openclaw/docs/tools/subagents.md

Multi-channel AI gateway with extensible messaging integrations

---
summary: "Index of the OpenClaw sub-agent documentation, one page per reader job"
read_when:
  - You want background or parallel work via the agent
  - You are changing sessions_spawn or sub-agent tool policy
  - You are implementing or troubleshooting thread-bound subagent sessions
  - You are looking for the sub-agent page that matches your task
title: "Sub-agents"
sidebarTitle: "Sub-agents"
---

Sub-agents are background agent runs spawned from an existing agent run.
Each one runs in its own session (`agent:<agentId>:subagent:<uuid>`) and,
by default, **announces** its result back to the requester for review.
Subagent runs are tracked by the native subagent lifecycle owner.

Goals:

- Parallelize research, long tasks, and slow tool work without blocking the main run.
- Keep sub-agents isolated by default (session separation, optional sandboxing).
- Keep the tool surface hard to misuse: sub-agents do **not** get session or message tools by default.
- Support configurable nesting depth for orchestrator patterns.

<Note>
**Cost note:** each sub-agent has its own context and token usage by
default. For heavy or repetitive tasks, set a cheaper model for sub-agents
and keep your main agent on a higher-quality model via
`agents.defaults.subagents.model` or per-agent overrides. When a child
genuinely needs the requester's current transcript, spawn it with
`context: "fork"`. Thread-bound subagent sessions default to
`context: "fork"` because they branch the current conversation into a
follow-up thread.
</Note>

The Control UI shows the assigned task without model-only subagent instructions.
Named subagent sessions use their task title without an automatic “Subagent:”
prefix; their parent relationship and view-only state still identify the run.

A subagent run ends; a session does not. When you open a subagent run in the
Control UI, its transcript is view-only. Use **Open parent session** in the
composer area to continue the conversation with the parent. You can still use
**Stop** when the Gateway reports an abortable run. Persistent sessions created
with `visible: true` are ordinary sessions in the session tree: they keep their
parent for navigation and completion announcements, and you can always type in
them and steer them like any other session.

Use ordinary subagents for internal QA, research, coding, review, and test lanes,
with results returning to the parent task. Create a persistent visible session
only when the user requests a separate session or needs to return to and steer
that work independently. A PR or report, a long run, or an isolated worktree alone
does not make a worker a separate user-facing task. Asking for subagents does not
ask for new sidebar sessions or categories.

This page is an index. Sub-agents are documented on seven pages, one per
reader job. Open the page that matches your task.

| Page                                                                         | Read it when                                                                            |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Sub-agent slash command](/tools/subagents/slash-command)                    | You want to inspect a run from chat, or need the completion-delivery rules.             |
| [Sub-agent tool reference](/tools/subagents/tool-reference)                  | You are calling `sessions_spawn`, `sessions_yield`, or `subagents` and need parameters. |
| [Thread-bound sub-agent sessions](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions)    | You are binding a sub-agent to a channel thread, or need allowlist and archive rules.   |
| [Nested sub-agents and authentication](/tools/subagents/nesting)             | You are building an orchestrator and need depth caps, the announce chain, or auth.      |
| [Sub-agent announce](/tools/subagents/announce)                              | You are debugging how a child result reaches the requester.                             |
| [Sub-agent tool policy](/tools/subagents/tool-policy)                        | You need the tools a sub-agent always loses, or want to narrow them further.            |
| [Sub-agent concurrency, recovery, and stopping](/tools/subagents/operations) | You are tuning concurrency, recovering after a restart, or stopping a child tree.       |

## Where each section moved

Every section heading, accordion, step, and parameter id from the previous
single-page version keeps its anchor here, so an existing link such as
`/tools/subagents#thread-bound-sessions` still resolves. Each entry points at
the page that now holds the content.

- <a id="slash-command" />[Slash command](/tools/subagents/slash-command#slash-command)
- <a id="thread-binding-controls" />[Thread binding controls](/tools/subagents/slash-command#thread-binding-controls)
- <a id="spawn-behavior" />[Spawn behavior](/tools/subagents/slash-command#spawn-behavior)
- <a id="non-blocking-push-based-completion" />[Non-blocking, push-based completion](/tools/subagents/slash-command#non-blocking-push-based-completion)
- <a id="completion-delivery" />[Completion delivery](/tools/subagents/slash-command#completion-delivery)
- <a id="completion-handoff-metadata" />[Completion handoff metadata](/tools/subagents/slash-command#completion-handoff-metadata)
- <a id="modes-and-acp-runtime" />[Modes and ACP runtime](/tools/subagents/slash-command#modes-and-acp-runtime)
- <a id="context-modes" />[Context modes](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#context-modes)
- <a id="tool%3A-sessions_spawn" /><a id="tool-sessions_spawn" />[Tool: `sessions_spawn`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#tool-sessions_spawn)
- <a id="delegation-prompt-mode" />[Delegation prompt mode](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#delegation-prompt-mode)
- <a id="tool-parameters" />[Tool parameters](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#tool-parameters)
- <a id="param-task" />[`task`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-task)
- <a id="param-task-name" />[`taskName`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-task-name)
- <a id="param-label" />[`label`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-label)
- <a id="param-agent-id" />[`agentId`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-agent-id)
- <a id="param-cwd" />[`cwd`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-cwd)
- <a id="param-runtime" />[`runtime`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-runtime)
- <a id="param-resume-session-id" />[`resumeSessionId`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-resume-session-id)
- <a id="param-stream-to" />[`streamTo`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-stream-to)
- <a id="param-model" />[`model`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-model)
- <a id="param-run-timeout-seconds" />[`runTimeoutSeconds`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-run-timeout-seconds)
- <a id="param-thinking" />[`thinking`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-thinking)
- <a id="param-thread" />[`thread`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-thread)
- <a id="param-mode" />[`mode`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-mode)
- <a id="param-cleanup" />[`cleanup`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-cleanup)
- <a id="param-expects-completion-message" />[`expectsCompletionMessage`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-expects-completion-message)
- <a id="param-sandbox" />[`sandbox`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-sandbox)
- <a id="param-context" />[`context`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-context)
- <a id="param-project-id" />[`projectId`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-project-id)
- <a id="param-project-git-url" />[`projectGitUrl`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-project-git-url)
- <a id="param-visible" />[`visible`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-visible)
- <a id="param-group" />[`group`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-group)
- <a id="param-worktree" />[`worktree`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-worktree)
- <a id="param-worktree-name" />[`worktreeName`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-worktree-name)
- <a id="param-worktree-base-ref" />[`worktreeBaseRef`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#param-worktree-base-ref)
- <a id="task-names-and-targeting" />[Task names and targeting](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#task-names-and-targeting)
- <a id="tool%3A-sessions_yield" /><a id="tool-sessions_yield" />[Tool: `sessions_yield`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#tool-sessions_yield)
- <a id="tool%3A-subagents" /><a id="tool-subagents" />[Tool: `subagents`](/tools/subagents/tool-reference#tool-subagents)
- <a id="thread-bound-sessions" />[Thread-bound sessions](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#thread-bound-sessions)
- <a id="thread-supporting-channels" />[Thread supporting channels](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#thread-supporting-channels)
- <a id="quick-flow" />[Quick flow](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#quick-flow)
- <a id="spawn" />[Spawn](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#spawn)
- <a id="bind" />[Bind](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#bind)
- <a id="route-follow-ups" />[Route follow-ups](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#route-follow-ups)
- <a id="inspect-timeouts" />[Inspect timeouts](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#inspect-timeouts)
- <a id="detach" />[Detach](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#detach)
- <a id="manual-controls" />[Manual controls](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#manual-controls)
- <a id="config-switches" />[Config switches](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#config-switches)
- <a id="allowlist" />[Allowlist](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#allowlist)
- <a id="param-agents-entries-subagents-allow-agents" />[`agents.entries.*.subagents.allowAgents`](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#param-agents-entries-subagents-allow-agents)
- <a id="param-agents-defaults-subagents-allow-agents" />[`agents.defaults.subagents.allowAgents`](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#param-agents-defaults-subagents-allow-agents)
- <a id="param-agents-defaults-subagents-require-agent-id" />[`agents.defaults.subagents.requireAgentId`](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#param-agents-defaults-subagents-require-agent-id)
- <a id="param-agents-defaults-subagents-announce-timeout-ms" />[`agents.defaults.subagents.announceTimeoutMs`](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#param-agents-defaults-subagents-announce-timeout-ms)
- <a id="discovery" />[Discovery](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#discovery)
- <a id="auto-archive" />[Auto-archive](/tools/subagents/thread-bound-sessions#auto-archive)
- <a id="nested-sub-agents" />[Nested sub-agents](/tools/subagents/nesting#nested-sub-agents)
- <a id="depth-levels" />[Depth levels](/tools/subagents/nesting#depth-levels)
- <a id="announce-chain" />[Announce chain](/tools/subagents/nesting#announce-chain)
- <a id="tool-policy-by-depth" />[Tool policy by depth](/tools/subagents/nesting#tool-policy-by-depth)
- <a id="per-agent-spawn-limit" />[Per-agent spawn limit](/tools/subagents/nesting#per-agent-spawn-limit)
- <a id="reset-a-conversation" />[Reset a conversation](/tools/subagents/nesting#reset-a-conversation)
- <a id="cascade-stop" />[Cascade stop](/tools/subagents/nesting#cascade-stop)
- <a id="authentication" />[Authentication](/tools/subagents/nesting#authentication)
- <a id="announce" />[Announce](/tools/subagents/announce#announce)
- <a id="announce-context" />[Announce context](/tools/subagents/announce#announce-context)
- <a id="stats-line" />[Stats line](/tools/subagents/announce#stats-line)
- <a id="why-prefer-sessions_history" />[Why prefer `sessions_history`](/tools/subagents/announce#why-prefer-sessions_history)
- <a id="tool-policy" />[Tool policy](/tools/subagents/tool-policy#tool-policy)
- <a id="override-via-config" />[Override via config](/tools/subagents/tool-policy#override-via-config)
- <a id="concurrency" />[Concurrency](/tools/subagents/operations#concurrency)
- <a id="liveness-and-recovery" />[Liveness and recovery](/tools/subagents/operations#liveness-and-recovery)
- <a id="stopping" />[Stopping](/tools/subagents/operations#stopping)
- <a id="limitations" />[Limitations](/tools/subagents/operations#limitations)

## Related

- [Session tools and state changes](/concepts/session-tool)
- [ACP agents](/tools/acp-agents)
- [Agent send](/tools/agent-send)
- [Multi-agent sandbox tools](/tools/multi-agent-sandbox-tools)
- [Parallel specialist lanes](/concepts/parallel-specialist-lanes) — role-scoped lanes for a single job
- [Steer](/tools/steer) — redirect a running agent mid-task