multi-agent-patterns

Multi-agent coordination uses explicit handoff protocols and context isolation techniques like full-context delegation or instruction passing. This ensures specialist agents receive exactly the context needed to continue execution seamlessly across distributed workflows.

The supervisor pattern is a multi-agent architecture where a central orchestrator routes subtasks to specialized agents and synthesizes their outputs. It provides centralized control for task delegation, making it easier to manage complex workflows and aggregate distributed reasoning results.

Swarm coordination is ideal for parallel exploration and resilience without a single bottleneck, whereas hierarchical patterns separate strategy, planning, and execution layers. Use swarm for decentralized problem-solving; use hierarchy when you need strict layer separation and top-down control.

Multi-agent systems implement consensus mechanisms to align agent outputs and robust failure recovery protocols to maintain progress under failures. These coordination patterns use standard programming constructs to detect failures and reassign tasks, ensuring the overall workflow completes reliably.

Yes, file-system based coordination is a supported context isolation technique for multi-agent systems. It allows agents to share state and exchange information through files rather than direct memory passing, providing a structured way to manage data handoffs across independent processes.