# A lead agent that delegates

> Let one agent hand tasks to other agents and collect their answers.

Source: https://docs.neurosquad.ai/en/squads/lead-agent

Draw an arrow **from** one agent **to** another. The first becomes the **lead**, the second its
**helper**. The lead can now send the helper a task, wait for it to finish, and read the answer.

**1. Add two agents**

For example, Claude Code as the lead and Codex as a helper. They can be different AIs.

**2. Draw the arrow from the lead to the helper**

Direction matters: the arrow points from whoever gives the work to whoever does it.

**3. Tell the lead what you want**

*"Fix the checkout bug. Ask the helper to write tests for it while you work on the fix."* The
arrow lights up whenever the lead talks to the helper, and you can watch the helper work in its
own card.

A lead can have several helpers, and a helper can lead helpers of its own.

> The lead must be Claude Code, OpenCode, Kilo Code, Hermes Agent, Codex CLI or Qwen Code — the agents that [arrows give
> abilities](https://docs.neurosquad.ai/en/canvas/arrows) to. The helper can be any agent.

## Let the lead build the team

A lead can also create its helpers itself — and choose what each one runs on. Ask it something like
*"Plan this project for a team of four developers: pick a harness and a model for each and create
them."* The lead then:

- sees which agents are **installed on this computer** — it cannot create one you don't have;
- sees each agent's **own models** (for example `opus` or `sonnet` for Claude Code) and, if you
connected [OpenRouter](https://docs.neurosquad.ai/en/providers/openrouter), that it may use OpenRouter models, with their prices
and context size — it never sees your key;
- sees [your own servers](https://docs.neurosquad.ai/en/providers/your-servers) (LM Studio, Ollama, llama.cpp, vLLM…) by name,
the models each one serves and which agents can use it — never their keys or addresses;
- creates each helper with its harness, model, a role and a first task, already connected to it by
an arrow.

A helper's model shows on its card and on the Squad board.

## Switch a helper's model or agent

A lead can also move a helper to **another model or provider** — its own subscription, OpenRouter or
one of your servers — or to **another agent CLI** altogether (Claude Code → Codex, OpenCode → Claude
Code…), in the middle of the work. Ask it something like *"the tests helper is stuck — put it on a
bigger model"* or *"move the reviewer to Codex"*.

- **The conversation is kept.** A new model relaunches the same agent with the same session; a new
agent CLI is a switch in place, as with the card's **Switch harness…**: same card, arrows and
name, with the conversation so far handed to the new CLI, and switching back later resumes the
original session.
- **It waits for the turn to end.** A helper in the middle of a turn switches when that turn is
over, unless the lead asks for it right away — then the turn is interrupted first. A lead can
change its own model too, always after its own turn.
- **You see it.** A notice in the corner says who changed which card to what, the arrow shows the
change and keeps it in its [arrow log](https://docs.neurosquad.ai/en/canvas/arrows#arrow-log), and the card shows its new model.
- **Only along an arrow.** A lead changes only the agents it leads (an arrow from it to them) and
itself — never an agent it isn't connected to, never its own lead. Nothing changes while the
workspace [budget](https://docs.neurosquad.ai/en/cards/budget) is paused.

> Don't want agents to change models at all? Turn off **Agents may change models** in the
> workspace's edit dialog. Then only you can, from the card.

## Give helpers the cards they need

A helper only sees the cards connected to **its own** card — not the lead's. So when the lead hands
out work that needs a card (a note with the brief, a terminal, a browser, a task board), it wires the
helper to that card itself: it can create a helper already connected to your note, or draw an arrow
from an existing helper to it in the middle of the work. The new arrow appears on the canvas, shows
who drew it for a moment, and stays in the [arrow log](https://docs.neurosquad.ai/en/canvas/arrows#arrow-log). A helper that is already
running gets the new abilities straight away.

What a lead may wire is limited on purpose, because an arrow hands out abilities:

- only cards of the **same workspace**;
- without [canvas mode](https://docs.neurosquad.ai/en/squads/canvas-mode), one end of the arrow must be the lead itself or a
card it created; with canvas mode, any two cards;
- a **terminal**, **browser**, MCP server, Telegram or custom card that **you** set up is passed on
only if you connected it to the lead first — the lead cannot reach your own terminal on its own;
- a helper cannot take over its own lead, and cannot cut the arrow its lead reaches it by;
- no wiring while the workspace [budget](https://docs.neurosquad.ai/en/cards/budget) is paused, and at most 30 arrow changes a minute
per agent.

Leads never delete cards this way — removing an arrow leaves both cards where they are.

## Leads equip themselves too

Besides helpers, a lead can give **itself** what the work needs — long-term memory, current library
docs, a code graph, a skill or an MCP server you installed — with one tool call; installing anything
new still waits for your approval. See [Agents equip themselves](https://docs.neurosquad.ai/en/skills-mcp#self-equip).