What is proxy-mode-reference?

This Claude skill serves as a comprehensive reference guide for PROXY_MODE, a powerful directive that allows Claude agents to delegate tasks to external AI models. It provides essential documentation on syntax, supported agent types across multiple plugins, and troubleshooting strategies to optimize multi-model agentic workflows and integration.

When should I use proxy-mode-reference?

proxy-mode-reference is useful in the following scenarios: • Multi-Model Code Reviews: Use the guide to correctly configure agents like 'agentdev:reviewer' to delegate code analysis to external models such as Grok for diverse technical perspectives. • Integration Troubleshooting: Resolve common errors where agents fail to recognize external model directives due to incorrect prompt formatting or unsupported agent types. • Agent Compatibility Auditing: Quickly identify which specific agents within the agentdev, frontend, and seo plugins support PROXY_MODE functionality. • Workflow Optimization: Implement the correct PROXY_MODE syntax in complex task orchestrations to ensure seamless handoffs between Claude and external AI providers.

name	proxy-mode-reference
version	1.0.0
description	Reference guide for using PROXY_MODE with external AI models. Use when running multi-model reviews, understanding which agents support PROXY_MODE, or debugging external model integration issues.

PROXY_MODE Reference Guide

What is PROXY_MODE?

PROXY_MODE is a directive that tells an agent to delegate its task to an external AI model via Claudish.

How It Works

Orchestrator launches Task with PROXY_MODE-enabled agent
Agent detects PROXY_MODE: {model} at start of prompt
Agent extracts model ID and actual task
Agent runs claudish --model {model} with the task
Agent returns external model's response

The PROXY_MODE Directive

Format:

PROXY_MODE: {model_id}

{actual task}

Example:

PROXY_MODE: x-ai/grok-code-fast-1

Review the architecture plan at ai-docs/plan.md

Supported Agents

Total: 18 PROXY_MODE-enabled agents across 3 plugins

agentdev plugin (3 agents)

Agent	subagent_type	Best For
reviewer	`agentdev:reviewer`	Implementation quality reviews
architect	`agentdev:architect`	Design plan reviews
developer	`agentdev:developer`	Implementation with external models

frontend plugin (8 agents)

Agent	subagent_type	Best For
plan-reviewer	`frontend:plan-reviewer`	Architecture plan validation
reviewer	`frontend:reviewer`	Code reviews
architect	`frontend:architect`	Architecture design
designer	`frontend:designer`	Design reviews
developer	`frontend:developer`	Full-stack implementation
ui-developer	`frontend:ui-developer`	UI implementation reviews
css-developer	`frontend:css-developer`	CSS architecture & styling
test-architect	`frontend:test-architect`	Testing strategy & implementation

seo plugin (5 agents)

Agent	subagent_type	Best For
editor	`seo:editor`	SEO content reviews
writer	`seo:writer`	Content generation
analyst	`seo:analyst`	Analysis tasks
researcher	`seo:researcher`	Research & data gathering
data-analyst	`seo:data-analyst`	Data analysis & insights

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using general-purpose

// ❌ WRONG
Task({
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  prompt: "PROXY_MODE: grok..."
})

general-purpose doesn't have <proxy_mode_support> so it won't recognize the directive.

Mistake 2: Instructing agent to run claudish

// ❌ WRONG
Task({
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  prompt: "Run claudish with model X to review..."
})

The agent doesn't know the claudish pattern. Use PROXY_MODE instead.

Mistake 3: Wrong prompt format

// ❌ WRONG - PROXY_MODE must be first line
Task({
  subagent_type: "agentdev:reviewer",
  prompt: "Please review this plan.
PROXY_MODE: grok..."
})

The directive must be at the START of the prompt.

Correct Usage Pattern

// ✅ CORRECT
Task({
  subagent_type: "agentdev:reviewer",
  description: "Grok review",
  run_in_background: true,
  prompt: `PROXY_MODE: x-ai/grok-code-fast-1

Review the implementation at path/to/file.ts

Focus on:
1. Code quality
2. Error handling
3. Performance
4. Security`
})

Checking Agent Support

To verify if an agent supports PROXY_MODE:

# Find agents with PROXY_MODE support
grep -l "proxy_mode_support" plugins/*/agents/*.md

# Check specific agent
grep "proxy_mode_support" plugins/agentdev/agents/reviewer.md

Troubleshooting

"Agent didn't use external model"

Cause: Agent doesn't support PROXY_MODE Fix: Use a PROXY_MODE-enabled agent (see table above)

"Got Claude response instead of Grok response"

Cause: general-purpose or other non-PROXY_MODE agent was used Fix: Switch to agentdev:reviewer or similar

"PROXY_MODE directive in output"

Cause: Agent treated directive as content, not instruction Fix: Use correct agent; ensure directive is first line

proxy-mode-reference

When & Why to Use This Skill

Use Cases