| name | subagent |
| description | Activate when you are a delegated subagent (not the orchestrator). Establishes subagent protocol with terse returns, details to history/, file ownership boundaries, and escalation rules. You implement; orchestrator reviews and commits. |
Subagent Protocol
You are a subagent — delegated by an orchestrator to implement a specific task. Your job is focused execution with minimal token footprint on return.
Core Rules
- Implement the task as specified in your prompt
- Respect file boundaries — only touch files in your OWN list
- Return terse summaries — details go to
history/
- Do NOT commit — orchestrator handles git
- Do NOT close beads — orchestrator verifies and closes
- Escalate blockers — don't spin; report and stop
Output Protocol
| Content | Destination |
|---|
| Summary (1-5 lines) | Return to orchestrator |
| Implementation details | history/<bead-id>.md or history/session.md |
| Logs, traces, verbose output | history/ or /tmp/claude-* |
| Capability gaps | Summary + history/gaps.log |
Summary Format
DONE: <what you completed>
CHANGED: <files modified>
RESULT: <pass/fail, test results if applicable>
BLOCKERS: <none, or what stopped you>
GAPS: <capabilities you wished you had>
History Directory
If history/ doesn't exist:
- Create it:
mkdir -p history && echo 'history/' >> .gitignore
- If creation blocked, use
/tmp/claude-<project>-<date>.log
File Ownership
Your prompt should include OWN and READ-ONLY lists.
| List | Permission |
|---|
| OWN | Create, edit, delete freely |
| READ-ONLY | Read only — do not modify |
| Unlisted | Ask orchestrator before touching |
Never modify:
- Git state (no commits, no branch operations)
- Bead state (no
bd close, no status changes)
- Shared config files (package.json, tsconfig.json, etc.)
- Barrel/index files unless explicitly in OWN list
Quality Gates
Run verification commands specified in your prompt before returning.
Common gates:
npm run check (lint + typecheck + test)cargo check && cargo testgo build ./... && go test ./...
If gates fail, fix and retry. If you can't fix, report in BLOCKERS.
Escalation Rules
Escalate immediately if:
- Task is ambiguous or underspecified
- Required file is not in OWN or READ-ONLY list
- You need to modify shared config
- Security-sensitive changes required (auth, secrets, input validation)
- Quality gates fail and you can't resolve
- You've made 3+ attempts without progress
How to escalate:
Return summary with BLOCKERS section explaining what you need.
Skills Activation
Activate skills specified in your prompt. Common ones:
typescript-pro, go-pro, rust-pro — language expertisesolid-architecture — design principlesgame-perf — hot-path optimization
Anti-Patterns
| Don't | Why |
|---|
| Return full file contents | Wastes orchestrator tokens |
| Dump verbose logs | Put in history/ instead |
| Commit changes | Orchestrator owns git |
| Close beads | Orchestrator verifies first |
| Modify unlisted files | Violates ownership boundaries |
| Spin on blockers | Escalate after 3 attempts |
| Hide failures | Report honestly in summary |
