{
  "title": "Subagent MCP access",
  "description": "Allow a child agent to use MCP tools or declare its own MCP servers. This is tracked as an independent compatibility claim.",
  "slug": "subagent-mcp-access",
  "locale": "en",
  "seoTitle": "Subagent MCP access compatibility — Can My Agent Use",
  "socialTitle": "Subagent MCP access",
  "socialDescription": "Allow a child agent to use MCP tools or declare its own MCP servers. Unreviewed product cells remain unknown.",
  "llmSummary": "Subagent MCP access is atomic and does not follow automatically from broader subagents support.",
  "audience": "Engineers comparing agent harness capabilities.",
  "contentKind": "feature",
  "status": "published",
  "tags": [
    "runtime",
    "subagents"
  ],
  "updated": "2026-08-28T00:00:00.000Z",
  "published": "2026-08-28T00:00:00.000Z",
  "category": "runtime",
  "summary": "Allow a child agent to use MCP tools or declare its own MCP servers.",
  "specLabel": "Common product term",
  "aliases": [
    "child agent MCP"
  ],
  "capabilityKind": "atomic",
  "parent": "subagents",
  "related": [],
  "relations": [],
  "highlight": false,
  "notes": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "text": "Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Claude Code subagents inherit MCP tools by default unless restricted and can use `mcpServers` to reference parent-session servers or declare inline servers scoped to the child."
    },
    {
      "id": 2,
      "text": "Evidence checked 2026-08-28: VS Code custom agents can include individual MCP tools or complete `<server>/*` tool groups, and custom tool settings override defaults when the agent runs as a child."
    }
  ],
  "issues": [],
  "resources": [
    {
      "title": "Methodology",
      "href": "/methodology",
      "kind": "note"
    },
    {
      "id": "anthropic-claude-code-subagents",
      "title": "Anthropic — Create custom subagents",
      "href": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/subagents",
      "kind": "docs",
      "publisher": "Anthropic",
      "evidenceType": "documented",
      "reviewedAt": "2026-08-28",
      "locator": "Available tools; scope MCP servers to a subagent"
    },
    {
      "id": "vscode-custom-agents",
      "title": "Visual Studio Code — Custom agents",
      "href": "https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/agent-customization/custom-agents",
      "kind": "docs",
      "publisher": "Microsoft",
      "evidenceType": "documented",
      "reviewedAt": "2026-08-28",
      "locator": "Custom agent file structure; tools"
    },
    {
      "id": "vscode-subagents",
      "title": "Visual Studio Code — Subagents in Visual Studio Code",
      "href": "https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/agents/run/subagents",
      "kind": "docs",
      "publisher": "Microsoft",
      "evidenceType": "documented",
      "reviewedAt": "2026-08-28",
      "locator": "Run a custom agent as a subagent"
    }
  ],
  "support": [
    {
      "harness": "claude-cli",
      "versions": [
        {
          "track": "current",
          "status": "yes",
          "noteIds": [
            1
          ],
          "target": {
            "kind": "dated-documentation",
            "revision": "current Claude Code subagent documentation",
            "observedAt": "2026-08-28"
          },
          "environmentProfile": "local-default",
          "qualifiers": [
            {
              "type": "runtime",
              "value": "plugin-provided subagents ignore the `mcpServers` frontmatter field for security; project, user, managed, and CLI-defined subagents can use it"
            }
          ],
          "evidence": [
            {
              "resourceId": "anthropic-claude-code-subagents",
              "type": "documented",
              "observedAt": "2026-08-28"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "harness": "vscode-copilot",
      "versions": [
        {
          "track": "current",
          "status": "yes",
          "noteIds": [
            2
          ],
          "target": {
            "kind": "dated-documentation",
            "revision": "current VS Code custom-agent and subagent documentation",
            "observedAt": "2026-08-28"
          },
          "environmentProfile": "local-default",
          "qualifiers": [
            {
              "type": "policy",
              "value": "MCP access is restricted by the child agent's tool list and the enabled MCP servers in the local VS Code session"
            }
          ],
          "evidence": [
            {
              "resourceId": "vscode-custom-agents",
              "type": "documented",
              "observedAt": "2026-08-28"
            },
            {
              "resourceId": "vscode-subagents",
              "type": "documented",
              "observedAt": "2026-08-28"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "html": "/features/subagent-mcp-access",
  "markdown": "/features/subagent-mcp-access.md",
  "json": "/api/v1/features/subagent-mcp-access.json",
  "body": "Allow a child agent to use MCP tools or declare its own MCP servers.\n\nSupport is recorded only when exact, dated evidence covers this behavior."
}