Agent Selection Guide #

ClaudeAutoPM provides over 35 specialized AI agents to assist with different aspects of software development. This guide helps you choose the right agent for your task based on technology stack, use case, and project requirements.

Quick Selection Matrix #

By Technology Stack #

By Task Type #

Core Agents #

agent-manager #

Location: .claude/agents/core/agent-manager.mdPurpose: Manage agent lifecycle and creation When to use:

• Creating new custom agents
• Analyzing agent performance
• Updating agent registry

@agent-manager create a new agent for GraphQL development

code-analyzer #

Location: .claude/agents/core/code-analyzer.mdPurpose: Analyze code for issues and improvements When to use:

• Pre-commit code review
• Security vulnerability scanning
• Performance optimization analysis
• Bug investigation

@code-analyzer review this file for security issues and performance problems

test-runner #

Location: .claude/agents/core/test-runner.mdPurpose: Execute and analyze test results When to use:

• Running test suites
• Analyzing test failures
• Generating test reports
• Creating new tests

@test-runner execute all tests and provide detailed failure analysis

file-analyzer #

Location: .claude/agents/core/file-analyzer.mdPurpose: Summarize large files to reduce context When to use:

• Analyzing large log files
• Summarizing documentation
• Processing test outputs
• Reviewing configuration files

@file-analyzer summarize the key issues in this 5000-line log file

Frontend Development Agents #

react-ui-expert #

Purpose: React development with modern patterns Expertise:

• React 18+ features
• Hooks and custom hooks
• State management (Redux, Zustand, Context)
• Component patterns
• Performance optimization

@react-ui-expert build a data table component with sorting and filtering

javascript-frontend-engineer #

Purpose: General JavaScript frontend development Expertise:

• Vanilla JavaScript
• DOM manipulation
• Browser APIs
• Module systems
• Build tools

@javascript-frontend-engineer optimize this JavaScript for performance

Backend Development Agents #

python-backend-expert #

Purpose: Python backend development Expertise:

• FastAPI, Django, Flask
• Async programming
• Database integration
• REST/GraphQL APIs
• Testing with pytest

@python-backend-expert create a FastAPI endpoint with authentication

nodejs-backend-engineer #

Purpose: Node.js backend development Expertise:

• Express, NestJS, Koa
• Middleware patterns
• Database integration
• Real-time features
• Microservices

@nodejs-backend-engineer implement WebSocket server with Socket.io

Database Agents #

postgresql-expert #

Purpose: PostgreSQL database management Expertise:

• Schema design
• Query optimization
• Indexes and performance
• Migrations
• Advanced features (JSONB, full-text search)

@postgresql-expert optimize this slow query with proper indexes

mongodb-expert #

Purpose: MongoDB NoSQL development Expertise:

• Document design
• Aggregation pipelines
• Indexing strategies
• Sharding
• Performance tuning

@mongodb-expert design schema for user activity tracking

DevOps Agents #

docker-containerization-expert #

Purpose: Docker and containerization Expertise:

• Dockerfile optimization
• Docker Compose
• Multi-stage builds
• Security best practices
• Volume management

@docker-containerization-expert create optimized Dockerfile for Python app

kubernetes-orchestrator #

Purpose: Kubernetes deployment and management Expertise:

• Deployment configurations
• Service mesh
• Helm charts
• Scaling strategies
• Security policies

@kubernetes-orchestrator create Helm chart for microservices deployment

github-operations-specialist #

Purpose: GitHub Actions and CI/CD Expertise:

• Workflow creation
• Actions marketplace
• Release automation
• Security scanning
• Matrix testing

@github-operations-specialist create CI/CD pipeline with testing and deployment

Cloud Architecture Agents #

aws-cloud-architect #

Purpose: AWS infrastructure design Expertise:

• EC2, Lambda, ECS/EKS
• S3, RDS, DynamoDB
• VPC, Security Groups
• CloudFormation, CDK
• Cost optimization

@aws-cloud-architect design serverless architecture for image processing

azure-cloud-architect #

Purpose: Azure infrastructure design Expertise:

• Azure VMs, AKS, Functions
• Storage accounts, SQL Database
• Virtual Networks, NSGs
• ARM templates, Bicep
• Azure DevOps integration

@azure-cloud-architect setup AKS cluster with monitoring

gcp-cloud-architect #

Purpose: Google Cloud Platform design Expertise:

• Compute Engine, GKE, Cloud Run
• Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL
• VPC, Firewall rules
• Terraform, Deployment Manager
• BigQuery, Pub/Sub

@gcp-cloud-architect implement event-driven architecture with Pub/Sub

Testing Agents #

e2e-test-engineer #

Purpose: End-to-end testing Expertise:

• Playwright, Cypress, Selenium
• Test automation frameworks
• CI/CD integration
• Cross-browser testing
• Performance testing

@e2e-test-engineer create Playwright tests for checkout flow

playwright-test-engineer #

Purpose: Playwright-specific testing Expertise:

• Playwright API
• Page object model
• Visual testing
• API testing
• Mobile testing

@playwright-test-engineer implement visual regression tests

Decision Matrices #

Choosing a UI Framework Agent #

graph TD
    A[UI Development] --> B{Framework?}
    B -->|React| C[@react-ui-expert]
    B -->|Vue| D[@javascript-frontend-engineer]
    B -->|Angular| D
    B -->|Vanilla JS| D
    C --> E{Styling?}
    E -->|Tailwind| F[@tailwindcss-expert]
    E -->|Material UI| G[@mui-react-expert]
    E -->|Ant Design| H[@antd-react-expert]

Choosing a Backend Agent #

graph TD
    A[Backend Development] --> B{Language?}
    B -->|Python| C[@python-backend-expert]
    B -->|Node.js| D[@nodejs-backend-engineer]
    B -->|Go| E[@code-analyzer + Custom]
    C --> F{Framework?}
    F -->|FastAPI| G[Use @python-backend-expert]
    F -->|Django| G
    F -->|Flask| G
    D --> H{Framework?}
    H -->|Express| I[Use @nodejs-backend-engineer]
    H -->|NestJS| I

Agent Combinations #

Full Stack Development #

# Frontend + Backend + Database
@react-ui-expert create user dashboard
@python-backend-expert create API endpoints
@postgresql-expert design database schema

DevOps Pipeline #

# Containerization + CI/CD + Cloud
@docker-containerization-expert dockerize application
@github-operations-specialist setup GitHub Actions
@kubernetes-orchestrator deploy to K8s

Testing Suite #

# Unit + Integration + E2E
@test-runner create unit tests
@code-analyzer verify test coverage
@e2e-test-engineer create end-to-end tests

Custom Agent Creation #

When existing agents don't meet your needs:

@agent-manager create a custom agent for [specific technology/task]

# Example:
@agent-manager create a GraphQL specialist agent with:
- Apollo Server expertise
- Schema design patterns
- Resolver optimization
- Subscription handling

Best Practices #

1. Start Specific #

Choose the most specific agent for your task:

• ❌ @code-analyzer for React component
• ✅ @react-ui-expert for React component

2. Combine Agents #

Use multiple agents for complex tasks:

@code-analyzer review for issues
@test-runner verify with tests
@docker-containerization-expert prepare for deployment

3. Context Matters #

Provide context to agents:

# Good
@postgresql-expert optimize query for table with 10M rows

# Better
@postgresql-expert optimize this e-commerce order query:
- Orders table: 10M rows
- Needs to join with users and products
- Used for real-time dashboard

4. Iterative Refinement #

Work iteratively with agents:

1. @python-backend-expert create initial API
2. @code-analyzer review for improvements
3. @test-runner add test coverage
4. @docker-containerization-expert containerize

Performance Considerations #

Agent Efficiency Ranking #

Parallel vs Sequential #

Parallel Execution (when enabled):

# These run simultaneously
@code-analyzer review backend/
@test-runner execute tests
@docker-containerization-expert build images

Sequential Execution:

# These run one after another
@code-analyzer review and fix issues
THEN @test-runner verify fixes
THEN @docker-containerization-expert deploy

Troubleshooting #

Agent Not Responding #

# Check if agent exists
ls .claude/agents/ | grep agent-name

# Try core agent instead
@code-analyzer [fallback for specialized agent]

Wrong Agent Selected #

# Be more specific
@python-backend-expert for FastAPI development
NOT @code-analyzer for FastAPI development

Agent Limitations #

Some agents have specific limitations:

• Cloud agents need credentials configured
• Test agents need test framework installed
• DevOps agents need tools (Docker, kubectl)

Related Pages #

• Custom Agents
• Testing Strategies
• Docker First Development
• PM Commands