multi-agent-patterns

Coordinate multiple agents by implementing supervisor, swarm, or hierarchical patterns with explicit handoff protocols and context isolation to distribute complex tasks and overcome single-agent context limits.

Context isolation in multi-agent systems balances capability and isolation using full context delegation, instruction passing, and file-system coordination to manage information across specialized subsystems.

You need a hierarchical pattern for agent coordination when executing large-scale projects that require layered planning and execution, enabling structured task distribution across multiple specialized agents.

Set up a basic multi-agent workflow by creating a coordinator and 2–3 sub-agents with clear roles, wiring them with a communication channel, and running a small end-to-end workflow to validate routing and handoffs.

A supervisor pattern provides centralized control and synthesis of results, while a swarm pattern enables flexible, decentralized handoffs and exploration across multiple agents without a central orchestrator.

Multi-agent coordination handles task failures through robust failure handling protocols integrated within supervisor, swarm, or hierarchical patterns to ensure reliable execution across distributed agents.