Feature Request: Allow subagents to access MCP tools

Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Feb 5, 2026 by voxesystems Closed Feb 9, 2026

Problem

Subagents spawned via the Task tool cannot access MCP tools, even when:

  • The tools: field is omitted from the agent definition (should inherit all)
  • MCP tools are explicitly listed: tools: Read, Write, mcp__ae-mcp__*
  • The MCP server is connected and working for the primary agent

Current Behavior

| Agent Type | MCP Access |
|-----------|------------|
| Primary agent | ✅ Yes |
| Foreground subagent | ❌ No |
| Background subagent | ❌ No |

Subagents only receive: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, WebFetch, Glob, Grep

Expected Behavior

Subagents should inherit MCP tools from the parent session, or allow explicit MCP tool listing in agent definitions:

---
name: my-agent
tools: Read, Write, mcp__my-server__*
---

Use Case

Specialized agents (e.g., After Effects automation) need MCP tool access to perform their tasks. Currently, only the primary agent can call MCP tools, forcing a suboptimal workflow where subagents create specs and the primary agent executes MCP commands.

Environment

  • Claude Code CLI
  • MCP server: ae-mcp (After Effects automation)
  • Agent definition with various tools: configurations tested

Workaround Attempted

None work - this appears to be a platform limitation in how the Task tool spawns subagents.

View original on GitHub ↗

This issue has 3 comments on GitHub. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗