Specialized agent personas

What are personas?

Personas are specialized agent configurations that activate automatically when Claude Octopus detects matching task requirements. Each persona brings domain expertise, preferred model tier, and task-specific instructions.

You don’t invoke personas directly. Just describe what you need—Claude Octopus routes to the right expert automatically.

How personas work

Personas activate based on:

Keywords in user request - “debug”, “audit”, “optimize”, etc.
Project context - File types, dependencies, existing code
Task requirements - Complexity, domain, deliverable type

Example:

User: "Audit my API for security vulnerabilities"

🔍 Detected keywords: audit, security, vulnerabilities
🔍 Project context: REST API, authentication endpoints
✅ Activated: security-auditor persona

Persona categories

Software Engineering (11 personas)

Core development roles:

Persona	Superpower	Model Tier	When Auto-Activated
backend-architect	API design, microservices	inherit	”design API”, “architect backend”
frontend-developer	React 19, Next.js 15	inherit	”build UI”, “React component”
database-architect	Schema design, migrations	opus	”design schema”, “database structure”
cloud-architect	AWS/GCP/Azure, IaC	opus	”deploy to AWS”, “cloud infrastructure”
graphql-architect	Federation, resolvers	opus	”GraphQL schema”, “design GraphQL API”
python-pro	Python 3.12+, FastAPI	opus	”Python code”, “FastAPI service”
typescript-pro	Advanced types, generics	opus	”TypeScript types”, “strict mode”
ai-engineer	LLM/RAG patterns	inherit	”RAG system”, “prompt engineering”
code-reviewer	Best practices, architecture	opus	”review code”, “PR review”
debugger	Error analysis, stack traces	sonnet	”debug issue”, “fix error”
test-automator	Unit/integration/E2E tests	sonnet	”write tests”, “test coverage”

Specialized Development (6 personas)

Focused technical roles:

Persona	Superpower	Model Tier	When Auto-Activated
security-auditor	OWASP, threat modeling	opus	”security audit”, “find vulnerabilities”
performance-engineer	Profiling, Core Web Vitals	inherit	”optimize performance”, “profile code”
devops-troubleshooter	K8s debugging, log analysis	sonnet	”Kubernetes issue”, “deployment failed”
deployment-engineer	CI/CD, GitHub Actions	haiku	”setup CI/CD”, “deploy pipeline”
incident-responder	SRE, on-call	sonnet	”production down”, “incident response”
tdd-orchestrator	Red-green-refactor	opus	”TDD”, “test-driven”

Documentation & Communication (5 personas)

Technical writing and knowledge work:

Persona	Superpower	Model Tier	When Auto-Activated
docs-architect	Technical documentation	sonnet	”write docs”, “document API”
product-writer	PRDs, user stories	sonnet	”write PRD”, “user story”
exec-communicator	Executive summaries	sonnet	”exec summary”, “stakeholder brief”
academic-writer	Research papers, citations	sonnet	”research paper”, “academic writing”
mermaid-expert	Flowcharts, diagrams	haiku	”create diagram”, “flowchart”

Research & Strategy (4 personas)

Analysis and planning:

Persona	Superpower	Model Tier	When Auto-Activated
research-synthesizer	Literature review, gap analysis	opus	”research synthesis”, “literature review”
strategy-analyst	Market analysis, frameworks	opus	”strategy”, “market analysis”
ux-researcher	User interviews, journey mapping	opus	”user research”, “UX synthesis”
business-analyst	Requirements, stakeholder analysis	sonnet	”business requirements”, “stakeholder analysis”

Business & Compliance (3 personas)

Business and legal:

Persona	Superpower	Model Tier	When Auto-Activated
finance-analyst	Financial models, unit economics	sonnet	”financial model”, “pricing strategy”
marketing-strategist	Campaign planning, growth funnels	sonnet	”marketing plan”, “growth strategy”
legal-compliance-advisor	GDPR, SOC 2, compliance	sonnet	”GDPR compliance”, “legal review”

Creative & Design (4 personas)

Design and content:

Persona	Superpower	Model Tier	When Auto-Activated
content-analyst	Content strategy, SEO	sonnet	”content strategy”, “SEO optimization”
thought-partner	Brainstorming, ideation	inherit	”brainstorm”, “ideate”
context-manager	Multi-agent coordination	inherit	”coordinate agents”, “multi-task”
openclaw-admin	OpenClaw framework integration	sonnet	”openclaw”, “messaging integration”

Model tier system

Personas are assigned model tiers based on task complexity:

Opus

Premium

5/

25 per MTokCritical decisions, complex reasoning

Sonnet

StandardIncluded in Claude Code subscriptionFocused tasks, specialized analysis

Haiku

FastIncluded in Claude Code subscriptionSimple tasks, quick responses

Inherit

AdaptiveAuto-selects based on complexityGeneral-purpose roles

Tier distribution

Tier	Count	Use Cases
Opus (Premium)	8	Architecture decisions, security audits, complex reasoning
Sonnet (Standard)	14	Code review, documentation, specialized analysis
Haiku (Fast)	2	Simple diagrams, quick deployments
Inherit (Adaptive)	9	General development, research, coordination

Automatic persona selection

Claude Octopus analyzes your request through multiple lenses:

Pattern matching

Selection examples

Backend development

Request: “Design a REST API for user authentication”Analysis:

Keywords: design, REST, API, authentication
Context: Backend project
Domain: Software engineering

Selected: backend-architect (inherit tier)

Security audit

Request: “Audit my payment endpoint for vulnerabilities”Analysis:

Keywords: audit, payment, vulnerabilities
Context: API endpoint, high-risk
Domain: Security

Selected: security-auditor (opus tier)

Performance optimization

Request: “Find N+1 queries in my GraphQL resolvers”Analysis:

Keywords: N+1, queries, performance
Context: GraphQL API
Domain: Performance engineering

Selected: performance-engineer (inherit tier)

Documentation

Request: “Write API documentation for my endpoints”Analysis:

Keywords: write, documentation, API
Context: REST endpoints
Domain: Technical writing

Selected: docs-architect (sonnet tier)

How personas differ from general purpose

General purpose Claude vs specialized personas:

Aspect	General Purpose	Specialized Persona
Context	Broad, general knowledge	Domain-specific expertise
Instructions	Generic software engineering	Tailored prompts with frameworks
Model	Default (Sonnet 4.6)	Optimized tier (opus/sonnet/haiku/inherit)
Quality checks	Basic validation	Domain-specific quality gates
Output format	Flexible	Standardized for domain

Example: Security audit

General Purpose
security-auditor Persona

User: Review my auth code for security issues

Claude: I'll review the code. Let me check...
[Generic code review focusing on syntax and patterns]

User: Review my auth code for security issues

Claude: Activating security-auditor (opus tier)...

🛡️ OWASP Top 10 Analysis:
✓ A01:2021 - Broken Access Control
✗ A02:2021 - Cryptographic Failures
  ⚠️ Weak JWT secret detected
✓ A03:2021 - Injection
...

[Structured security report with CVE references]

Top 10 most-used personas

Based on real-world usage:

backend-architect

Use: API design, microservices, distributed systems
Tier: inherit (adapts to complexity)

code-reviewer

Use: PR reviews, architecture validation
Tier: opus (comprehensive analysis)

debugger

Use: Error analysis, stack traces, root cause
Tier: sonnet (specialized)

security-auditor

Use: OWASP audits, vulnerability scanning
Tier: opus (critical)

tdd-orchestrator

Use: Test-driven development, red-green-refactor
Tier: opus (multi-step reasoning)

frontend-developer

Use: React, Next.js, modern UI patterns
Tier: inherit (adapts)

database-architect

Use: Schema design, migrations, query optimization
Tier: opus (critical decisions)

performance-engineer

Use: Profiling, benchmarking, Core Web Vitals
Tier: inherit (adapts to depth)

python-pro

Use: Python 3.12+, FastAPI, async patterns
Tier: opus (advanced)

typescript-pro

Use: Advanced types, generics, strict TypeScript
Tier: opus (complex type systems)

Persona composition

Multiple personas can work together in complex workflows:

Example: Full-stack feature

Flow:

business-analyst clarifies requirements
backend-architect designs API
frontend-developer designs UI components
database-architect designs schema
security-auditor reviews security
performance-engineer validates performance
test-automator generates tests
code-reviewer does final review

Creating custom personas

You can add project-specific personas:

# agents/personas/custom-expert.md
---
name: custom-expert
description: Expert in [your domain]
model: inherit
triggers:
  - "[keyword 1]"
  - "[keyword 2]"
---

You are an expert in [domain]. You specialize in:
- [Specialization 1]
- [Specialization 2]

When analyzing tasks, you focus on:
1. [Criterion 1]
2. [Criterion 2]

Output format: [specify format]

Place in .claude/agents/personas/ and Claude Octopus will auto-detect.

Best practices

Let the router choose

Don’t manually select personas. The smart router considers context you might miss. Just describe what you need naturally.

Trust the model tier

Persona tiers are optimized for cost vs quality. If a persona uses haiku, it’s because the task doesn’t need opus.

Combine with workflows

Personas work best inside workflows (/octo:embrace, /octo:develop, etc.) where quality gates validate their work.

Review persona decisions

Check which persona activated with /octo:status. If wrong persona selected, refine your request keywords.

Persona reference

Full persona catalog: docs/AGENTS.md Quick lookup:

You Need…	Use This Persona	Command Example
API design	`backend-architect`	`/octo:develop design REST API`
Security scan	`security-auditor`	`/octo:security audit auth endpoints`
Bug fix	`debugger`	`/octo:debug JWT validation error`
Test writing	`test-automator`	`/octo:tdd create user registration`
Code review	`code-reviewer`	`/octo:review`
Schema design	`database-architect`	`/octo:define database schema`
Performance	`performance-engineer`	`/octo:review find N+1 queries`
Documentation	`docs-architect`	`/octo:docs API reference`

Next steps

Workflows

Learn about workflow patterns that use personas

Commands reference

Browse all 39 commands and their personas

Agent catalog

Full persona documentation with triggers

Double Diamond

Understand the four-phase workflow structure

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Specialized agent personas

What are personas?

How personas work

Persona categories

Software Engineering (11 personas)

Specialized Development (6 personas)

Documentation & Communication (5 personas)

Research & Strategy (4 personas)

Business & Compliance (3 personas)

Creative & Design (4 personas)

Model tier system

Opus

Sonnet

Haiku

Inherit

Tier distribution

Automatic persona selection

Pattern matching

Selection examples

How personas differ from general purpose

Top 10 most-used personas

Persona composition

Example: Full-stack feature

Creating custom personas

Best practices

Persona reference

Next steps

Workflows

Commands reference

Agent catalog

Double Diamond

​What are personas?

​How personas work

​Persona categories

​Software Engineering (11 personas)

​Specialized Development (6 personas)

​Documentation & Communication (5 personas)

​Research & Strategy (4 personas)

​Business & Compliance (3 personas)

​Creative & Design (4 personas)

​Model tier system

Opus

Sonnet

Haiku

Inherit

​Tier distribution

​Automatic persona selection

​Pattern matching

​Selection examples

​How personas differ from general purpose

​Top 10 most-used personas

​Persona composition

​Example: Full-stack feature

​Creating custom personas

​Best practices

​Persona reference

​Next steps

Workflows

Commands reference

Agent catalog

Double Diamond

What are personas?

How personas work

Persona categories

Software Engineering (11 personas)

Specialized Development (6 personas)

Documentation & Communication (5 personas)

Research & Strategy (4 personas)

Business & Compliance (3 personas)

Creative & Design (4 personas)

Model tier system

Tier distribution

Automatic persona selection

Pattern matching

Selection examples

How personas differ from general purpose

Top 10 most-used personas

Persona composition

Example: Full-stack feature

Creating custom personas

Best practices

Persona reference

Next steps