# Subagents

Subagents are specialized agents that operate within your main Gemini CLI
session. They are designed to handle specific, complex tasks—like deep codebase
analysis, documentation lookup, or domain-specific reasoning—without cluttering
the main agent's context or toolset.

## What are subagents?

Subagents are "specialists" that the main Gemini agent can hire for a specific
job.

- **Focused context:** Each subagent has its own system prompt and persona.
- **Specialized tools:** Subagents can have a restricted or specialized set of
  tools.
- **Independent context window:** Interactions with a subagent happen in a
  separate context loop, which saves tokens in your main conversation history.

Subagents are exposed to the main agent as a tool of the same name. When the
main agent calls the tool, it delegates the task to the subagent. Once the
subagent completes its task, it reports back to the main agent with its
findings.

## How to use subagents

You can use subagents through automatic delegation or by explicitly forcing them
in your prompt.

### Automatic delegation

Gemini CLI's main agent is instructed to use specialized subagents when a task
matches their expertise. For example, if you ask "How does the auth system
work?", the main agent may decide to call the `codebase_investigator` subagent
to perform the research.

### Forcing a subagent (@ syntax)

You can explicitly direct a task to a specific subagent by using the `@` symbol
followed by the subagent's name at the beginning of your prompt. This is useful
when you want to bypass the main agent's decision-making and go straight to a
specialist.

**Example:**

```bash
@codebase_investigator Map out the relationship between the AgentRegistry and the LocalAgentExecutor.
```

When you use the `@` syntax, the CLI injects a system note that nudges the
primary model to use that specific subagent tool immediately.

## Built-in subagents

Gemini CLI comes with the following built-in subagents:

### Codebase Investigator

- **Name:** `codebase_investigator`
- **Purpose:** Analyze the codebase, reverse engineer, and understand complex
  dependencies.
- **When to use:** "How does the authentication system work?", "Map out the
  dependencies of the `AgentRegistry` class."
- **Configuration:** Enabled by default. You can override its settings in
  `settings.json` under `agents.overrides`. Example (forcing a specific model
  and increasing turns):
  ```json
  {
    "agents": {
      "overrides": {
        "codebase_investigator": {
          "modelConfig": { "model": "gemini-3-flash-preview" },
          "runConfig": { "maxTurns": 50 }
        }
      }
    }
  }
  ```

### CLI Help Agent

- **Name:** `cli_help`
- **Purpose:** Get expert knowledge about Gemini CLI itself, its commands,
  configuration, and documentation.
- **When to use:** "How do I configure a proxy?", "What does the `/rewind`
  command do?"
- **Configuration:** Enabled by default.

### Generalist Agent

- **Name:** `generalist`
- **Purpose:** A general, all-purpose subagent that uses the inherited tool
  access and configurations from the main agent. Useful for executing broad,
  resource-heavy subtasks in an isolated conversation, optimizing your main
  agent's context by returning only the final result of that given task.
- **When to use:** Use this agent when a task requires many steps, handles large
  volumes of information, or requires the same full capabilities as the main
  agent. It is ideal for:
  - **Multi-file modifications:** Applying refactors or fixing errors across
    several files at once.
  - **High-volume execution:** Running commands or tests that produce extensive
    terminal output.
  - **Action-oriented research:** Investigations where the agent needs to both
    search code and run commands or make edits to find a solution. By delegating
    these tasks, you prevent your main conversation from becoming cluttered or
    slow. You can invoke it explicitly using `@generalist`.
- **Configuration:** Enabled by default.

### Browser Agent

- **Name:** `browser_agent`
- **Purpose:** Automate web browser tasks — navigating websites, filling forms,
  clicking buttons, and extracting information from web pages — using the
  accessibility tree.
- **When to use:** "Go to example.com and fill out the contact form," "Extract
  the pricing table from this page," "Click the login button and enter my
  credentials."

#### Prerequisites

The browser agent requires:

- **Chrome** version 144 or later (any recent stable release works).

The underlying
[`chrome-devtools-mcp`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/chrome-devtools-mcp)
server is bundled with Gemini CLI and launched automatically — no separate
installation is needed.

#### Enabling the browser agent

The browser agent is disabled by default. Enable it in your `settings.json`:

```json
{
  "agents": {
    "overrides": {
      "browser_agent": {
        "enabled": true
      }
    }
  }
}
```

#### Session modes

The `sessionMode` setting controls how Chrome is launched and managed. Set it
under `agents.browser`:

```json
{
  "agents": {
    "overrides": {
      "browser_agent": {
        "enabled": true
      }
    },
    "browser": {
      "sessionMode": "persistent"
    }
  }
}
```

The available modes are:

| Mode         | Description                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| :----------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `persistent` | **(Default)** Launches Chrome with a persistent profile stored at `~/.gemini/cli-browser-profile/`. Cookies, history, and settings are preserved between sessions.                          |
| `isolated`   | Launches Chrome with a temporary profile that is deleted after each session. Use this for clean-state automation.                                                                           |
| `existing`   | Attaches to an already-running Chrome instance. You must enable remote debugging first by navigating to `chrome://inspect/#remote-debugging` in Chrome. No new browser process is launched. |

#### First-run consent

The first time the browser agent is invoked, Gemini CLI displays a consent
dialog. You must accept before the browser session starts. This dialog only
appears once.

#### Configuration reference

All browser-specific settings go under `agents.browser` in your `settings.json`.
For full details, see the
[`agents.browser` configuration reference](../reference/configuration.md#agents).

| Setting                   | Type       | Default        | Description                                                                     |
| :------------------------ | :--------- | :------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `sessionMode`             | `string`   | `"persistent"` | How Chrome is managed: `"persistent"`, `"isolated"`, or `"existing"`.           |
| `headless`                | `boolean`  | `false`        | Run Chrome in headless mode (no visible window).                                |
| `profilePath`             | `string`   | —              | Custom path to a browser profile directory.                                     |
| `visualModel`             | `string`   | —              | Model override for the visual agent.                                            |
| `allowedDomains`          | `string[]` | —              | Restrict navigation to specific domains (for example, `["github.com"]`).        |
| `disableUserInput`        | `boolean`  | `true`         | Disable user input on the browser window during automation (non-headless only). |
| `maxActionsPerTask`       | `number`   | `100`          | Maximum tool calls per task. The agent is terminated when the limit is reached. |
| `confirmSensitiveActions` | `boolean`  | `false`        | Require manual confirmation for `upload_file` and `evaluate_script`.            |
| `blockFileUploads`        | `boolean`  | `false`        | Hard-block all file upload requests from the agent.                             |

#### Automation overlay and input blocking

In non-headless mode, the browser agent injects a visual overlay into the
browser window to indicate that automation is in progress. By default, user
input (keyboard and mouse) is also blocked to prevent accidental interference.
You can disable this by setting `disableUserInput` to `false`.

#### Security

The browser agent enforces several layers of security:

- **Domain restrictions:** When `allowedDomains` is set, the agent can only
  navigate to the listed domains (and their subdomains when using `*.` prefix).
  Attempting to visit a disallowed domain throws a fatal error that immediately
  terminates the agent. The agent also attempts to detect and block the use of
  allowed domains as proxies (e.g., via query parameters or fragments) to access
  restricted content.
- **Blocked URL patterns:** The underlying MCP server blocks dangerous URL
  schemes including `file://`, `javascript:`, `data:text/html`,
  `chrome://extensions`, and `chrome://settings/passwords`.
- **Sensitive action confirmation:** Form filling (`fill`, `fill_form`) always
  requires user confirmation through the policy engine, regardless of approval
  mode. When `confirmSensitiveActions` is `true`, `upload_file` and
  `evaluate_script` also require confirmation.
- **File upload blocking:** Set `blockFileUploads` to `true` to hard-block all
  file upload requests, preventing the agent from uploading any files.
- **Action rate limiting:** The `maxActionsPerTask` setting (default: 100)
  limits the total number of tool calls per task to prevent runaway execution.

#### Visual agent

By default, the browser agent interacts with pages through the accessibility
tree using element `uid` values. For tasks that require visual identification
(for example, "click the yellow button" or "find the red error message"), you
can enable the visual agent by setting a `visualModel`:

```json
{
  "agents": {
    "overrides": {
      "browser_agent": {
        "enabled": true
      }
    },
    "browser": {
      "visualModel": "gemini-2.5-computer-use-preview-10-2025"
    }
  }
}
```

When enabled, the agent gains access to the `analyze_screenshot` tool, which
captures a screenshot and sends it to the vision model for analysis. The model
returns coordinates and element descriptions that the browser agent uses with
the `click_at` tool for precise, coordinate-based interactions.

<!-- prettier-ignore -->
> [!NOTE]
> The visual agent requires API key or Vertex AI authentication. It is
> not available when using "Sign in with Google".

#### Sandbox support

The browser agent adjusts its behavior automatically when running inside a
sandbox.

##### macOS seatbelt (`sandbox-exec`)

When the CLI runs under the macOS seatbelt sandbox, `persistent` and `isolated`
session modes are forced to `isolated` with `headless` enabled. This avoids
permission errors caused by seatbelt file-system restrictions on persistent
browser profiles. If `sessionMode` is set to `existing`, no override is applied.

##### Container sandboxes (Docker / Podman)

Chrome is not available inside the container, so the browser agent is
**disabled** unless `sessionMode` is set to `"existing"`. When enabled with
`existing` mode, the agent automatically connects to Chrome on the host via the
resolved IP of `host.docker.internal:9222` instead of using local pipe
discovery. Port `9222` is currently hardcoded and cannot be customized.

To use the browser agent in a Docker sandbox:

1. Start Chrome on the host with remote debugging enabled:

   ```bash
   # Option A: Launch Chrome from the command line
   google-chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222

   # Option B: Enable in Chrome settings
   # Navigate to chrome://inspect/#remote-debugging and enable
   ```

2. Configure `sessionMode` and allowed domains in your project's
   `.gemini/settings.json`:

   ```json
   {
     "agents": {
       "overrides": {
         "browser_agent": { "enabled": true }
       },
       "browser": {
         "sessionMode": "existing",
         "allowedDomains": ["example.com"]
       }
     }
   }
   ```

3. Launch the CLI with port forwarding:

   ```bash
   GEMINI_SANDBOX=docker SANDBOX_PORTS=9222 gemini
   ```

## Creating custom subagents

You can create your own subagents to automate specific workflows or enforce
specific personas.

### Agent definition files

Custom agents are defined as Markdown files (`.md`) with YAML frontmatter. You
can place them in:

1.  **Project-level:** `.gemini/agents/*.md` (Shared with your team)
2.  **User-level:** `~/.gemini/agents/*.md` (Personal agents)

### File format

The file **MUST** start with YAML frontmatter enclosed in triple-dashes `---`.
The body of the markdown file becomes the agent's **System Prompt**.

**Example: `.gemini/agents/security-auditor.md`**

```markdown
---
name: security-auditor
description: Specialized in finding security vulnerabilities in code.
kind: local
tools:
  - read_file
  - grep_search
model: gemini-3-flash-preview
temperature: 0.2
max_turns: 10
---

You are a ruthless Security Auditor. Your job is to analyze code for potential
vulnerabilities.

Focus on:

1.  SQL Injection
2.  XSS (Cross-Site Scripting)
3.  Hardcoded credentials
4.  Unsafe file operations

When you find a vulnerability, explain it clearly and suggest a fix. Do not fix
it yourself; just report it.
```

### Configuration schema

| Field          | Type   | Required | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| :------------- | :----- | :------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `name`         | string | Yes      | Unique identifier (slug) used as the tool name for the agent. Only lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores.                                                                                      |
| `description`  | string | Yes      | Short description of what the agent does. This is visible to the main agent to help it decide when to call this subagent.                                                                                     |
| `kind`         | string | No       | `local` (default) or `remote`.                                                                                                                                                                                |
| `tools`        | array  | No       | List of tool names this agent can use. Supports wildcards: `*` (all tools), `mcp_*` (all MCP tools), `mcp_server_*` (all tools from a server). **If omitted, it inherits all tools from the parent session.** |
| `mcpServers`   | object | No       | Configuration for inline Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers isolated to this specific agent.                                                                                                                |
| `model`        | string | No       | Specific model to use (for example, `gemini-3-preview`). Defaults to `inherit` (uses the main session model).                                                                                                 |
| `temperature`  | number | No       | Model temperature (0.0 - 2.0). Defaults to `1`.                                                                                                                                                               |
| `max_turns`    | number | No       | Maximum number of conversation turns allowed for this agent before it must return. Defaults to `30`.                                                                                                          |
| `timeout_mins` | number | No       | Maximum execution time in minutes. Defaults to `10`.                                                                                                                                                          |

### Tool wildcards

When defining `tools` for a subagent, you can use wildcards to quickly grant
access to groups of tools:

- `*`: Grant access to all available built-in and discovered tools.
- `mcp_*`: Grant access to all tools from all connected MCP servers.
- `mcp_my-server_*`: Grant access to all tools from a specific MCP server named
  `my-server`.

### Isolation and recursion protection

Each subagent runs in its own isolated context loop. This means:

- **Independent history:** The subagent's conversation history does not bloat
  the main agent's context.
- **Isolated tools:** The subagent only has access to the tools you explicitly
  grant it.
- **Recursion protection:** To prevent infinite loops and excessive token usage,
  subagents **cannot** call other subagents. If a subagent is granted the `*`
  tool wildcard, it will still be unable to see or invoke other agents.

## Subagent tool isolation

Subagent tool isolation moves Gemini CLI away from a single global tool
registry. By providing isolated execution environments, you can ensure that
subagents only interact with the parts of the system they are designed for. This
prevents unintended side effects, improves reliability by avoiding state
contamination, and enables fine-grained permission control.

With this feature, you can:

- **Specify tool access:** Define exactly which tools an agent can access using
  a `tools` list in the agent definition.
- **Define inline MCP servers:** Configure Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers
  (which provide a standardized way to connect AI models to external tools and
  data sources) directly in the subagent's markdown frontmatter, isolating them
  to that specific agent.
- **Maintain state isolation:** Ensure that subagents only interact with their
  own set of tools and servers, preventing side effects and state contamination.
- **Apply subagent-specific policies:** Enforce granular rules in your
  [Policy Engine](../reference/policy-engine.md) TOML configuration based on the
  executing subagent's name.

### Configuring isolated tools and servers

You can configure tool isolation for a subagent by updating its markdown
frontmatter. This lets you explicitly state which tools the subagent can use,
rather than relying on the global registry.

Add an `mcpServers` object to define inline MCP servers that are unique to the
agent.

**Example:**

```yaml
---
name: my-isolated-agent
tools:
  - grep_search
  - read_file
mcpServers:
  my-custom-server:
    command: 'node'
    args: ['path/to/server.js']
---
```

### Subagent-specific policies

You can enforce fine-grained control over subagents using the
[Policy Engine's](../reference/policy-engine.md) TOML configuration. This allows
you to grant or restrict permissions specifically for an agent, without
affecting the rest of your CLI session.

To restrict a policy rule to a specific subagent, add the `subagent` property to
the `[[rules]]` block in your `policy.toml` file.

**Example:**

```toml
[[rules]]
name = "Allow pr-creator to push code"
subagent = "pr-creator"
description = "Permit pr-creator to push branches automatically."
action = "allow"
toolName = "run_shell_command"
commandPrefix = "git push"
```

In this configuration, the policy rule only triggers if the executing subagent's
name matches `pr-creator`. Rules without the `subagent` property apply
universally to all agents.

## Managing subagents

You can manage subagents interactively using the `/agents` command or
persistently via `settings.json`.

### Interactive management (/agents)

If you are in an interactive CLI session, you can use the `/agents` command to
manage subagents without editing configuration files manually. This is the
recommended way to quickly enable, disable, or re-configure agents on the fly.

For a full list of sub-commands and usage, see the
[`/agents` command reference](../reference/commands.md#agents).

### Persistent configuration (settings.json)

While the `/agents` command and agent definition files provide a starting point,
you can use `settings.json` for global, persistent overrides. This is useful for
enforcing specific models or execution limits across all sessions.

#### `agents.overrides`

Use this to enable or disable specific agents or override their run
configurations.

```json
{
  "agents": {
    "overrides": {
      "security-auditor": {
        "enabled": false,
        "runConfig": {
          "maxTurns": 20,
          "maxTimeMinutes": 10
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```

#### `modelConfigs.overrides`

You can target specific subagents with custom model settings (like system
instruction prefixes or specific safety settings) using the `overrideScope`
field.

```json
{
  "modelConfigs": {
    "overrides": [
      {
        "match": { "overrideScope": "security-auditor" },
        "modelConfig": {
          "generateContentConfig": {
            "temperature": 0.1
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}
```

#### Safety policies (TOML)

You can restrict access to specific subagents using the CLI's **Policy Engine**.
Subagents are treated as virtual tool names for policy matching purposes.

To govern access to a subagent, create a `.toml` file in your policy directory
(e.g., `~/.gemini/policies/`):

```toml
[[rule]]
toolName = "codebase_investigator"
decision = "deny"
deny_message = "Deep codebase analysis is restricted for this session."
```

For more information on setting up fine-grained safety guardrails, see the
[Policy Engine reference](../reference/policy-engine.md#special-syntax-for-subagents).

### Optimizing your subagent

The main agent's system prompt encourages it to use an expert subagent when one
is available. It decides whether an agent is a relevant expert based on the
agent's description. You can improve the reliability with which an agent is used
by updating the description to more clearly indicate:

- Its area of expertise.
- When it should be used.
- Some example scenarios.

For example, the following subagent description should be called fairly
consistently for Git operations.

> Git expert agent which should be used for all local and remote git operations.
> For example:
>
> - Making commits
> - Searching for regressions with bisect
> - Interacting with source control and issues providers such as GitHub.

If you need to further tune your subagent, you can do so by selecting the model
to optimize for with `/model` and then asking the model why it does not think
that your subagent was called with a specific prompt and the given description.

## Remote subagents (Agent2Agent)

Gemini CLI can also delegate tasks to remote subagents using the Agent-to-Agent
(A2A) protocol.

See the [Remote Subagents documentation](remote-agents) for detailed
configuration, authentication, and usage instructions.

## Extension subagents

Extensions can bundle and distribute subagents. See the
[Extensions documentation](../extensions/index.md#subagents) for details on how
to package agents within an extension.

## Disabling subagents

Subagents are enabled by default. To disable them, set `enableAgents` to `false`
in your `settings.json`:

```json
{
  "experimental": { "enableAgents": false }
}
```
