Agents Comparison
Agent definitions configure autonomous sub-processes with specific tools, models, and behaviors. Providers vary significantly in agent format and capability.
Format and Install Method
Section titled “Format and Install Method”How each provider stores and installs agents.
| Provider | Format | Install Method | Symlink |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Markdown | Symlink | No |
| Gemini CLI | Markdown | Symlink | No |
| Cursor | Markdown | Symlink | No |
| Devin Desktop | Markdown | Symlink | No |
| Codex | TOML | Symlink | No |
| Copilot CLI | Markdown | Symlink | No |
| Roo Code | YAML | Project scope | No |
| OpenCode | Markdown | Symlink | No |
| Kiro | Markdown | Symlink | No |
| Factory Droid | Markdown | Symlink | No |
Discovery Paths
Section titled “Discovery Paths”Where each provider looks for agents files. Paths with ~/ are relative to the user’s home directory; others are relative to the project root.
| Provider | Discovery Paths | Global Install Path |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | .claude/agents | ~/.claude/agents |
| Gemini CLI | .gemini/agents | ~/.gemini/agents |
| Cursor | .cursor/agents, AGENTS.md | ~/.cursor/agents |
| Devin Desktop | .devin/agents, .agents/agents | ~/.config/devin/agents |
| Codex | .codex/agents | ~/.codex/agents |
| Copilot CLI | .copilot/agents, .github/agents, .claude/agents | ~/.github/agents |
| Roo Code | — | — |
| OpenCode | .opencode/agents | ~/.config/opencode/agents |
| Kiro | .kiro/agents | ~/.kiro/agents |
| Factory Droid | .factory/droids | ~/.factory/droids |
Frontmatter Fields
Section titled “Frontmatter Fields”Which frontmatter fields each provider recognizes in agents files. A checkmark means the provider parses and uses that field during conversion.
| Field | Claude Code | Gemini CLI | Cursor | Devin Desktop | Codex | Copilot CLI | Roo Code | OpenCode | Kiro | Factory Droid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
allowed-tools | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
allowedTools | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — |
background | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
color | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — |
customInstructions | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — |
description | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
disallowedTools | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
effort | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
groups | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — |
hooks | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — |
includeMcpJson | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — |
includePowers | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — |
is_background | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
isolation | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
keyboardShortcut | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — |
kind | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
max-nesting | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
maxTurns | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
max_turns | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
mcp-servers | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
mcpServers | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — |
memory | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
model | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
name | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
permissionMode | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
readonly | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
resources | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — |
roleDefinition | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — |
skills | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
slug | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — |
steps | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — |
target | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
temperature | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — |
timeout_mins | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
toolAliases | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — |
tools | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
toolsSettings | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — |
welcomeMessage | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — |
whenToUse | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | — | — |
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See Also
Section titled “See Also”Generated from syllago 0.15.0 on 2026-10-02.