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Creating a Custom Agent

This guide walks through creating a new agent from scratch.

Quick method: Use the create-agent skill — it guides you through the process interactively. Just say “create an agent” or “new agent” in Claude Code.

Core vs Custom Agents

	Core	Custom
Location	`.claude/agents/{name}.md`	`.claude/agents/custom-{name}.md`
Git	Tracked (ships with repo)	Gitignored (personal to your workspace)
Dashboard	Green “core” badge	Gray “custom” badge
Examples	clawdia-assistant, flux-finance	custom-devops, custom-support

Custom agents use the custom- prefix, which triggers gitignore rules so they stay personal to your workspace. The dashboard auto-discovers them and shows them alongside core agents.

File Structure

An agent requires two files:

.claude/
  agents/custom-my-agent.md       # System prompt + frontmatter
  commands/custom-my-agent.md     # Slash command definition

Step 1: Agent File

Create .claude/agents/my-agent.md with YAML frontmatter followed by the system prompt.

Frontmatter Format

---
name: "my-agent"
description: "Use this agent when... (routing description with examples)"
model: sonnet
color: green
memory: project
---

Field	Required	Description
`name`	Yes	Unique identifier, matches filename without `.md`
`description`	Yes	Routing description. Claude uses this to decide when to activate the agent. Include example user messages.
`model`	Yes	Model to use: `sonnet`, `opus`, `haiku`
`color`	No	Terminal color for the agent label
`memory`	No	Memory scope: `project` (shared) or `user` (personal)

Description Field (Important)

The description field controls auto-routing. It should include concrete examples of user messages that should trigger this agent:

description: "Use this agent when the user needs help with customer support tickets, bug reports, or user complaints.\n\nExamples:\n\n- user: \"check support tickets\"\n  assistant: \"I will use the support agent to review open tickets.\"\n\n- user: \"a customer reported a bug\"\n  assistant: \"I will activate the support agent to investigate.\""

Step 2: System Prompt

Below the frontmatter, write the system prompt. This defines the agent’s identity and behavior.

---
name: "support-agent"
description: "Use this agent when..."
model: sonnet
color: yellow
memory: project
---

You are **Support** — the customer support specialist. Direct, empathetic, and solution-oriented.

## Responsibilities

1. **Ticket Triage**: Review and prioritize support tickets
2. **Bug Investigation**: Reproduce and document reported bugs
3. **Customer Communication**: Draft professional responses

## Before Starting

- Read `workspace/support/overview.md` for current context
- Check recent tickets in the support system

## Working Standards

- Save files to `workspace/support/` with `[C]` prefix
- Always include ticket ID when referencing issues
- Escalate critical issues immediately

Step 3: Command File

Create .claude/commands/my-agent.md:

Use the @support-agent agent to help the user with the following support matter: $ARGUMENTS

If no arguments were provided, ask the user how you can help (ticket triage, bug investigation, customer responses, etc).

The $ARGUMENTS placeholder passes whatever the user types after the slash command.

Step 4: Agent Memory Directory

The memory directory at .claude/agent-memory/<agent-name>/ is created automatically when the agent first saves a memory. No manual setup needed. If you want to pre-populate memory, create the directory and add a MEMORY.md index file:

mkdir -p .claude/agent-memory/support-agent
echo "" > .claude/agent-memory/support-agent/MEMORY.md

Best Practices for System Prompts

Do

Define identity clearly in the first line: name, role, tone
List specific responsibilities so the agent knows its scope
Set anti-patterns — things the agent should never do
Point to context files the agent should read before starting
Specify output locations — which folder, what file prefix
Include memory instructions to build knowledge over time

Don’t

Write prompts longer than 300 lines (agent + memory boilerplate)
Overlap responsibilities with existing agents
Include API keys or secrets in the prompt
Make the agent too generic — specialization is the point

Full Example: Support Agent

.claude/agents/support-agent.md:

---
name: "support-agent"
description: "Use this agent when the user needs help with customer support, bug reports, user complaints, or ticket management.\n\nExamples:\n\n- user: \"check support tickets\"\n  assistant: \"I will use the support agent to review open tickets.\"\n\n- user: \"a customer is having issues with login\"\n  assistant: \"I will activate the support agent to investigate.\""
model: sonnet
color: yellow
memory: project
---

You are **Support** — the customer support specialist. Direct, empathetic, solution-oriented.

## Identity

- Name: Support
- Tone: professional, empathetic, concise
- Language: English

## Responsibilities

1. **Ticket Triage**: Review open tickets, prioritize by severity
2. **Bug Investigation**: Reproduce issues, document steps, identify root cause
3. **Response Drafting**: Write customer-facing responses
4. **Escalation**: Flag critical issues to the team

## Before Starting

- Read `workspace/support/overview.md` for context
- Check `.claude/agent-memory/support-agent/` for prior context

## Working Standards

- Files go in `workspace/support/` with `[C]` prefix
- Reference ticket IDs in all outputs
- Classify severity: P0 (critical), P1 (high), P2 (medium), P3 (low)

## Anti-patterns

- Never promise timelines without checking with the team
- Never share internal details with customers
- Never close tickets without confirmation

**Update your agent memory** when you discover recurring issues, customer patterns, or resolution workflows.

.claude/commands/support.md:

Use the @support-agent agent to help the user with the following support matter: $ARGUMENTS

If no arguments were provided, ask the user how you can help (ticket triage, bug reports, customer responses, etc).

After creating both files, the agent is immediately available via /support in Claude Code.

Agentes

Skills

Rotinas

Heartbeats e Goals

Dashboard

Guias

Integrações

Provedores

Casos Reais

Referência

Creating agents

Creating a Custom Agent

Core vs Custom Agents

File Structure

Step 1: Agent File

Frontmatter Format

Description Field (Important)

Step 2: System Prompt

Step 3: Command File

Step 4: Agent Memory Directory

Best Practices for System Prompts

Do

Don’t

Full Example: Support Agent

​Creating a Custom Agent

​Core vs Custom Agents

​File Structure

​Step 1: Agent File

​Frontmatter Format

​Description Field (Important)

​Step 2: System Prompt

​Step 3: Command File

​Step 4: Agent Memory Directory

​Best Practices for System Prompts

​Do

​Don’t

​Full Example: Support Agent

Creating a Custom Agent

Core vs Custom Agents

File Structure

Step 1: Agent File

Frontmatter Format

Description Field (Important)

Step 2: System Prompt

Step 3: Command File

Step 4: Agent Memory Directory

Best Practices for System Prompts

Do

Don’t

Full Example: Support Agent