89jobrien minion — Adaptive Subagent Dispatcher
Overview
atelier:minion is a fast haiku-powered agent that adapts to any task. Use this skill
to decide when and how to dispatch minions, how many to run in parallel, and how to
synthesize their results.
When to Use a Minion
| Situation | Use minion? |
|---|---|
| Quick read + summarize of 1–5 files | Yes |
| Batch task across N independent items | Yes (one per item) |
| Verify a condition (file exists, test passes, etc.) | Yes |
| Transform or reformat content | Yes |
| Complex multi-step implementation | No — use forge |
| Code review | No — use sentinel or oxidizer |
| Handoff / session management | No — use handoff/handon |
Dispatching a Single Minion
Agent(
subagent_type: "atelier:minion",
prompt: "<clear, self-contained task description>"
)
The prompt must be fully self-contained — minion has no prior context. Include:
- What to do
- Where to find inputs (file paths, glob patterns, commands to run)
- What to return
Dispatching Parallel Minions
Send multiple Agent tool calls in a single message. Cap at 5 concurrent.
Agent(subagent_type: "atelier:minion", prompt: "Summarize /path/to/file-a.md")
Agent(subagent_type: "atelier:minion", prompt: "Summarize /path/to/file-b.md")
Agent(subagent_type: "atelier:minion", prompt: "Summarize /path/to/file-c.md")
Prompt Template
Task: <one sentence>
Input: <file paths, commands, or data>
Output: <exactly what to return — format, length, structure>
Constraints:
- <any tool restrictions, read-only, etc.>
Synthesizing Results
After minions return, synthesize in the parent context — don't dispatch another minion to summarize minion output unless the synthesis is itself a large batch job.
Rules
- Keep prompts short and unambiguous — haiku works best with clear scope
- Prefer one focused minion over one vague minion
- If a task requires >5 sequential minion steps, consider forge instead
- Never dispatch a minion to do something you can do in one tool call yourself