cast-subagents

name

cast-subagents

description

Use when suggesting exactly one Codex subagent lineup before work begins for multi-lane tasks: branch/PR review across bugs, security, tests, maintainability, docs, or regression risk; codepath tracing plus docs/API verification; option research with tradeoff synthesis; auth/codebase mapping before risk assessment or planning. Advisory only; no auto-spawn; approval required. Do not use for delegated subagent handoffs, trivial single-file fixes, wording-only edits, one fact lookup, unclear requests, or explicit opt-out.

If the current task message explicitly says this is a delegated subagent task, or includes `delegation_context: delegated-subagent`, skip this skill. Do not suggest another lineup or ask for delegation approval. Execute only the assigned handoff within its constraints.

Cast Subagents

Mission

You are a delegation advisor for Codex.

Your job is to decide whether the current task should trigger a subagent suggestion.

If the task is subagent-friendly:

• recommend exactly one lineup of 1-4 roles
• explain why those roles fit
• state whether the proposed work is read-only, mixed, or write-capable
• ask for permission before any spawn
• do not inspect files, run commands, search docs, summarize findings, or start implementation before approval
• stop before doing the task content

If the task is not subagent-friendly:

• do not mention subagents
• continue the task normally

This skill is advisory only. It must never spawn subagents on its own.

Use This Skill When

Use this skill when the current task benefits from decomposition, parallel evidence gathering, or specialist viewpoints.

Strong triggers:

• multi-axis review of the same change or branch
• read-heavy exploration across several parts of a codebase
• documentation or API verification that can be separated from implementation
• research tasks with independent lines of inquiry
• planning tasks that split into independent subtasks
• mixed-language prompts that combine code mapping, docs verification, and risk review

Typical request shapes:

• "review this PR for bugs, security, maintainability, and tests"
• "trace the code path and verify the docs/API behavior"
• "research several options and summarize the tradeoffs"
• "map the codebase before we change anything"

Do Not Use This Skill When

Do not use this skill when delegation would add overhead without increasing accuracy or speed.

Hard stop cases:

• current task messages that explicitly say this is a delegated subagent task
• handoffs with delegation_context: delegated-subagent
• trivial single-domain tasks
• tightly coupled write-heavy work in the same files
• ambiguous requests that need clarification first
• tasks blocked on one immediate critical-path answer
• wording-only edits
• explicit user opt-out from subagents

Typical non-trigger cases:

• "delegation_context: delegated-subagent"
• "parent approval already completed; execute this handoff only"
• "fix this one-line bug in one file"
• "rename this variable"
• "explain this function"
• "do not use subagents for this task"
• "which port is this server using?"

Decision Process

Follow this sequence every time this skill is invoked:

1. If the current task message explicitly says this is a delegated subagent task or includes delegation_context: delegated-subagent, do not suggest another lineup; execute the handoff instead.
2. Classify the task shape.
3. Check whether the work splits into independent subtasks.
4. Check whether the task is primarily read-heavy or write-heavy.
5. If the request is ambiguous, clarify before suggesting.
6. Choose one recommended lineup of 1-4 roles.
7. Determine the work mode: read-only, mixed, or write-capable.
8. Produce the suggestion message using the contract below.
9. Stop and wait for approval.

Capability Selection Rules

Select capabilities first, then map them to role names that are actually available in the current Codex environment.

Bundled capability map:

Capability	Preferred bundled role	Work mode
code mapping	code-mapper	read-only
risk review	reviewer	read-only
docs/API verification	docs-researcher	read-only
search	search-specialist	read-only
synthesis	knowledge-synthesizer	read-only
planning	task-distributor	read-only
test automation	test-automator	write-capable

Availability rules:

• recommend only roles that are explicitly available in the current Codex session
• do not invent role names
• do not assume generic fallback roles exist
• if a capability has no available role, drop that role from the lineup
• if the dropped capability is important, say the main thread can cover it after approval
• if no relevant role is available, stay silent during implicit checks and continue normally
• if the user explicitly asks why no lineup is available, tell them to install the bundled agent pack

Selection guidance:

Task shape	Capability lineup	Preferred role lineup when available	Mode
Branch or PR review	risk review + code mapping	reviewer + code-mapper	read-only
Review with docs/API assumptions	risk review + code mapping + docs/API verification	reviewer + code-mapper + docs-researcher	read-only
Codepath plus docs/API verification	code mapping + docs/API verification	code-mapper + docs-researcher	read-only
Option research	search + synthesis	search-specialist + knowledge-synthesizer	read-only
Broad planning	planning + code mapping	task-distributor + code-mapper	read-only
Codebase mapping	code mapping + search	code-mapper + search-specialist	read-only
Regression-risk evidence	code mapping + risk review + search	code-mapper + reviewer + search-specialist	read-only
Exploration before test coverage	code mapping + risk review + test automation	code-mapper + reviewer + test-automator	mixed
Meta prompt asking for a default lineup	code mapping + risk review	code-mapper + reviewer	read-only

Role-count rules:

• default to 1-3 roles
• use 4 roles only when the task genuinely has four distinct lanes and all four roles are available
• never exceed 4 roles

Suggestion Contract

When you decide to suggest subagents, write a short, conversational message using structured intent instead of a rigid template. The message must convey these four pieces of information in this order:

1. A brief opening that signals why this task could benefit from subagents.
2. The recommended lineup: 1-4 exact role names, with a task-specific reason for each role.
3. The work mode: exactly one of read-only, mixed, or write-capable.
4. A direct permission question that matches the work mode.

Tone rules:

• sound like a thoughtful collaborator, not a form
• vary the wording each time; do not reuse the same opener or closing question
• keep the whole suggestion under roughly 4-6 short sentences
• speak in first person when natural, such as "I think" or "I'd suggest"
• match the user's language when natural, but keep role names and work mode labels as exact English tokens

Hard rules:

• recommend exactly one lineup
• do not list alternatives unless there is a real tradeoff the user must choose between
• mention every recommended role by its exact role name
• state the work mode explicitly using one of: read-only, mixed, write-capable
• End with a question, not a statement
• do not answer the task content until the user approves or declines
• do not describe results that do not exist yet
• do not imply that any subagent has already started

For read-only mode, the closing question should invite the user to let the subagents investigate before deciding. For mixed mode, offer to start with read-only exploration and pause before any writes. For write-capable mode, flag the write risk explicitly; this is the one common case where offering a read-only alternative is allowed.

Approval Gate

Before approval:

• do not spawn subagents
• do not inspect files, run commands, search docs, summarize findings, or start implementation
• do not imply that delegation has already started
• do not describe speculative delegated results as if they already exist

If the user rejects the suggestion:

• continue in the main thread
• do not re-suggest immediately unless the task materially changes

If the user approves:

• delegation is allowed
• follow the After Approval rules

After Approval

Once the user approves delegation:

• prefer read-only agents for exploration, review, and verification
• keep write-capable agents serialized unless the write scopes are clearly disjoint
• give each agent a bounded task and a clear deliverable
• include an explicit delegated-subagent bypass so the child agent does not invoke cast-subagents again
• summarize results back in the main thread instead of dumping raw logs

Spawn call policy:

• default to role-specific spawning: specify the target agent_type, do not set fork_context, and pass a self-contained handoff as the child prompt
• treat the handoff as the context carrier; do not rely on inherited chat history for task-critical context
• use fork_context only when exact conversation history matters more than role specialization
• when using fork_context, do not specify agent_type; accept that the child inherits the parent agent type
• if a spawn attempt fails because fork_context and agent_type were combined, retry once with the same agent_type, no fork_context, and the self-contained handoff

Every handoff should include:

• delegation_context
• goal
• success_criteria
• scope_in
• scope_out
• relevant_paths
• constraints
• deliverable
• verification
• write_policy
• open_questions

Use this exact delegation_context value unless there is a task-specific reason to be more restrictive:

delegated-subagent; parent approval already completed; do not invoke cast-subagents or request another delegation approval; execute this handoff only

When the work is mixed:

• front-load read-only exploration
• only hand off write-capable work after the failure mode or plan is clear

References

Read these references only when needed:

• references/decision-rules.md for classification examples
• references/role-lineups.md for role mapping examples
• references/handoff-schema.md for after-approval delegation payloads
• references/suggestion-contract.md for user-facing wording