Subagents are easier to configure, inspect, and trust in this release. You can now keep model limits close to the agent that needs them, find package-provided agents more easily, and use Council Mode with less ceremony. Workflow runs also behave better around context overflow, tool-result backfill, permission asks, and resumed children. Child launches do less unnecessary work, which makes package and extension-heavy sessions less fragile.
Highlights
- Subagent model selection is more precise with per-agent restrictions and an
inheritshortcut for the current parent model. - Package agents are easier to discover because list and detail output now shows where they come from and whether their external provider is ready.
- Workflow runs are less fragile around tool-result backfill, context-overflow handling, resumed children, and permission asks.
- Child launches are lighter and safer because subagent processes avoid loading the parent extension graph and unnecessary permission bridge setup.
- Council Mode is easier to use from natural language and no longer requires invented advisor role labels.
Full changelog
[0.54.0] - 2026-08-21
Highlights
- Subagent model selection is more precise with per-agent restrictions and an
inheritshortcut for the current parent model. - Package agents are easier to discover because list and detail output now shows where they come from and whether their external provider is ready.
- Workflow runs are less fragile: tool-result backfill, context-overflow handling, resumed children, and permission asks now behave more predictably.
- Child launches are lighter and safer because subagent processes avoid loading the parent extension graph and avoid unnecessary permission bridge setup.
- Council Mode is easier to use from natural language and no longer requires invented advisor role labels.
Added
- Add per-agent model restrictions and a current-parent
inheritallow-list alias. Thanks to @hieudmg for #1328.
Changed
- Show package names, versions, and external-job provider status in subagent list and detail output so package agents such as Surf's
gpt-proare easier to find and use. - Make scripted workflow helper support and stale-session recovery easier to see in
doctorand the workflow guide (#1344). - Keep structured single-child execution receipts quieter by removing an internal conversion log from public workflow output.
- Route natural-language requests for advisor councils, plan critique, cross-exam, or multiple model perspectives to the Council Mode protocol.
- Simplify Council Mode advisor selection so model-based profiles provide the perspective and the question supplies the decision frame.
Fixed
- Layer custom-agent user and project overrides without dropping user-only fields, while preserving project precedence. Thanks to @jagaliano for #1348.
- Avoid child tool-call hangs by loading the external permission-system bridge only for explicit native permission rules and by failing stalled ask decisions closed. Thanks to @moekyo for #1339.
- Keep foreground workflow children from timing out after a tool result is backfilled without a separate execution-end event. Thanks to @moekyo for #1339.
- Mark completed foreground workflow children as resumable in keyed receipts when their persisted session file is available (#1335).
- Avoid loading the parent extension graph in subagent child processes. Thanks to @ccharname for #1330.
- Stop model fallback on context-overflow failures and surface
contextOverflow. Thanks to @srcKod for #1323. - Stop empty slow result scans from spamming the session transcript. Thanks to @afrodao2394 for #1329.
- Surface logical tool failures so subagent tool results backfill correctly. Thanks to @abdwhb-png for #1332 and @moekyo for #1331.