Sub-agent
Also called Subagent
A sub-agent is an agent assigned a bounded role within a larger agent system. In a supervisor pattern, it receives work from a coordinating agent and returns a result.
[LangChain]In practice · hypothetical example
A coordinator asks a research sub-agent to compare two documents and return a short summary.
[LangChain]A little deeper
Sub-agents can isolate context or specialize work. Whether they retain state or interact with a user depends on the system; neither is implied by the label alone. [LangChain]
A common mix-up
A sub-agent must be a different underlying model.
The role can use the same model with different context or tools. [LangChain]
Can two sub-agents use the same model?
Sources & editorial notes
Evidence: supported. Primary-source support for this scoped entry; publication approved by the project owner.
- Subagents ↗ (opens in new tab)LangChain · Publication date unknown
Relevant section: Key characteristics; Subagent inputs
Last editorial review: 2026-09-13 by project-owner.
First observed in this corpus: Unknown.
Revision history
Revision 2 · Created 2026-09-13 · Updated 2026-09-13
Project owner approved the current content for publication. Existing evidence scope and limitations remain applicable.