/agent-design

name: agent-design
description: "Use when choosing between workflow vs agent patterns, structuring orchestrator/subagent pipelines, or writing a Claude Code agent template."
allowed-tools: Read, Write

<objective> Agent Design covers the architectural decisions behind building a high-performance AI agent: the workflow-vs-agent distinction (code-orchestrated vs LLM-directed control), the minimal agent structure (identity, capabilities, tools, constraints, workflow), and the "fresh eyes" principle -- each sub-agent gets only the context it needs, never the full orchestrator history.

It routes to four references depending on the task: `patterns.md` for architecture choice (Single Agent, Orchestrator, Pipeline, Network, Supervisor, Hierarchical, Meta-Prompting), `workflows.md` for implementing APEX/TDD/Explore-Plan-Code/Review/Debug patterns inside an agent, `templates.md` for the full production frontmatter and Claude Code agent template, and `anti-patterns.md` for reviewing a design against common mistakes. </objective>

Agent Design

Skill for designing high-performance AI agents following 2025 patterns.

References

• [patterns.md](references/patterns.md) - Load when: choosing an agent architecture (Single Agent, Agent+Tools, Orchestrator, Pipeline, Network, Supervisor, Hierarchical, Meta-Prompting) or comparing their trade-offs
• [workflows.md](references/workflows.md) - Load when: implementing APEX, TDD, Explore-Plan-Code, Code Review, or Debugging workflows for an agent
• [templates.md](references/templates.md) - Load when: writing a full agent definition (production frontmatter + sections) or a Claude Code agent template
• [anti-patterns.md](references/anti-patterns.md) - Load when: reviewing an agent design for common mistakes (omniscient agent, implicit instructions, missing error handling)

Fundamental Distinction

Workflows vs Agents

| Type | Control | When to use | |------|---------|-------------| | **Workflow** | Code orchestrates LLM | Predictable tasks, need for control | | **Agent** | LLM directs its actions | Flexibility, adaptive decisions |

**Golden rule:** Start simple, add complexity if necessary.

Minimal Agent Structure

Agent:
  identity: Who am I?
  capabilities: What can I do?
  tools: What tools do I have?
  constraints: What are my limits?
  workflow: How should I proceed?

For the complete production structure and the Claude Code agent template, see [templates.md](references/templates.md).

Fresh Eyes Principle

**Key 2025 concept:** Each sub-agent must have a "fresh" context.

❌ Bad: Pass entire history to each sub-agent
✅ Good: Give only necessary information

Orchestrator:
  - Keeps complete history
  - Extracts relevant context for each sub-agent
  - Synthesizes results

Design Checklist

Before creating an agent

• [ ] Is the objective clear?
• [ ] Would a simple workflow suffice?
• [ ] What tools are needed?
• [ ] What guardrails are required?

During design

• [ ] Is identity well defined?
• [ ] Is workflow explicit?
• [ ] Are error cases handled?
• [ ] Are examples relevant?

After creation

• [ ] Standard case tests?
• [ ] Edge case tests?
• [ ] Security tests (jailbreak)?
• [ ] Acceptable performance?

For anti-patterns to avoid during design, see [anti-patterns.md](references/anti-patterns.md).

Forbidden

• Never create an agent without explicit workflow
• Never give access to all tools without necessity
• Never ignore the principle of least privilege
• Never forget security guardrails