Problem
The ts-standby template's AGENTS.md (and the equivalent for any Standby template) teaches the mechanical setup — usesStandbyMode: true in actor.json, HTTP server binding to process.env.ACTOR_STANDBY_PORT — but does not teach endpoint discoverability.
Agents that follow the template commonly bind their primary handler on a verb-shaped path (/metadata, /api, ...) and use / for a plain-text help message. Result: the Actor works when a human types the correct URL, but is invisible to programmatic clients hitting /.
Suggested change
Add a Do-list bullet (or a small Discoverability section) to ts-standby/AGENTS.md:
- **Make your Standby endpoint programmatically discoverable.** One of:
1. Bind your primary handler on `/` — the Standby URL you hand out IS the endpoint.
2. Serve an OpenAPI spec at `/openapi.json` (see `webServerSchema` in `actor.json`).
3. If `/` is reserved for something else, return machine-readable JSON at `/`:
```js
res.json({ endpoints: [{ path: '/metadata', method: 'GET', params: { url: 'string' } }] });
```
Do NOT return plain-text help ("Actor is ready. Use GET /metadata?url=...") at `/` — that
makes the Actor reachable by humans only.
Related
Impact
Medium. Templates are the anchoring artifact for agent-authored Standby Actors — if the template AGENTS.md teaches discoverability, the anti-pattern goes away at the source.
Surfaced during an evaluation of Apify surfaces for agent-driven Actor development.
Problem
The
ts-standbytemplate's AGENTS.md (and the equivalent for any Standby template) teaches the mechanical setup —usesStandbyMode: trueinactor.json, HTTP server binding toprocess.env.ACTOR_STANDBY_PORT— but does not teach endpoint discoverability.Agents that follow the template commonly bind their primary handler on a verb-shaped path (
/metadata,/api, ...) and use/for a plain-text help message. Result: the Actor works when a human types the correct URL, but is invisible to programmatic clients hitting/.Suggested change
Add a Do-list bullet (or a small Discoverability section) to
ts-standby/AGENTS.md:Related
apify/agent-skills— same teaching in the public skill.apify/apify-docs— same teaching in the Standby reference page.apify/actor-standby-controllerUpdate crew AI template with a link to blog post: How to built an AI Agent (once published) #340): auto-servewebServerSchemaat/openapi.jsonon the Standby URL.Impact
Medium. Templates are the anchoring artifact for agent-authored Standby Actors — if the template AGENTS.md teaches discoverability, the anti-pattern goes away at the source.
Surfaced during an evaluation of Apify surfaces for agent-driven Actor development.