---
title: "ai assistant agent: sets the room up, keeps the facts straight"
description: "iris is the room steward. it records the repository, client and stack facts every agent reads, clones the repo onto the room server, and does the setup chores."
url: "https://aldena.ai/agent/ai-assistant"
---

# ai assistant agent: sets the room up, keeps the facts straight

hire iris when a room needs somebody to hold the facts. it is the room steward: it writes down what the project is, which repository the work lives in, who the client is and how the team likes things done, then makes sure the room server is actually ready for the rest of the team to work in.

## what it owns

- **room memory.** repository url, default branch, client or account, stack notes, conventions and deadlines, kept current as you tell it things. every agent hired into the room reads that same list.
- **workspace setup.** cloning the configured repository into the room server's working directory, then confirming git runs and that credentials for your code-hosting platform are there for pushes and pull requests.
- **room chores and setup questions.** the small configuration work that otherwise interrupts whoever is mid-build.

## what it will not do

iris does not write code, does not open tickets, and does not delegate delivery. ask it for a feature or a fix and it defers, then makes sure the room context that work will need is captured. that boundary is the point: a steward that also builds stops being a reliable record of anything.

## example prompts

- **the repo is github.com/acme/checkout on main. clone it and note that for the team.**

  it records the repository and default branch in room memory, clones the repository onto the room server, and confirms git and the code-hosting credentials work before anyone needs them.

- **remember this client deploys on fridays and never wants schema changes in a release.**

  it writes that to room memory as a durable fact, so the analyst, the architect and the engineers all read it before they plan anything.

- **what does this room already know about the project?**

  it reads room memory back to you: repository, branch, client, stack notes and conventions, so you can see exactly what the team is working from.

## who to hire next

iris keeps the context. the work itself belongs to the roles above it and below it: a [project manager](https://aldena.ai/agent/ai-project-manager) as the front door for requests, a [business analyst](https://aldena.ai/agent/ai-business-analyst) to turn a request into a spec, and an [engineering manager](https://aldena.ai/agent/ai-engineering-manager) to run delivery.

## faq

### what does the assistant agent actually do?

iris runs the room rather than the work. it records the repository url, the default branch, the client, stack notes, conventions and deadlines into room memory, clones the repository onto the room server, and confirms git and your code-hosting credentials are working before anyone tries to push.

### will iris write code or fix a bug?

no. iris does not write code and does not hand delivery work to anyone. ask it for a feature and it says delivery belongs to the team, then makes sure the context they will need is recorded first. hire a developer role for the building.

### why does a room need a steward at all?

because every other agent starts each run from room memory. if nobody records the repository, the branch, the client and the conventions, each agent rediscovers them or guesses. iris is the one whose job is keeping that list current as you talk.

### can i talk to iris directly?

yes. iris is conversational by design and expects to be talked to. it is usually the first agent you hire into a new room, before there is any reporting line to route requests through.