{"version":"2.1.227","anchor":"prompt-section-discouraging-over-delegation-to-subagents","canonical_anchor":"prompt-section-discouraging-over-delegation-to-subagents","heading":"Prompt section discouraging over-delegation to subagents","tier":"soon","area":"Subagents","scope":null,"heads_up":null,"url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.227\/e\/prompt-section-discouraging-over-delegation-to-subagents","release_url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.227","markdown":"### Prompt section discouraging over-delegation to subagents\n\nClaude can be told to stop over-spawning subagents for small tasks, but that guidance is absent by default.\n\n**What**\n\nA \"## Delegating to subagents\" section tells Claude to handle small bounded sub-tasks inline, not to fan several subagents out on one small task, not to spawn one to double-check work it can verify itself, and to keep spawn counts low. It is only injected when the subagent steer resolves to \"counter_steer\". The steer is read from `CLAUDE_CODE_THISTLE_GREBE`, client data, the `tengu_thistle_grebe` flag, or a per-model floor, and defaults to \"default\", so the section is absent unless configured.\n\n**Details**\n\n- Applying any non-default steer emits a `tengu_subagent_steer_applied` event.\n\n**Evidence**\n\n`Subagents multiply cost and time: each one re-establishes context, re-explores, and reports back`\n\n- Flag `tengu_thistle_grebe`: Not enough to say (read for one account on one subscription tier against v2.1.227; this account: no value returned, anonymous baseline: no value returned, compiled default: not a boolean we can read) These values were read against a different version of Claude Code, so treat them as the nearest reading available instead of one taken on this release.\n- Area: Subagents\n- Names: `CLAUDE_CODE_THISTLE_GREBE`\n- Tier: Nothing to try yet\n- Useful: 3\/5\n- Signal: 4\/5\n- Present in the build but not switched on"}