agent-dev

Agent Dev Skill

This skill helps create production-ready Claude Code sub-agent definitions following Anthropic's official specifications and best practices.

Core Principles

1. Single Responsibility

Each agent should have ONE clear purpose. Avoid creating multipurpose agents that try to do everything.

Good: postgres-expert - PostgreSQL database management and optimization Bad: database-expert - All databases (too broad)

2. Discovery-Optimized Descriptions

The description field is critical for Claude to discover when to use your agent. Include:

• What: Clear statement of capabilities
• When: Specific scenarios that trigger usage
• Examples: Concrete usage patterns with user/assistant dialogue
• Trigger terms: Keywords users might mention

3. Tool Restriction Strategy

Grant only necessary tools following principle of least privilege:

• Omit tools field: Inherits all tools from main conversation (use for general-purpose agents)
• Specify tools list: Grant specific tools (use for focused/security-sensitive agents)

4. Model Selection

Choose the right model for the task:

• sonnet: Default choice for most agents (balanced performance/cost)
• opus: Complex reasoning, architecture decisions, critical tasks
• haiku: Simple, repetitive tasks with clear patterns
• inherit: Match parent conversation's model

Agent Structure

---
name: agent-identifier
description: >
  Primary description with capabilities and use cases.

  Examples:
  <example>
  Context: Situation description
  user: "User request example"
  assistant: "I'll use the agent-name to handle this task."
  <commentary>
  Explanation of why this agent is appropriate.
  </commentary>
  </example>

  <example>
  Context: Another scenario
  user: "Different request pattern"
  assistant: "Let me use the agent-name for this."
  <commentary>
  Another use case explanation.
  </commentary>
  </example>

tools: Tool1, Tool2, Tool3  # Optional - omit to inherit all tools
model: sonnet               # Optional - sonnet, opus, haiku, or inherit
color: "#hexcolor"          # Optional - UI color coding
---

System prompt content starts here.

You are a [role description] specializing in [domain].

## Core Responsibilities
- List key responsibilities
- Be specific and actionable
- Include success criteria

## Approach
- Describe methodology
- Include examples
- Reference best practices

## Constraints
- Limitations and boundaries
- Security considerations
- Performance requirements