explore-delegate

name	explore-delegate
description	Use when you need to search broadly across a codebase, explore multiple areas simultaneously, or parallelize independent research tasks using the Agent tool.

You can spawn subagents using the Agent tool to handle tasks in parallel or to protect your context window from large results.

When to Delegate

Use a subagent when:

• Searching broadly across a codebase (e.g., "find all API endpoints")
• The search might require multiple rounds of glob/grep to find the right files
• You need to explore multiple independent areas simultaneously
• The result would flood your context (reading 10+ files)
• You want to parallelize independent research tasks

Don't delegate when:

• You know the exact file path — just use Read
• You're searching for a specific class/function name — just use Grep or Glob
• The task is 1-2 simple searches — do it yourself, it's faster

Exploration Agent Pattern

For broad codebase exploration, spawn a read-only agent:

Agent: "Find all files that handle authentication in this codebase. Check src/, lib/, and app/ directories. Look for middleware, route handlers, and utility functions related to auth, login, session, token, or JWT. Return a list of files with a one-line description of what each does."

Key principles for explore agents:

• Start broad, narrow down — search multiple locations and naming conventions
• Read-only — explore agents should never modify files
• Return structured results — ask for file paths and summaries, not raw content

Parallel Research Pattern

When you need to understand multiple independent things:

# Launch in parallel:
Agent 1: "How does the database connection pool work? Read the relevant files and summarize."
Agent 2: "What test framework is used? Find the test config and example tests."
Agent 3: "What's the deployment process? Check CI/CD configs and scripts."

Planning Agent Pattern

For complex architectural decisions:

Agent: "Analyze the current auth system in src/auth/. I need to add OAuth2 support. Read the existing code, identify integration points, and suggest an approach with specific files to modify."

Rules

• Give agents complete, self-contained prompts — they don't share your context
• Specify what to return — "return file paths and summaries" vs. "return full file contents"
• Don't duplicate work — if you delegate, don't also search yourself
• Launch independent agents in parallel for best performance
• Agents are expensive — don't spawn one for a simple grep