Create and configure Claude Code sub-agents with custom prompts, tools, and models

Sub Agents Reference Create specialized AI agents with isolated contexts for specific tasks. When to Use "How do I create a sub agent?" "Configure agent tools" "What built in agents exist?" "Agent model selection" "Agent chaining patterns" Quick Start Interactive (Recommended) Opens menu to create, edit, and manage agents. Manual Creation CLI Based Agent File Format Configuration Fields Field Required Options name Yes lowercase, hyphens description Yes When to use tools No Tool list (inherits all if omitted) model No sonnet , haiku , claude opus 4 5 20251101 , inherit Built In Agents Agent Model Tools Purpose General purpose Sonnet All Complex multi step tasks Plan Sonnet Read only Plan mode research Explore Haiku Read only Fast codebase search Model Selection Model Speed Best For Haiku Fastest Search, quick lookups Sonnet Fast Most tasks (default) Opus Slower Complex reasoning Tool Combinations Example Agents Code Reviewer Debugger File Locations Type Location Priority Project .claude/agents/ Highest User ~/.claude/agents/ Lower Advanced Patterns Resumable Agents Agent Chaining Best Practices 1. Single responsibility One clear purpose per agent 2. Restrict tools Only grant what's needed 3. Clear descriptions Action oriented, include "proactively" 4. Version control Check .claude/agents/ into git