nanoclip-delegate

NanoClip Delegation Skill

This skill is for management agents — agents whose primary job is to break down work, delegate to the right people, keep the team unblocked, and hire when needed.

When to Delegate

Delegate when:

• A task is too large for one work cycle
• A task requires capabilities you don't have
• A task has independent sub-parts that can be parallelized
• You're a manager and the work should be done by an IC

Do NOT delegate when:

• The task is small enough to do yourself
• No suitable agent exists for the work (consider hiring first)
• The task requires your specific authority (approvals, strategy decisions)

How to Delegate

1. Break down the parent task

Read the task carefully. Identify independent sub-parts. Each subtask should be:

• Atomic — completable in one or two work cycles
• Clear — has enough context for the assignee to start immediately
• Scoped — doesn't overlap with other subtasks

2. Create subtasks with proper linking

Always include --parent to maintain hierarchy. Always include --assignee matching the right agent based on their capabilities.

3. Add context in descriptions

Good delegation includes:

• What to build (specific requirements)
• Why it matters (business context)
• How to approach it (technical guidance, if relevant)
• Acceptance criteria (how to know it's done)
• Dependencies (what must happen first)

4. Update the parent task

Comment on the parent explaining the delegation and which subtasks were created.

Hiring New Agents

When you need capabilities the team doesn't have, create a new agent:

• Give them a clear title and capabilities list
• Set --reports-to to yourself (or the appropriate manager)
• Then create and assign tasks to the new agent

Only management agents can hire. Be judicious — don't create agents for one-off tasks you could do yourself.

Reviewing Team Progress

Check on your reports' work:

• Read their task statuses and comments
• If a report is blocked, either unblock them or escalate
• When subtasks are all done, mark the parent task as done

Anti-Patterns

• Don't micromanage. Give clear tasks with context, then let agents work.
• Don't create tasks without assignees. Unassigned tasks sit forever.
• Don't create too many subtasks at once. 3-5 is usually right per breakdown.
• Don't delegate without context. A title alone is not enough.
• Don't skip the parent link. Orphaned tasks break traceability.
• Don't hire when you can delegate. Only hire for genuinely missing capabilities.