Documentation Type
Incorrect/outdated documentation
Documentation Location
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/sub-agents
Section/Topic
The "Built-in subagents" tab list (Plan subagent description) and the "Choose the right subagent" callout
Current Documentation
In the Plan subagent description:
When you're in plan mode and Claude needs to understand your codebase, it delegates research to the Plan subagent. This prevents infinite nesting (subagents cannot spawn other subagents) while still gathering necessary context.
In the "Choose the right subagent" section:
Subagents cannot spawn other subagents. If your workflow requires nested delegation, use Skills or chain subagents from the main conversation.
What's Wrong or Missing?
The v2.1.172 release notes ship subagent nesting:
Sub-agents can now spawn their own sub-agents (up to 5 levels deep)
Both quoted passages now contradict shipped behavior. The "prevent infinite nesting" rationale for the Plan subagent is no longer accurate, and the "use Skills or chain subagents" workaround is unnecessary for the common case.
Suggested Improvement
Replace the Plan tab's "prevent infinite nesting" sentence with a note that subagents can delegate up to 5 levels deep, and replace the callout with something like:
Subagents can spawn their own subagents up to 5 levels deep. For deeper workflows, use Skills or chain subagents from the main conversation.
Impact
Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand
Additional Context
Version: v2.1.172
Documentation Type
Incorrect/outdated documentation
Documentation Location
https://code.claude.com/docs/en/sub-agents
Section/Topic
The "Built-in subagents" tab list (Plan subagent description) and the "Choose the right subagent" callout
Current Documentation
In the Plan subagent description:
In the "Choose the right subagent" section:
What's Wrong or Missing?
The v2.1.172 release notes ship subagent nesting:
Both quoted passages now contradict shipped behavior. The "prevent infinite nesting" rationale for the Plan subagent is no longer accurate, and the "use Skills or chain subagents" workaround is unnecessary for the common case.
Suggested Improvement
Replace the Plan tab's "prevent infinite nesting" sentence with a note that subagents can delegate up to 5 levels deep, and replace the callout with something like:
Impact
Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand
Additional Context
Version: v2.1.172