Multi-Agent Architecture
Design supervisor, delegation, pipeline, and review patterns for enterprise agents.
Key takeaways
- Multi-agent systems work only when roles are bounded and communication is structured; otherwise they create hidden state and hard debugging.
- Common patterns are supervisor, pipeline, parallel research, reviewer, and human gate, each suited to a different coordination need.
- Give each agent a role, input schema, output schema, and tool scope, and keep shared state explicit.
- Log handoffs and decisions, cap recursive delegation, and run deterministic checks before side effects.
- If an operator cannot explain which agent made which decision, the architecture is too opaque.
Multi-agent systems work when roles are bounded and communication is structured. Without that, they create hidden state and difficult debugging.
Patterns
| Pattern | Use |
|---|---|
| Supervisor | One controller delegates and validates |
| Pipeline | Specialized agents run in sequence |
| Parallel research | Independent agents compare sources or options |
| Reviewer | Separate agent checks output before action |
| Human gate | Operator approves high-risk transition |
Design Rules
- Give each agent a role, input schema, output schema, and tool scope.
- Keep shared state explicit.
- Log handoffs and decisions.
- Avoid agents recursively delegating without a limit.
- Use deterministic checks before side effects.
Review Question
Can an operator explain which agent made which decision? If not, the architecture is too opaque.