schemas

name	schemas
description	YAML frontmatter schemas for Claude Code agents and commands. Use when creating or validating agent/command files.

Frontmatter Schemas

Agent Frontmatter

---
name: agent-name               # Required: lowercase-with-hyphens
description: |                 # Required: detailed with examples
  Use this agent when [scenario]. Examples:
  (1) "Task description" - launches agent for X
  (2) "Task description" - launches agent for Y
  (3) "Task description" - launches agent for Z
model: sonnet                  # Required: sonnet | opus | haiku
color: purple                  # Optional: purple | cyan | green | orange | blue | red
tools: TodoWrite, Read, Write  # Required: comma-separated, space after comma
skills: skill1, skill2         # Optional: referenced skills
---

Field Reference

Field	Required	Values	Description
name	Yes	lowercase-with-hyphens	Agent identifier
description	Yes	Multi-line string	3-5 usage examples
model	Yes	sonnet, opus, haiku	AI model to use
color	No	See colors below	Terminal color
tools	Yes	Tool list	Available tools
skills	No	Skill list	Referenced skills

Color Guidelines

Color	Agent Type	Examples
purple	Planning	architect, api-architect
green	Implementation	developer, ui-developer
cyan	Review	reviewer, designer
orange	Testing	test-architect, tester
blue	Utility	cleaner, api-analyst
red	Critical/Security	(rarely used)

Tool Patterns by Agent Type

Orchestrators (Commands):

• Must have: Task, TodoWrite, Read, Bash
• Often: AskUserQuestion, Glob, Grep
• Never: Write, Edit

Planners:

• Must have: TodoWrite, Read, Write (for docs)
• Often: Glob, Grep, Bash

Implementers:

• Must have: TodoWrite, Read, Write, Edit
• Often: Bash, Glob, Grep

Reviewers:

• Must have: TodoWrite, Read
• Often: Glob, Grep, Bash
• Never: Write, Edit

---

Command Frontmatter

---
description: |                 # Required: workflow description
  Full description of what this command does.
  Workflow: PHASE 1 → PHASE 2 → PHASE 3
allowed-tools: Task, Bash      # Required: comma-separated
skills: skill1, skill2         # Optional: referenced skills
---

Field Reference

Field	Required	Values	Description
description	Yes	Multi-line	Command purpose and workflow
allowed-tools	Yes	Tool list	Tools command can use
skills	No	Skill list	Referenced skills

---

Validation Checklist

Agent Frontmatter

• Opening --- present
• name is lowercase-with-hyphens
• description includes 3+ examples
• model is valid (sonnet/opus/haiku)
• tools is comma-separated with spaces
• Closing --- present
• No YAML syntax errors

Command Frontmatter

• Opening --- present
• description explains workflow
• allowed-tools includes Task for orchestrators
• Closing --- present
• No YAML syntax errors

---

Common Errors

Invalid YAML Syntax

# WRONG - missing colon
name agent-name

# CORRECT
name: agent-name

Incorrect Tool Format

# WRONG - no spaces after commas
tools: TodoWrite,Read,Write

# CORRECT
tools: TodoWrite, Read, Write

Missing Examples

# WRONG - too generic
description: Use this agent for development tasks.

# CORRECT
description: |
  Use this agent when implementing TypeScript features. Examples:
  (1) "Create a user service" - implements service with full CRUD
  (2) "Add validation" - adds Zod schemas to endpoints
  (3) "Fix type errors" - resolves TypeScript compilation issues