agent-zero/tools/call_subordinate.py.dox.md

call_subordinate.py DOX

Purpose

• Own the call_subordinate.py agent tool.
• This module delegates work to a subordinate Agent Zero profile and returns its result.
• Keep this file-level DOX profile synchronized with call_subordinate.py because this directory is intentionally flat.

Ownership

• call_subordinate.py owns the runtime implementation.
• call_subordinate.py.dox.md owns durable notes about responsibilities, contracts, side effects, and verification for that implementation.
• Classes:
• Delegation (Tool)
  • async execute(self, message=..., reset=..., context_id=..., **kwargs)
  • get_log_object(self)
• Top-level functions:
• _subordinate_profile_labels(agent: Agent) -> dict[str, str]
• _validate_subordinate_profile(agent: Agent, profile: str) -> str
• get_or_create_subordinate(...) -> Agent
• run_subordinate(...) -> str

Runtime Contracts

• Tool modules must define helpers.tool.Tool subclasses and return helpers.tool.Response from execute(...).
• Update this file whenever tool arguments, output shape, break_loop behavior, intervention handling, prompt instructions, or side effects change.
• Delegation is a Tool.
• Delegation defines execute(...).
• Observed side-effect areas: filesystem writes, settings/state persistence.
• profile/agent_profile values are validated against available profile keys before use; unknown profiles raise RepairableException so the agent can retry with a real profile.
• Direct and parallel calls use the same creation, continuation, message, history, and persistence functions in this module.
• Direct delegation runs that helper through the separate child's AgentContext.run_task, so running status, intervention, Stop, and completion notifications use the normal context lifecycle. Cancelling the caller cancels its direct child; stopping only the child raises a recoverable error to the caller. Parallel jobs retain their own task ownership, and legacy same-context children remain inline.
• A non-empty name updates both the child context name and sidebar label on creation or continuation. Omission preserves an existing name; legacy same-context children must not rename the parent chat.
• Every fresh child is Agent(parent.number + 1, ...) in its own persisted child-chat context, so sibling A1 agents can each create their own A2 descendants without sharing streaming state.
• reset=true creates a fresh child. reset=false continues the caller's default child or the exact child named by context_id.
• Child context IDs are accepted only when their persisted parent context, parent agent number, and child depth match the caller.
• Supplying a different profile for an existing child without creating a fresh child raises RepairableException instead of silently changing its profile.
• Active children cannot be continued concurrently; wait for completion or stop them first.
• Child contexts inherit the caller's project. After project activation, copy the caller's chat-model override only when the child's resolved scoped preset is Default (including missing/invalid selections); non-default scoped presets keep their configured models. Continuing an existing child preserves its chat override.
• Child contexts are saved before execution and again on exit, and remain reusable after model/API failures.
• The direct tool result includes context_id; parallel job snapshots expose the same stable child ID separately from their per-invocation job ID.
• Legacy args agent_id for context_id and agent_profile for profile still resolve; prompts document only canonical names.
• Existing same-context linear subordinates remain reusable for saved-chat compatibility, but new children use child contexts and a private per-parent registry.
• Imported dependency areas include: agent, extensions.python.hist_add_tool_result, helpers, helpers.errors, helpers.tool.

Key Concepts

• Important called helpers/classes observed in the source: AgentContext.all, projects.get_context_project_name, projects.activate_project, subagents.get_available_agents_dict, RepairableException, initialize_agent, message_queue.log_user_message, persist_chat.save_tmp_chat, UserMessage, subordinate.monologue, and subordinate.history.new_topic.
• Keep request/response, tool, or helper semantics documented here at the same time as source changes.

Work Guidance

• Keep tool output concise, model-readable, and safe for history persistence.
• Coordinate argument or behavior changes with prompt tool instructions and skill guidance.
• Respect intervention flow for long-running, external, or user-visible operations.

Verification

• Run targeted tool and prompt-contract tests for changed behavior; smoke-test agent execution when no focused test exists.
• test_subordinate_preserves_scoped_model_preset exercises real scoped config files and project activation with absent, default, custom, and invalid presets plus named/raw chat overrides; continued children retain their own override.
• Related tests observed by source search:
  • tests/test_default_prompt_budget.py
  • tests/test_subagent_profiles.py
  • tests/test_parallel_tool.py
  • tests/test_subordinate_lifecycle.py (direct and nested completion, failure, parent/child stop, intervention, and legacy shared-context execution)

Child DOX Index

No child DOX files.