Multi-Agent Orchestration
Decompose work into independent units, dispatch them to sub-agents in parallel, and reconcile the results. The orchestrator owns decomposition, the contract, and the merge — sub-agents own execution only.
When to use
Use when the task has genuinely independent subtasks (separate files/modules, parallel research threads, fan-out search) and the serial cost is real. The win comes from independence.
Do not use when subtasks share mutable state, must run in sequence, or the coordination overhead exceeds the work. One focused agent beats five stepping on each other.
Decompose
Split so each unit is:
- Independent — no shared mutable state; no unit depends on another's output mid-flight.
- Self-contained — the prompt carries all context (paths, constraints, definition of done). Sub-agents do not see the conversation.
- Verifiable — a clear, checkable deliverable.
If two units must touch the same file or one needs another's result, either merge them into one unit or sequence them — don't parallelize.
Dispatch
- Launch independent units in a single batch so they run concurrently; do not spawn one, await, repeat.
- Give each agent: objective, exact scope (in and out), inputs/paths, output format, done criteria.
- Match the agent to the job (read-only exploration vs. implementation vs. review).
- Cap concurrency at the real independence width — more agents than independent units just adds merge cost.
Roles (assign explicitly)
- Orchestrator — decomposes, dispatches, merges, resolves conflicts. Writes no feature code.
- Workers — execute one unit, report a structured result.
- Reviewer (optional) — independent agent checks merged output against the spec; never reviews its own work.
Merge
- Collect structured results; the worker's message is the only thing returned — relay what matters.
- Detect conflicts: overlapping edits, contradictory findings, drifted assumptions.
- Reconcile deliberately (orchestrator decides; re-dispatch a unit if a worker missed scope).
- Run an integration check on the combined result — units green individually can break together.
Anti-patterns
- "Parallel" agents editing the same file → race and lost work.
- Sequential dispatch (spawn, wait, spawn) labeled as parallel — no speedup.
- Vague sub-prompts assuming conversation context the agent can't see.
- Accepting merged output without an integration check.
- Spawning N agents for 2 independent units.
Done when
Every unit's deliverable meets its criteria, conflicts are resolved, and the integrated result passes an end-to-end check against the original objective.
1---2name: multi-agent-orchestration3description: Split a large task across parallel sub-agents with clean role boundaries and a merge step. Use when the user asks to "parallelize", "use multiple agents", "fan out", or when a task has independent workstreams that bottleneck on one agent.4---56# Multi-Agent Orchestration78Decompose work into independent units, dispatch them to sub-agents in parallel, and reconcile the results. The orchestrator owns decomposition, the contract, and the merge — sub-agents own execution only.910## When to use1112Use when the task has **genuinely independent** subtasks (separate files/modules, parallel research threads, fan-out search) and the serial cost is real. The win comes from independence.1314Do **not** use when subtasks share mutable state, must run in sequence, or the coordination overhead exceeds the work. One focused agent beats five stepping on each other.1516## Decompose1718Split so each unit is:1920- **Independent** — no shared mutable state; no unit depends on another's output mid-flight.21- **Self-contained** — the prompt carries all context (paths, constraints, definition of done). Sub-agents do not see the conversation.22- **Verifiable** — a clear, checkable deliverable.2324If two units must touch the same file or one needs another's result, either merge them into one unit or sequence them — don't parallelize.2526## Dispatch2728- Launch independent units in a **single batch** so they run concurrently; do not spawn one, await, repeat.29- Give each agent: objective, exact scope (in *and* out), inputs/paths, output format, done criteria.30- Match the agent to the job (read-only exploration vs. implementation vs. review).31- Cap concurrency at the real independence width — more agents than independent units just adds merge cost.3233## Roles (assign explicitly)3435- **Orchestrator** — decomposes, dispatches, merges, resolves conflicts. Writes no feature code.36- **Workers** — execute one unit, report a structured result.37- **Reviewer** (optional) — independent agent checks merged output against the spec; never reviews its own work.3839## Merge40411. Collect structured results; the worker's message is the only thing returned — relay what matters.422. Detect conflicts: overlapping edits, contradictory findings, drifted assumptions.433. Reconcile deliberately (orchestrator decides; re-dispatch a unit if a worker missed scope).444. Run an integration check on the combined result — units green individually can break together.4546## Anti-patterns4748- "Parallel" agents editing the same file → race and lost work.49- Sequential dispatch (spawn, wait, spawn) labeled as parallel — no speedup.50- Vague sub-prompts assuming conversation context the agent can't see.51- Accepting merged output without an integration check.52- Spawning N agents for 2 independent units.5354## Done when5556Every unit's deliverable meets its criteria, conflicts are resolved, and the integrated result passes an end-to-end check against the original objective.
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