| name | delegate-task |
| description | Delegate a task by forking a terminal session to a new terminal window. Use this when the user requests 'delegate' or 'create a new terminal' or 'new terminal: <command>' or 'fork session: <command>'. |
Purpose
Fork a new terminal session to a new terminal window using one Claude Code.
Follow the Instructions, execute the Workflow.
Variables
DEFAULT_MODEL: opus
HEAVY_MODEL: opus
BASE_MODEL: sonnet
FAST_MODEL: haiku
Employees
If user specifies "delegate to ", read .claude/reference/employees.json to get the repo path.
Instructions
- Before executing the command, run
claude --help to understand the command and its options.
- Always use interactive mode (leave off -p flag)
- For the --model argument, use DEFAULT_MODEL if not specified. If 'fast' is requested, use FAST_MODEL. If 'heavy' is requested, use HEAVY_MODEL.
- Always run with
--dangerously-skip-permissions
Cross-Repo Context (CRITICAL)
When delegating to a different repo (employee), the agent operates in THEIR directory, not yours. Before crafting the prompt:
-
Capture source repo path: Run pwd to get current working directory (SOURCE_REPO)
-
Use absolute paths in prompt for all source repo references:
- Source tasks:
{SOURCE_REPO}/tasks/...
- Context files:
{SOURCE_REPO}/context/...
- Output directory:
{SOURCE_REPO}/outputs/
-
Instruct agent to use its skills: Include in prompt: "First, check your available skills at .claude/skills/ and use any relevant ones for this task."
-
Specify output location explicitly: "Save deliverables to {SOURCE_REPO}/outputs/YYYY-MM-DD-.md"
File Handling
- Instruct delegated agents to update existing vault files (tasks/, projects/, people/) directly—never create duplicates
- For deliverables, save to source repo's
outputs/YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.<ext> using absolute path
- Link from the reference file under
## Outputs using the obsidian [[slug]] schema
Source Task Callback
When delegating work related to an existing task or project:
- Identify the source file (e.g.,
tasks/next-weeks-video-idea.md)
- Include in the prompt: "When complete, update {absolute_path_to_source_file} with status and link to your output."
Fork Summary User Prompts
- IF: The user requests a fork terminal with a summary.
- THEN:
- Read, and REPLACE the
.claude/skills/delegate/references/fork_summary_user_prompt.md with the history of the conversation between you and the user so far.
- Include the next users request in the
Next User Request section.
- This will be what you pass into the PROMPT parameter of the agentic coding tool.
- IMPORTANT: To be clear, don't update the file directly, just read it, fill it out IN YOUR MEMORY and use it to craft a new prompt in the structure provided for the new fork agent.
- Let's be super clear here, the fork_summary_user_prompt.md is a template for you to fill out IN YOUR MEMORY. Once you've filled it out, pass that prompt to the agentic coding tool.
- XML Tags have been added to let you know exactly what you need to replace. You'll be replacing the and sections.
- EXAMPLES:
- "fork terminal use claude code to summarize work so far"
- "spin up a new terminal request using claude code include summary"
- "create a new terminal to with claude code with summary"
Workflow
- Understand the user's request.
- Craft a clear, complete prompt describing the task for the delegated agent.
- Build the claude command with prompt:
claude --model <MODEL> --dangerously-skip-permissions "<PROMPT>"
- CRITICAL: The prompt MUST be included as a positional argument. Without it, Claude opens with no task.
- Execute fork:
- Default (same repo):
.claude/skills/delegate/scripts/fork_terminal.py '<full command>'
- Different repo:
.claude/skills/delegate/scripts/fork_terminal.py '<full command>' --repo '<employee_path>'
- Use single quotes around the full command, double quotes around the prompt.
Examples
User says: "delegate research on X"
Execute: .claude/skills/delegate/scripts/fork_terminal.py 'claude --model opus --dangerously-skip-permissions "Research X and summarize findings"'
User says: "fork terminal to build feature Y"
Execute: .claude/skills/delegate/scripts/fork_terminal.py 'claude --model opus --dangerously-skip-permissions "Implement feature Y in this codebase"'
User says: "delegate to head-of-content: research video ideas"
-> Run pwd to capture SOURCE_REPO
-> Read employees.json, get path for "head-of-content"
-> Craft prompt with: (1) instruction to use .claude/skills/, (2) absolute paths to SOURCE_REPO files
Execute: .claude/skills/delegate/scripts/fork_terminal.py 'claude --model opus --dangerously-skip-permissions "First check .claude/skills/ for relevant skills. Research video ideas. Context: {SOURCE_REPO}/context/... Output to: {SOURCE_REPO}/outputs/..."' --repo '<employee_path>'
