> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://explore.airia.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sub-agents

> Add catalog agents that Airia Agent can delegate tasks to during a conversation.

<Note>
  Not sure whether to use sub-agents or tools? Read [Extending Airia Agent](/admin-hub/airia-agent/extending-airia-agent) first.
</Note>

Sub-agents are published Airia catalog agents that Airia Agent can invoke when a user's request is best handled by a specialized agent. See [Extending Airia Agent](/admin-hub/airia-agent/extending-airia-agent) for guidance on when to use sub-agents versus tools.

## Prerequisites

The agent you want to add must be:

1. **Built and tested** in Agent Studio
2. **Published to the Airia Catalog** — unpublished agents do not appear in the sub-agent picker

If an agent is not published yet, go to the agent's interface settings and publish it to the catalog before continuing.

## Add a sub-agent

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Sub-agents tab">
    Navigate to **Settings → Airia Agent → Sub-agents**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Browse the catalog">
    The picker shows all published catalog deployments in your tenant. Use the search box to filter by name.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select sub-agents">
    Click the agents you want to add. Selected agents appear in the **Configured Sub-agents** list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click **Save**. Airia Agent can now delegate to these agents.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Remove a sub-agent

1. In the **Sub-agents** tab, find the agent in the **Configured Sub-agents** list
2. Click the remove icon (or deselect the agent in the picker)
3. Click **Save**

Removing a sub-agent does not affect the underlying catalog agent — it remains published and accessible directly in the catalog.

## How delegation works

At runtime, Airia Agent evaluates each user message against all configured tools and sub-agents. When it identifies that a request falls within a sub-agent's domain, it invokes the sub-agent and incorporates the response into its reply.

Sub-agents run with their own:

* **System prompt** — the instructions you wrote when building the agent
* **Tools** — any tools the sub-agent is configured with
* **Knowledge** — any data sources or context the sub-agent has access to

This means the sub-agent's behavior is self-contained. Configuring a sub-agent in Airia Agent does not change how it behaves when users access it directly from the catalog.

<Note>
  Sub-agents must belong to the same tenant. Cross-tenant delegation is not supported.
</Note>