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Aug 28, 2026 · Catalog foundation is up

Product feature · runtime

Subagent delegationCommon product term

Delegate a bounded task to another agent process.

Terminology basis: Common product term. OpenWork — Architecture

Subagent delegation: 9 supported, 1 partial, 0 unsupported, 21 unreviewed across 31 cataloged products.

Markdown · JSON

Explore this familyMore in Subagents9 capabilities

Current evidence by product

Can my agent use Subagent delegation?

Read across for the answer. 10 of 31 current product columns have reviewed evidence; unreviewed does not mean unsupported.

Known issues (0)Report an issue
  • Supported9
  • Partial1
  • Unsupported0
  • Unknown21
  • Not applicable0

Web

9 products

Desktop

13 products

CLI

9 products

Unknown means no public evidence has been reviewed for that product and capability. It does not mean unsupported.

How statuses are assigned

Definition and scope

What this capability means

This row establishes that one agent can create a distinct child execution boundary for a bounded task. A renamed tool call, background shell command, or single-model chain-of-thought step is not enough unless the product exposes a child-agent execution with its own task state.

Deeper recursion, simultaneous children, inherited context, model choice, permissions, supervision, and result transfer are separate sibling capabilities.

Traceable compatibility

Assertion ledger

Documentation evidence only. No runtime conformance test is implied.

ChatGPTweb · current
Supported
Target
2026-08-28 ChatGPT Work web documentation observation · hosted-observation
Environment
hosted-default
Observed
2026-08-28
  • plansubagent workflows and visible activity require an eligible account; Ultra may delegate proactively while other levels generally require an explicit request
Evidence
ChatGPTdesktop · current
Supported
Target
current ChatGPT desktop documentation · dated-documentation
Environment
local-default
Observed
2026-08-28
  • runtimecurrent local Codex releases delegate after a direct request or applicable AGENTS.md or skill instruction and surface each child thread
Evidence
Codex CLIcli · current
Supported
Target
current Codex CLI documentation · dated-documentation
Environment
local-default
Observed
2026-08-28
  • runtimedelegates after a direct request or applicable project or skill instruction; /agent opens child threads while the parent collects their results
Evidence
Gemini CLIcli · current
Supported
Target
current Gemini CLI documentation · dated-documentation
Environment
local-default
Observed
2026-08-28
  • runtimethe main agent can automatically choose a matching subagent or be nudged to a named specialist with @agent syntax
Evidence
Cursordesktop · current
Supported
Target
current Cursor subagent documentation · dated-documentation
Environment
local-default
Observed
2026-08-28
  • runtimeapplies to Cursor editor, CLI, and Cloud Agents; named subagents can be invoked with /name or natural language
Evidence
Copilot CLIcli · current
Supported
Target
current GitHub Copilot CLI documentation · dated-documentation
Environment
local-default
Observed
2026-08-28
  • runtimethe main Copilot agent can automatically invoke built-in or custom agents as temporary subagents
Evidence
Claude CLIcli · current
Supported
Target
current Claude Code subagent documentation · dated-documentation
Environment
local-default
Observed
2026-08-28

No additional condition is recorded for this statement.

Evidence
Copilot Chatdesktop · current
Supported
Target
current VS Code subagent documentation · dated-documentation
Environment
local-default
Observed
2026-08-28
  • host-roleclaim is scoped to GitHub Copilot's local VS Code agent surface with the subagent tool enabled
Evidence
OpenWork Desktopdesktop · current
Supported
Target
current OpenWork architecture documentation · dated-documentation
Environment
local-default
Observed
2026-08-28
  • runtimesupplied by the embedded OpenCode agent runtime
Evidence
Grok Botdesktop · current
Partial
Target
2026-08-28 Grok Bot desktop documentation observation · hosted-observation
Environment
hosted-default
Observed
2026-08-28
  • runtimedelegation uses distinct persistent named Bots with asynchronous messages and visible handoffs, rather than documented ephemeral child sessions
  • policyall Bots for an account share one hosted computer, so delegation does not create a separate filesystem, login, or credential security boundary
Evidence
  1. 1. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: OpenWork identifies agents as OpenCode primitives for specialized tasks that may use different models and extra context.
  2. 2. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Grok Bot can create focused named Bots, let Bots message each other asynchronously, and pass work among them. This is persistent peer-Bot delegation, not documented ephemeral child-session spawning.
  3. 3. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Claude Code documents built-in and custom subagents that receive delegated tasks through the Agent tool, run in their own context, and return a summary to the parent conversation.
  4. 4. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: ChatGPT Work and current local Codex releases can spawn specialized agents, expose their activity, and collect results into the parent response.
  5. 5. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Gemini CLI exposes built-in and custom subagents as tools, with automatic delegation or explicit @agent prompting.
  6. 6. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: Cursor Agent can automatically or explicitly launch built-in and custom subagents on editor, CLI, and Cloud Agent surfaces.
  7. 7. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: GitHub Copilot CLI can automatically run built-in or custom agents as temporary subagents with separate context windows.
  8. 8. Evidence checked 2026-08-28: VS Code documents the `agent/runSubagent` tool, built-in and custom child agents, autonomous child work, and final-result return to the main agent.