Agent Coordination

Strategies for coordinating multiple agents effectively

Overview

Strategies for coordinating multiple agents effectively

Learn how to effectively coordinate multiple AI agents working in parallel.

Coordination Strategies

Task Assignment Strategies

1. By Feature Boundaries

Assign complete features to agents:

{
  "agent-1": ["User Authentication System"],
  "agent-2": ["Blog Comment System"],
  "agent-3": ["Analytics Dashboard"]
}

Pros: Clear ownership, minimal conflicts Cons: Uneven workload

2. By Component Layer

Divide by architectural layer:

{
  "agent-1": ["Frontend Components"],
  "agent-2": ["API Routes"],
  "agent-3": ["Database Schema"]
}

Pros: Specialized work Cons: Requires coordination for integration

3. By Priority

Assign by urgency:

{
  "agent-1": ["Critical Bug Fixes"],
  "agent-2": ["High Priority Features"],
  "agent-3": ["Nice-to-Have Enhancements"]
}

Pros: Focuses on important work Cons: May cause conflicts if priorities overlap

Coordination Patterns

Pattern 1: Independent Parallel

Agents work on completely separate features.

Use when: Features are completely independent

Pattern 2: Sequential Handoff

One agent completes work before next begins.

Use when: Work has dependencies

Pattern 3: Parallel with Sync Points

Agents sync periodically.

Use when: Features need periodic integration

Communication Protocols

Status Updates

The coordination layer maintains real-time status tracking:

Status Information

  • Current work phase (not started, in progress, review, completed)
  • Progress indicators and completion percentage
  • Active tasks and priorities
  • Notes and context about current work state

Dependency Declaration

Dependencies are explicitly tracked to coordinate work:

Dependency Types

  • Depends On: Work that must complete before this task can proceed
  • Blocks: Work that is waiting for this task to complete
  • Related: Work that shares common interfaces or contracts

This enables intelligent scheduling and prevents agents from being blocked unnecessarily.

Conflict Prevention

Strategies to prevent conflicts:

  1. File ownership: Assign specific files to agents
  2. Module boundaries: Work in different packages
  3. Regular rebasing: Sync with develop frequently
  4. Communication: Discuss overlapping work

Coordination Tools

Configuration Management

The system maintains structured configuration for coordination:

Agent Assignment Configuration tracks:

  • Agent identity and specialization
  • Current task assignments
  • Work status and progress
  • Dependencies and blockers
  • Branch and workspace information

Coordination Settings define:

  • Synchronization frequency
  • Conflict resolution strategies
  • Integration order and priorities
  • Communication protocols

State Management

Workspace State Tracking monitors:

  • Last synchronization timestamps
  • Commit relationships with main branch
  • Uncommitted changes detection
  • Rebase and integration status

Health Monitoring provides:

  • Real-time agent status overview
  • Workspace synchronization status
  • Conflict detection and alerts
  • Integration readiness indicators

Handling Conflicts

When Conflicts Occur

1

Detection

The system automatically detects potential conflicts during synchronization operations, analyzing file changes and merge scenarios.

2

Notification

Stakeholders are immediately alerted with details about the conflict, including affected files and the agents involved.

3

Analysis

The system provides analysis of:

  • Overlapping file changes
  • Nature and extent of conflicts
  • Potential resolution strategies
  • Impact assessment
4

Resolution

Conflicts are resolved through established strategies:

  • Coordinated manual resolution when needed
  • Priority-based change selection
  • Integrated merge with adjustments
  • Stakeholder decision support
5

Verification

Comprehensive validation ensures the resolution is correct through automated testing and quality checks.

Conflict Prevention Strategies

  1. Proactive sync: Rebase on develop daily
  2. File locking: Declare file ownership
  3. Communication: Discuss potential overlaps
  4. Small PRs: Merge frequently, reduce conflict window
  5. Module isolation: Work in separate packages

Monitoring & Metrics

The system tracks coordination effectiveness through key metrics:

MetricTargetMeaning
Agent utilization>80%Time spent on active work
Conflict rate<5%PRs with merge conflicts
Average PR size<300 linesSmaller = easier to review
Time to merge<24 hoursSpeed of integration
Rebase frequencyDailyHow often synced with develop

These metrics provide insight into system efficiency and help identify opportunities for optimization.

Best Practices

Note:

Coordination Best Practices:

  1. Daily standups: Review agent status
  2. Clear assignments: No ambiguity in tasks
  3. Dependency tracking: Document dependencies
  4. Regular syncs: Rebase on develop daily
  5. Small iterations: Merge work frequently
  6. Communication: Over-communicate potential conflicts

Advanced Patterns

Dynamic Task Assignment

The system can automatically assign tasks based on:

  • Agent specialization and skills
  • Current workload and capacity
  • Task complexity and priority
  • Historical performance data

Load Balancing

Work distribution is optimized through:

  • Real-time capacity monitoring
  • Even distribution across available agents
  • Skill-appropriate task matching
  • Dynamic rebalancing as needed

Priority Queue

High-priority work is handled through:

  • Urgent task identification
  • Intelligent agent selection
  • Capacity preemption when needed
  • Expedited workflow processing

Next Steps