Sub-agents

Sub-agents run delegated tasks under a strict subset of the parent session’s capabilities. Spawn is mediated by the SubagentSpawn capability.

Spawn resource shape

agent:NAME:profile:PROFILE

Built-in policy requires approval by default. The child’s capabilities are attenuated before the spawn completes — children cannot mint new authority upward.

Agent tool

spawn.json

{"tool":"spawn","agent":"scout","task":"Map module boundaries"}

• Declarative manifest per agent
• Per-agent tool allow-list
• "tasks":[…] runs multiple tasks in parallel

Patterns

Pattern	Description
Research fork	Read-heavy child gathers context
Patch worker	Write-scoped child applies a bounded edit set
Review swarm	Parallel reviewers with no write access
Workflow steps	Each workflow step is an isolated, attenuated subagent

Why attenuate

1. Unconstrained children amplify blast radius
2. Audit records nest under the parent turn
3. Parent remains the recovery and approval authority

Note

Workflow DAGs are the preferred multi-step orchestration surface — see Workflows.

Source of truth

• Capability: SubagentSpawn · attenuation rules in docs/security-model.md / policy kernel
• Orchestration preferred path: Workflows
• Related: Agents overview · Policy

Next

• Workflow tutorial — multi-step review with attenuated steps
• Common workflows — spawn recipe