About
Agents that spawn agents: a lead splits a task between subagents running in parallel, each with a live activity line, tool count and timer, folding to a one line result when done. Open any of them for its trace.
Built with React and Tailwind. Copy the prompt and paste it into Claude Code, Cursor or Lovable: your agent adds Subagent to your project and fits it to your theme.
Code
How Subagent is used: the demo's code. The component's own source comes with a free account.
Usage.tsx
"use client"
import * as React from "react"
import { Subagent, SubagentStatus } from "@/components/ui/subagent"
const BEAT_MS = 900
const reducedMotion = () => window.matchMedia("(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)").matches
interface Worker {
id: string
name: string
task: string
/** What it does, one line per beat while it runs. */
activity: string[]
summary: string
/** The beat it starts on and how many beats it runs. */
start: number
tools: number
durationMs: number
}
/** A lead agent splits a migration audit three ways; the workers finish at different times. */
const WORKERS: Worker[] = [
{
id: "routes",
name: "Routes agent",
task: "Find every page that still reads cookies in a layout.",
activity: [
"Searching app/ for cookies()",
"Reading app/(shop)/layout.tsx",
"Reading app/account/layout.tsx",
],
summary: "Two layouts read cookies: (shop) and account.",
start: 0,
tools: 7,
durationMs: 14_200,
},
{
id: "api",
name: "API agent",
task: "List route handlers that rely on the old caching default.",
activity: [
"Searching app/api for GET handlers",
"Reading app/api/products/route.ts",
"Reading app/api/cart/route.ts",
"Checking next.config.ts",
],
summary: "Three GET handlers need an explicit revalidate.",
start: 1,
tools: 9,
durationMs: 19_600,
},
{
id: "tests",
name: "Tests agent",
task: "Run the e2e suite against the upgraded build.",
activity: ["Running pnpm build", "Running pnpm test:e2e", "Reading the checkout report"],
summary: "41 of 42 passed. Checkout fails on a stale cart.",
start: 2,
tools: 4,
durationMs: 22_800,
},
]
const LAST = Math.max(...WORKERS.map((w) => w.start + w.activity.length))
const REST_BEATS = 3
const LOOP = LAST + REST_BEATS
function workerAt(w: Worker, beat: number) {
const local = beat - w.start
const status: SubagentStatus =
local < 0 ? "spawning" : local < w.activity.length ? "running" : "done"
return {
status,
activity: status === "running" ? w.activity[local] : undefined,
toolCount:
status === "spawning"
? 0
: status === "done"
? w.tools
: Math.max(1, Math.round((w.tools * (local + 1)) / w.activity.length)),
}
}
const FIT_CSS = "html,body{overflow:hidden}[data-fit-small] [data-fit-hide]{display:none!important}"
/**
* 21st shows a demo in a small frame: about 674 by 421 on a component page, 358 by 224 on a
* phone and 245 by 139 on a profile card. A demo taller than its frame gets scrollbars, which
* render white on dark pages. FitFrame fills the frame exactly instead.
*
* - "scale": the content shrinks until it fits, centered. For visuals such as orbs.
* - "crop": the content stays at full size from the top and fades out at the bottom. For text
* that streams in, where a changing scale would make the page breathe.
*
* `minWidth` lays out a wide demo (a table, a two column panel) at that width and scales it down
* to the frame, instead of letting it collapse to a narrow layout. The frame centers it, so it
* shrinks evenly on both sides.
*
* Anything marked `data-fit-hide` (state buttons, the chatcn.dev line) drops out in frames
* shorter than `hideBelow`, so a profile card shows the visual alone.
*/
function FitFrame({
children,
mode = "scale",
hideBelow = 360,
minWidth,
}: {
children: React.ReactNode
mode?: "scale" | "crop"
hideBelow?: number
minWidth?: string
}) {
const content = React.useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null)
const [cropped, setCropped] = React.useState(false)
React.useLayoutEffect(() => {
const el = content.current
if (!el) return
const measure = () => {
const vw = window.innerWidth
const vh = window.innerHeight
el.toggleAttribute("data-fit-small", vh < hideBelow)
// Layout sizes ignore the transform, so measuring never feeds back.
const w = Math.max(el.offsetWidth, el.scrollWidth)
const h = Math.max(el.offsetHeight, el.scrollHeight)
const scale = mode === "scale" ? Math.min(1, vw / w, vh / h) : 1
el.style.transform = scale < 1 ? `scale(${scale})` : ""
setCropped(mode === "crop" && h > vh + 1)
}
measure()
const observer = new ResizeObserver(measure)
observer.observe(el)
// Content that changes inside a fixed width box (a headline that cycles words) never resizes
// the box itself, so changes below it measure again on the next frame.
let frame = 0
const mutations = new MutationObserver(() => {
cancelAnimationFrame(frame)
frame = requestAnimationFrame(measure)
})
mutations.observe(el, { subtree: true, childList: true, characterData: true })
window.addEventListener("resize", measure)
return () => {
observer.disconnect()
mutations.disconnect()
cancelAnimationFrame(frame)
window.removeEventListener("resize", measure)
}
}, [mode, hideBelow])
const fade = "linear-gradient(to bottom, #000 calc(100% - 40px), transparent)"
return (
<div
className="flex w-full justify-center overflow-hidden"
style={{
height: "100dvh",
alignItems: mode === "crop" ? "flex-start" : "center",
maskImage: cropped ? fade : undefined,
WebkitMaskImage: cropped ? fade : undefined,
}}
>
<style>{FIT_CSS}</style>
<div
ref={content}
className="w-full shrink-0"
style={{ transformOrigin: mode === "crop" ? "top center" : "center", minWidth }}
>
{children}
</div>
</div>
)
}
/** The line under each 21st demo that points back to the kit. */
function MoreOn({ slug, children }: { slug: string; children: React.ReactNode }) {
return (
<p data-fit-hide className="text-[0.75rem]/[1rem] text-(color:--chatcn-fg-faint) text-center text-balance">
{children}{" "}
<a
href={`https://chatcn.dev/docs/components/${slug}`}
target="_blank"
rel="noopener"
className="text-(color:--chatcn-fg-subtle) hover:text-(color:--chatcn-fg) underline underline-offset-2"
>
chatcn.dev
</a>
</p>
)
}
/**
* A lead agent audits a framework upgrade with three subagents in parallel: each one spawns, its
* live activity line changes as it searches, reads and runs, and it folds to a one line result
* when done. The lead reports once all three are back. Loops. Open any agent to see its trace.
*/
export default function SubagentPreview() {
const [beat, setBeat] = React.useState(2)
// Each loop is a fresh run: the lead's clock starts a few seconds before the first frame.
const [loopAt, setLoopAt] = React.useState(() => Date.now() - 2 * BEAT_MS - 4_000)
React.useEffect(() => {
if (beat === 0) setLoopAt(Date.now() - 4_000)
}, [beat])
React.useEffect(() => {
if (reducedMotion()) {
setBeat(LAST)
return
}
const id = window.setInterval(() => setBeat((b) => (b + 1) % LOOP), BEAT_MS)
return () => window.clearInterval(id)
}, [])
const states = WORKERS.map((w) => workerAt(w, beat))
const allDone = states.every((s) => s.status === "done")
return (
<FitFrame minWidth="36rem">
<div className="flex w-full flex-col items-center justify-center gap-4 p-6">
<div className="h-[20rem] w-full max-w-xl">
<Subagent
name="Upgrade audit"
status={allDone ? "done" : "running"}
task="Check what breaks when this app moves to the new framework version."
activity={allDone ? undefined : "Waiting on 3 agents"}
toolCount={states.reduce((n, s) => n + s.toolCount, 0)}
startedAt={allDone ? undefined : loopAt}
durationMs={allDone ? 24_100 : undefined}
summary={
allDone
? "Two layouts, three API routes and one e2e test need changes before the upgrade."
: undefined
}
open
>
{WORKERS.map((w, i) => {
const s = states[i]!
return (
<Subagent
key={w.id}
name={w.name}
status={s.status}
task={w.task}
activity={s.activity}
toolCount={s.toolCount || undefined}
startedAt={s.status === "running" ? loopAt + 4_000 + w.start * BEAT_MS : undefined}
durationMs={s.status === "done" ? w.durationMs : undefined}
summary={s.status === "done" ? w.summary : undefined}
/>
)
})}
</Subagent>
</div>
<MoreOn slug="subagent">Agents that spawn agents, with live activity and results. On</MoreOn>
</div>
</FitFrame>
)
}
















