Sub-agents Node

Delegate specialized tasks to dedicated sub-agents

Sub-agents Node

Sub-agents are specialized agents that handle delegated tasks.

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Overview

Purpose: Delegate tasks to expert agents with different configurations Connection: Bottom center handle of main agent card Color: Purple Icon: 🎭 Required: Optional (0 to many)

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What are Sub-agents?

Sub-agents are independent agents with their own:

• System prompts
• Model selection (Opus/Sonnet/Haiku)
• Skills and capabilities
• Permissions

Main agent delegates tasks → Sub-agent executes → Returns results

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When to Use Sub-agents

Use Case 1: Specialized Expertise

Example: Main coordinator agent + specialized sub-agents

[Main: Coordinator]
        ↓
  ┌─────┼─────┐
  ↓     ↓     ↓
[Code] [Research] [Writer]

Benefits:

• Each sub-agent optimized for specific task
• Different system prompts per specialty
• Different model per task (Opus for code, Haiku for simple tasks)

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Use Case 2: Different Models

Example: Fast triage + deep analysis

[Main: Triage Agent (Haiku)]
        ↓
[Sub-agent: Deep Analysis (Opus)]

Benefits:

• Fast initial processing
• Expensive model only when needed
• Cost optimization

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Use Case 3: Isolated Permissions

Example: Read-only coordinator + write-enabled worker

[Main: Coordinator (read-only)]
        ↓
[Sub-agent: File Writer (write permissions)]

Benefits:

• Coordinator can’t accidentally modify files
• Write operations isolated and controlled

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Sub-agent Structure

Sub-agents are defined as markdown files with YAML frontmatter:

---
name: Code Reviewer
model: claude-opus-4-5
temperature: 0.2
max_tokens: 4096
permissions:
  allow:
    - read
  deny:
    - write
---

# Code Reviewer Sub-agent

You are a senior code reviewer. Focus on:
1. Security vulnerabilities
2. Performance issues
3. Code style violations

Always provide specific line numbers and fixes.

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Creating Sub-agents

Via Settings → Node Managers → Sub-agents:

1. Click “Add New Sub-agent”
2. Enter name (e.g., “Security Scanner”)
3. Choose model (Opus/Sonnet/Haiku)
4. Write system prompt
5. Configure permissions
6. Save to workspace library

Sub-agent appears in sidebar → drag to canvas.

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Configuration

When clicked on canvas:

• Edit system prompt
• Change model selection
• Configure permissions
• Add skills (specific to this sub-agent)
• Set temperature and max tokens

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Real-World Examples

Example 1: Multi-Stage Code Review

Main Agent (Coordinator):

---
name: Review Coordinator
model: claude-sonnet-4-5
---

You coordinate code reviews. When given code:
1. Send to Security Scanner sub-agent
2. Send to Performance Analyzer sub-agent
3. Send to Style Checker sub-agent
4. Combine reports into final review

Sub-agent 1 (Security):

---
name: Security Scanner
model: claude-opus-4-5
temperature: 0.1
---

You are a security expert. Check for:
- SQL injection
- XSS vulnerabilities
- Auth bypasses
- Exposed credentials

Sub-agent 2 (Performance):

---
name: Performance Analyzer
model: claude-sonnet-4-5
temperature: 0.2
---

You analyze performance. Look for:
- N+1 queries
- Memory leaks
- Inefficient algorithms

Sub-agent 3 (Style):

---
name: Style Checker
model: claude-haiku-4-0
temperature: 0.0
---

You check code style. Verify:
- Naming conventions
- Formatting
- Comments

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Example 2: Research Pipeline

Main Agent:

---
name: Research Coordinator
model: claude-sonnet-4-5
---

You coordinate research projects:
1. Send topic to Web Researcher (gather sources)
2. Send sources to Fact Checker (verify)
3. Send verified info to Report Writer (compose)

Sub-agents:

• Web Researcher (Haiku) - Fast web scraping
• Fact Checker (Opus) - Deep verification
• Report Writer (Sonnet) - Balanced writing

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Example 3: Customer Service Router

Main Agent:

---
name: Support Router
model: claude-haiku-4-0
---

You route customer inquiries:
- Billing questions → Billing Specialist
- Technical issues → Tech Support
- General questions → General Support

Sub-agents:

• Billing Specialist - Trained on billing policies
• Tech Support - Access to troubleshooting database
• General Support - Broad FAQ knowledge

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Sub-agent Patterns

Pattern 1: Coordinator + Specialists

Structure:

      [Coordinator]
       ↙    ↓    ↘
[Expert A] [Expert B] [Expert C]

Use case: Complex tasks requiring multiple specialties

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Pattern 2: Pipeline

Structure:

[Agent 1: Collect] → [Agent 2: Process] → [Agent 3: Report]

Use case: Sequential processing with different models

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Pattern 3: Parallel Processing

Structure:

            [Main]
         ↙    ↓    ↘
[Worker 1] [Worker 2] [Worker 3]
     (parallel execution)
         ↘    ↓    ↙
          [Combine]

Use case: Process multiple items simultaneously

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Best Practices

✅ Do:

• Give sub-agents focused responsibilities
• Use appropriate models per task
• Clearly define sub-agent roles in system prompts
• Test sub-agents independently first
• Monitor costs (multiple agents = higher usage)

❌ Don’t:

• Create too many sub-agents (complexity)
• Give overlapping responsibilities
• Use Opus for all sub-agents (cost)
• Skip testing coordination logic

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Cost Optimization

Strategy:

1. Triage with Haiku (cheap, fast)
2. Deep work with Opus (expensive, accurate)
3. Balanced tasks with Sonnet (medium cost/quality)

Example:

Haiku: Route to correct specialist ($)
Sonnet: Most work happens here ($$)
Opus: Only complex reasoning ($$$)

Savings: 50-70% vs. using Opus for everything

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Troubleshooting

Sub-agent not being called

Check:

1. Sub-agent connected to main agent card
2. Main agent prompt mentions delegating to sub-agent
3. Sub-agent name matches in prompt

Sub-agent gives unexpected results

Check:

1. Sub-agent system prompt is clear
2. Sub-agent has necessary skills/permissions
3. Sub-agent model appropriate for task

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Next Steps

• Back to Node Types

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