#628153) - MCP servers as direct `include` entries. Iteration 1 reaches them only through agents. - Duo CLI flag for the new kind. Listed in gitlab-org/gitlab#628315. ## Related - Phase 1: !6694, !6703, #2768 - Cross-team channel: https://gitlab.enterprise.slack.com/archives/C0BUB4J0DPD