Claude Code Swarm Orchestration

Claude Code Swarm Orchestration

Master multi-agent orchestration using Claude Code's TeammateTool and Task system.

Primitives

How They Connect

flowchart TB
    subgraph TEAM[TEAM]
        Leader[Leader - you]
        T1[Teammate 1]
        T2[Teammate 2]

        Leader <-->|messages via inbox| T1
        Leader <-->|messages via inbox| T2
        T1 <-.->|can message| T2
    end

    subgraph TASKS[TASK LIST]
        Task1["#1 completed: Research<br/>owner: teammate1"]
        Task2["#2 in_progress: Implement<br/>owner: teammate2"]
        Task3["#3 pending: Test<br/>blocked by #2"]
    end

    T1 --> Task1
    T2 --> Task2
    Task2 -.->|unblocks| Task3

Lifecycle

flowchart LR
    A[1. Create Team] --> B[2. Create Tasks]
    B --> C[3. Spawn Teammates]
    C --> D[4. Work]
    D --> E[5. Coordinate]
    E --> F[6. Shutdown]
    F --> G[7. Cleanup]

Message Flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant L as Leader
    participant T1 as Teammate 1
    participant T2 as Teammate 2
    participant Tasks as Task List

    L->>Tasks: TaskCreate (3 tasks)
    L->>T1: spawn with prompt
    L->>T2: spawn with prompt

    T1->>Tasks: claim task #1
    T2->>Tasks: claim task #2

    T1->>Tasks: complete #1
    T1->>L: send findings (inbox)

    Note over Tasks: #3 auto-unblocks

    T2->>Tasks: complete #2
    T2->>L: send findings (inbox)

    L->>T1: requestShutdown
    T1->>L: approveShutdown
    L->>T2: requestShutdown
    T2->>L: approveShutdown

    L->>L: cleanup

Table of Contents

1. Core Architecture
2. Two Ways to Spawn Agents
3. Built-in Agent Types
4. Plugin Agent Types
5. TeammateTool Operations
6. Task System Integration
7. Message Formats
8. Orchestration Patterns
9. Environment Variables
10. Spawn Backends
11. Error Handling
12. Complete Workflows

Core Architecture

How Swarms Work

A swarm consists of:

• Leader (you) - Creates team, spawns workers, coordinates work
• Teammates (spawned agents) - Execute tasks, report back
• Task List - Shared work queue with dependencies
• Inboxes - JSON files for inter-agent messaging

File Structure

~/.claude/teams/{team-name}/
├── config.json              # Team metadata and member list
└── inboxes/
    ├── team-lead.json       # Leader's inbox
    ├── worker-1.json        # Worker 1's inbox
    └── worker-2.json        # Worker 2's inbox

~/.claude/tasks/{team-name}/
├── 1.json                   # Task #1
├── 2.json                   # Task #2
└── 3.json                   # Task #3

Team Config Structure

{
  "name": "my-project",
  "description": "Working on feature X",
  "leadAgentId": "team-lead@my-project",
  "createdAt": 1706000000000,
  "members": [
    {
      "agentId": "team-lead@my-project",
      "name": "team-lead",
      "agentType": "team-lead",
      "color": "#4A90D9",
      "joinedAt": 1706000000000,
      "backendType": "in-process"
    },
    {
      "agentId": "worker-1@my-project",
      "name": "worker-1",
      "agentType": "Explore",
      "model": "haiku",
      "prompt": "Analyze the codebase structure...",
      "color": "#D94A4A",
      "planModeRequired": false,
      "joinedAt": 1706000001000,
      "tmuxPaneId": "in-process",
      "cwd": "/Users/me/project",
      "backendType": "in-process"
    }
  ]
}

Two Ways to Spawn Agents

Method 1: Task Tool (Subagents)

Use Task for short-lived, focused work that returns a result:

Task({
  subagent_type: "Explore",
  description: "Find auth files",
  prompt: "Find all authentication-related files in this codebase",
  model: "haiku"  // Optional: haiku, sonnet, opus
})

Characteristics:

• Runs synchronously (blocks until complete) or async with run_in_background: true
• Returns result directly to you
• No team membership required
• Best for: searches, analysis, focused research

Method 2: Task Tool + team_name + name (Teammates)

Use Task with team_name and name to spawn persistent teammates:

// First create a team
Teammate({ operation: "spawnTeam", team_name: "my-project" })

// Then spawn a teammate into that team
Task({
  team_name: "my-project",        // Required: which team to join
  name: "security-reviewer",      // Required: teammate's name
  subagent_type: "security-sentinel",
  prompt: "Review all authentication code for vulnerabilities. Send findings to team-lead via Teammate write.",
  run_in_background: true         // Teammates usually run in background
})

Characteristics:

• Joins team, appears in config.json
• Communicates via inbox messages
• Can claim tasks from shared task list
• Persists until shutdown
• Best for: parallel work, ongoing collaboration, pipeline stages

Key Difference

Built-in Agent Types

These are always available without plugins:

Bash

Task({
  subagent_type: "Bash",
  description: "Run git commands",
  prompt: "Check git status and show recent commits"
})

• Tools: Bash only
• Model: Inherits from parent
• Best for: Git operations, command execution, system tasks

Explore

Task({
  subagent_type: "Explore",
  description: "Find API endpoints",
  prompt: "Find all API endpoints in this codebase. Be very thorough.",
  model: "haiku"  // Fast and cheap
})

• Tools: All read-only tools (no Edit, Write, NotebookEdit, Task)
• Model: Haiku (optimized for speed)
• Best for: Codebase exploration, file searches, code understanding
• Thoroughness levels: "quick", "medium", "very thorough"

Plan

Task({
  subagent_type: "Plan",
  description: "Design auth system",
  prompt: "Create an implementation plan for adding OAuth2 authentication"
})

• Tools: All read-only tools
• Model: Inherits from parent
• Best for: Architecture planning, implementation strategies

general-purpose

Task({
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  description: "Research and implement",
  prompt: "Research React Query best practices and implement caching for the user API"
})

• Tools: All tools (*)
• Model: Inherits from parent
• Best for: Multi-step tasks, research + action combinations

claude-code-guide

Task({
  subagent_type: "claude-code-guide",
  description: "Help with Claude Code",
  prompt: "How do I configure MCP servers?"
})

• Tools: Read-only + WebFetch + WebSearch
• Best for: Questions about Claude Code, Agent SDK, Anthropic API

statusline-setup

Task({
  subagent_type: "statusline-setup",
  description: "Configure status line",
  prompt: "Set up a status line showing git branch and node version"
})

• Tools: Read, Edit only
• Model: Sonnet
• Best for: Configuring Claude Code status line

Plugin Agent Types

From the compound-engineering plugin (examples):

Review Agents

// Security review
Task({
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:review:security-sentinel",
  description: "Security audit",
  prompt: "Audit this PR for security vulnerabilities"
})

// Performance review
Task({
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:review:performance-oracle",
  description: "Performance check",
  prompt: "Analyze this code for performance bottlenecks"
})

// Rails code review
Task({
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:review:kieran-rails-reviewer",
  description: "Rails review",
  prompt: "Review this Rails code for best practices"
})

// Architecture review
Task({
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:review:architecture-strategist",
  description: "Architecture review",
  prompt: "Review the system architecture of the authentication module"
})

// Code simplicity
Task({
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:review:code-simplicity-reviewer",
  description: "Simplicity check",
  prompt: "Check if this implementation can be simplified"
})

All review agents from compound-engineering:

• agent-native-reviewer - Ensures features work for agents too
• architecture-strategist - Architectural compliance
• code-simplicity-reviewer - YAGNI and minimalism
• data-integrity-guardian - Database and data safety
• data-migration-expert - Migration validation
• deployment-verification-agent - Pre-deploy checklists
• dhh-rails-reviewer - DHH/37signals Rails style
• julik-frontend-races-reviewer - JavaScript race conditions
• kieran-python-reviewer - Python best practices
• kieran-rails-reviewer - Rails best practices
• kieran-typescript-reviewer - TypeScript best practices
• pattern-recognition-specialist - Design patterns and anti-patterns
• performance-oracle - Performance analysis
• security-sentinel - Security vulnerabilities

Research Agents

// Best practices research
Task({
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:research:best-practices-researcher",
  description: "Research auth best practices",
  prompt: "Research current best practices for JWT authentication in Rails 2024-2026"
})

// Framework documentation
Task({
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:research:framework-docs-researcher",
  description: "Research Active Storage",
  prompt: "Gather comprehensive documentation about Active Storage file uploads"
})

// Git history analysis
Task({
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:research:git-history-analyzer",
  description: "Analyze auth history",
  prompt: "Analyze the git history of the authentication module to understand its evolution"
})

All research agents:

• best-practices-researcher - External best practices
• framework-docs-researcher - Framework documentation
• git-history-analyzer - Code archaeology
• learnings-researcher - Search docs/solutions/
• repo-research-analyst - Repository patterns

Design Agents

Task({
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:design:figma-design-sync",
  description: "Sync with Figma",
  prompt: "Compare implementation with Figma design at [URL]"
})

Workflow Agents

Task({
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:workflow:bug-reproduction-validator",
  description: "Validate bug",
  prompt: "Reproduce and validate this reported bug: [description]"
})

TeammateTool Operations

1. spawnTeam - Create a Team

Teammate({
  operation: "spawnTeam",
  team_name: "feature-auth",
  description: "Implementing OAuth2 authentication"
})

Creates:

• ~/.claude/teams/feature-auth/config.json
• ~/.claude/tasks/feature-auth/ directory
• You become the team leader

2. discoverTeams - List Available Teams

Teammate({ operation: "discoverTeams" })

Returns: List of teams you can join (not already a member of)

3. requestJoin - Request to Join Team

Teammate({
  operation: "requestJoin",
  team_name: "feature-auth",
  proposed_name: "helper",
  capabilities: "I can help with code review and testing"
})

4. approveJoin - Accept Join Request (Leader Only)

When you receive a join_request message:

{"type": "join_request", "proposedName": "helper", "requestId": "join-123", ...}

Approve it:

Teammate({
  operation: "approveJoin",
  target_agent_id: "helper",
  request_id: "join-123"
})

5. rejectJoin - Decline Join Request (Leader Only)

Teammate({
  operation: "rejectJoin",
  target_agent_id: "helper",
  request_id: "join-123",
  reason: "Team is at capacity"
})

6. write - Message One Teammate

Teammate({
  operation: "write",
  target_agent_id: "security-reviewer",
  value: "Please prioritize the authentication module. The deadline is tomorrow."
})

Important for teammates: Your text output is NOT visible to the team. You MUST use write to communicate.

7. broadcast - Message ALL Teammates

Teammate({
  operation: "broadcast",
  name: "team-lead",  // Your name
  value: "Status check: Please report your progress"
})

WARNING: Broadcasting is expensive - sends N separate messages for N teammates. Prefer write to specific teammates.

When to broadcast:

• Critical issues requiring immediate attention
• Major announcements affecting everyone

When NOT to broadcast:

• Responding to one teammate
• Normal back-and-forth
• Information relevant to only some teammates

8. requestShutdown - Ask Teammate to Exit (Leader Only)

Teammate({
  operation: "requestShutdown",
  target_agent_id: "security-reviewer",
  reason: "All tasks complete, wrapping up"
})

9. approveShutdown - Accept Shutdown (Teammate Only)

When you receive a shutdown_request message:

{"type": "shutdown_request", "requestId": "shutdown-123", "from": "team-lead", "reason": "Done"}

MUST call:

Teammate({
  operation: "approveShutdown",
  request_id: "shutdown-123"
})

This sends confirmation and terminates your process.

10. rejectShutdown - Decline Shutdown (Teammate Only)

Teammate({
  operation: "rejectShutdown",
  request_id: "shutdown-123",
  reason: "Still working on task #3, need 5 more minutes"
})

11. approvePlan - Approve Teammate's Plan (Leader Only)

When teammate with plan_mode_required sends a plan:

{"type": "plan_approval_request", "from": "architect", "requestId": "plan-456", ...}

Approve:

Teammate({
  operation: "approvePlan",
  target_agent_id: "architect",
  request_id: "plan-456"
})

12. rejectPlan - Reject Plan with Feedback (Leader Only)

Teammate({
  operation: "rejectPlan",
  target_agent_id: "architect",
  request_id: "plan-456",
  feedback: "Please add error handling for the API calls and consider rate limiting"
})

13. cleanup - Remove Team Resources

Teammate({ operation: "cleanup" })

Removes:

• ~/.claude/teams/{team-name}/ directory
• ~/.claude/tasks/{team-name}/ directory

IMPORTANT: Will fail if teammates are still active. Use requestShutdown first.

Task System Integration

TaskCreate - Create Work Items

TaskCreate({
  subject: "Review authentication module",
  description: "Review all files in app/services/auth/ for security vulnerabilities",
  activeForm: "Reviewing auth module..."  // Shown in spinner when in_progress
})

TaskList - See All Tasks

TaskList()

Returns:

#1 [completed] Analyze codebase structure
#2 [in_progress] Review authentication module (owner: security-reviewer)
#3 [pending] Generate summary report [blocked by #2]

TaskGet - Get Task Details

TaskGet({ taskId: "2" })

Returns full task with description, status, blockedBy, etc.

TaskUpdate - Update Task Status

// Claim a task
TaskUpdate({ taskId: "2", owner: "security-reviewer" })

// Start working
TaskUpdate({ taskId: "2", status: "in_progress" })

// Mark complete
TaskUpdate({ taskId: "2", status: "completed" })

// Set up dependencies
TaskUpdate({ taskId: "3", addBlockedBy: ["1", "2"] })

Task Dependencies

When a blocking task is completed, blocked tasks are automatically unblocked:

// Create pipeline
TaskCreate({ subject: "Step 1: Research" })        // #1
TaskCreate({ subject: "Step 2: Implement" })       // #2
TaskCreate({ subject: "Step 3: Test" })            // #3
TaskCreate({ subject: "Step 4: Deploy" })          // #4

// Set up dependencies
TaskUpdate({ taskId: "2", addBlockedBy: ["1"] })   // #2 waits for #1
TaskUpdate({ taskId: "3", addBlockedBy: ["2"] })   // #3 waits for #2
TaskUpdate({ taskId: "4", addBlockedBy: ["3"] })   // #4 waits for #3

// When #1 completes, #2 auto-unblocks
// When #2 completes, #3 auto-unblocks
// etc.

Task File Structure

~/.claude/tasks/{team-name}/1.json:

{
  "id": "1",
  "subject": "Review authentication module",
  "description": "Review all files in app/services/auth/...",
  "status": "in_progress",
  "owner": "security-reviewer",
  "activeForm": "Reviewing auth module...",
  "blockedBy": [],
  "blocks": ["3"],
  "createdAt": 1706000000000,
  "updatedAt": 1706000001000
}

Message Formats

Regular Message

{
  "from": "team-lead",
  "text": "Please prioritize the auth module",
  "timestamp": "2026-01-25T23:38:32.588Z",
  "read": false
}

Structured Messages (JSON in text field)

Shutdown Request

{
  "type": "shutdown_request",
  "requestId": "shutdown-abc123@worker-1",
  "from": "team-lead",
  "reason": "All tasks complete",
  "timestamp": "2026-01-25T23:38:32.588Z"
}

Shutdown Approved

{
  "type": "shutdown_approved",
  "requestId": "shutdown-abc123@worker-1",
  "from": "worker-1",
  "paneId": "%5",
  "backendType": "in-process",
  "timestamp": "2026-01-25T23:39:00.000Z"
}

Idle Notification (auto-sent when teammate stops)

{
  "type": "idle_notification",
  "from": "worker-1",
  "timestamp": "2026-01-25T23:40:00.000Z",
  "completedTaskId": "2",
  "completedStatus": "completed"
}

Task Completed

{
  "type": "task_completed",
  "from": "worker-1",
  "taskId": "2",
  "taskSubject": "Review authentication module",
  "timestamp": "2026-01-25T23:40:00.000Z"
}

Plan Approval Request

{
  "type": "plan_approval_request",
  "from": "architect",
  "requestId": "plan-xyz789",
  "planContent": "# Implementation Plan\n\n1. ...",
  "timestamp": "2026-01-25T23:41:00.000Z"
}

Join Request

{
  "type": "join_request",
  "proposedName": "helper",
  "requestId": "join-abc123",
  "capabilities": "Code review and testing",
  "timestamp": "2026-01-25T23:42:00.000Z"
}

Permission Request (for sandbox/tool permissions)

{
  "type": "permission_request",
  "requestId": "perm-123",
  "workerId": "worker-1@my-project",
  "workerName": "worker-1",
  "workerColor": "#4A90D9",
  "toolName": "Bash",
  "toolUseId": "toolu_abc123",
  "description": "Run npm install",
  "input": {"command": "npm install"},
  "permissionSuggestions": ["Bash(npm *)"],
  "createdAt": 1706000000000
}

Orchestration Patterns

Pattern 1: Parallel Specialists (Leader Pattern)

Multiple specialists review code simultaneously:

// 1. Create team
Teammate({ operation: "spawnTeam", team_name: "code-review" })

// 2. Spawn specialists in parallel (single message, multiple Task calls)
Task({
  team_name: "code-review",
  name: "security",
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:review:security-sentinel",
  prompt: "Review the PR for security vulnerabilities. Focus on: SQL injection, XSS, auth bypass. Send findings to team-lead.",
  run_in_background: true
})

Task({
  team_name: "code-review",
  name: "performance",
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:review:performance-oracle",
  prompt: "Review the PR for performance issues. Focus on: N+1 queries, memory leaks, slow algorithms. Send findings to team-lead.",
  run_in_background: true
})

Task({
  team_name: "code-review",
  name: "simplicity",
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:review:code-simplicity-reviewer",
  prompt: "Review the PR for unnecessary complexity. Focus on: over-engineering, premature abstraction, YAGNI violations. Send findings to team-lead.",
  run_in_background: true
})

// 3. Wait for results (check inbox)
// cat ~/.claude/teams/code-review/inboxes/team-lead.json

// 4. Synthesize findings and cleanup
Teammate({ operation: "requestShutdown", target_agent_id: "security" })
Teammate({ operation: "requestShutdown", target_agent_id: "performance" })
Teammate({ operation: "requestShutdown", target_agent_id: "simplicity" })
// Wait for approvals...
Teammate({ operation: "cleanup" })

Pattern 2: Pipeline (Sequential Dependencies)

Each stage depends on the previous:

// 1. Create team and task pipeline
Teammate({ operation: "spawnTeam", team_name: "feature-pipeline" })

TaskCreate({ subject: "Research", description: "Research best practices for the feature", activeForm: "Researching..." })
TaskCreate({ subject: "Plan", description: "Create implementation plan based on research", activeForm: "Planning..." })
TaskCreate({ subject: "Implement", description: "Implement the feature according to plan", activeForm: "Implementing..." })
TaskCreate({ subject: "Test", description: "Write and run tests for the implementation", activeForm: "Testing..." })
TaskCreate({ subject: "Review", description: "Final code review before merge", activeForm: "Reviewing..." })

// Set up sequential dependencies
TaskUpdate({ taskId: "2", addBlockedBy: ["1"] })
TaskUpdate({ taskId: "3", addBlockedBy: ["2"] })
TaskUpdate({ taskId: "4", addBlockedBy: ["3"] })
TaskUpdate({ taskId: "5", addBlockedBy: ["4"] })

// 2. Spawn workers that claim and complete tasks
Task({
  team_name: "feature-pipeline",
  name: "researcher",
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:research:best-practices-researcher",
  prompt: "Claim task #1, research best practices, complete it, send findings to team-lead. Then check for more work.",
  run_in_background: true
})

Task({
  team_name: "feature-pipeline",
  name: "implementer",
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  prompt: "Poll TaskList every 30 seconds. When task #3 unblocks, claim it and implement. Then complete and notify team-lead.",
  run_in_background: true
})

// Tasks auto-unblock as dependencies complete

Pattern 3: Swarm (Self-Organizing)

Workers grab available tasks from a pool:

// 1. Create team and task pool
Teammate({ operation: "spawnTeam", team_name: "file-review-swarm" })

// Create many independent tasks (no dependencies)
for (const file of ["auth.rb", "user.rb", "api_controller.rb", "payment.rb"]) {
  TaskCreate({
    subject: `Review ${file}`,
    description: `Review ${file} for security and code quality issues`,
    activeForm: `Reviewing ${file}...`
  })
}

// 2. Spawn worker swarm
Task({
  team_name: "file-review-swarm",
  name: "worker-1",
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  prompt: `
    You are a swarm worker. Your job:
    1. Call TaskList to see available tasks
    2. Find a task with status 'pending' and no owner
    3. Claim it with TaskUpdate (set owner to your name)
    4. Do the work
    5. Mark it completed with TaskUpdate
    6. Send findings to team-lead via Teammate write
    7. Repeat until no tasks remain
  `,
  run_in_background: true
})

Task({
  team_name: "file-review-swarm",
  name: "worker-2",
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  prompt: `[Same prompt as worker-1]`,
  run_in_background: true
})

Task({
  team_name: "file-review-swarm",
  name: "worker-3",
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  prompt: `[Same prompt as worker-1]`,
  run_in_background: true
})

// Workers race to claim tasks, naturally load-balance

Pattern 4: Research + Implementation

Research first, then implement:

// 1. Research phase (synchronous, returns results)
const research = await Task({
  subagent_type: "compound-engineering:research:best-practices-researcher",
  description: "Research caching patterns",
  prompt: "Research best practices for implementing caching in Rails APIs. Include: cache invalidation strategies, Redis vs Memcached, cache key design."
})

// 2. Use research to guide implementation
Task({
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  description: "Implement caching",
  prompt: `
    Implement API caching based on this research:

    ${research.content}

    Focus on the user_controller.rb endpoints.
  `
})

Pattern 5: Plan Approval Workflow

Require plan approval before implementation:

// 1. Create team
Teammate({ operation: "spawnTeam", team_name: "careful-work" })

// 2. Spawn architect with plan_mode_required
Task({
  team_name: "careful-work",
  name: "architect",
  subagent_type: "Plan",
  prompt: "Design an implementation plan for adding OAuth2 authentication",
  mode: "plan",  // Requires plan approval
  run_in_background: true
})

// 3. Wait for plan approval request
// You'll receive: {"type": "plan_approval_request", "from": "architect", "requestId": "plan-xxx", ...}

// 4. Review and approve/reject
Teammate({
  operation: "approvePlan",
  target_agent_id: "architect",
  request_id: "plan-xxx"
})
// OR
Teammate({
  operation: "rejectPlan",
  target_agent_id: "architect",
  request_id: "plan-xxx",
  feedback: "Please add rate limiting considerations"
})

Pattern 6: Coordinated Multi-File Refactoring

// 1. Create team for coordinated refactoring
Teammate({ operation: "spawnTeam", team_name: "refactor-auth" })

// 2. Create tasks with clear file boundaries
TaskCreate({
  subject: "Refactor User model",
  description: "Extract authentication methods to AuthenticatableUser concern",
  activeForm: "Refactoring User model..."
})

TaskCreate({
  subject: "Refactor Session controller",
  description: "Update to use new AuthenticatableUser concern",
  activeForm: "Refactoring Sessions..."
})

TaskCreate({
  subject: "Update specs",
  description: "Update all authentication specs for new structure",
  activeForm: "Updating specs..."
})

// Dependencies: specs depend on both refactors completing
TaskUpdate({ taskId: "3", addBlockedBy: ["1", "2"] })

// 3. Spawn workers for each task
Task({
  team_name: "refactor-auth",
  name: "model-worker",
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  prompt: "Claim task #1, refactor the User model, complete when done",
  run_in_background: true
})

Task({
  team_name: "refactor-auth",
  name: "controller-worker",
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  prompt: "Claim task #2, refactor the Session controller, complete when done",
  run_in_background: true
})

Task({
  team_name: "refactor-auth",
  name: "spec-worker",
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  prompt: "Wait for task #3 to unblock (when #1 and #2 complete), then update specs",
  run_in_background: true
})

Environment Variables

Spawned teammates automatically receive these:

CLAUDE_CODE_TEAM_NAME="my-project"
CLAUDE_CODE_AGENT_ID="worker-1@my-project"
CLAUDE_CODE_AGENT_NAME="worker-1"
CLAUDE_CODE_AGENT_TYPE="Explore"
CLAUDE_CODE_AGENT_COLOR="#4A90D9"
CLAUDE_CODE_PLAN_MODE_REQUIRED="false"
CLAUDE_CODE_PARENT_SESSION_ID="session-xyz"

Using in prompts:

Task({
  team_name: "my-project",
  name: "worker",
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  prompt: "Your name is $CLAUDE_CODE_AGENT_NAME. Use it when sending messages to team-lead."
})

Spawn Backends

A backend determines how teammate Claude instances actually run. Claude Code supports three backends, and auto-detects the best one based on your environment.

Backend Comparison

Auto-Detection Logic

Claude Code automatically selects a backend using this decision tree:

flowchart TD
    A[Start] --> B{Running inside tmux?}
    B -->|Yes| C[Use tmux backend]
    B -->|No| D{Running in iTerm2?}
    D -->|No| E{tmux available?}
    E -->|Yes| F[Use tmux - external session]
    E -->|No| G[Use in-process]
    D -->|Yes| H{it2 CLI installed?}
    H -->|Yes| I[Use iterm2 backend]
    H -->|No| J{tmux available?}
    J -->|Yes| K[Use tmux - prompt to install it2]
    J -->|No| L[Error: Install tmux or it2]

Detection checks:

1. $TMUX environment variable → inside tmux
2. $TERM_PROGRAM === "iTerm.app" or $ITERM_SESSION_ID → in iTerm2
3. which tmux → tmux available
4. which it2 → it2 CLI installed

in-process (Default for non-tmux)

Teammates run as async tasks within the same Node.js process.

How it works:

• No new process spawned
• Teammates share the same Node.js event loop
• Communication via in-memory queues (fast)
• You don't see teammate output directly

When it's used:

• Not running inside tmux session
• Non-interactive mode (CI, scripts)
• Explicitly set via CLAUDE_CODE_SPAWN_BACKEND=in-process

Characteristics:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Node.js Process               │
│  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐ │
│  │ Leader  │  │Worker 1 │  │Worker 2 │ │
│  │ (main)  │  │ (async) │  │ (async) │ │
│  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Pros:

• Fastest startup (no process spawn)
• Lowest overhead
• Works everywhere

Cons:

• Can't see teammate output in real-time
• All die if leader dies
• Harder to debug

// in-process is automatic when not in tmux
Task({
  team_name: "my-project",
  name: "worker",
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  prompt: "...",
  run_in_background: true
})

// Force in-process explicitly
// export CLAUDE_CODE_SPAWN_BACKEND=in-process

tmux

Teammates run as separate Claude instances in tmux panes/windows.

How it works:

• Each teammate gets its own tmux pane
• Separate process per teammate
• You can switch panes to see teammate output
• Communication via inbox files

When it's used:

• Running inside a tmux session ($TMUX is set)
• tmux available and not in iTerm2
• Explicitly set via CLAUDE_CODE_SPAWN_BACKEND=tmux

Layout modes:

1. Inside tmux (native): Splits your current window

┌─────────────────┬─────────────────┐
│                 │    Worker 1     │
│     Leader      ├─────────────────┤
│   (your pane)   │    Worker 2     │
│                 ├─────────────────┤
│                 │    Worker 3     │
└─────────────────┴─────────────────┘

2. Outside tmux (external session): Creates a new tmux session called claude-swarm

# Your terminal stays as-is
# Workers run in separate tmux session

# View workers:
tmux attach -t claude-swarm

Pros:

• See teammate output in real-time
• Teammates survive leader exit
• Can attach/detach sessions
• Works in CI/headless environments

Cons:

• Slower startup (process spawn)
• Requires tmux installed
• More resource usage

# Start tmux session first
tmux new-session -s claude

# Or force tmux backend
export CLAUDE_CODE_SPAWN_BACKEND=tmux

Useful tmux commands:

# List all panes in current window
tmux list-panes

# Switch to pane by number
tmux select-pane -t 1

# Kill a specific pane
tmux kill-pane -t %5

# View swarm session (if external)
tmux attach -t claude-swarm

# Rebalance pane layout
tmux select-layout tiled

iterm2 (macOS only)

Teammates run as split panes within your iTerm2 window.

How it works:

• Uses iTerm2's Python API via it2 CLI
• Splits your current window into panes
• Each teammate visible side-by-side
• Communication via inbox files

When it's used:

• Running in iTerm2 ($TERM_PROGRAM === "iTerm.app")
• it2 CLI is installed and working
• Python API enabled in iTerm2 preferences

Layout:

┌─────────────────┬─────────────────┐
│                 │    Worker 1     │
│     Leader      ├─────────────────┤
│   (your pane)   │    Worker 2     │
│                 ├─────────────────┤
│                 │    Worker 3     │
└─────────────────┴─────────────────┘

Pros:

• Visual debugging - see all teammates
• Native macOS experience
• No tmux needed
• Automatic pane management

Cons:

• macOS + iTerm2 only
• Requires setup (it2 CLI + Python API)
• Panes die with window

Setup:

# 1. Install it2 CLI
uv tool install it2
# OR
pipx install it2
# OR
pip install --user it2

# 2. Enable Python API in iTerm2
# iTerm2 → Settings → General → Magic → Enable Python API

# 3. Restart iTerm2

# 4. Verify
it2 --version
it2 session list

If setup fails: Claude Code will prompt you to set up it2 when you first spawn a teammate. You can choose to:

1. Install it2 now (guided setup)
2. Use tmux instead
3. Cancel

Forcing a Backend

# Force in-process (fastest, no visibility)
export CLAUDE_CODE_SPAWN_BACKEND=in-process

# Force tmux (visible panes, persistent)
export CLAUDE_CODE_SPAWN_BACKEND=tmux

# Auto-detect (default)
unset CLAUDE_CODE_SPAWN_BACKEND

Backend in Team Config

The backend type is recorded per-teammate in config.json:

{
  "members": [
    {
      "name": "worker-1",
      "backendType": "in-process",
      "tmuxPaneId": "in-process"
    },
    {
      "name": "worker-2",
      "backendType": "tmux",
      "tmuxPaneId": "%5"
    }
  ]
}

Troubleshooting Backends

Checking Current Backend

# See what backend was detected
cat ~/.claude/teams/{team}/config.json | jq '.members[].backendType'

# Check if inside tmux
echo $TMUX

# Check if in iTerm2
echo $TERM_PROGRAM

# Check tmux availability
which tmux

# Check it2 availability
which it2

Error Handling

Common Errors

Graceful Shutdown Sequence

Always follow this sequence:

// 1. Request shutdown for all teammates
Teammate({ operation: "requestShutdown", target_agent_id: "worker-1" })
Teammate({ operation: "requestShutdown", target_agent_id: "worker-2" })

// 2. Wait for shutdown approvals
// Check for {"type": "shutdown_approved", ...} messages

// 3. Verify no active members
// Read ~/.claude/teams/{team}/config.json

// 4. Only then cleanup
Teammate({ operation: "cleanup" })

Handling Crashed Teammates

Teammates have a 5-minute heartbeat timeout. If a teammate crashes:

1. They'll be automatically marked as inactive after timeout
2. Their tasks remain in the task list
3. Another teammate can claim their tasks
4. Cleanup will work after timeout expires

Debugging

# Check team config
cat ~/.claude/teams/{team}/config.json | jq '.members[] | {name, agentType, backendType}'

# Check teammate inboxes
cat ~/.claude/teams/{team}/inboxes/{agent}.json | jq '.'

# List all teams
ls ~/.claude/teams/

# Check task states
cat ~/.claude/tasks/{team}/*.json | jq '{id, subject, status, owner, blockedBy}'

# Watch for new messages
tail -f ~/.claude/teams/{team}/inboxes/team-lead.json

Complete Workflows

Workflow 1: Full Code Review with Parallel Specialists

// === STEP 1: Setup ===
Teammate({ operation: "spawnTeam", team_name: "pr-review-123", description: "Reviewing PR #123" })

// === STEP 2: Spawn reviewers in parallel ===
// (Send all these in a single message for parallel execution)
Task({
  team_name: "pr-review-123",
  name: "s

…(truncated)