---
name: specialist-management
description: "Install, remove, and manage specialist subagents and premium plugin agents — the dedicated helpers the assistant can hand work to. This is how an operator adds a new helper or worker agent: \"add a content writer\", \"set up a research agent\", \"give me a helper that writes documents\", \"add an agent that does X\", \"hire an assistant for Y\", \"what specialists can I add\", or removing one. Each specialist is a focused agent the assistant delegates a domain to (writing, research, and the like)."
---

# Specialist Management

Invoked by the admin agent directly.

Manage specialist subagents at any time via conversation.

## Install a specialist

1. Use Bash: `cp $PLATFORM_ROOT/templates/specialists/agents/{name}.md specialists/agents/{name}.md`
2. Ensure `agents/admin/AGENTS.md` exists; create if absent.
3. Extract the `name` and `description` fields from the copied file's YAML frontmatter.
4. Read `agents/admin/AGENTS.md`. If it already contains a line matching `- **specialists:{name}**:` (any text after the colon — an operator may have tuned it), leave it untouched. Otherwise append `- **specialists:{name}**: {description}` using Edit, with `{description}` copied verbatim from the frontmatter.
5. Confirm to the user — active from next session start.

## Remove a specialist

1. Use Bash: `rm specialists/agents/{name}.md`
2. Read `agents/admin/AGENTS.md`, then remove the specialist's line using Edit — match the full line: `- **specialists:{name}**: ...`.
3. Confirm to the user.

## Premium plugin agents

Premium plugins can include an `agents/` directory alongside `skills/` and `references/`. Agent files use the naming convention `{plugin-name}--{agent-name}.md` — the double-dash separator prevents collisions with core specialists, which never contain `--`.

### Activate premium plugin agents

For each `.md` file in `$PLATFORM_ROOT/plugins/{plugin-name}/agents/`:

1. Check whether `specialists/agents/{filename}` already exists — skip if so (idempotent).
2. Use Bash: `cp $PLATFORM_ROOT/plugins/{plugin-name}/agents/{filename} specialists/agents/{filename}`
3. Extract the `name` and `description` fields from the copied file's YAML frontmatter.
4. Read `agents/admin/AGENTS.md`. If it already contains `specialists:{name}`, skip. Otherwise append: `- **specialists:{name}**: {description}` using Edit.
5. Confirm each installed specialist to the user — active from next session start.

### Deactivate premium plugin agents

1. Use Bash: `ls specialists/agents/{plugin-name}--*.md` to list matching files.
2. For each match, use Bash: `rm specialists/agents/{filename}`
3. Read `agents/admin/AGENTS.md`, then remove each matching line using Edit — match by `specialists:{name}` where `{name}` is extracted from the removed file's frontmatter `name` field.
4. Confirm removal to the user.

Core specialists (files without `--` in the name) are never affected by premium plugin operations.