Use Claude Code Sub-Agents For .NET and Angular Development

For the past few weeks, I’ve been exploring Claude Code’s sub-agent capabilities, specifically how they can improve development workflows. Sub-agents fundamentally change how you approach complex features that span multiple services and technologies. They allow parallel execution of specialized tasks, but they also come with trade-offs that need careful consideration.

Here’s what I’ve learned about making sub-agents effective for .NET and Angular development.

Understanding When Sub-Agents Add Value

The decision to use sub-agents comes down to task complexity and parallelization potential. Based on Anthropic’s documentation and community experiences, sub-agents excel when you have clear architectural boundaries and tasks that can run independently.

My framework for deciding when to use sub-agents focuses on task characteristics. If a task requires fewer than 10 tool calls in the main context, handling it directly is more efficient. The coordination overhead of sub-agents isn’t justified for straightforward operations.

Sub-agents become valuable when you’re dealing with:

Conversely, skip sub-agents for:

Core Agent Configurations for .NET and Angular Development

After researching best practices and testing different configurations, I’ve identified three essential agent types that cover the basics for .NET and Angular development needs.

Backend Development Specialist

---
name: dotnet-backend-specialist
description: Handles ASP.NET Core APIs, Entity Framework, and service layer logic. Use for any backend C# development.
tools: Read, Write, Bash, Grep
---
You are a senior .NET architect working on enterprise applications.

Focus areas:
- ASP.NET Core Web APIs with proper REST conventions
- Entity Framework Core with repository patterns
- Dependency injection and SOLID principles
- JWT authentication and authorization
- Integration with Azure services

Always consider:
- Performance implications of LINQ queries
- Proper async/await patterns
- Comprehensive error handling
- Security best practices

Our team uses .NET 8, follows Google's C# style guide, and prioritizes maintainability.

This configuration ensures consistent patterns across backend services while maintaining our team’s coding standards.

Angular Frontend Expert

---
name: angular-component-expert
description: Creates and updates Angular components, services, and handles RxJS operations. Essential for frontend work.
tools: Read, Write, Bash
---
You are an Angular expert working with Angular 17+ and TypeScript 5.

Core competencies:
- Standalone components with OnPush change detection
- RxJS patterns and memory leak prevention
- TypeScript strict mode compliance
- Angular signals and new control flow syntax
- Component testing with Angular Testing Library

Design principles:
- Smart/Dumb component separation
- Proper typing for all interfaces
- Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA compliance)
- Performance-first approach

Follow our team's convention of 2-space indentation and prefer composition over inheritance.

This agent configuration handles the complexities of modern Angular development while enforcing performance best practices.

Test Automation Agent

---
name: test-generator
description: Generates comprehensive test suites. PROACTIVELY use when new code is created.
tools: Read, Write, Bash
---
You specialize in test automation for enterprise applications.

Testing approach:
- xUnit for .NET with AAA pattern
- Jest for Angular components
- Integration tests using WebApplicationFactory
- Meaningful test names that describe behavior
- Comprehensive edge case coverage

Key principles:
- Tests should be readable documentation
- Isolate external dependencies
- Fast execution without sacrificing coverage
- Data builders for test setup

Generate tests that actually catch bugs, not just boost coverage metrics.

The “PROACTIVELY use” keyword triggers automatic engagement when new code is created, ensuring test coverage stays current.

Configuring CLAUDE.md for Effective Orchestration

The CLAUDE.md file serves as your project’s AI coordination center. It defines how agents work together and maintains consistency across your codebase. Here’s an effective structure for .NET and Angular development projects:

# Application Development Standards

## Project Context
Building a multi-tenant SaaS platform with:
- Backend: .NET 8, ASP.NET Core, SQL Server
- Frontend: Angular 17, TypeScript 5.2, RxJS 7
- Infrastructure: Azure App Service, Application Insights

## Agent Coordination Strategy

### Task Routing
When implementing features:
1. Backend changes → dotnet-backend-specialist
2. Frontend updates → angular-component-expert  
3. New code of any kind → test-generator (automatic)
4. Database migrations → ef-migration-handler

### Parallel Execution Guidelines
- API and UI changes can proceed simultaneously
- Tests can be generated in parallel with implementation
- Database migrations must complete before dependent code

## Code Standards
All agents must follow:
- C#: 4-space indentation, nullable reference types enabled
- TypeScript: 2-space indentation, strict mode
- Tests: AAA pattern, descriptive names
- Comments: Only for non-obvious logic

## Context Preservation
Main orchestrator maintains:
- Feature requirements and acceptance criteria
- Cross-cutting concerns and dependencies
- Integration points between services

This configuration ensures agents understand their roles and maintain consistent standards without repeated instruction.

Performance Considerations and Trade-offs

Sub-agents consume significantly more tokens than single-context operations. According to Anthropic’s documentation, multi-agent systems can use several times more tokens than standard conversations. This increased consumption needs to be weighed against productivity gains.

The performance benefits often justify the additional token usage for complex development tasks. Features that might take hours to implement sequentially can complete much faster with parallel agent execution. The key is using sub-agents strategically rather than by default.

Optimization strategies that help manage token consumption:

• Start with 2-3 focused agents rather than many
• Reserve sub-agents for genuinely complex, parallelizable tasks
• Keep the main context focused on coordination
• Spawn fresh agent instances for new tasks to prevent context accumulation
• Regularly evaluate whether the complexity justifies multi-agent approaches

Practical Implementation Approach

If you’re looking to get started with sub-agents in your development workflow, here’s a practical progression:

1. Document your patterns in CLAUDE.md before creating any agents
2. Create one specialized agent for your most complex domain
3. Run actual features through the system to identify bottlenecks
4. Add agents incrementally based on demonstrated needs
5. Monitor token usage and productivity metrics to validate the approach
6. Refine configurations based on actual usage patterns

The optimal configuration typically involves 3-4 highly specialized agents that understand your specific tech stack and architectural patterns.

Key Takeaways

Sub-agents in Claude Code represent a significant shift in how we can approach complex development workflows. They enable parallel execution and specialized expertise that can dramatically improve productivity for the right tasks.

Success with sub-agents requires:

• Clear task boundaries and delegation strategies
• Well-configured agents with specific responsibilities
• Strategic use based on actual complexity, not potential
• Careful monitoring of token consumption versus productivity gains
• Continuous refinement based on real usage patterns

What works well depends heavily on your specific architecture, team size, and development patterns. Starting small and expanding based on demonstrated value provides the best path to effective implementation.