Introduction to subagents
Anthropic
Last updated June 20, 2026
Introduction to subagents is a free, self-paced course from Anthropic on using and creating subagents in Claude Code — its command-line coding agent. A subagent is an isolated assistant that Claude Code spins up in its own context window to do a task separately and report back just the result, which keeps your main conversation clean and focused on long sessions. The course explains how that works — what happens when a separate context window opens, how inputs flow in, and how summaries come back — then has you create your own subagents with the /agents command, from code reviewers to documentation generators. It covers the design patterns that make a subagent reliable: structured output formats, reporting obstacles clearly, and limiting which tools it can use. Just as usefully, it's honest about when not to reach for one, with practical guidance on where delegation pays off and the common anti-patterns to avoid. It's a companion to Claude Code 101 and assumes you're already working in Claude Code.
What you'll learn
- How subagents work: what happens when Claude Code opens a separate context window, and how inputs and summaries flow
- Creating custom subagents with the /agents command, from code reviewers to documentation generators
- Designing reliable subagents with structured output formats, obstacle reporting, and limited tool access
- Breaking complex work into focused pieces that finish and report back clearly
- Judging when to use a subagent — and the common anti-patterns to avoid
Frequently asked questions about Introduction to subagents
Who is Introduction to subagents for?
Developers using Claude Code who want to delegate self-contained tasks to subagents to keep long sessions focused and build specialized workflows.
Is Introduction to subagents free?
Yes — Introduction to subagents is completely free to take.
What are the prerequisites for Introduction to subagents?
Familiarity with Claude Code, since subagents are a Claude Code feature — Claude Code 101 is the natural lead-in if it's new to you.
Do you need to code for Introduction to subagents?
Yes — Introduction to subagents involves hands-on coding.
Why we suggest this course
A focused course for Claude Code users whose longer sessions get cluttered — subagents let you hand a self-contained task to an isolated assistant that works separately and returns only what you need. It teaches both halves: how to build subagents with the /agents command and the patterns that make them dependable (structured output, clear obstacle reporting, restricted tool access), and the judgment of when delegation isn't worth it. It pairs with the already-live Claude Code 101 (start there if Claude Code is new) and sits alongside Introduction to agent skills as the two main ways to extend it. Two things worth knowing: it teaches Anthropic's Claude Code specifically — subagents here are a Claude Code feature, not a general agent-framework concept; and it assumes you're already running Claude Code in day-to-day development and want to manage context across longer sessions.