Google · 2026-04-15 · notable
Gemini CLI Subagents — Delegate to Specialist Agents Directly from Your Terminal
Gemini CLI v0.38 ships subagents: delegate complex sub-tasks to specialist agents — each with its own context window, tools, and instructions. Three built-in agents plus a browser agent; custom agents defined as Markdown files.
Gemini CLI can now hire specialist agents mid-task — each with isolated context, tools, and instructions.
Key specs
| Built in subagents | 4 (Generalist, CLI Help, Codebase Investigator, Browser) |
|---|---|
| Custom agent format | Markdown + YAML frontmatter |
| Delegation syntax | @agent |
What is it?
Gemini CLI v0.38 adds subagents: specialist agents the main Gemini CLI orchestrator can delegate work to. Each subagent runs in its own isolated context window with its own system instructions and tool set, keeping the primary session lean. Four agents are built in: Generalist (high-volume tasks), CLI Help (Gemini CLI documentation expert), Codebase Investigator (architectural mapping and bug root-cause analysis), and Browser Agent. Custom agents are defined as Markdown files with YAML frontmatter stored in ~/.gemini/agents or .gemini/agents.
How does it work?
When the main agent decides to delegate, it invokes a subagent via the invoke_subagent tool, passing the task and scoped context. The subagent executes in an isolated workspace directory using its own curated tool list and returns results. You can also target a subagent explicitly with @agent syntax at the start of your prompt, bypassing orchestrator routing. Custom subagents live in version control at .gemini/agents, so teams can share domain-specific workflows across the repo.
Why does it matter?
Long-horizon coding sessions accumulate context fast, slowing the main agent and risking focus drift. Delegating to isolated subagents keeps the orchestrator focused on the big picture. Parallel subagent execution cuts wall-clock time for parallelizable work. Checked-in custom agents let teams share and standardize specialist workflows without rebuilding prompts each session.
Who is it for?
Developers running complex multi-step tasks in Gemini CLI.
Try it
npm install -g @google/gemini-cli