hierarchical-coordinator

To prevent goal drift in multi-agent workflows, use a coordinator agent that validates outputs against original objectives at checkpoints. This ensures agents stay focused on requirements throughout long-running tasks.

Checkpoint validation for orchestrating multiple agents is a phase-gate enforcement mechanism where a coordinator reviews task artifacts and shared-state outputs to ensure alignment with initial requirements before proceeding.

You need a hierarchical coordinator when orchestrating 3 or more agents for multi-phase features or complex implementations where individual agents may lose sight of original requirements during long-running tasks.

Manage shared-state across multiple agents by using task artifacts to track progress and enforce phase-gates. A coordinator agent validates these artifacts at checkpoints to detect and correct any output drift.

Multi-agent orchestration can work without phase-gate enforcement, but long-running workflows risk goal drift. Without checkpoint validation, agents may deviate from the original user intent and produce misaligned outputs.