4.9 KiB
Subagent Recommendations
Subagents are specialized Claude instances that run in parallel, each with their own context window and tool access. They're ideal for focused reviews, analysis, or generation tasks.
Note: These are common patterns. Design custom subagents based on the codebase's specific review and analysis needs.
Code Review Agents
code-reviewer
Best for: Automated code quality checks on large codebases
| Recommend When | Detection |
|---|---|
| Large codebase (>500 files) | File count |
| Frequent code changes | Active development |
| Team wants consistent review | Quality focus |
Value: Runs code review in parallel while you continue working Model: sonnet (balanced quality/speed) Tools: Read, Grep, Glob, Bash
security-reviewer
Best for: Security-focused code review
| Recommend When | Detection |
|---|---|
| Auth code present | auth/, login, session patterns |
| Payment processing | stripe, payment, billing patterns |
| User data handling | user, profile, pii patterns |
| API keys in code | Environment variable patterns |
Value: Catches OWASP vulnerabilities, auth issues, data exposure Model: sonnet Tools: Read, Grep, Glob (read-only for safety)
test-writer
Best for: Generating comprehensive test coverage
| Recommend When | Detection |
|---|---|
| Low test coverage | Few test files vs source files |
| Test suite exists | tests/, __tests__/ present |
| Testing framework configured | jest, pytest, vitest in deps |
Value: Generates tests matching project conventions Model: sonnet Tools: Read, Write, Grep, Glob
Specialized Agents
api-documenter
Best for: API documentation generation
| Recommend When | Detection |
|---|---|
| REST endpoints | Express routes, FastAPI paths |
| GraphQL schema | .graphql files |
| OpenAPI exists | openapi.yaml, swagger.json |
| Undocumented APIs | Routes without docs |
Value: Generates OpenAPI specs, endpoint documentation Model: sonnet Tools: Read, Write, Grep, Glob
performance-analyzer
Best for: Finding performance bottlenecks
| Recommend When | Detection |
|---|---|
| Database queries | ORM usage, raw SQL |
| High-traffic code | API endpoints, hot paths |
| Performance complaints | User reports slowness |
| Complex algorithms | Nested loops, recursion |
Value: Finds N+1 queries, O(n²) algorithms, memory leaks Model: sonnet Tools: Read, Grep, Glob, Bash
ui-reviewer
Best for: Frontend accessibility and UX review
| Recommend When | Detection |
|---|---|
| React/Vue/Angular | Frontend framework detected |
| Component library | components/ directory |
| User-facing UI | Not just API project |
Value: Catches accessibility issues, UX problems, responsive design gaps Model: sonnet Tools: Read, Grep, Glob
Utility Agents
dependency-updater
Best for: Safe dependency updates
| Recommend When | Detection |
|---|---|
| Outdated deps | npm outdated has results |
| Security advisories | npm audit warnings |
| Major version behind | Significant version gaps |
Value: Updates dependencies incrementally with testing Model: sonnet Tools: Read, Write, Bash, Grep
migration-helper
Best for: Framework/version migrations
| Recommend When | Detection |
|---|---|
| Major upgrade needed | Framework version very old |
| Breaking changes coming | Deprecation warnings |
| Refactoring planned | Architectural changes |
Value: Plans and executes migrations incrementally Model: opus (complex reasoning needed) Tools: Read, Write, Grep, Glob, Bash
Quick Reference: Detection → Recommendation
| If You See | Recommend Subagent |
|---|---|
| Large codebase | code-reviewer |
| Auth/payment code | security-reviewer |
| Few tests | test-writer |
| API routes | api-documenter |
| Database heavy | performance-analyzer |
| Frontend components | ui-reviewer |
| Outdated packages | dependency-updater |
| Old framework version | migration-helper |
Subagent Placement
Subagents go in .claude/agents/:
.claude/
└── agents/
├── code-reviewer.md
├── security-reviewer.md
└── test-writer.md
Model Selection Guide
| Model | Best For | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| haiku | Simple, repetitive checks | Fast, cheap, less thorough |
| sonnet | Most review/analysis tasks | Balanced (recommended default) |
| opus | Complex migrations, architecture | Thorough, slower, more expensive |
Tool Access Guide
| Access Level | Tools | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Read-only | Read, Grep, Glob | Reviews, analysis |
| Writing | + Write | Code generation, docs |
| Full | + Bash | Migrations, testing |