agent-dispatch

name	agent-dispatch
description	Agent dispatch decision framework — when to launch new agents via task tool vs steer existing idle agents via write_agent. Use when user says "launch agent", "steer agent", "dispatch agent", "write_agent or task", "existing agent", "idle agent", "new vs existing", "agent decision", or any multi-agent orchestration decision.

Agent Dispatch Skill

The canonical decision framework for choosing between launching a fresh agent (task tool) vs steering an existing idle agent (write_agent). This applies to ALL orchestration decisions, not just cron (cron has its own absolute rule — see cron-dispatch skill).

The Core Question

Does this message CONTINUE an existing conversation, or START a new one?

Decision Flow

1. list_agents() → check for IDLE agents
2. Is there an idle agent in the SAME domain as this request?
   NO → Launch new (task tool)
3. Is this a FOLLOW-UP to that agent's prior work?
   (correcting, clarifying, continuing a discussion)
   NO → Launch new (task tool)
4. Does that agent have CONTEXT that would be lost by launching fresh?
   (names, decisions, partial work, conversation state)
   NO → Launch new (task tool)
5. Is this a CRON dispatch?
   YES → Launch new ALWAYS (see cron-dispatch skill — ABSOLUTE rule)
6. All conditions met → STEER via write_agent

Launch New Agent (task tool) — WHEN ANY is true

Signal	Example
New topic unrelated to any running agent	"Plan meals for next week" when only a finance agent is idle
No idle agents exist	Nothing in list_agents with matching domain
No relevant context in existing agent	Agent was doing X, new request is about Y
High-quality results needed with clean slate	Complex analysis, report generation
Standalone request with no dependency on prior conversation	"Run my daily briefing"
Unsure whether to steer or launch	Default to launch — clean context never hurts
ALL cron-dispatched jobs	Always fresh, zero exceptions

Steer Existing Agent (write_agent) — WHEN ALL are true

Condition	Why
An IDLE agent exists in the same domain	Agent is available and not running
Message is a follow-up	Correcting, clarifying, or continuing prior work
Agent has context that would be lost	Names, decisions, partial calculations
NOT a cron dispatch	Cron always gets fresh agents

Examples of Valid Steering

# User said "add eggs to the list" — shopping agent already has the grocery context
write_agent(agent_id: "shopping-abc", message: "Also add eggs to the H-E-B cart")

# User corrected a misidentified card — finance agent has the card discussion
write_agent(agent_id: "finance-xyz", message: "No, the Savor is the subscription card, not the travel card")

# User wants to continue a meal plan conversation
write_agent(agent_id: "meal-abc", message: "What about Thursday dinner?")

Anti-Patterns (NEVER do these)

• ❌ Funneling every task through write_agent just because an agent is idle
• ❌ Steering cron jobs into existing agents (ABSOLUTE prohibition)
• ❌ Injecting unrelated work into an agent that's idle but in a different domain
• ❌ Assuming an agent's context is still relevant hours after its last turn
• ❌ Using write_agent for complex new requests that deserve clean context

Priority Guideline

When in doubt: launch new. The cost of a fresh agent is ~30-60s startup time. The cost of polluted context is degraded output quality, confused behavior, and debugging nightmares.

Relationship to Other Skills

• cron-dispatch — Contains the absolute rule for cron jobs (always fresh). This skill covers the general case.
• quick-task-transition — For "done/next" transitions, handle inline (no agent at all). This skill is for when you DO need an agent.