Google Open-Sources EGM Plugin to Make Coding Agents Write Specs First
Google has open-sourced the Elephant-Goldfish Model (EGM) plugin under Apache 2.0, requiring coding agents to draft and defend a design spec before writing code. The core idea is context splitting: a long-lived "Elephant" session holds project history and drafts the design doc, while fresh "Goldfish" subagents read only that doc and referenced files, avoiding inherited blind spots. The review runs five stages; in Google's tests Codex 0.163.0 and Antigravity CLI completed 15-16 reviewers end to end, though reviews consume the user's own model quota and issue #237 reports AGENTS.md leaking into some CLI reviewers.
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▲ Marktechpost AI · 2026-11-08 10
▲ Google just open-sourced the Elephant-Goldfish Model (EGM) plugin, which makes your coding agent write and defend a spec before it writes any code.
The key idea is splitting context. The "Elephant" is a long session that holds your project history and drafts the design doc. The "Goldfish" are fresh subagents that read only that doc and the files it references, so they do not inherit the conversation's blind spots.
The review runs 5 stages: zoom out, a comprehension test where a Goldfish paraphrases the design, a critic review, a second zoom out, and an implementation-readiness check. In Google's own test record, Codex 0.163.0 completed 15 fresh-context reviewers end to end and Antigravity CLI ran 16. It is a trade-off though: the Claude Cowork run stopped after stages 5 to 7 on usage limits, and issue #237 reports AGENTS.md leaking into some CLI reviewers.
It ships as an Apache 2.0 plugin with 7 skills and 9 reviewer personas. It works in Antigravity, Claude Code 2.1.271+, Codex and ChatGPT. The plugin is free, but every review burns your own model quota......
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