---

name: agent-architect description: > Expert guide for creating OpenCode agents and subagents. Use when: (1) Creating specialized agents, (2) Designing multi-agent workflows, (3) Optimizing context with subagent delegation, (4) Setting tool permissions.

Agent Architect

Create specialized OpenCode agents and subagents.

Quick Start

Goal	Action
Create a new agent	npx tsx scripts/init.ts <name>
Validate existing agent	npx tsx scripts/validate.ts <path>

What is an Agent?

Agents are specialized AI personas with custom prompts, models, and tool access:

---
description: What this agent does and when to use it
mode: subagent
tools:
  write: false
  bash: false
---

You are a [role] specialized in [domain]...

Location: .opencode/agent/<name>.md

Primary vs Subagent

Aspect	Primary Agent	Subagent
Mode	mode: primary	mode: subagent
Invocation	Tab to switch	@agent-name or auto-delegation
Context	Main conversation	Own isolated context
Use case	Main workflows	Delegated tasks

---

Why Subagents Matter

Subagents run in isolated context windows. This means:

1. Context efficiency - Heavy analysis doesn't bloat main conversation
2. Focused expertise - Specialized prompts for specific tasks
3. Parallel execution - Multiple subagents can run concurrently
4. Clean results - Returns only summary to orchestrator

When to Use Subagents

Task	Main Context	Subagent
Quick question	✓
Deep code analysis		✓
Multi-file research		✓
Content generation		✓
Validation/review		✓
Simple edits	✓

---

Creating an Agent

Step 1: Define Purpose

What specialized task will this agent perform? Be specific:

• "Review code for security vulnerabilities"
• "Write user-facing copy in brand voice"
• "Research technical topics without making changes"

Step 2: Choose Mode

mode: primary    # Tab-switchable main agent
mode: subagent   # Invoked via @name or delegation

Omit mode to make agent available as both.

Step 3: Select Tools

Grant only necessary tools (principle of least privilege):

Agent Type	Tools	Rationale
Reviewer	read, grep, glob	Analyze without modifying
Researcher	read, grep, glob, webfetch	Gather information
Writer	read, write, edit	Create content
Executor	read, write, edit, bash	Full access

tools:
  write: false
  edit: false
  bash: false

Step 4: Configure Model (Optional)

model: anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5    # Fast, cheap
model: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5   # Balanced
model: anthropic/claude-opus-4-5     # Complex reasoning
temperature: 0.3                      # Lower = consistent

Step 5: Write the Prompt

The markdown body becomes the system prompt:

# Role
You are a [specific role] specialized in [domain].

# Behavior
When given a task:
1. [First action]
2. [Second action]

# Output Format
Return results as:
- Summary: [one line]
- Details: [findings]
- Recommendations: [actions]

# Constraints
- [What NOT to do]

Step 6: Scaffold

npx tsx scripts/init.ts <name>

Step 7: Validate

npx tsx scripts/validate.ts .opencode/agent/<name>.md

---

Agent Patterns

Pattern 1: Specialist Team

Multiple focused agents orchestrated by main thread:

• @code-reviewer - Quality and security review
• @architect - Design decisions
• @tester - Test creation and validation

Pattern 2: Research Delegation

Offload context-heavy research:

@explore Find all authentication-related files in the codebase

Subagent searches extensively; returns only relevant paths.

Pattern 3: Content Generation

Delegate writing to specialized voice:

@copywriter Write a product description for the new feature

Pattern 4: Parallel Analysis

Fan out for independent checks:

Run @security-checker and @style-checker in parallel

Each returns findings; main thread aggregates.

---

Output Format

Always specify structured output in agent prompts:

# Output Format

Return results as:

## Summary
[One-line finding]

## Issues
- [Issue 1]
- [Issue 2]

## Recommendations
- [Action 1]
- [Action 2]

This ensures the orchestrator receives minimal, actionable data.

---

Common Mistakes

Over-broad Agents

# BAD
description: Helps with code

# GOOD
description: >
  Reviews code for security vulnerabilities. Use PROACTIVELY 
  after code changes to check for injection, auth, and data exposure.

Too Many Tools

# BAD - grants everything "just in case"
tools: {}

# GOOD - minimal for the task
tools:
  write: false
  edit: false
  bash: false

Missing Output Format

# BAD - returns unstructured prose
You are a code reviewer. Review the code.

# GOOD - structured response
You are a code reviewer.

Return findings as:
- Summary: [one line]
- Issues: [list with severity]
- Suggested fixes: [actionable items]

Vague Description

# BAD - won't auto-delegate correctly
description: Reviews things

# GOOD - clear triggers
description: >
  Security-focused code review. Use PROACTIVELY after changes
  to authentication, authorization, or data handling code.

---

Scripts Reference

init.ts

npx tsx scripts/init.ts code-reviewer

Creates .opencode/agent/code-reviewer.md with template.

validate.ts

npx tsx scripts/validate.ts .opencode/agent/code-reviewer.md

Errors: Missing description, invalid frontmatter Warnings: Weak description, missing output format

---

Permission Patterns

OpenCode supports granular bash command permissions. Use these patterns for fine-grained control.

Permission Levels

Level	Behavior
allow	Execute without approval
ask	Prompt for approval
deny	Block the command entirely

Read-Only Agent

---
description: Code analyzer that never modifies files
mode: subagent
tools:
  write: false
  edit: false
  bash: false
---

Git-Allowed Agent

Allow git read commands, require approval for writes:

---
description: Git operations specialist
mode: subagent
permission:
  bash:
    "git status": allow
    "git diff": allow
    "git log*": allow
    "git show*": allow
    "git branch*": ask
    "git checkout*": ask
    "git push*": ask
    "git commit*": ask
    "*": deny
---

Package Management Agent

---
description: Dependency analyzer
mode: subagent
permission:
  bash:
    "npm list*": allow
    "npm outdated*": allow
    "npm audit*": allow
    "npm install*": ask
    "npm update*": ask
    "*": deny
---

Security-Conscious Agent

Maximum restrictions for audit tasks:

---
description: Security auditor with minimal permissions
mode: subagent
tools:
  write: false
  edit: false
  bash: false
  webfetch: false
permission:
  edit: deny
  bash: deny
---

---

MCP Tools Configuration

When MCP servers are configured, agents can access external services.

Enabling MCP Tools

---
description: GitHub integration specialist
mode: subagent
tools:
  mymcp_github_create_issue: true
  mymcp_github_list_prs: true
  mymcp_slack_post_message: false
---

Common MCP Patterns

MCP Server	Tools	Use Case
github	mymcp_github_*	Issue/PR management
slack	mymcp_slack_*	Notifications
notion	mymcp_notion_*	Documentation
linear	mymcp_linear_*	Project tracking

Per-Agent MCP Access

In opencode.json, configure MCP access per agent:

{
  "agent": {
    "github-helper": {
      "tools": {
        "mymcp_github_create_issue": true,
        "mymcp_github_create_pr": true
      }
    }
  }
}

---

Integration with prompt-engineer

For complex agents requiring high-quality system prompts, use the prompt-engineer skill.

Workflow

1. Invoke agent-architect for agent creation
2. agent-architect invokes prompt-engineer for system prompt
3. prompt-engineer runs 5-phase methodology:
   - Requirements gathering
   - Structure design  
   - Prompt construction
   - Validation
   - Output generation
4. prompt-engineer returns optimized prompt body
5. agent-architect wraps with agent frontmatter
6. Final agent.md created

When to Use prompt-engineer

Agent Complexity	Approach
Simple agent	Use template directly
Standard agent	Follow Step 5 guidelines
Complex/critical agent	Invoke prompt-engineer skill

Invoking prompt-engineer

When you need a high-quality system prompt:

Use the prompt-engineer skill to create a system prompt for this agent.

Requirements:
- Task: [what the agent does]
- Input: [what it receives]
- Output: [expected format]
- Constraints: [limitations]

---

Agent Quality Metrics

Evaluate agents against these criteria:

Criterion	Weight	Description
Single Responsibility	25%	Does one thing well
Minimal Permissions	25%	Only necessary tool access
Clear Triggers	20%	Description enables auto-invocation
Documented Scope	15%	Boundaries clearly defined
Structured Output	15%	Consistent, parseable responses

Quality Checklist

Before deploying an agent:

• Description clearly states when to use
• Tools are minimal for the task
• Output format is specified
• Edge cases are handled
• Constraints are explicit
• No conflicting instructions

---

Examples

See references/examples/ for annotated agents:

• code-reviewer.md - Read-only analysis agent
• researcher.md - Research with web access

See references/patterns.md for additional archetypes:

• Orchestrator - Coordinates multiple agents
• Permission patterns - Granular bash control
• MCP integration - External service access