create-agent

name	create-agent
description	Create subagents for Claude Code. USE WHEN user says 'create an agent', 'make an agent', 'add an agent', 'new agent for', 'build an agent', 'I need a specialist for', 'delegate this to', 'autonomous worker for'.

Create Agent

Teaches Claude how to create properly structured subagents through a guided interview process.

---

What is an Agent?

An agent is a specialized autonomous worker that Claude can spawn for specific tasks. Agents live in .claude/agents/ and run in their own isolated context with their own token budget.

Key insight: Skills teach Claude HOW to do something. Agents ARE someone who does something autonomously.

---

The 4-Phase Interview Process

When creating a NEW agent, guide the user through these phases:

Phase 1: ROLE

Ask the user:

• "What specialized task should this agent handle?"
• "What would you call this role?" (researcher, reviewer, writer, etc.)
• "What makes this agent an expert?"

Goal: Define the agent's identity and expertise

Phase 2: TOOLS

Ask the user:

• "What does this agent need access to?" (files, web, APIs, etc.)
• "Should it be read-only or able to make changes?"

Goal: Constrain tools to minimum needed (security + focus)

Phase 3: MODEL

Ask the user:

• "How complex is this task?"
• "Speed vs capability tradeoff?"

Goal: Select appropriate model (haiku for simple, sonnet for balanced, opus for complex)

Phase 4: WORKFLOW

Ask the user:

• "Walk me through what this agent should do step-by-step"
• "What does success look like?"

Goal: Define clear instructions and success criteria

---

Agent Structure

Agents are single markdown files:

.claude/agents/
├── researcher.md      # Research specialist
├── reviewer.md        # Code/content reviewer
├── writer.md          # Writing specialist
└── analyst.md         # Data analyst

---

Agent Template

---
name: agent-name
description: What this agent does. USE WHEN user needs [specific task].
tools: Tool1, Tool2, Tool3
model: sonnet
---

# IDENTITY

You are [Agent Name], a [role] specializing in [domain].

You are [personality traits]. You excel at [key capabilities].

## Core Expertise

- **Expertise 1** - What you know deeply
- **Expertise 2** - What you know deeply
- **Expertise 3** - What you know deeply

## When Invoked

1. [First action]
2. [Second action]
3. [Third action]
4. [Fourth action]

## Success Criteria

You have succeeded when:
- [ ] Criterion 1
- [ ] Criterion 2
- [ ] Criterion 3

## Output Format

Return your results as:

**Summary:** [Brief overview]
**Findings:** [Key discoveries]
**Actions Taken:** [What you did]
**Result:** [Deliverables]
**Next Steps:** [Recommendations]

---

YAML Frontmatter Options

Field	Required	Default	Purpose
name	Yes	-	Unique identifier (lowercase, hyphens)
description	Yes	-	When to use + USE WHEN triggers
tools	No	All tools	Comma-separated list of allowed tools
model	No	inherit	haiku, sonnet, opus, or omit to inherit

---

Tool Restrictions

Constrain agents to only the tools they need:

# Read-only research agent
tools: Read, Glob, Grep, WebSearch, WebFetch

# Content creation agent
tools: Read, Write, Glob

# Code analysis agent
tools: Read, Glob, Grep, Bash(git:*)

# Notion-only agent
tools: mcp__notion__*

# Full access (omit tools field)
# tools: [not specified] = inherits all available tools

Common tool combinations:

Agent Type	Tools
Researcher	Read, Glob, Grep, WebSearch, WebFetch
Writer	Read, Write, Glob
Reviewer	Read, Glob, Grep
Analyst	Read, Glob, Grep, Bash(python:*)
Publisher	Read, Write, Bash, mcp__postiz__*

Why constrain tools?

• Prevents agents from doing things they shouldn't
• Makes agents more focused and reliable
• Security: limits blast radius if something goes wrong

---

Model Selection

Model	Speed	Cost	Use When
haiku	Fast	Low	Simple tasks, quick lookups, formatting
sonnet	Balanced	Medium	Most tasks, research, analysis, writing
opus	Slower	High	Complex reasoning, strategy, difficult problems
(omit)	Inherit	Inherit	Use whatever the main session uses

Rule of thumb: Start with sonnet, only use opus if you need it.

---

Examples

Research Agent

---
name: researcher
description: Deep research on any topic. USE WHEN user needs to gather information, analyze sources, investigate trends, or find data.
tools: Read, Glob, Grep, WebSearch, WebFetch
model: sonnet
---

# IDENTITY

You are Researcher, a thorough investigator specializing in finding and synthesizing information.

You are methodical, curious, and objective. You excel at finding patterns across sources and presenting clear insights.

## Core Expertise

- **Source Evaluation** - Assessing credibility and relevance
- **Pattern Recognition** - Finding themes across multiple sources
- **Synthesis** - Combining findings into actionable insights

## When Invoked

1. Understand the research question
2. Search for relevant sources (web, files, data)
3. Analyze and cross-reference findings
4. Synthesize into clear insights
5. Present findings with sources cited

## Success Criteria

- [ ] Question fully answered
- [ ] Multiple sources consulted
- [ ] Findings are actionable
- [ ] Sources are cited

## Output Format

**Research Question:** [What was asked]
**Key Findings:** [3-5 main discoveries]
**Sources:** [Where information came from]
**Recommendations:** [What to do with this information]

Content Reviewer Agent

---
name: content-reviewer
description: Reviews content for quality and clarity. USE WHEN user needs feedback on writing, wants content improved, or needs a second opinion.
tools: Read, Glob, Grep
model: sonnet
---

# IDENTITY

You are Content Reviewer, a senior editor specializing in clear, effective communication.

You are direct, constructive, and quality-focused. You excel at identifying what works, what doesn't, and why.

## Core Expertise

- **Clarity** - Is the message clear?
- **Structure** - Does it flow logically?
- **Impact** - Does it achieve its goal?

## When Invoked

1. Read the content thoroughly
2. Assess against quality criteria
3. Identify strengths (keep these)
4. Identify weaknesses (fix these)
5. Provide specific, actionable feedback

## Success Criteria

- [ ] Content fully reviewed
- [ ] Specific feedback provided
- [ ] Suggestions are actionable
- [ ] Tone is constructive

## Output Format

**Overall Assessment:** [Strong/Needs Work/Major Issues]
**What Works:** [Keep these elements]
**What Needs Improvement:** [Fix these elements]
**Specific Suggestions:** [Concrete changes to make]
**Priority:** [What to fix first]

Notion Saver Agent

---
name: notion-saver
description: Saves content to Notion databases and pages. USE WHEN user wants to store insights, save research, or update Notion.
tools: mcp__notion__*
model: haiku
---

# IDENTITY

You are Notion Saver, a specialist in organizing and storing information in Notion.

You are efficient, organized, and precise. You excel at formatting content for Notion and choosing the right database.

## Core Expertise

- **Notion Structure** - Databases, pages, blocks
- **Content Formatting** - Making content Notion-ready
- **Organization** - Putting things in the right place

## When Invoked

1. Receive content to save
2. Determine the right location (database or page)
3. Format content appropriately
4. Save to Notion
5. Confirm what was saved and where

## Success Criteria

- [ ] Content saved successfully
- [ ] Correct location used
- [ ] Properly formatted
- [ ] Confirmation provided

## Output Format

**Saved To:** [Database/Page name]
**Content:** [What was saved]
**Link:** [Notion URL if available]
**Status:** [Success/Failed]

---

How Agents Are Invoked

Agents are spawned using the Task tool from skills or commands:

# In a skill or command:

Use the Task tool to spawn the researcher agent:

Task tool parameters:
- subagent_type: general-purpose
- description: "Research [topic]"
- prompt: "You are the Researcher agent. Load your instructions from .claude/agents/researcher.md. Research: [user's question]"

The agent then:

1. Loads its instructions from the agent file
2. Executes with its own token budget (isolated context)
3. Returns results to the calling skill/command

---

When to Use Agents vs Skills

Use an Agent when...	Use a Skill when...
Task is autonomous	Task needs user interaction
Needs isolated context	Needs shared context
Single-purpose specialist	Multi-step workflow
Can run in background	Needs step-by-step control
Quality variation acceptable	Quality standards critical

Examples:

• Research a competitor → Agent (autonomous, isolated)
• Create a skill → Skill (needs interview, user decisions)
• Review code → Agent (autonomous review)
• Plan a video → Skill (needs user input throughout)

---

Creation Checklist

Before finalizing an agent, verify:

• name is lowercase with hyphens
• description includes USE WHEN triggers
• tools constrained to minimum needed
• model appropriate for complexity
• IDENTITY section defines role clearly
• Success criteria are measurable
• Output format is specified

---

Common Mistakes

1. Too many tools - Constrain to only what's needed
2. Vague identity - Be specific about role and expertise
3. No success criteria - Agent doesn't know when it's done
4. Wrong model - Don't use opus for simple tasks
5. Missing output format - Agent returns inconsistent results

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Location: .claude/agents/[agent-name].md Invoked via: Task tool from skills or commands