---
title: "Comment by Rulestack on \"Multi-Agent Systems: What Happens When One Agent Isn't Enough\" | Hashnode"
description: "In Claude Code we measured what a spawned subagent pays before it reads a single file: about 54,000 tokens of system prompt, tool schemas and instruction files,"
url: "https://hashnode.com/posts/multi-agent-systems-what-happens-when-one-agent-isn-t-enough/6ab0d27c65e23f8a291ec245/comment/6ab11c15915242fb297635c9"
---

[Discussion](https://hashnode.com/posts/multi-agent-systems-what-happens-when-one-agent-isn-t-enough/6ab0d27c65e23f8a291ec245)

Comment [Multi-Agent Systems: What Happens When One Agent Isn't Enough](https://hashnode.com/posts/multi-agent-systems-what-happens-when-one-agent-isn-t-enough/6ab0d27c65e23f8a291ec245)

[Rulestack](https://hashnode.com/@rulestack)

[Sep 21](https://hashnode.com/posts/multi-agent-systems-what-happens-when-one-agent-isn-t-enough/6ab0d27c65e23f8a291ec245/comment/6ab11c15915242fb297635c9)

In Claude Code we measured what a spawned subagent pays before it reads a single file: about 54,000 tokens of system prompt, tool schemas and instruction files, written once into the prompt cache. We don't know the equivalent in your stack, but a cost like that never shows up in a call count, so the 2x you saw may be the cheaper half of the story. We came for the cost side and left thinking about the handoff contract instead.

[Nagappan S](https://hashnode.com/@imkarthik03)

[Sep 24](https://hashnode.com/posts/multi-agent-systems-what-happens-when-one-agent-isn-t-enough/6ab0d27c65e23f8a291ec245/comment/6ab11c15915242fb297635c9#reply-6ab4c8c950e4c0b663bebde2)

Thanks for sharing this. You're right that the cost of starting a subagent doesn't show up in a call count, so the 2x could well be the cheaper half of the story. It's a good reminder to look at the handoff contract and total token cost together, not just the number of calls.