Agent Team Names

Overview

Agent Teams mode assigns mythic Irish names to agents instead of functional IDs like “issue-50”. This makes completion messages memorable and gives each wave a distinct identity.

This is cosmetic. Agent behavior is defined entirely by prompts, not names. The CLAUDE_CODE_AGENT_TYPE env var still carries the functional role (e.g., “issue-lifecycle”). The name is just CLAUDE_CODE_AGENT_NAME.

Your team name is cosmetic. Your behavior is defined entirely by your agent prompt.


Team Names (CLAUDE_CODE_TEAM_NAME)

Teams are named after mythic Irish bands. The wave orchestrator picks one per wave:

Team Name Origin Character Best For
Fianna Finn McCool’s warband Loyal, strategic, mobile General-purpose waves
Tuatha Tuatha De Danann (the gods) Masterful, multi-skilled, luminous Foundation / architecture waves
Red Branch Ulster’s warrior order Fierce, disciplined, elite Bug fix / combat waves
Brigid’s Forge Goddess of craft Warm, precise, principled Feature building waves
Tir na nOg The Otherworld Timeless, transformative, bold Migration / refactor waves

Singleton Role Names

These agents run once per team. Their names are fixed:

Role Name From Why
waves-controller Finn McCool Fenian Cycle “Warrior-leader with salmon of knowledge; calm, strategic, protective”
db-coordinator Hamilton William Rowan Hamilton “Abstract reasoning, pattern-finding, notation” — schema and numbers
quality-gate Keane Roy Keane “Ruthless standards, fearless honesty” — nothing gets past the gate
journey-gate Scathach Warrior-trainer myth “Legendary instructor; demanding, precise, formidable” — gating heroes

Issue-Lifecycle Name Pools

Issue-lifecycle agents (one per issue) draw names from themed pools. The waves-controller picks the pool based on wave character, then assigns names round-robin.

Pool: Writers (contract-heavy waves)

Name Powers Style
Yeats Poetry, symbolism, cultural synthesis Visionary, mystical
Swift Satire, rhetoric, moral pressure Razor-sharp, deterministic
Beckett Minimalism, truth-telling Spare, exacting
Heaney Imagery, translation, voice Grounded, precise
Wilde Dialogue, satire, social critique Witty, principled
Joyce Experimental prose, observation, craft Rebellious, obsessive
Synge Field research, dialogue, realism Sharp, lyrical
Lady Gregory Organizing, patronage, editing Practical, strategic

Pool: Builders (implementation-heavy waves)

Name Powers Style
Goibniu Forging, quality control, endurance Focused, exacting, reliable
Lugh Multi-skill mastery, invention Bright, ambitious, just
Brigid Healing, inspiration, smithcraft Warm, luminous, principled
Boyle Experiment design, analysis, rigor Curious, methodical
Tyndall Teaching, experimentation Bold, clear, evidence-led
Bell Burnell Signal detection, research discipline Modest, persistent, exact
Beaufort Measurement systems, documentation Precise, system-minded
Ogma Strength, writing, rhetoric Bold, inventive

Pool: Warriors (bug fix / enforcement waves)

Name Powers Style
Cuchulainn Single combat, endurance Proud, loyal, unstoppable
Pearse Oratory, education, symbolism Idealistic, theatrical, intense
Collins Intelligence, logistics, leadership Decisive, pragmatic, daring
Markievicz Organizing, propaganda, leadership Fearless, disciplined
Connolly Union organizing, theory, agitation Principled, uncompromising
Macha Speed, curses, domination Fierce, uncompromising
Medb Command, manipulation, logistics Ambitious, cunning, fearless
Conall Cernach Dueling, resilience, intimidation Disciplined, direct, loyal

Pool: Explorers (migration / infrastructure waves)

Name Powers Style
Crean Endurance, teamwork, navigation Humble, indestructible
Shackleton Leadership under pressure, morale Optimistic, strategic
Grace OMalley Navigation, bargaining, command Bold, shrewd, unstoppable
Manannan Navigation, illusion, protection Enigmatic, generous
Niamh Otherworld travel, charm, resolve Romantic, determined
Boann Flow-control, cleansing, renewal Curious, bold, transformative
Oisin Storytelling, archery, diplomacy Reflective, loyal
Bran the Blessed Sacrifice, protection, endurance Generous, tragic, steadfast

Name Assignment (Phase 2)

The waves-controller assigns names during team spawn:

# 1. Pick team name based on wave character
team_name = "Fianna"  # or Tuatha, Red Branch, etc.

# 2. Pick issue-lifecycle pool based on wave type
pool = Writers  # if contract/spec heavy
pool = Builders # if implementation heavy
pool = Warriors # if bug fix heavy
pool = Explorers # if migration/infrastructure

# 3. Assign names round-robin from pool
issue #50 → Yeats
issue #51 → Swift
issue #52 → Beckett

# 4. Singleton roles always use fixed names
db-coordinator → Hamilton
quality-gate → Keane
journey-gate → Scathach

spawnTeam Example

TeammateTool(operation: "spawnTeam", name: "Fianna", config: {
  agents: [
    { name: "Yeats",    prompt: "<issue-lifecycle prompt>\n\nISSUE_NUMBER=50" },
    { name: "Swift",    prompt: "<issue-lifecycle prompt>\n\nISSUE_NUMBER=51" },
    { name: "Beckett",  prompt: "<issue-lifecycle prompt>\n\nISSUE_NUMBER=52" },
    { name: "Hamilton", prompt: "<db-coordinator prompt>" },
    { name: "Keane",    prompt: "<quality-gate prompt>" }
  ]
})

Completion Messages (Phase 8)

After a wave completes, the waves-controller generates a named completion report that references each agent’s mythic powers alongside what they actually did.

Template

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
WAVE <N> COMPLETE — Team <team_name>
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

<Name> (#<issue>) — <what they did>, with <mythic power flavor>
<Name> (#<issue>) — <what they did>, with <mythic power flavor>
<Name> (#<issue>) — <what they did>, with <mythic power flavor>

<Singleton> held <what they managed>.
<Singleton> let nothing past the gate.
Finn McCool orchestrated from above.

<N> issues closed. <N> regressions. All tiers <status>.
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Example

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
WAVE 3 COMPLETE — Team Fianna
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Yeats (#325)  — crafted WhatsApp notification contracts with symbolic precision
Swift (#326)  — enforced no-show alert rules with razor rhetoric
Pearse (#327) — built the coverage request system with theatrical intensity

Hamilton held the schema steady across 3 migrations.
Keane let nothing past the gate — 47 tests, 0 failures.
Finn McCool orchestrated the wave from above.

3 issues closed. 0 regressions. All tiers green.
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Flavor Mapping

Match the agent’s mythic powers to what they actually accomplished:

Name Mythic Flavor Maps To
Yeats “symbolic precision” Contract/spec writing
Swift “razor rhetoric” Rule enforcement, validation
Beckett “spare clarity” Minimal, clean implementation
Heaney “grounded imagery” UI components, visual work
Pearse “theatrical intensity” Feature building, ambitious scope
Collins “shadow-operator precision” Bug hunting, intelligence
Goibniu “divine smithcraft” Database/backend building
Lugh “multi-skill mastery” Full-stack implementation
Cuchulainn “battle-frenzy focus” Intensive bug fixing
Markievicz “fearless discipline” Security, access control
Hamilton “held the schema steady” DB coordination (always this)
Keane “let nothing past the gate” Quality gate (always this)
Scathach “demanded excellence” Journey gate (always this)
Crean “endured the migration” Infrastructure changes
Grace OMalley “navigated uncharted schema” New table/migration design

Guard Rails

  1. Names are cosmetic only. The CLAUDE_CODE_AGENT_TYPE env var carries the functional role.
  2. Prompts define behavior. An agent named “Yeats” follows the issue-lifecycle prompt, not poetic instincts.
  3. Each agent prompt should include: “Your team name is cosmetic. Your behavior is defined entirely by this prompt.”
  4. Don’t roleplay. The names appear in completion messages and team spawn configs. Agents do not adopt the personality of their namesake during work.
  5. Subagent mode ignores names. When CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS is not set, functional names like “issue-50” are used instead.

Full Name Pool Reference

See agentnames.md for the complete roster of 100 Irish mythic, literary, revolutionary, scientific, sporting, and cultural figures with powers and character descriptions.

See agentlist.md for the quick-reference name list.