| name | dispatching-parallel-agents |
| description | Use when facing 2+ independent tasks that can be worked on without shared state or sequential dependencies |
Dispatching Parallel Agents
Core Principle
Dispatch one agent per independent problem domain. Let them work concurrently.
When to Use
- 3+ test files failing with different root causes
- Multiple subsystems broken independently
- Each problem can be understood without context from others
- No shared state between investigations
Don't Use When
- Failures are related (fix one might fix others)
- Need to understand full system state
- Agents would interfere with each other
The Pattern
1. Identify Independent Domains
Group failures by what's broken. Each domain is independent.
2. Create Focused Agent Tasks
Each agent gets:
- Specific scope - One test file or subsystem
- Clear goal - Make these tests pass / fix this bug
- Constraints - Don't change other code
- Expected output - Summary of what was found and fixed
3. Dispatch in Parallel
Send all agents at once. They work concurrently.
4. Review and Integrate
- Read each summary
- Verify fixes don't conflict
- Run full test suite
- Integrate all changes
Agent Prompt Structure
Good prompts are:
- Focused - One clear problem domain
- Self-contained - All context needed
- Specific about output - What should the agent return?
Common Mistakes
- Too broad: "Fix all the tests" -> agent gets lost
- No context: "Fix the race condition" -> agent doesn't know where
- No constraints: agent might refactor everything
- Vague output: "Fix it" -> you don't know what changed
Verification After Agents Return
- Review each summary
- Check for conflicts (did agents edit same code?)
- Run full suite
- Spot check (agents can make systematic errors)
