Claude Code — Agents
- File format
- Markdown
- Discovery path
-
.claude/agents - Global install path
-
~/.claude/agents - Syllago install method
- Symlink, Direct copy
- Symlink support
- Yes
- Native frontmatter fields
-
name,description,tools,disallowedTools,model,maxTurns,permissionMode,skills,mcpServers,memory,background,isolation,effort,hooks,color,temperature,timeout_mins,kind
Features
How each feature converts to syllago's canonical format. See format conversion for what these statuses mean.
Fields
Native frontmatter or config fields this provider exposes. The first column is the provider's own field name; the canonical key column links to syllago's cross-provider equivalent.
| Provider field | Conversion | Canonical key | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
background | Conversion type: No canonical equivalent — appended as prose in a conversion notes block so nothing is silently lost. Learn more → | — | Agents run foreground (blocking, interactive prompts) or background (concurrent, pre-approved tools); set background: true or press Ctrl+B. |
mcpServers | Conversion type: No canonical equivalent — appended as prose in a conversion notes block so nothing is silently lost. Learn more → | — | Gives an agent inline or referenced MCP servers; inline definitions keep tool descriptions out of the parent context. |
memory | Conversion type: No canonical equivalent — appended as prose in a conversion notes block so nothing is silently lost. Learn more → | — | Gives an agent a persistent directory (user/project/local scope) seeded with MEMORY.md and Read/Write/Edit tools. |
tools | Conversion type: No canonical equivalent — appended as prose in a conversion notes block so nothing is silently lost. Learn more → | — | tools allowlist, disallowedTools denylist, and Agent(type) syntax restricting which subagent types a main-thread agent may spawn. |
isolation | Not portable Conversion type: Not portable Unique to this provider — can’t be carried across providers. Learn more → | — | Runs the agent in a temporary git worktree when set to worktree, auto-cleaned if no changes are made. |
Other features
Behaviors, conventions, and capabilities that aren't tied to a single named field — things like path-based activation, discovery rules, and lifecycle behavior.
| Feature | Conversion | Summary |
|---|---|---|
agent_scopes | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | 5 scopes (highest-first): managed settings (org-wide), CLI --agents flag (session), project (.claude/agents/), user (~/.claude/agents/), plugin; highest-priority wins on name collision |
definition_format | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | Markdown files with YAML frontmatter in .claude/agents/ (project) or ~/.claude/agents/ (user); file body becomes system prompt |
| Five Agent Scopes and Priority Ordering | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | Five agent scopes (highest first): managed settings, CLI --agents flag, project, user, plugin; highest-priority wins on name collision. |
invocation_patterns | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | natural language (Claude auto-delegates), @agent-<name> @-mention, or --agent flag at startup for session-wide agent; 3 patterns |
| Markdown + YAML Frontmatter Agent Files | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | Agents are .md files with YAML frontmatter; body is the system prompt, name and description are the only required fields. |
model_selection | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | model frontmatter field accepts sonnet/opus/haiku alias, full model ID, or inherit (default); per-agent override |
per_agent_mcp | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | mcpServers frontmatter field: list of server names referencing already-configured workspace servers or inline server definitions |
subagent_spawning | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | main-thread agents spawn subagents via Agent tool; subagents cannot spawn further subagents; Agent(type) in tools allowlist restricts which subagent types are allowed |
tool_restrictions | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | tools allowlist and disallowedTools denylist in frontmatter; Agent(type) syntax restricts which subagent types a main-thread agent can spawn |
| Full Frontmatter Field Set | Conversion type: No canonical equivalent — appended as prose in a conversion notes block so nothing is silently lost. Learn more → | Frontmatter supports tools, disallowedTools, model, permissionMode, maxTurns, skills, mcpServers, hooks, memory, background, effort, isolation, color, initialPrompt. |
| Three Invocation Patterns | Conversion type: No canonical equivalent — appended as prose in a conversion notes block so nothing is silently lost. Learn more → | Three invocation patterns: natural language auto-delegation, @agent-<name> mention, or --agent flag for session-wide agent. |
| CLI-Defined Session Agents via --agents Flag | Not portable Conversion type: Not portable Unique to this provider — can’t be carried across providers. Learn more → | --agents flag accepts inline JSON agent definitions for the session only (not persisted); useful for testing and automation. |
| Subagent Resumption | Not portable Conversion type: Not portable Unique to this provider — can’t be carried across providers. Learn more → | SendMessage tool resumes existing subagents (gated on CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS=1); transcripts persist independently of main conversation compaction. |
Sources
| Source |
|---|
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/sub-agents.md |