Claude Code TEAM Mode and Migration Guide

TEAM Mode

TEAM mode is an experimental Claude Code feature enabling multi-agent collaboration.

Enabling TEAM Mode

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "env": {
    "CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS": "1"
  }
}

After restarting Claude Code, use a prompt requesting agent team mode in a new terminal.

TEAM Mode vs Sub-agents

Feature	Sub-agent (Agent Tool)	TEAM Mode
effortLevel inheritance	❌ Default	✅ Inherits main session
Model selection	Manual	Auto-inherits
Thinking depth	Standard	Follows main session
Task sharing	Independent	Shared task list
Inter-agent communication	None	Can message each other

Key advantage: When you set effortLevel = "high", teammates inherit the same deep thinking.

Use Cases

Best for sub-agents:

Simple parallel search tasks
Batch operations without deep thinking

Best for TEAM mode:

Complex multi-step tasks
Needs deep thinking and planning
Requires inter-agent coordination

Plugin Issues After Migration

Problem

After restoring backup, plugins show "enabled" but don't work:

settings.json has correct enabledPlugins
But runtime errors or features unavailable

Cause

Easy to miss plugins/cache/ directory during backup. Claude Code sees installation records, assumes plugins installed, doesn't download, but files are missing.

Solutions

Option 1: Reinstall plugins

claude plugin install context7@claude-plugins-official
claude plugin install superpowers@claude-plugins-official

Option 2: Full backup (recommended)

~/.claude/
├── settings.json          # Settings
├── history.jsonl          # History
├── projects/              # Sessions
├── skills/                # Custom skills
├── memory/                # Memory files
└── plugins/
    ├── installed_plugins.json  # Plugin records
    ├── known_marketplaces.json # Marketplace info
    └── cache/                  # ⚠️ Actual plugin files