Agent Creation Skill for Claude

Agent Creation Skill

[!FIXED!]

Purpose

This skill provides procedures for creating new agents when project complexity requires delegation. Agents should be created on-demand, not preemptively.

When to use:

• Task complexity exceeds single-agent capacity
• Specialized expertise is needed
• Parallel work would be beneficial
• Recurring tasks would benefit from dedicated agent

When NOT to use:

• Simple tasks Head Cook can handle
• One-off tasks
• Early project phases (keep simple)

[!FIXED!]

=== PREREQUISITES ===

<!-- AI:PREREQUISITES:START -->

Before using this skill:

• [ ] You are Head Cook (only Head Cook creates agents)
• [ ] Assessed that complexity warrants new agent
• [ ] Identified appropriate template
• [ ] Buildlog is current

<!-- AI:PREREQUISITES:END -->

=== PROCEDURE: ASSESS NEED ===

<!-- PROCEDURE:assess-need:START -->

Questions to Ask

• Is this task recurring?
• One-off → Handle directly
• Recurring → Consider agent

• Does this require specialized expertise?
• Coding focus → Code Chef
• Review focus → Review Chef
• Documentation focus → Doc Chef
• General → Handle directly

• Would parallel work help?
• Sequential is fine → Handle directly
• Parallel beneficial → Consider agent

• Is current workload sustainable?
• Manageable → Handle directly
• Overwhelming → Create agent(s)

Decision Matrix

| Recurring | Specialized | Parallel | Overwhelming | Action |

|-----------|-------------|----------|--------------|--------|

| No | No | No | No | Handle directly |

| Yes | Any | Any | Any | Create agent |

| Any | Yes | Any | Any | Create agent |

| Any | Any | Yes | Any | Create agent |

| Any | Any | Any | Yes | Create agent(s) |

<!-- PROCEDURE:assess-need:END -->

=== PROCEDURE: SELECT TEMPLATE ===

<!-- PROCEDURE:select-template:START -->

Available Templates

| Template | Use For |

|----------|---------|

| agent.template.md | Custom/new agent types |

| code-chef.template.md | Dedicated coding agent |

| review-chef.template.md | Code review specialist |

| doc-chef.template.md | Documentation specialist |

Template Selection

• For coding tasks
• Use code-chef.template.md
• Customize for specific tech stack

• For review tasks
• Use review-chef.template.md
• Customize review criteria

• For documentation tasks
• Use doc-chef.template.md
• Customize for project docs

• For other specialized tasks
• Use agent.template.md
• Define role from scratch

<!-- PROCEDURE:select-template:END -->

=== PROCEDURE: CREATE AGENT ===

<!-- PROCEDURE:create-agent:START -->

Step 1: Copy Template

# Copy appropriate template
cp agentdocs/templates/code-chef.template.md agentdocs/code-chef.agent.md

Step 2: Customize Preamble

Update YAML preamble:

---
document_name: "code-chef.agent.md"
location: "agentdocs/code-chef.agent.md"
codebook_id: "CB-AGENT-CODE-001"  # Assign unique ID
date_created: "YYYY-MM-DD"         # Today's date
date_last_edited: "YYYY-MM-DD"     # Today's date
# ... rest of preamble
---

Step 3: Customize Content

Replace all << placeholder >> values:

• Responsibilities
• Customize for project needs
• Add project-specific duties
• Remove irrelevant items

• Capabilities
• Map to available skills
• Add project-specific skills
• Specify proficiency levels

• Boundaries
• Define what agent DOES
• Define what agent DOES NOT
• Specify escalation paths

• Handoff Protocols
• Define inputs from Head Cook
• Define outputs to Head Cook
• Define interactions with other agents

Step 4: Register Agent

Update agentdocs/_agent-index.md:

=== REGISTERED AGENTS ===

| Codebook ID | Agent Name | File | Role | Status |
|-------------|------------|------|------|--------|
| CB-AGENT-HEAD-001 | Head Cook | head-cook.agent.md | Orchestrator | active |
| CB-AGENT-CODE-001 | Code Chef | code-chef.agent.md | Coding | active |  <!-- NEW -->

Step 5: Log Creation

Add buildlog entry:

| HH:MM | #micro-decision | Created Code Chef agent for dedicated coding tasks | CB-AGENT-CODE-001 |

Step 6: Verify

• [ ] Agent file has complete preamble
• [ ] All placeholders replaced
• [ ] Codebook ID is unique
• [ ] Registered in index
• [ ] Referenced skills exist
• [ ] Handoff protocols are clear

<!-- PROCEDURE:create-agent:END -->

=== PROCEDURE: RETIRE AGENT ===

<!-- PROCEDURE:retire-agent:START -->

When an agent is no longer needed:

Step 1: Assess

• Is agent still being used?
• Would other agents cover this role?
• Is project complexity decreasing?

Step 2: Mark Deprecated

Update agent's preamble:

status: "deprecated"

Step 3: Update Index

In _agent-index.md, change status:

| CB-AGENT-XXX-001 | Agent Name | file.md | Role | deprecated |

Step 4: Archive (Optional)

Move to agentdocs/archive/ if keeping for reference.

Step 5: Log

| HH:MM | #micro-decision | Retired Agent Name - no longer needed | CB-AGENT-XXX-001 |

<!-- PROCEDURE:retire-agent:END -->

=== CODEBOOK ID ASSIGNMENT ===

<!-- AI:CODEBOOK-ID:START -->

Format

CB-AGENT-{NAME}-{SEQUENCE}

Examples:
- CB-AGENT-HEAD-001    : Head Cook
- CB-AGENT-CODE-001    : Code Chef
- CB-AGENT-REVIEW-001  : Review Chef
- CB-AGENT-DOC-001     : Doc Chef
- CB-AGENT-TEST-001    : Test Chef
- CB-AGENT-CUSTOM-001  : Custom agent

Rules

• Use descriptive NAME (CODE, REVIEW, DOC, etc.)
• Start SEQUENCE at 001
• Never reuse a retired agent's ID
• Document in both agent file and index

<!-- AI:CODEBOOK-ID:END -->

=== COMMON ISSUES ===

<!-- AI:ISSUES:START -->

Too Many Agents

Issue: Created agents prematurely, now overwhelming

Fix: Retire unused agents; consolidate similar roles

Missing Skills

Issue: Agent references skills that don't exist

Fix: Create required skills first, or adjust agent capabilities

Unclear Boundaries

Issue: Agents stepping on each other's responsibilities

Fix: Review and clarify boundaries; update both agents

Orphaned Agents

Issue: Agent exists but is never used

Fix: Either integrate into workflow or retire

<!-- AI:ISSUES:END -->

=== RELATED DOCUMENTS ===

<!-- AI:RELATED:START -->

| Document | Codebook ID | Relationship |

|----------|-------------|--------------|

| _agent-index.md | CB-AGENT-INDEX | Registration |

| head-cook.agent.md | CB-AGENT-HEAD-001 | Only user of this skill |

| templates/*.md | - | Source templates |

<!-- AI:RELATED:END -->