Agent Patterns

Agent Patterns Orchestration Skill

This skill implements AI agent patterns and workflows from Anthropic's "Building Effective Agents" engineering guide. It uses modular resources to help you select, design, and implement the right patterns for your needs.

Quick Reference: Which Pattern Do I Need?

Pattern Category Index

Core Patterns (Deterministic Workflows)

When to use: Workflow fully predetermined upfront

Patterns:

1. Prompt Chaining - Sequential LLM calls with checkpoints
2. Routing - Classify and route to specialized handlers
3. Parallelization - Concurrent execution (sectioning or voting)

Resource: resources/core-patterns.md (350+ lines)

• Complete pattern descriptions and architectures
• When to use / when NOT to use
• Real-world examples
• Code skeletons for each pattern

Dynamic Orchestration Patterns (Unpredictable Workflows)

When to use: Workflow cannot be predetermined

Patterns:

1. Orchestrator-Workers - Central LLM decomposes, workers execute
2. Autonomous Agents - Open-ended exploration with tool usage

Resource: resources/dynamic-orchestration.md (400+ lines)

• Detailed pattern descriptions and requirements
• When to use each approach
• Critical requirements for agents
• Comprehensive implementation examples

Iterative Refinement

When to use: Output quality needs improvement through feedback

Pattern:

1. Evaluator-Optimizer - Generator + Evaluator feedback loop

Resource: resources/iterative-refinement.md (350+ lines)

• Pattern implementation strategies
• Evaluation criteria design
• Stopping conditions
• Cost and quality trade-offs

Advanced: Pattern Combinations

When to use: Combining multiple patterns for complex problems

Examples:

• Routing + Prompt Chaining (different routes, different chains)
• Orchestrator + Evaluator-Optimizer (decompose, then refine)
• Routing by Complexity (route to appropriate pattern)
• Parallel Orchestrators (multiple perspectives)

Resource: resources/pattern-combinations.md (400+ lines)

• 7 major combination patterns
• Decision framework and tree
• Cost-complexity trade-offs
• Testing strategies

Tool Design & Implementation

When to use: Designing tools for agent use

Topics:

• Poka-yoke (error-proofing) design
• Natural format selection
• Parameter design patterns
• Common pitfalls

Resource: resources/tool-design.md (560+ lines, comprehensive reference)

• Core principles and best practices
• Real-world insights from SWE-bench
• Language-specific considerations
• Testing tool interfaces

Language-Specific Implementation

When to use: Implementing patterns in your chosen language

Languages:

• TypeScript/JavaScript
• Python
• Rust
• C#/.NET
• Go
• Dart

Resource: resources/language-implementation.md (450+ lines)

• Full code examples for each language
• Language strengths and weaknesses
• Best practices and idioms
• Concurrency models

Orchestration Protocol

Phase 1: Identify Your Task

Ask yourself:

1. Is the workflow predetermined?

• YES → Use Core Patterns (Phase 2A)
• NO → Use Dynamic Patterns (Phase 2B)

2. Is output quality iteration important?

• YES → Consider adding Evaluator-Optimizer
• NO → Direct to execution

3. Are multiple patterns needed?

• YES → Review Pattern Combinations
• NO → Single pattern sufficient

Phase 2A: Select Core Pattern (Predetermined Workflow)

Decision: Sequential or Parallel?

Sequential (Fixed Steps in Sequence):

• Each step depends on previous → Prompt Chaining
• Example: outline → write → proofread

Classification (Input Categories Determine Handling):

• Input can be classified → Routing
• Example: customer service tickets (refund/technical/complaint)

Parallel (Independent Subtasks):

• Subtasks are independent → Parallelization (Sectioning)
• Example: evaluate code for security AND performance simultaneously

Parallel (Same Task Multiple Times):

• Need consensus/robustness → Parallelization (Voting)
• Example: security review by multiple specialists

→ Load resources/core-patterns.md for implementation

Phase 2B: Select Dynamic Pattern (Unpredictable Workflow)

Decision: Can you predict subtask count?

Predictable Subtasks:

• Know what needs doing, not how → Orchestrator-Workers
• Example: code review (need to analyze, generate, test, document)
• Example: research task (need search, analysis, synthesis)

Unpredictable Everything:

• Open-ended exploration → Autonomous Agents
• Example: solve GitHub issue (steps completely unpredictable)
• Example: computer use task (many decisions and directions possible)

→ Load resources/dynamic-orchestration.md for implementation

Phase 3: Consider Quality & Refinement

Add Evaluator-Optimizer if:

• Clear evaluation criteria exist
• Iteration improves quality
• First attempts often have fixable issues
• Quality matters more than speed

Patterns to combine with:

• Core patterns + Evaluator (refine outputs)
• Orchestrator + Evaluator (refine each component)
• Routing + Evaluator (route to different refinement strategies)

→ Load resources/iterative-refinement.md for implementation

Phase 4: Handle Complex Patterns

If combining multiple patterns:

• Follow decision framework in pattern-combinations.md
• Start simple; add complexity incrementally
• Monitor costs at each stage
• Test edge cases thoroughly

Phase 5: Implement in Your Language

Select language and load examples:

• Load resources/language-implementation.md
• Find your language section
• Adapt examples to your use case
• Reference tool-design.md for interface best practices

Pattern Selection Heuristics

By Problem Structure

Well-Defined, Fixed Workflow → Core Patterns

• Use Prompt Chaining or Routing
• Cost: 1-3x single call
• Risk: Low

Flexible Workflow, Known Decomposition → Orchestrator-Workers

• Central planner decomposes dynamically
• Cost: 3-10x single call
• Risk: Medium

Open-Ended Exploration → Autonomous Agents

• Agent decides step by step
• Cost: 10-100x single call
• Risk: High (requires sandboxing)

Quality Iteration Important → Evaluator-Optimizer

• Add to any pattern above
• Cost: Multiplicative by iterations
• Benefit: 5-15% quality improvement

Multiple Perspectives Valuable → Pattern Combinations

• Combine patterns strategically
• Cost: Depends on combination
• Benefit: Robustness and comprehensiveness

By Domain

Customer Service → Routing (+ Orchestrator-Workers for complex cases) Content Generation → Prompt Chaining (+ Evaluator-Optimizer) Code Changes → Orchestrator-Workers (decompose, parallelize) Research → Orchestrator-Workers (+ Evaluator-Optimizer) Problem Solving → Autonomous Agents (or Routing by Complexity) Design → Parallel Orchestrators (multiple perspectives)

Usage Workflows

Workflow 1: I Don't Know What Pattern to Use

1. Describe your problem or use case
2. I'll ask clarifying questions about:
   • Workflow predictability
   • Input variability
   • Quality/cost trade-offs
   • Complexity constraints
3. I'll recommend appropriate pattern(s)
4. You choose which resource to deep-dive into

Workflow 2: I Know the Pattern, Need Implementation

1. Tell me:
   • Specific pattern needed
   • Programming language
   • Any constraints or requirements
2. I'll generate:
   • Production-ready code
   • Error handling and best practices
   • Usage examples
   • Testing recommendations

Workflow 3: I Need to Combine Multiple Patterns

1. Describe your requirements
2. I'll consult pattern-combinations.md
3. Show you how to orchestrate the combination
4. Provide integrated implementation

Workflow 4: I Need Tool Interface Design

1. Describe your tool's purpose
2. I'll review against best practices in tool-design.md
3. Suggest improvements using poka-yoke principles
4. Provide refined tool schema

Resource Navigation Guide

Core Principles (All Patterns)

1. Start Simple – Use simplest pattern that meets requirements
2. Measure Complexity – Only add complexity if demonstrably beneficial
3. Tool Design First – Invest in tool quality more than prompt engineering
4. Transparency – Show planning and decisions to enable debugging
5. Test Rigorously – Especially important for agents in production

Validation Checklist

Before implementing your chosen pattern:

Design Phase:

• Workflow complexity justified by requirements
• Pattern selection makes sense for problem
• Cost implications understood and acceptable
• Success metrics defined

Implementation Phase:

• Error handling at each step
• Tool interfaces follow poka-yoke principles
• Stopping conditions defined (especially for agents)
• Monitoring and logging planned
• External/retrieved content delimited and treated as untrusted data (W011 prompt injection defence)
• System prompts explicitly instruct model not to follow directives in retrieved content

Testing Phase:

• Happy path tested thoroughly
• Edge cases identified and handled
• Cost tracking implemented
• Production readiness verified

Key Files Reference

Examples

Example 1: Customer Support System

Use Case: Support tickets routed to appropriate handlers

Solution:

1. Route by category (routing pattern)
2. Different handlers for each type:
   • General → FAQ lookup (prompt chaining)
   • Refunds → Policy check + response generation (prompt chaining)
   • Technical → Diagnosis → Solution search → Response (orchestrator-workers)

Resources to load:

1. Start: core-patterns.md (routing)
2. Then: pattern-combinations.md (routing + chaining combination)
3. Finally: language-implementation.md (your language)

Example 2: High-Quality Content Generation

Use Case: Marketing copy that meets strict quality criteria

Solution:

1. Generator creates content (simple LLM call)
2. Evaluator checks against criteria
3. If not passing: Generator refines based on feedback
4. Iterate until criteria met

Resources to load:

1. Start: iterative-refinement.md (evaluator-optimizer)
2. Then: language-implementation.md (your language)

Example 3: Complex Code Changes

Use Case: Handle multi-file code modifications

Solution:

1. Orchestrator analyzes requirements
2. Workers decompose into: analyze codebase → generate code → write tests → document
3. All workers run in parallel
4. Orchestrator synthesizes into coherent changeset
5. Evaluator validates functionality

Resources to load:

1. Start: dynamic-orchestration.md (orchestrator-workers)
2. Then: pattern-combinations.md (orchestrator + evaluation)
3. Then: tool-design.md (design tools for code modification)
4. Finally: language-implementation.md (your language)

Next Steps

1. Identify Your Task Type → Use Quick Reference table above
2. Load Appropriate Resource → Read focused guide (15-30 min)
3. Choose Implementation Language → Load language examples
4. Start with Simple Version → Add complexity only if needed
5. Iterate and Test → Measure quality and cost continuously

Version History

• 2.0 - Refactored to modular orchestration pattern with focused resource files
• 1.0 - Original monolithic skill with all patterns in one document