Claude Code Agent Development
anthropics/claude-plugins-official
Explains how to write agents for Claude Code plugins: the markdown file with YAML frontmatter, trigger descriptions, model and color settings, and system prompt design.
Manage Pi Herdsman Agent definitions and managed Lead configuration.
Install Agent Definitions
$ npx skills add boadij/pi-herdsman --skill agent-definitions -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install boadij/pi-herdsman agent-definitions --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/agent-definitions .claude/skills/agent-definitions && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "agent-definitions" agent skill from https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman/tree/main/skills/agent-definitions into .claude/skills/agent-definitions/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "agent-definitions", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman/tree/main/skills/agent-definitionsType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add boadij/pi-herdsman --skill agent-definitions -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install boadij/pi-herdsman agent-definitions --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/agent-definitions .agents/skills/agent-definitions && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "agent-definitions" agent skill from https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman/tree/main/skills/agent-definitions into .agents/skills/agent-definitions/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "agent-definitions", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add boadij/pi-herdsman --skill agent-definitions -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install boadij/pi-herdsman agent-definitions --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/agent-definitions .cursor/skills/agent-definitions && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "agent-definitions" agent skill from https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman/tree/main/skills/agent-definitions into .cursor/skills/agent-definitions/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "agent-definitions", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman.git --path skills/agent-definitions--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add boadij/pi-herdsman --skill agent-definitions -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install boadij/pi-herdsman agent-definitions --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/agent-definitions .gemini/skills/agent-definitions && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "agent-definitions" agent skill from https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman/tree/main/skills/agent-definitions into .gemini/skills/agent-definitions/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "agent-definitions", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install boadij/pi-herdsman agent-definitionsInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add boadij/pi-herdsman --skill agent-definitions -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/agent-definitions .github/skills/agent-definitions && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "agent-definitions" agent skill from https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman/tree/main/skills/agent-definitions into .github/skills/agent-definitions/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "agent-definitions", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add boadij/pi-herdsman --skill agent-definitions -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install boadij/pi-herdsman agent-definitions --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/agent-definitions .opencode/skills/agent-definitions && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "agent-definitions" agent skill from https://github.com/boadij/pi-herdsman/tree/main/skills/agent-definitions into .opencode/skills/agent-definitions/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "agent-definitions", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
agent-definitions- GitHub stars
- 131
- Token cost
- ~800 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 354 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 4
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
At a glance
Manage Pi Herdsman Agent definitions and managed Lead configuration.
- Works in 5 steps: Inspect the current effective definition… → Choose the configuration layer from the… → Make the smallest correct Markdown change. → …
- Changing Agent-definition models
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
- Tasks that involve Subagents
What it does
Agent Definitions is an agent skill from boadij/pi-herdsman. Manage Pi Herdsman Agent definitions and managed Lead configuration. Use when inspecting, creating, customizing, enabling, disabling, or changing Agent-definition models, thinking, tools, skills, extensions, delegation, permissions, or instructions.
Its SKILL.md is about 800 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.
It sits in Agent Workflows, covering Subagents. The repository describes itself as: Asynchronous Pi subagents and agent fleet orchestration for parallel coding agents with nested delegation, background work, and supervision in herdr. The licence is Apache-2.0.
When your agent uses it
- Changing Agent-definition models
- Tasks that involve Subagents
Example prompts
- “/agent-definitions”
Workflow steps
5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Inspect the current effective definition before changing it.
- Choose the configuration layer from the requested scope.
- Make the smallest correct Markdown change.
- Validate through Herdsman's existing definition engine.
- Report the changed scope and file, the effective change, and validation.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 3603d9f. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Agent Definitions loads about 800 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 67 tokens; SKILL.md has 354 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from boadij/pi-herdsman at commit 3603d9f, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© boadij). 354 words, ~800 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/agent-definitions/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- agent-definitions
- description
- Manage Pi Herdsman Agent definitions and managed Lead configuration. Use when inspecting, creating, customizing, enabling, disabling, or changing Agent-definition models, thinking, tools, skills, extensions, delegation, permissions, or instructions.
Pi Herdsman Agent definitions
Manage Agent definitions through Herdsman's existing Markdown configuration. The runtime definition engine and canonical documentation remain authoritative; this skill does not define a second schema or management API.
Workflow
Inspect the current effective definition before changing it.
- In an ordinary Lead session, use
list_agentsfirst. It refreshes the definition roster and returns effective metadata plus contributing source paths. managed-leadis intentionally excluded from the Agent roster. Inspect its relevant bundled, project, and global layers directly.- Read the canonical contract when exact field behavior matters:
../../docs/reference/agent-definition-schema.md../../docs/guides/agent-definitions.md../../docs/guides/customizing-agents.md
- In an ordinary Lead session, use
Choose the configuration layer from the requested scope.
- Project policy:
<cwd>/.pi/agents/. - Global user policy:
$PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR/agents/when that variable is set, otherwise~/.pi/agent/agents/. - If scope is genuinely ambiguous and materially changes the result, ask.
- Never edit bundled definitions under
dist/agent-definitions/.
- Project policy:
Make the smallest correct Markdown change.
- Prefer a partial overlay over copying a complete lower-precedence definition.
- Preserve unrelated frontmatter, body content, and existing source files.
- The frontmatter
nameis the definition identity; the filename is not. - Array fields replace the whole lower-precedence array. Before adding or removing one array value, inspect the effective array and write the desired complete replacement.
- For additive prompt instructions, prefer an overlay body with
bodyMode: append; replace the body only when replacement is intended. - Express capability restrictions structurally through definition fields rather than relying on prompt prose.
- Herdsman preserves
permission:for compatible extensions but does not enforce its contents itself. - Before editing
managed-lead, read the canonical schema for its reserved restrictions.
Validate through Herdsman's existing definition engine.
- After an edit in a Lead session, call
list_agentsagain. Treat any discovery or validation failure as a failed edit and repair or restore the target file. - If
list_agentsis unavailable, do not claim that the effective Herdsman definition set was runtime-validated. The next normal definition discovery will validate it.
- After an edit in a Lead session, call
Report the changed scope and file, the effective change, and validation. Definition changes affect future Agent or managed Lead launches. They do not hot-reconfigure a running session. Restart a managed project Lead only when the user explicitly asks for the running Lead to pick up changed policy.
© boadij, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
Just SKILL.md in skills/agent-definitions of boadij/pi-herdsman.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 3603d9f
Compare with similar skills
Agent Definitions next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agent Definitions this skillboadij/pi-herdsman | 131 | — | ~800 | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Claude Code Agent Developmentanthropics/claude-plugins-official | 38k | 8 repos | ~2.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Subagent Driven DevelopmentAsvarox/allkaraoke | 261 | 38 repos | ~1.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Dispatching Parallel Agentsultralisp/ultralisp | 258 | 41 repos | ~1.5k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Paseo Advisor Second Opiniongetpaseo/paseo | 20k | 1 repos | ~756 | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Task Observerrebelytics/one-skill-to-rule-them-all | 3.2k | 1 repos | ~12k | Automated safety check: Pass | CC-BY-4.0 |
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Paseo Advisor Second Opinion
getpaseo/paseo
Launches one separate agent through Paseo to give a second opinion on the current task, with a self-contained briefing and no permission to edit files.
Task Observer
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O2 Review Loop
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Related
Categories
Questions about Agent Definitions
What does Agent Definitions do?
Manage Pi Herdsman Agent definitions and managed Lead configuration. Agent Definitions is an agent skill from boadij/pi-herdsman. Manage Pi Herdsman Agent definitions and managed Lead configuration.
When should I use Agent Definitions?
Agent Definitions fits situations like: changing Agent-definition models; tasks that involve Subagents.
How do I install Agent Definitions in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add boadij/pi-herdsman --skill agent-definitions -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/agent-definitions in boadij/pi-herdsman) into .claude/skills/agent-definitions in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Agent Definitions in Codex?
Run `npx skills add boadij/pi-herdsman --skill agent-definitions -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/agent-definitions in boadij/pi-herdsman) into .agents/skills/agent-definitions in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Agent Definitions in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add boadij/pi-herdsman --skill agent-definitions -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/agent-definitions, .gemini/skills/agent-definitions, .github/skills/agent-definitions and .opencode/skills/agent-definitions in your project.
What does Agent Definitions need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Agent Definitions is instructions for the agent only.
Does Agent Definitions access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Agent Definitions safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Agent Definitions use?
Agent Definitions is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Agent Definitions use?
About 800 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.2k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Agent Definitions?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Agent Definitions: Claude Code Agent Development (anthropics/claude-plugins-official, 38k stars), Subagent Driven Development (Asvarox/allkaraoke, 261 stars), Dispatching Parallel Agents (ultralisp/ultralisp, 258 stars) and Paseo Advisor Second Opinion (getpaseo/paseo, 20k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Agent Definitions?
boadij (a GitHub user) maintains it in boadij/pi-herdsman, which has 131 GitHub stars. The repository holds 4 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.
Source: boadij/pi-herdsman on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.