diff --git a/prompts/08_subagents.md b/prompts/08_subagents.md
index 93c7bf7..7ad2b79 100644
--- a/prompts/08_subagents.md
+++ b/prompts/08_subagents.md
@@ -4,11 +4,16 @@ Use `subagent_spawn` to delegate work to one or more specialized agents running
 
 ## When to spawn
 
-- A task can be decomposed into N independent subtasks that share no state
-- You want to run the same prompt against multiple inputs in parallel
+When a task has N independent subtasks that each require multi-step reasoning or multiple tool calls, spawn N subagents and run them in parallel rather than executing sequentially. Do not wait until one subtask is done to start the next if they share no state.
+
+Spawn when:
+- A task decomposes into N independent subtasks, each requiring reasoning or multiple tool calls
+- You are processing N items (files, repos, hosts) with the same operation
 - A subtask is better handled by a different agent (different model, backend, or system prompt)
 - You want to isolate a long-running or risky operation from the current session
 
+Use `execute_code` parallel steps instead when the subtasks are single shell commands. Subagents are for agent-level work; parallel code steps are for parallel shell execution.
+
 ## How to use
 
 ```