Sub-Agent Prompt Templates
Detailed templates for common research decompositions. Copy and adapt these when spawning sub-agents.
Content Platform Research (YouTube, TikTok, Shorts)
Agent 1: General Best Practices & Algorithm
``` You are researching [PLATFORM] [SPECIFIC ASPECT] best practices and current algorithm behavior for Olle Dyberg, a 25-year-old Swedish AI content creator (@olleai on TikTok, ~5.5K followers, 1.1M+ views). His niche is AI tools — Claude Code, agents, context engineering.
PURPOSE: Olle will feed this research into a meta-prompt that generates optimized [titles/descriptions/hooks/etc.] for maximum engagement, viewers, and growth. The research needs to be exhaustive enough to serve as the knowledge base behind that prompt.
YOUR ANGLE: General best practices and algorithm mechanics for [PLATFORM] [ASPECT]. Cover: character limits, algorithm ranking signals, what the platform rewards/penalizes, formatting rules, proven formulas, A/B test data, engagement metrics that matter. DO NOT cover: niche-specific advice (another agent handles that), X discourse, or vault knowledge.
TOOLS: Use web search (mcp__exa__web_search_exa, WebSearch) to find the most current information. Prioritize sources from late 2025 and 2026. Fetch and deep-dive any particularly rich articles with WebFetch.
QUALITY BAR: Be exhaustive. I need specific numbers (character counts, engagement percentages, algorithm thresholds), not generalities. If a source says "keep titles short," I need to know EXACTLY how short and why. Include every framework, formula, and data point you find. Sources for everything. ```
Agent 2: Niche-Specific Strategies
``` You are researching [PLATFORM] [SPECIFIC ASPECT] strategies specifically for the AI/tech content niche, for Olle Dyberg (@olleai, AI tools creator, ~5.5K TikTok followers).
PURPOSE: [Same as above — what the research will be used for]
YOUR ANGLE: How [ASPECT] works differently in the AI/tech/developer niche compared to general content. Cover: what AI creators specifically do, what hooks/formats work for technical content, how to translate complex topics into engaging [titles/descriptions/etc.], examples from successful AI/tech creators, what the AI audience responds to. DO NOT cover: general best practices (another agent handles that) or vault knowledge.
TOOLS: Use web search to find AI/tech creator-specific advice. Search for specific creators in this space (Fireship, NetworkChuck, AI Jason, Matt Wolfe, etc.) and analyze their patterns.
QUALITY BAR: I need SPECIFIC examples from real AI/tech creators with actual metrics where possible. "Tech content should be educational" is useless. "Fireship's Shorts averaging 500K views use [specific pattern]" is gold. ```
Agent 3: Real Examples & Pattern Analysis
``` You are analyzing real-world examples of high-performing [PLATFORM] [ASPECT] to extract patterns, for Olle Dyberg (@olleai, AI tools creator).
PURPOSE: [What the research will be used for]
YOUR ANGLE: Find and analyze 15-30 real examples of high-performing [titles/descriptions/hooks] on [PLATFORM]. Extract patterns: word choice, structure, length, emotional triggers, formatting. Focus on both general viral content AND AI/tech niche content. DO NOT cover: theory or general advice (other agents handle that).
TOOLS: Use web search and grep MCP if applicable. Look for case studies, creator breakdowns, and analysis posts that include actual performance data.
QUALITY BAR: I need REAL examples with REAL numbers. Not hypothetical titles — actual titles from actual [videos/shorts] with actual view counts. The more examples the better. Organize by pattern type. ```
Agent 4: Psychology & Copywriting
``` You are researching the psychological and copywriting principles behind high-engagement [PLATFORM] [ASPECT], for Olle Dyberg (@olleai, AI content creator).
PURPOSE: [What the research will be used for]
YOUR ANGLE: The WHY behind what works. Cover: cognitive biases exploited by viral content (curiosity gap, loss aversion, social proof, pattern interrupt), copywriting frameworks adapted for short-form, attention psychology, the neuroscience of scrolling behavior, power words and trigger words with data on their effectiveness. DO NOT cover: platform-specific algorithm mechanics (another agent handles that).
TOOLS: Use web search. Look for research papers, marketing studies, copywriting resources, and behavioral psychology applied to short-form content.
QUALITY BAR: I need frameworks I can codify into rules, not vague psychology. "Curiosity works" is useless. "Open loops increase watch time by 47% (Source: [study])" is gold. Specific power words, specific emotional triggers, specific formulas. ```
Agent 5: X/Twitter Discourse
``` You are searching X/Twitter for current creator discourse about [PLATFORM] [ASPECT], for Olle Dyberg (@olleai, AI content creator, ~5.5K TikTok followers).
PURPOSE: [What the research will be used for]. X discourse captures what creators are ACTUALLY experiencing right now vs. what blog posts from 6 months ago say.
YOUR ANGLE: What are creators saying RIGHT NOW about [ASPECT] on [PLATFORM]? Recent algorithm changes, what's working this month, creator tips that haven't made it to blog posts yet, contrarian takes, pain points, and wins. DO NOT cover: general best practices from web search (other agents handle that).
TOOLS: Use the x-research CLI: cd ~/clawd/skills/x-research && source ~/.config/env/global.env bun run x-search.ts search "[query]" --quality --quick
Run 3-5 different queries to cover the topic from multiple angles. Include the actual tweets with engagement metrics in your findings.
QUALITY BAR: I need actual tweets from actual creators with actual engagement numbers. Filter for signal — a tweet with 500 likes from a known creator matters more than 50 tweets with 2 likes each. ```
Agent 6: Vault Knowledge
``` You are searching Olle's Obsidian vault for existing knowledge about [TOPIC], located at /mnt/c/Users/olled/Documents/Obsidian/Notes/.
PURPOSE: [What the research will be used for]. The vault contains distilled insights from 120+ articles, client work, and Olle's personal experience. This knowledge should inform the research — not be duplicated.
YOUR ANGLE: Find EVERYTHING the vault already knows about [TOPIC]. Check:
- 04 - Areas/AI Knowledge/ (distilled playbooks)
- 02 - Content/ (Ideas.md, Strategies.md, Research/)
- 05 - Resources/ (Tools, articles)
- _Index.md (for navigation)
DO NOT do web research — other agents handle that. Your job is internal knowledge only.
TOOLS: Use Glob to find relevant files, Grep to search content, Read to extract insights.
QUALITY BAR: Report everything found, organized by source file. Note what seems current vs. potentially outdated. Flag any contradictions with what other agents might find. ```
Technology Research
Agent 1: Current State & Ecosystem
``` [Same WHO/WHY preamble, adapted]
YOUR ANGLE: Current state of [TECHNOLOGY] as of February 2026. Ecosystem overview, major players, recent changes, adoption trends, key features, limitations. Focus on what's NEW and current — not evergreen docs.
TOOLS: Web search (mcp__exa__web_search_exa, WebSearch). Prioritize 2026 sources. ```
Agent 2: Real Code Patterns
``` [Same WHO/WHY preamble, adapted]
YOUR ANGLE: How developers are ACTUALLY using [TECHNOLOGY] in real projects. Find shipped code patterns, not tutorial examples.
TOOLS: Use mcp__grep__searchGitHub to search over a million GitHub repos. Search for actual code patterns like function calls, configuration, imports — not keywords. Examples of good searches:
- 'import { X } from' for library usage
- Function signatures for API patterns
- Config file patterns for setup ```
Agent 3: Community Sentiment (X)
``` [Same structure as X agent above, adapted for technology topic] ```
Agent 4: Vault Knowledge
``` [Same structure as vault agent above, adapted for technology topic] ```
Business/Strategy Research
Agent 1: Market Data & Benchmarks
``` [Same WHO/WHY preamble, adapted]
YOUR ANGLE: Hard numbers. Market size, pricing benchmarks, conversion rates, revenue data, growth metrics. Focus on data that informs strategy decisions.
TOOLS: Web search. Look for reports, surveys, creator economy data, SaaS metrics. ```
Agent 2: Expert Frameworks & Strategies
``` [Same WHO/WHY preamble, adapted]
YOUR ANGLE: Frameworks, mental models, and strategies from practitioners who've done this successfully. Not theory — proven approaches with results.
TOOLS: Web search. Look for creator/founder breakdowns, case studies, strategy posts. ```
Agent 3: X Discourse
``` [Same structure as X agent, adapted for business topic] ```
Agent 4: Vault Knowledge
``` [Same structure as vault agent, adapted for business topic] ```