Delegate Multi-Agent — Subtask Delegation System

Delegate specialized tasks to different AI agents with custom model configurations and tool access.

Overview

This skill enables multi-agent workflows by:

• Model Routing: Delegate to agents with different LLM providers (fast models for simple tasks, reasoning models for complex tasks)

• Tool Isolation: Each sub-agent gets a filtered set of tools appropriate for their task

• Agentic Loops: Sub-agents can run iterative tool-call loops for complex tasks

• Timeout Management: Configurable timeouts prevent runaway sub-agents

• Depth Limiting: Prevent infinite delegation chains

• Result Aggregation: Collect and combine results from multiple sub-agents

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Coordinator Agent │ │ (Primary LLM) │ │ │ │ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Delegation Tool │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ │ │ │ │ │ Research │ │ Coding │ │ Summary │ │ │ │ │ │ Agent │ │ Agent │ │ Agent │ ... │ │ │ │ │ (Fast) │ │ (Smart) │ │ (Cheap) │ │ │ │ │ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ │ │ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Configuration

Configure sub-agents in config/DELEGATE_AGENTS.json :

{ "research": { "provider": "openai", "model": "gpt-4o-mini", "max_tokens": 2000, "temperature": 0.7, "allowed_tools": ["web-fetch", "brave-search", "summarize"], "timeout_secs": 120, "system_prompt": "You are a research assistant. Find and summarize information accurately." }, "coding": { "provider": "anthropic", "model": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929", "max_tokens": 8000, "temperature": 0.2, "allowed_tools": ["file_read", "file_write", "file_edit", "content-search"], "timeout_secs": 300, "system_prompt": "You are a coding assistant. Write clean, well-documented code." }, "summarizer": { "provider": "google", "model": "gemini-2.0-flash-lite", "max_tokens": 1000, "temperature": 0.5, "allowed_tools": ["markdown-tools"], "timeout_secs": 60, "system_prompt": "You are a summarization assistant. Create concise, accurate summaries." } }

API

Delegate a Task

const result = await delegate({ agent: 'research', prompt: 'Find the latest news about TypeScript 6.0 and summarize the key features', agentic: false // Single-shot (default) });

// Agentic mode - sub-agent can use tools iteratively const result = await delegate({ agent: 'coding', prompt: 'Refactor the utils.js file to use ES modules', agentic: true });

Available Agents

const agents = await listAgents(); console.log(agents); // ['research', 'coding', 'summarizer']

Use Cases

Research Workflow

• Coordinator receives: "Research AI agent architectures"

• Delegates to research agent: "Find 5 recent papers on agentic AI"

• Research agent uses web-fetch and summarize tools

• Results returned to coordinator for synthesis

Coding Workflow

• Coordinator receives: "Add authentication to the app"

• Delegates to coding agent: "Implement JWT auth in auth.js"

• Coding agent reads existing files, writes new code

• Coordinator reviews and commits

Multi-Agent Collaboration

// Parallel delegation const [research, coding] = await Promise.all([ delegate({ agent: 'research', prompt: '...' }), delegate({ agent: 'coding', prompt: '...' }) ]);

// Sequential delegation with context const research = await delegate({ agent: 'research', prompt: '...' }); const summary = await delegate({ agent: 'summarizer', prompt: Summarize: ${research.result} });

Timeout Handling

Sub-agents are killed if they exceed their timeout:

try { const result = await delegate({ agent: 'coding', prompt: 'Write a complex algorithm', timeout_secs: 60 // Override agent default }); } catch (error) { if (error.code === 'TIMEOUT') { console.log('Sub-agent timed out, retrying with simpler task'); } }

Depth Limiting

Prevent infinite delegation chains:

// Agent A delegates to B (depth 1) // B tries to delegate to C (depth 2) // If max_depth is 2, C cannot delegate further await delegate({ agent: 'research', prompt: '...', max_depth: 2 // Default: 3 });

Best Practices

• Use Fast Models for Simple Tasks: Don't use expensive models for basic lookups

• Set Appropriate Timeouts: Give enough time for the task, but prevent runaway costs

• Limit Tool Access: Only give sub-agents tools they actually need

• Clear System Prompts: Define each agent's role explicitly

• Monitor Costs: Track token usage across all sub-agents

Error Handling

Sub-agent failures are caught and reported:

{ "success": false, "agent": "research", "error": "TIMEOUT", "message": "Sub-agent exceeded 120s timeout", "partial_result": "...", // If any progress was made "retryable": true }

Example: Full Research Workflow

const { delegate, listAgents } = require('./delegate-multi-agent');

async function researchTask(query) { console.log(Starting research on: ${query});

// Check available agents const agents = listAgents(); if (!agents.includes('research')) { throw new Error('Research agent not configured'); }

// Delegate research const research = await delegate({ agent: 'research', prompt: Research: ${query}. Find 3-5 high-quality sources and summarize key points., agentic: true // Allow iterative research });

if (!research.success) { console.error('Research failed:', research.error); return null; }

// Delegate summarization const summary = await delegate({ agent: 'summarizer', prompt: Create a concise executive summary from this research:\n\n${research.result}, agentic: false });

return { research: research.result, summary: summary.result, sources: research.sources || [] }; }

// Run research researchTask('The future of AI agent frameworks') .then(console.log) .catch(console.error);