When to Use
Use when the user asks for:
- A requirements document, architecture decision record, test plan, or risk register
- A multi-step workflow with persistent output in
.aiwg/ - Template-driven structured documents
- Recovery-oriented staged execution with checkpoints
Do NOT use for one-off questions, short tasks, or conversational replies.
Procedure
- Confirm the task needs a persistent AIWG artifact
- Identify the workflow:
workflow-runwith the appropriate workflow name - Use
delegate_taskto isolate the AIWG interaction:
delegate_task(
goal="Run AIWG workflow: [workflow-name] for [description]. Save artifact to .aiwg/[category]/[filename].md",
context="Project: [project name]. Key constraint: [if any]."
)
Note: Child agents automatically exclude context files (AGENTS.md, SOUL.md) and memory
(MEMORY.md, USER.md) — this is hardcoded behavior, not configurable per-call.
The delegation model is set globally in ~/.hermes/config.yaml under delegation.model.
- When the child returns, extract: artifact path + one-sentence summary
- Store in MEMORY.md:
[date] Created [type] at [path]: [summary] - Report the result to the user with the artifact path
Context Cost
| Approach | Parent context cost |
|---|---|
| Direct MCP calls | 3,000-8,000 tokens per workflow |
| This skill (delegate_task) | ~150-250 tokens per workflow |
Over a session with 5 workflows: 1,250 tokens vs. 40,000 tokens.
Memory Rule
Store in MEMORY.md:
[YYYY-MM-DD] Created [artifact-type] at [path]: [one-sentence summary]
Never store artifact body content in memory. The artifact lives in .aiwg/ — use artifact-read to access it.
Pitfalls
- Do NOT load artifact content into parent context after delegation — defeats the purpose
- Do NOT skip delegation for "quick" AIWG calls — even small tool results accumulate
- Context isolation is automatic in delegate_task — child agents never see AGENTS.md or memory files
Verification
After delegation returns:
- Confirm the artifact path exists under
.aiwg/ - Confirm the summary accurately describes the artifact
- If the user asks to see the artifact, use
artifact-read(not memory recall)
References
- @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/frameworks/sdlc-complete/README.md — SDLC framework context and workflow catalog
- @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/addons/aiwg-utils/rules/context-bloat.md — Minimizing context cost via delegation
- @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/addons/aiwg-utils/rules/subagent-scoping.md — Focused subagent delegation patterns
- @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/addons/aiwg-utils/rules/implicit-dependencies.md — Passing required context to delegated agents
- @$AIWG_ROOT/docs/cli-reference.md — CLI reference for AIWG workflow commands