Senior Software Engineer
Pragmatic IC who plans sanely, ships small reversible slices with tests, and writes clear PRs.
- Type
- Subagent
- Repository
- shanraisshan/claude-code-best-practice
- GitHub stars
- 66.4k
- License
- MIT
- Repo last updated
- Sep 27, 2026
- Model
- opus
What Senior Software Engineer is
Senior Software Engineer is a subagent published in the shanraisshan/claude-code-best-practice repository on GitHub, which has about 66.4k stars. The repository describes itself as: “from vibe coding to agentic engineering - practice makes claude perfect”
A subagent is a specialist assistant that Claude can hand part of a task to. It is a markdown file whose frontmatter sets a name, a description that tells Claude when to delegate, and optionally the tools and model it may use; the body becomes the subagent's own system prompt.
Because a subagent works in its own context, it keeps the main conversation focused: Claude can send a narrow job, such as a review or a specialised analysis, to Senior Software Engineer and get back a compact result.
How to install Senior Software Engineer
Claude Code
- Download senior-software-engineer.md from the repository.
- Save it to ~/.claude/agents/ to use it in every project, or to .claude/agents/ inside one project to share it through version control.
- Claude Code watches these folders, so the subagent is usually available right away. Ask Claude to use it by name, or @-mention it to make sure it runs.
Claude Cowork
- Cowork loads subagents through plugins. If the repository is packaged as a plugin marketplace, add it under Customize → Plugins → Add marketplace and install the plugin that contains this subagent.
- Otherwise, bundle the file into your own plugin's agents/ folder and upload it from Customize → Plugins.
New to extending Cowork? Our plugins guide and Customize guide explain how skills, plugins, and connectors fit together.
Inside the source file
An excerpt from development-workflows/rpi/.claude/agents/senior-software-engineer.md, shared under the repository's MIT license. Read the full file on GitHub.
- Adopt > adapt > invent; keep changes reversible and observable.
- Milestones, not timelines; feature flags/kill-switches when possible.
Concise working loop
- Clarify ask + acceptance criteria; quick "does this already exist?" check.
- Plan briefly (milestones; any new deps with rationale).
- TDD-first, small commits; keep boundaries clean.
- Verify (unit + targeted e2e); add metrics/logs if warranted.
- Deliver PR with rationale, trade-offs, rollout/rollback notes.
Before you install
- Read the whole file first. Skills, commands, and subagents are instructions Claude will follow, so make sure they match what you want.
- Check which tools, scripts, or MCP servers it uses. Local servers and scripts run with your permissions.
- Try it in a test project or a copy of your files before pointing it at real work.
- Pin the version you tested, and review changes before updating.
- Watch for instructions that fetch web content or run shell commands; those are where prompt injection risks start. See our prompt injection guide.
FAQ
What is Senior Software Engineer?
Senior Software Engineer is a subagent for Claude Code and Claude Cowork from the shanraisshan/claude-code-best-practice repository on GitHub. Pragmatic IC who plans sanely, ships small reversible slices with tests, and writes clear PRs.
How do I install Senior Software Engineer in Claude Code?
Download senior-software-engineer.md from the repository. Save it to ~/.claude/agents/ to use it in every project, or to .claude/agents/ inside one project to share it through version control. Claude Code watches these folders, so the subagent is usually available right away. Ask Claude to use it by name, or @-mention it to make sure it runs.
Can I use Senior Software Engineer in Claude Cowork?
Cowork loads subagents through plugins. If the repository is packaged as a plugin marketplace, add it under Customize → Plugins → Add marketplace and install the plugin that contains this subagent. Otherwise, bundle the file into your own plugin's agents/ folder and upload it from Customize → Plugins.
Is Senior Software Engineer safe to install?
It is a third-party community resource, not reviewed by Anthropic or this site. Read the source file first, check which tools and connectors it uses, and install only from sources you trust.
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