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Quick Start

Learn how to work with decopilot through practical e-commerce examples

This guide shows you how to use decopilot for common e-commerce tasks. We’ll start simple and progressively introduce features like subtasks, agents, context management, and scopes as you need them.

Each section builds on the previous one. Feel free to skip ahead if you’re already familiar with basic concepts.

Prerequisites

Before starting, you’ll need:

  • Access to a deco CMS organization with at least one project
  • Connected integrations like Shopify, GitHub, or other MCP servers (recommended but not required)
  • Basic familiarity with your e-commerce platform

If you haven’t set up integrations yet, see Connections.

1. Simple Requests

Just ask decopilot for what you need in natural language. Behind the scenes, decopilot follows a three-step flow:

  1. Search - Discovers what tools are available for your request
  2. Enable - Activates the specific tools it needs
  3. Execute - Uses those tools to accomplish your task

You don’t need to tell decopilot which tools to use—it figures this out automatically based on what you ask for.

Example: Check Inventory

 You → "Check inventory levels for products below 20 units"
     ↓
Decopilot searches for inventory tools
     ↓
Decopilot enables inventory tools
     ↓
Decopilot queries your inventory system
     ↓
You ← "Found 8 products with low stock:
       • SKU-2847: 12 units (Wireless Headphones)
       • SKU-1923: 8 units (Phone Case - Black)
       • SKU-4156: 15 units (Laptop Stand)
       • SKU-3891: 5 units (USB-C Cable 2m)
       • SKU-5672: 18 units (Water Bottle)
       • SKU-7234: 9 units (Desk Lamp)
       • SKU-8901: 14 units (Keyboard - Mechanical)
       • SKU-4523: 7 units (Mouse Pad - Large)"

Decopilot automatically discovers and enables the tools it needs—you don’t have to tell it which tools to use.

Example: Update Product Descriptions

 You → "Update descriptions for the summer collection
       to emphasize breathable fabrics and UV protection"
     ↓
Decopilot searches for product management tools
     ↓
Decopilot enables needed tools
     ↓
Decopilot identifies summer collection products
     ↓
Decopilot updates 24 product descriptions
     ↓
You ← "Updated 24 products in Summer 2026 collection:
       ✓ Added 'breathable fabric' mentions
       ✓ Highlighted UPF 50+ sun protection
       ✓ Emphasized lightweight materials

       Preview: example.com/products/summer-dress-azure"

Example: Find Missing Content

 You → "Find products missing images or descriptions"
     ↓
Decopilot searches for content audit tools
     ↓
Decopilot enables tools and scans catalog
     ↓
You ← "Found 12 products with missing content:

       Missing images (5):
       • SKU-8821: Ceramic Mug Set
       • SKU-9234: Garden Tool Kit
       • SKU-7755: Yoga Mat - Purple
       • SKU-6543: Plant Hanger - Macrame
       • SKU-8192: Candle - Lavender

       Missing descriptions (7):
       • SKU-3421: Travel Backpack
       • SKU-5667: Stainless Steel Thermos
       • SKU-2198: Notebook - Dotted
       • SKU-4456: Pen Set - Gel
       • SKU-9981: Desk Organizer
       • SKU-7722: Wall Clock - Wooden
       • SKU-3388: Picture Frame - 8x10"

Key takeaway: For straightforward tasks, just describe what you want. Decopilot automatically discovers and enables the right tools, then executes your request.

2. Using Subtasks for Heavy Work

When tasks involve analyzing lots of data or doing complex research, use subtasks. Subtasks run in isolated context and return just a summary—keeping your main conversation clean and focused.

When to Use Subtasks

  • Analyzing data across many products or orders
  • Research tasks (competitor pricing, trend analysis)
  • Quality audits (checking data consistency, finding errors)
  • Any work that generates verbose output you don’t need to see in full

Example: Analyze Stock Ruptures

 You → "Run a subtask to analyze potential stock ruptures
       across all warehouses for the next 30 days"
     ↓
Subtask starts with fresh context
     ↓
Subtask searches for inventory & analytics tools
     ↓
Subtask enables needed tools
     ↓
Subtask analyzes:
  • 547 SKUs across 3 warehouses
  • Historical sales data
  • Seasonal trends
  • Supplier lead times
     ↓
You ← "Stock Rupture Analysis Complete

       CRITICAL (need immediate action):
       • SKU-2847 Wireless Headphones
         Current: 12 units | Projected shortage: Feb 18
         Recommendation: Order 200 units from Supplier A

       • SKU-7234 Desk Lamp
         Current: 9 units | Projected shortage: Feb 15
         Recommendation: Order 150 units from Supplier B

       HIGH PRIORITY (order within 1 week):
       • SKU-8901 Mechanical Keyboard - 14 units
       • SKU-4156 Laptop Stand - 15 units
       • SKU-1923 Phone Case Black - 8 units

       MODERATE (monitor closely):
       • 8 additional SKUs flagged

       Full analysis saved to subtask history."

Example: Research Competitor Pricing

 You → "Run a subtask: research competitor pricing
       for our top 20 bestselling products"
     ↓
Subtask searches for web research & pricing tools
     ↓
Subtask enables tools and analyzes competitor sites
     ↓
You ← "Pricing Analysis Summary:

       OVERPRICED (consider reducing):
       • Wireless Headphones: Our $79 vs avg $65
       • Laptop Stand: Our $45 vs avg $35

       COMPETITIVE (maintain):
       • Phone Cases: Our $18 vs avg $17
       • USB Cables: Our $12 vs avg $13

       UNDERPRICED (opportunity to increase):
       • Mechanical Keyboard: Our $89 vs avg $110
       • Desk Lamp: Our $32 vs avg $42

       Full competitor breakdown in subtask history."

Key takeaway: Use subtasks when you need analysis or research but only want to see the actionable summary. The full details are saved in task history if you need them later.

Learn more: Tasks & Subtasks

3. Working with Specialist Agents

Agents are specialists with focused expertise in specific domains. When you need specialized analysis or domain knowledge, use an agent—they run in subtasks with tools and instructions tailored to their area.

Available Agent Types

Common agents for e-commerce teams:

  • Inventory Specialist - Demand forecasting, stock optimization, supplier coordination
  • Shipping & Logistics - Route optimization, carrier selection, delivery scheduling
  • Customer Service - Support strategy, communication planning, issue resolution
  • Content Specialist - SEO optimization, copy refinement, brand consistency
  • Pricing Analyst - Market analysis, competitive positioning, promotion strategy

Example: Demand Forecasting

 You → "Use the Inventory Specialist to forecast
       demand for winter collection launch"
     ↓
Decopilot searches for agents
     ↓
Decopilot → "Found 2 agents:
             • Inventory Specialist (recommended)
             • Supply Chain Analyst

             Which would you prefer?"
     ↓
You → "Inventory Specialist"
     ↓
Agent spawns in subtask with specialized scope
     ↓
Agent searches for forecasting & inventory tools
     ↓
Agent enables domain-specific tools
     ↓
Agent analyzes with specialized expertise
     ↓
You ← "Winter Collection Demand Forecast

       HIGH DEMAND (stock heavily):
       • Wool Scarves: 850-1100 units
       • Insulated Boots: 650-800 units
       • Fleece Jackets: 920-1200 units

       MODERATE DEMAND:
       • Winter Gloves: 400-550 units
       • Thermal Leggings: 350-480 units

       STRATEGY RECOMMENDATIONS:
       ✓ Order 70% of forecasted volume upfront
       ✓ Schedule second shipment for mid-season
       ✓ Monitor sell-through weekly
       ✓ Plan flash sales if inventory exceeds 40% after Week 4

       Detailed forecast model in agent task history."

Example: Shipping Optimization

 You → "Use Shipping Agent to optimize delivery
       routes for holiday orders"
     ↓
Agent spawns with logistics & shipping scope
     ↓
Agent searches for routing & carrier tools
     ↓
Agent enables specialized logistics tools
     ↓
Agent analyzes delivery optimization
     ↓
You ← "Holiday Shipping Strategy

       ROUTE OPTIMIZATION:
       • West Coast: Use Carrier A (2-day) - saves $3.20/order
       • East Coast: Use Carrier B (priority) - saves $1.80/order
       • Midwest: Split between A & B based on weight

       COST SAVINGS: $8,400/month projected

       CARRIER RECOMMENDATIONS:
       ✓ Negotiate volume discount with Carrier A (15%)
       ✓ Set up weekend pickups with Carrier B
       ✓ Reserve backup capacity with Carrier C for peak days

       Implementation plan in agent history."

Key takeaway: Agents bring specialized knowledge to complex tasks. They analyze with domain expertise and return strategic recommendations.

Learn more: Agents

4. Managing Context for Long Workflows

When working on complex projects over multiple days, context matters. Your conversation history uses working memory—keeping it clean helps decopilot stay focused and productive.

The 40/80 Rule

  • Below 40% - Plenty of room, work freely
  • 40-80% - Context filling up, consider compacting
  • Above 80% - Automatic compactification triggers

When to Compact

Use the /compact command to summarize your conversation before:

  • Starting a major new project phase
  • Beginning complex multi-step work
  • Switching between different focus areas

Example: Product Launch Preparation

 Day 1:
You → "Let's plan the Spring Collection launch"
     ↓
[Discussion of strategy, timeline, SKUs...]
     ↓
Context: 25% full
     ↓
     ↓
Day 2:
You → "Run /compact"
     ↓
Decopilot summarizes previous work
     ↓
Context: 15% full (compacted)
     ↓
You → "Now create launch announcement content"
     ↓
[Fresh context for new phase...]

Using Subtasks to Manage Context

Remember: Subtasks keep your main conversation lean. When you spawn a subtask for analysis, only the summary comes back—not the detailed work.

 You → "Run subtask: audit product data quality
       across entire catalog"
     ↓
Subtask analyzes 1,200 products
(generates 15,000 tokens of detailed findings)
     ↓
You ← "Quality Audit Summary (450 tokens)

       CRITICAL ISSUES: 23 products
       HIGH PRIORITY: 87 products
       MEDIUM PRIORITY: 156 products
       PASSED: 934 products

       [Summary of top issues...]"

The subtask used 15,000 tokens of context—but your main conversation only sees 450 tokens. This keeps your working memory focused on what matters.

Key takeaway: Use /compact before major work phases, and use subtasks to keep detailed work isolated. This maintains conversation quality and productivity.

Learn more: Context Management

5. Switching Scopes for Different Work

Scopes determine what tools and resources are available. Switch scopes based on what you’re working on.

Three Scope Types

Organization Scope

  • Setting up integrations (Shopify, GitHub, Slack)
  • Managing team access and permissions
  • Organization-wide configurations

Project Scope

  • Day-to-day feature work
  • Product management
  • Content updates and campaigns

Agent Scope

  • Specialized tasks with focused tools
  • Domain expertise (inventory, shipping, etc.)
  • Isolated analysis work

How to Switch Scopes

Use the agent selector at the bottom-left of the chat:

  • No agent selected = Organization or Project scope (depends on current view)
  • Agent selected = Agent scope

Example: Multi-Scope Workflow

 Organization Scope (no agent):
You → "Connect our Shopify store to decopilot"
     ↓
Decopilot searches for connection tools
     ↓
Decopilot enables OAuth tools
     ↓
Decopilot guides through OAuth setup
     ↓
You ← "✓ Shopify connected successfully
       Store: mystore.myshopify.com
       Products: 1,247 available"
     ↓
     ↓
Switch to Project Scope (navigate to project):
You → "Update all summer products with new descriptions"
     ↓
Decopilot searches project-specific tools
     ↓
Decopilot enables product management tools
     ↓
Decopilot updates products
     ↓
You ← "✓ Updated 24 products in Summer 2026 collection"
     ↓
     ↓
Switch to Agent Scope (select Inventory Specialist):
You → "Analyze demand for these summer products"
     ↓
Agent searches specialized inventory tools
     ↓
Agent enables forecasting tools
     ↓
Agent analyzes demand
     ↓
You ← "Demand Forecast: [specialist analysis...]"

Key takeaway: Switch scopes based on your task. Organization for setup, project for daily work, agents for specialized analysis.

Learn more: Scopes

Putting It All Together

You’ve learned the core decopilot workflow:

  1. Simple requests - Just ask for what you need
  2. Subtasks - Isolate complex work, get back summaries
  3. Agents - Bring in specialists for domain expertise
  4. Context - Use /compact and subtasks to stay focused
  5. Scopes - Switch contexts for different types of work

Quick Reference

When to use what:

  • Basic task → Just ask decopilot
  • Complex analysis → Run a subtask
  • Need expertise → Use a specialist agent
  • Long project → Compact regularly, use subtasks
  • Setup work → Organization scope
  • Daily work → Project scope
  • Specialized task → Agent scope

Start Experimenting

The best way to learn is to try. Start with simple requests, then progressively use subtasks and agents as your needs grow more complex.

Next steps:

Ready to dive in? Open decopilot in your deco CMS organization and start with a simple request. The agentic harness will guide you from there.

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