Nobody needs 100 agents. Here’s how to actually use more than one

Level one: multiple chats at once

Run several chats at the same time, each with its own task. I do this with Claude Code inside VS Code: I open several windows, each with its own job, so while one is working I'm talking to another.

1. Open more than one

   In VS Code with the Claude Code extension, open a new Claude Code tab or window for each task. In the terminal, open a new terminal window and start claude in each one.

2. One job per window

   Keep each window on one task. If two windows work on the same files at the same time, they'll trip over each other.

Level two: agents inside one chat

Inside a single chat, Claude can spin up its own agents, called subagents. Each one goes off and does its part, then reports back to the main agent. Claude can decide to do this by itself, but the best practice is to tell it when you want them: on bigger projects, or when you want research done on something specific.

The example: building a website. Once you've got a plan for every page, give the plan to one Claude Code chat and ask for one agent per page.

Here's the plan for my website: [paste the plan]. Spin up a separate subagent for each page (home, services, about, contact). Each one builds its own page and only touches its own files. When they've all finished, check the pages work together and report back to me.

Doing this often? In Claude Code, type /agents to save a custom agent with its own instructions, so you can call on it again.

The warning nobody gives you

With so many chat windows and subagents running, it gets hard to keep track of all the information. Your productivity might go up, but your quality can quickly go down.

1. Never jump straight in at the deep end. Start with two windows, or one chat with two agents.
2. Build up slowly. As your skills and capacity grow, add more chat windows and ask for more agents.
3. Watch your usage. Every extra agent uses up your Claude allowance faster.

What you need

1. Claude Code on a paid Claude plan, in VS Code or the terminal.
2. A plan before you split the work. Agents work best on a job that's already been broken into clear pieces.

Where this goes

The more agents you run, the more it matters what they're allowed to do without asking you. Day 24 is Claude Code's five permission modes.