multi-agent-patternslisted

# Multi-Agent Architecture Patterns Multi-agent architectures distribute work across multiple language model instances, each with its own context window. When designed well, this distribution enables capabilities beyond single-agent limits. When designed poorly, it introduces coordination overhead that negates benefits. The critical insight is that sub-agents exist primarily to isolate context, not to anthropomorphize role division. ## When to Activate Activate this skill when: - Single-agent context limits constrain task complexity - Tasks decompose naturally into parallel subtasks - Different subtasks require different tool sets or system prompts - Building systems that must handle multiple domains simultaneously - Scaling agent capabilities beyond single-context limits - Designing production agent systems with multiple specialized components Do not activate this skill for adjacent work owned by other skills: - Deciding task-model fit, pipeline shape, or project-level cost before topology is known: `project-development`. - Designing hosted sandboxes, warm pools, remote sessions, or background runtime infrastructure: `hosted-agents`. - Sharing orchestrator state through KV-cache compaction in controlled runtimes: `latent-briefing`. - Designing the tools each agent exposes: `tool-design`. ## Core Concepts Use multi-agent patterns when a single agent's context window cannot hold all task-relevant information. Context isolation is the primary benefit — each agent operates