How to spawn subagents in Claude Code
Spawn Claude Code subagents for parallel research, isolated reviews, custom agent files and safer agentic workflows.
Quick answer
Claude Code can spawn subagents through the Agent tool. Use them for focused subtasks such as codebase research, review, QA, security checks or independent analysis.
Best use case
Spawn subagents when the work can run in parallel or when you want isolated context. Brief each subagent with goal, repo context, exact files or commands to inspect and output format.
What not to do
Do not spawn subagents for one command, vague work or deeply contextual decisions. Subagent driven work beats inline execution only when isolation or parallelism pays for the overhead.
FAQ
Can Claude Code subagents spawn subagents?
They can, but one level is usually cleaner. Multi-level trees add overhead and reduce observability.
What is the best first subagent?
A branch-readiness or code-review subagent is a good first build because it has a narrow job and returns a clear verdict.
Read the subagents guide
Related guides
Claude Code Subagents: Parallel Agents
Learn when Claude Code subagents help, how to split parallel work, and how to configure a focused custom subagent without creating conflicts.
Subagents are useful when a task can be split cleanly: one agent searches the authentication code, another traces the database path, and the main conversation compares what they found. They add little to “read this file” or to work where every step depends on the same context. Short version: delegate independent research or a separate review when the results are worth the extra context and usage. Give each agent a narrow scope, the files or area to inspect, and a specific report format. Keep dependent work in the main conversation. If you want a step by step walkthrough of launching one, see the subagent spawning guide. Subagents can have their own instructions, tool access, and permissions. They start with a separate context, but by default work from the main conversation’s current directory. That means “separate context” does not necessarily mean “separate files.” If you want a repeatable checklist in the…
Read the guideClaude Code Agents: When to Use Them
Claude Code Agents (subagents) let you spawn isolated work threads from the main session. Full guide: what they are, when to use them, how to write a custom one, and the patterns that actually ship.
Claude Code is great when you're driving one thread of work. When you need to run three threads in parallel, or want a fresh pair of eyes on a decision, or need to scope out a large refactor without polluting your main session that's what Agents are for. This is what Claude Code Agents actually are, when to use them, and how to write your own. What Claude Code Agents actually are An Agent (sometimes called a subagent) is an isolated work thread you spawn from the main Claude Code session via the Agent tool. It has its own context fresh, with no visibility into your conversation. You hand it a self contained prompt; it does the work; it returns a single message at the end. Three things make this different from just asking Claude another question: 1. Isolated context. The agent doesn't see what you've been doing. It can't…
Read the guide