fleet

name	fleet
description	Parallelize independent subtasks — bulk refactors, multi-host changes, "do all of these". Maximize throughput with concurrent subagents.
metadata	{"when_to_use":"fleet mode, throw a fleet, spawn agents, parallelize, many files at once, bulk refactor"}

Fleet Pattern

When a task breaks into independent, parallelizable subtasks, spin up task subagents concurrently in one message.

Decision matrix

Situation	Action
5+ independent file edits	Fleet
Sequential edits (B depends on A)	Direct
10 files, trivial one-liners	Direct (overhead > work)
Bulk search across 20+ files	Fleet
Multi-host changes (each independent)	Fleet
User says "do all of these", "fleet mode", "parallel", "at once"	Fleet

Rule: If overhead outweighs per-item work, go direct. Batch trivial subtasks to one subagent.

Before spawning

Sketch the tree — one line per subagent prevents overlap:

Tree:
 ├── Agent A: search callers of getCwd
 ├── Agent B: search callers of setCwd
 └── Agent C: check both against new API

Prompt structure

Each subagent prompt must be self-contained:

1. Exact task — what to find, change, verify
2. Scope — specific files, directories, patterns
3. Expected output
4. Verification method

Gotchas

• Subagents start fresh — no knowledge of broader task. Fully self-contained prompts.
• Two agents editing same file = merge conflicts. Disjoint scope mandatory.

Aggregation

• Refactors: Verify no conflicts; resolve if any.
• Research: Combine into one report grouped by theme.
• Testing: Confirm all passed.

Recursive fleets

Subagents can launch their own fleet (max depth 3):

Orchestrator
 ├── Subagent A (aggregates A1, A2, A3)
 │     ├── A1 (leaf)
 │     ├── A2 (leaf)
 │     └── A3 (leaf)
 └── Subagent B (aggregates B1, B2)
       ├── B1 (leaf)
       └── B2 (leaf)

Parent aggregates children before returning. Each level strips irrelevant detail.

Deep-research combo

• Orchestrator plans (decomposition)
• Fleet executes parallel exploration
• Orchestrator synthesizes + verifies

Limits

• Flat fleet: ≤8-10 subagents per level
• Recursive: depth ≤3, total leaves ≤~1000
• Disjoint files only