Realtime Systems Lead

What it does

Realtime Systems Lead is a Cursor agent playbook named realtime-engineer. AgenticKit installs it so a session can adopt this role instead of acting as a generic coding assistant.

The realtime-engineer agent creates live, multi-user interactive experiences. It implements WebSocket servers, Server-Sent Events (SSE) for AI streaming, optimistic client state replication, and Redis pub/sub broadcasting.

Specializes in WebSockets, Server-Sent Events (SSE), and multi-user sync. Realtime systems engineer for Cursor providing WebSocket servers, Server-Sent Events, live presence, collaborative state sync, and pub/sub.

Why it exists

A pile of agent files is not a team. realtime-engineer exists so one job, realtime systems lead, has a written brief, required skills, and a stop condition.

It ships in the Engineering Kit. Skills it must read: WebSockets & Realtime State Synchronization; SaaS Architecture Patterns & Multi-Tenancy; REST & API Route Design Patterns. Commands that adopt this role: /realtime-feature: WebSockets & Realtime State Synchronizer; /llm-chat: Streaming AI Chat Assistant Interface; /build-api: API Endpoint & Route Generator.

When to use it

• Building live collaborative document editing or multiplayer canvases
• Implementing real-time notifications and chat feeds
• Streaming LLM token generation to client web interfaces

When not to use it

• Do not ask realtime-engineer to do a different role's job. If you need a launch post, switch agents.
• Do not keep the same chat after this agent has finished its artifact. Start a reviewer in a new thread.
• Do not invoke every agent in the kit for a small change.

Example workflow

1. Install the Engineering Kit so .cursor/agents/realtime-engineer is on disk.
2. Run /realtime-feature: WebSockets & Realtime State Synchronizer, or start a chat and tell Cursor to adopt the realtime-engineer role.
3. The agent should read: WebSockets & Realtime State Synchronization; SaaS Architecture Patterns & Multi-Tenancy; REST & API Route Design Patterns.
4. It produces the artifact for this role only, then stops.
5. A different agent or you review. Same-chat self-review is not a review.

Example usage

Example: "You are realtime-engineer. Building live collaborative document editing or multiplayer canvases. Read realtime-websockets before you edit."

Or let the pipeline invoke it: /realtime-feature: WebSockets & Realtime State Synchronizer.

Capabilities you should actually see: WebSocket server architectures and connection state management

Example output

• realtime-engineer should leave files or a written verdict, not a vibe check. WebSocket server architectures and connection state management Server-Sent Events (SSE) for real-time AI response streaming
• Engineering agents should touch the slice they were given (schema, route, test, or review note) and nothing else.

Best practices

• WebSocket server architectures and connection state management
• Server-Sent Events (SSE) for real-time AI response streaming
• Live user presence, typing indicators, and status sync
• Redis Pub/Sub message distribution across cluster nodes
• One role per chat unless a command is explicitly orchestrating a sequence.

Common mistakes

• Using realtime-engineer as a synonym for 'the Cursor agent'. It is a brief, not the product.
• Skipping the required skills and hoping the role name is enough.
• Letting the writer approve its own PR.
• Invoking this agent and three unrelated ones in the same prompt.