Frontmatter Schemas
Agent Frontmatter
yaml
--- name: agent-name # Required: lowercase-with-hyphens description: | # Required: detailed with examples Use this agent when [scenario]. Examples: (1) "Task description" - launches agent for X (2) "Task description" - launches agent for Y (3) "Task description" - launches agent for Z model: sonnet # Required: sonnet | opus | haiku color: purple # Optional: purple | cyan | green | orange | blue | red tools: TodoWrite, Read, Write # Required: comma-separated, space after comma skills: skill1, skill2 # Optional: referenced skills ---
Field Reference
| Field | Required | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
name | Yes | lowercase-with-hyphens | Agent identifier |
description | Yes | Multi-line string | 3-5 usage examples |
model | Yes | sonnet, opus, haiku | AI model to use |
color | No | See colors below | Terminal color |
tools | Yes | Tool list | Available tools |
skills | No | Skill list | Referenced skills |
Color Guidelines
| Color | Agent Type | Examples |
|---|---|---|
purple | Planning | architect, api-architect |
green | Implementation | developer, ui-developer |
cyan | Review | reviewer, designer |
orange | Testing | test-architect, tester |
blue | Utility | cleaner, api-analyst |
red | Critical/Security | (rarely used) |
Tool Patterns by Agent Type
Orchestrators (Commands):
- •Must have:
Task,TodoWrite,Read,Bash - •Often:
AskUserQuestion,Glob,Grep - •Never:
Write,Edit
Planners:
- •Must have:
TodoWrite,Read,Write(for docs) - •Often:
Glob,Grep,Bash
Implementers:
- •Must have:
TodoWrite,Read,Write,Edit - •Often:
Bash,Glob,Grep
Reviewers:
- •Must have:
TodoWrite,Read - •Often:
Glob,Grep,Bash - •Never:
Write,Edit
Command Frontmatter
yaml
--- description: | # Required: workflow description Full description of what this command does. Workflow: PHASE 1 → PHASE 2 → PHASE 3 allowed-tools: Task, Bash # Required: comma-separated skills: skill1, skill2 # Optional: referenced skills ---
Field Reference
| Field | Required | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
description | Yes | Multi-line | Command purpose and workflow |
allowed-tools | Yes | Tool list | Tools command can use |
skills | No | Skill list | Referenced skills |
Validation Checklist
Agent Frontmatter
- • Opening
---present - •
nameis lowercase-with-hyphens - •
descriptionincludes 3+ examples - •
modelis valid (sonnet/opus/haiku) - •
toolsis comma-separated with spaces - • Closing
---present - • No YAML syntax errors
Command Frontmatter
- • Opening
---present - •
descriptionexplains workflow - •
allowed-toolsincludes Task for orchestrators - • Closing
---present - • No YAML syntax errors
Common Errors
Invalid YAML Syntax
yaml
# WRONG - missing colon name agent-name # CORRECT name: agent-name
Incorrect Tool Format
yaml
# WRONG - no spaces after commas tools: TodoWrite,Read,Write # CORRECT tools: TodoWrite, Read, Write
Missing Examples
yaml
# WRONG - too generic description: Use this agent for development tasks. # CORRECT description: | Use this agent when implementing TypeScript features. Examples: (1) "Create a user service" - implements service with full CRUD (2) "Add validation" - adds Zod schemas to endpoints (3) "Fix type errors" - resolves TypeScript compilation issues