| name | divide-conquer |
| description | Split a large task into independent subtasks, delegate them to child sessions for parallel execution, and merge the results. Use when a task can be broken into non-overlapping pieces that don't depend on each other's output. Not for consensus/review (use consensus-delegation) or benchmarks (use bench). Triggers: "분할 정복", "병렬 처리", "parallel execution", "split and process".
|
Divide-Conquer
The Divide-Conquer pattern splits a complex task into independent subtasks, delegates them to parallel child sessions, collects their results, and merges them into a final output.
6-Stage Workflow
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Parent Session │
│ │
│ 1. Decompose: break task into independent pieces │
│ 2. Assign: pick assistant(s) + workspace strategy │
│ 3. Spawn: batch children (respect concurrency limit)│
│ 4. Monitor: poll/check each child │
│ 5. Merge: assemble results into final output │
│ 6. Verify: final quality check │
└──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬─────────────────────┘
│ │ │
┌─────▼─────┐ ┌─▼────────┐ ┌▼──────────┐
│ Child 1 │ │ Child 2 │ │ Child N │
│ (Module A)│ │(Module B)│ │(Module C) │
└───────────┘ └──────────┘ └───────────┘
- Decomposition: Divide the task into non-overlapping, independent units. See decomposition-rules.md.
- Assignment: Assign subtasks to suitable assistants (homogeneous or heterogeneous).
- Workspace Strategy: Decide whether children share the parent workspace (
workspaceOverride) or use isolated workspaces (default: shared).
- Spawn & Monitor: Spawn sessions in batches respecting the concurrency limit (default:
maxConcurrentActiveSessions is 4).
- Merge: Assemble output artifacts based on merge patterns. See merge-patterns.md.
- Verify: Run build/tests to ensure integration integrity. Retries failed subtasks if needed.
🛠️ MCP Tools Guide
- Discovery: Use
agent__listAgents(type="configs") to find assistant IDs.
- Delegation: Use
agent__startSession(..., waitForResult=false) for non-blocking parallel spawn.
- Monitoring: Check status via
agent__listAgents(type="sessions") and wait for completion via agent__checkSession(sessionId, wait=true).
- Rework: Use
agent__messageToSession(sessionId, message) to wake/retry paused/error sessions.
- Cancellation: Use
agent__stopSession(sessionId) to abort hung subtasks.
⚖️ consensus-delegation vs divide-conquer
| Aspect | Consensus Delegation | Divide-Conquer |
|---|
| Goal | Get multiple perspectives on one query | Complete a large task by dividing work |
| Subtasks | Same task, different angles (e.g. security, perf) | Different, non-overlapping work scopes |
| Output | Comparison, synthesis, final decision | Combined/merged physical artifacts |
| Recovery | Dialogue to resolve conflicts | Rework specific failed subtasks |
