parallel-feature-development Skill for Claude: What It Does and How to Install It

Makes Claude split a feature into parallel work streams where each agent owns its own files, and plan how the pieces merge.

Installs: 10.1K; on skills.sh
Stars: 42.1K; on GitHub
Files: 2; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

This skill is a playbook for building one feature with several implementer agents at once. Its main rule is one owner per file, assigned by directory, module or layer.

It also covers interface contract files, vertical slice, horizontal layer and hybrid splits, and single-branch versus multi-branch work. references/file-ownership.md adds ownership maps for 4 project types, and references/merge-strategies.md has 3 integration patterns and conflict handling.

Good for

Teams splitting a feature across several agents
Developers who hit merge conflicts from parallel edits
Leads choosing vertical slices or horizontal layers

Install parallel-feature-development

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the parallel-feature-development skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

/plugin marketplace add wshobson/agents
/plugin install agent-teams@claude-code-workflows

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Pick one route. The plugin routes install the whole agent-teams plugin: 6 skills, 4 agents and 7 commands (counted from the plugin folder in the repo tree, which has no hooks or MCP config files). The plugin README says its team commands need Claude Code's experimental Agent Teams feature, turned on with an environment variable. The skills-only routes install just this skill, with no agents or commands.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Coordinate parallel feature development with file ownership strategies, conflict avoidance rules, and integration patterns for multi-agent implementation. Use this skill when decomposing a large feature into independent work streams, when two or more agents need to implement different layers of the same system simultaneously, when establishing file ownership to prevent merge conflicts in a shared codebase, when designing interface contracts so parallel implementers can build against each other's APIs before they are ready, or when deciding whether to use vertical slices versus horizontal layers for a full-stack feature.

Sections in SKILL.md

When to Use This Skill
File Ownership Strategies
By Directory
By Module
By Layer
Conflict Avoidance Rules
The Cardinal Rule
When Files Must Be Shared
Interface Contracts
Integration Patterns
Vertical Slice
Horizontal Layer
Hybrid
Branch Management
Single Branch Strategy
Multi-Branch Strategy

Key facts

Author: wshobson (repo owner)
License: MIT (crawl data and agent-teams plugin.json)
Installs on skills.sh: 10,133 (Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars: 42,081 for the whole wshobson/agents repo (Nov 2, 2026)
Last repo commit: Oct 30, 2026
What it includes: 3 files including SKILL.md: references/file-ownership.md and references/merge-strategies.md (no scripts)
Needs: A feature to split. The wording is built around implementer agents and a team lead, which the agent-teams plugin provides
Part of: The agent-teams plugin (version 1.0.4) in wshobson/agents. Counted from the plugin folder: 6 skills, 4 agents and 7 commands
Works in: Claude Code and Codex CLI have plugin routes in the README. The plugin README ties its commands to Claude Code's experimental Agent Teams feature

What it includes

By directory, by module or by layer
Each strategy has an example and says which kind of codebase it suits.
Try: “Split the OAuth login feature across three implementers with no shared files.”
Read · File ownership strategies
One owner per file; others request changes by message
The cardinal rule is one owner per file. Shared files get a single owner, or an extracted interface file.
Read · Conflict avoidance rules
A read-only contract file both sides build against
Shows a TypeScript contract file owned by the team lead that implementers import but never edit.
Write · Interface contracts
Vertical slice, horizontal layer or hybrid
Lists pros and cons of each and when a hybrid fits.
Read · Integration patterns
Single branch for 2 to 3 people, sub-branches for 4 or more
Describes the branch layouts. Merges are handled with git in your repo.
Runs code · Branch management
5 common problems and fixes
Covers blocked implementers, conflicts despite ownership, early finishers, a wrong split and drifting contracts.
Read · Troubleshooting
React/Next.js, Express/Fastify, full-stack Next.js and Python Django
In references/file-ownership.md, plus a 4-step ownership decision process.
Read · Ownership by project type
Direct integration, sub-branch integration, trunk-based with flags
In references/merge-strategies.md, with an integration checklist and conflict resolution steps.
Runs code · Merge strategies

From the official docs

Permissions

Low risk

The skill itself is guidance. The plugin route adds an implementer agent that can edit files and run commands, so review the diffs before you merge.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

The plugin route adds agents and commands
agent-teams has 4 agents and 7 commands. The team-implementer agent lists Write, Edit and Bash in its tools. The skills-only routes install none of them. github.com

Security advisories

No published security advisories as of Nov 2, 2026.

Technical details

Turning on read-only	No read-only mode. Use version control.
Sign-in and keys	SKILL.md and the reference files mention no account or key.
Scopes	The skill bundles no scripts The plugin adds a team-implementer agent whose tools include Write, Edit and Bash The branch and merge guidance uses git in your repo

Questions

What does the parallel-feature-development skill do?

It gives Claude rules for building one feature with several agents in parallel. Claude assigns each agent its own files, sets interface contracts and plans how the work merges.

How do I install it?

Use the install box at the top of this page. It lists the agent-teams plugin and two skills-only commands.

Is this skill from Anthropic?

No. It is in wshobson/agents, a community collection, inside the agent-teams plugin.

Do I need the agent-teams plugin?

The skill text is guidance and can be read alone. The plugin adds a team-lead agent, a team-implementer agent and a /team-feature command, and its README says the team commands need Claude Code's experimental Agent Teams feature, turned on with an environment variable.

Which related skills does it point to?

SKILL.md links team-composition-patterns and team-communication-protocols as related skills. They are in the same plugin and are optional.

Does it work in the Claude app?

The install box has no Claude app upload for it, because the skill is written for agent teams that edit a code repo. Use Claude Code or Codex.

Is it safe?

The skill bundles no scripts. If you use the plugin, its team-implementer agent lists Write, Edit and Bash among its tools, so it can change files and run commands in your repo. Review the diffs.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: wshobson/agents
Folder: plugins/agent-teams/skills/parallel-feature-development

wshobson/agents skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 6

parallel-feature-development SKILL.md · github.com
agent-teams README · github.com
wshobson/agents README · github.com
agent-teams plugin.json · github.com
file-ownership.md · github.com
merge-strategies.md · github.com