@./AGENTS.md

## Company knowledge (onyx & thicket)

- Company-knowledge questions go to the `onyx` skill first (its description
  says when); its index surfaces pages that direct CQL/JQL misses. Always cite
  source links.
- Two shortcuts past onyx: Thicket MCP for people lookups (role, team,
  email — its other sections are thin), Confluence CQL for precise
  lookups with known space/title.
- Same-topic follow-ups: use `onyx answer "..." --session <last session_id>`.

## Subagents

**Default to delegating whenever the expected tool output exceeds the
conclusion the main thread actually needs** — multi-file research, log/data
analysis, doc review, broad searches, verification runs. The session context
is the scarce resource; a subagent burns its own context and returns only the
result. Work inline only for single-fact lookups where file and symbol are
already known — there, a subagent is pure overhead.

Use the `Agent` tool. Prefer specialized agent types over `general-purpose`
when one fits:

- **`Explore`** — read-only search: *locates* code and facts (reads excerpts,
  not whole files). It does not review or audit; quality judgments stay with
  the parent or a dedicated reviewer.
- **`Plan`** — implementation strategy, architecture trade-offs.
- **`fork`** (`subagent_type: "fork"`) — inherits the full conversation
  context, runs in the background, keeps its tool output out of the main
  thread. The tool of choice for "do X with everything you already know, give
  me only the outcome" — no need to re-explain state in the prompt.
- Agent types not listed as available in the session (e.g. a `code-reviewer`)
  don't exist there — check the available-types list instead of guessing.

### Behavioral tier (MANDATORY — always set)

Prefix every `Agent` prompt with one of:

- `[TIER: FAST]` — return raw results immediately; no internal monologue, no synthesis
- `[TIER: STANDARD]` — focused implementation logic; minimal preamble
- `[TIER: DEEP]` — complex reasoning; must conclude with a summary

### Model selection (relative to the parent, no fixed names)

Resolution order: explicit `model` param → agent type frontmatter → parent
inheritance. (`fork` always runs on the parent model; an override is ignored.)
Model names shift (Opus was the top tier when this was written; Fable and
Mythos sit above it now), so think in tiers, not names:

0. **Self-hosted backend (a SessionStart hook says so when `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL`
   points at the vLLM gateway): never pass `model`.** Aliases do not exist
   there; every subagent inherits the one available model.
1. **Specialized agent types** (`Explore`, `Plan`, …) keep their frontmatter
   model. Leave `model` off.
2. **Routine `general-purpose` work** (mechanical edits, bulk lookups,
   verification runs): one tier below the parent, today `sonnet`. Don't pay
   top rates for routine work.
3. **Judgement work** (research, recommendation, trade-off, review, blinded
   eval judges): the parent's tier, so pass no `model` and let it inherit.
   For "how should X look" questions discuss options first, do not build.
4. **`haiku`** only for purely mechanical tasks: bulk classification, format
   conversion, summarizing pre-filtered text. Code-semantic work is at least
   `sonnet`.

### Context hygiene

- Prefer parallel `Explore` calls over sequential `general-purpose` sessions;
  spawn independent agents in a single message so they run concurrently.
- Once delegated, don't duplicate: never run the same search yourself while
  an agent is on it, and don't poll — results arrive as notifications.
- Follow-ups to an existing agent go via `SendMessage` (keeps its context);
  a new `Agent` call always starts fresh — right for unrelated lookups.
- Summarize subagent findings in the main thread; the raw report is not
  shown to the user, so relay what matters.