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Agent delegation best practices for constructing effective subagent prompts with proper scoping
Passed 22 of 22 test cases with the skill, and 6 of 22 without it.
and 18 more in the full report
16 fixed6 passed either way0 still failing0 broke
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
One of 16 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
When delegating file creation tasks to subagents, what explicit restriction must be included regarding shell commands and file creation?
| Checked | Without skill | With skill |
|---|---|---|
| The delegation prompt forbids using shell redirection or heredocs for writing content. | Passed | Passed |
| The prompt directs file operations to write_file and replace tools. | Missed | Passed |
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
Activate this skill when delegating work to subagents during orchestration execution. This skill provides the templates, rules, and patterns for constructing effective delegation prompts that produce consistent, high-quality results.
Before constructing any delegation prompt, inject the shared agent base protocol:
agent-base-protocol via get_skill_contentfilesystem-safety-protocol via get_skill_contentblocked_by, read phases[].downstream_context from session state and include it in the promptdownstream_context is missing, include an explicit placeholder noting the missing dependency context (never omit silently)The injected protocol ensures every agent follows consistent pre-work procedures and output formatting regardless of their specialization.
Every delegation prompt must include a context chain that connects the current phase to prior work:
Phase Context: Include Downstream Context blocks from all completed phases that the current phase depends on (identified via blocked_by relationships in the implementation plan and sourced from session state phases[].downstream_context):
Context from completed phases:
- Phase [N] ([agent]): [Downstream Context summary]
- Interfaces introduced: [list with file locations]
- Patterns established: [list]
- Integration points: [specific files, functions, endpoints]
- Warnings: [list]
Accumulated Patterns: Naming conventions, directory organization patterns, and architectural decisions established by earlier phases. This ensures phase 5 does not contradict patterns set in phase 2.
File Manifest: Complete list of files created or modified in prior phases, so the agent knows what already exists and can import from or extend those files.
Missing Context Fallback: If a blocked dependency has no stored downstream context, include a visible placeholder entry in the prompt:
- Phase [N] ([agent]): Downstream Context missing in session state — verify dependency output before implementation
test cases passed, vs 6 / 22 without
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