name	subagent-fanout
description	Parallelize independent sub-jobs across fresh-context subagents instead of one bloated context. Use when a goal branches into many independent pieces.
when_to_use	analyze N items, fix M files, search K sources, anything embarrassingly parallel

Subagent Fan-out

One context loaded with ten jobs' worth of material is the exact shape that triggers context rot. Ten small contexts don't.

Spawn one subagent per independent unit (one file, one source, one check). Each gets a fresh context window.
An orchestrator synthesizes their results — it never does the per-unit work itself.
Give each worker a tight role and only the input it needs.
Use ONLY when the pieces are genuinely independent. Sequential dependencies stay in one chain. Fan-out for breadth (research, multi-file edits, multi-source verification). Keep it serial when step N needs step N-1's output.

name	subagent-fanout
description	Parallelize independent sub-jobs across fresh-context subagents instead of one bloated context. Use when a goal branches into many independent pieces.
when_to_use	analyze N items, fix M files, search K sources, anything embarrassingly parallel

One context loaded with ten jobs' worth of material is the exact shape that triggers context rot. Ten small contexts don't.

Spawn one subagent per independent unit (one file, one source, one check). Each gets a fresh context window.
An orchestrator synthesizes their results — it never does the per-unit work itself.
Give each worker a tight role and only the input it needs.
Use ONLY when the pieces are genuinely independent. Sequential dependencies stay in one chain. Fan-out for breadth (research, multi-file edits, multi-source verification). Keep it serial when step N needs step N-1's output.

subagent-fanout