| name | CrewAI |
| description | Workflow patterns and gotchas for CrewAI. Directs to RAG for implementation. |
CrewAI Workflow
When to Choose CrewAI
- Building role-based multi-agent systems
- Need agents with distinct personas
- Want task delegation patterns
- Building "crew" style collaboration
Decision Framework
Component Selection
| Need | Component | RAG Query |
|---|
| Define specialist | Agent | "crewai agent role goal" |
| Define work unit | Task | "crewai task description" |
| Coordinate agents | Crew | "crew process sequential" |
| Custom capabilities | Tool | "crewai custom tool" |
| Structured output | Output schemas | "crewai output pydantic" |
Query RAG: mcp__agentic-rag__query_sdk("component example", sdk="crewai", mode="build")
Critical Gotchas
These define CrewAI success:
- Role/Goal/Backstory triad - All three shape agent behavior significantly
- Task descriptions are prompts - Vague descriptions = vague results
- Expected output matters - Specify format explicitly or get random structure
- Process type affects flow -
sequential vs hierarchical changes everything
- Tool names must be clear - Agent reads tool name to decide usage
- Delegation can loop - Agents may delegate back and forth infinitely
- Memory is per-crew - Not shared across different crew instances
Workflow: Building a CrewAI System
Step 1: Define Agents
RAG Query: mcp__agentic-rag__query_sdk("Agent role goal backstory", sdk="crewai", mode="build")
Each agent needs a clear role, specific goal, and relevant backstory.
Step 2: Create Tools
RAG Query: mcp__agentic-rag__query_sdk("crewai tool decorator", sdk="crewai", mode="build")
Step 3: Define Tasks
RAG Query: mcp__agentic-rag__query_sdk("Task description expected_output", sdk="crewai", mode="build")
Tasks must specify: description, expected_output, assigned agent.
Step 4: Assemble Crew
RAG Query: mcp__agentic-rag__query_sdk("Crew agents tasks process", sdk="crewai", mode="build")
Step 5: Execute
RAG Query: mcp__agentic-rag__query_sdk("crew kickoff inputs", sdk="crewai", mode="build")
Common Error Patterns
| Symptom | Likely Cause | RAG Query |
|---|
| Agent off-topic | Bad role/goal | "agent role definition" |
| Wrong output format | Missing expected_output | "task expected_output" |
| Infinite delegation | Allow_delegation loop | "delegation control" |
| Tool not used | Unclear tool name | "tool naming crewai" |
| Tasks out of order | Wrong process type | "sequential hierarchical" |
Process Types
| Type | When to Use | RAG Query |
|---|
| Sequential | Tasks depend on previous output | "sequential process" |
| Hierarchical | Manager delegates to workers | "hierarchical manager" |
Crew Patterns
Research Crew
Researcher → Analyst → Writer pipeline.
RAG Query: mcp__agentic-rag__query_sdk("research crew example", sdk="crewai", mode="build")
Support Crew
Triage → Specialist routing.
RAG Query: mcp__agentic-rag__query_sdk("support crew routing", sdk="crewai", mode="build")
Advanced Features
Query RAG when you need:
- Memory:
"crewai memory persistence"
- Callbacks:
"crewai task callbacks"
- Async execution:
"crewai async kickoff"
- Custom LLM:
"crewai custom llm"
- Output validation:
"crewai pydantic output"