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Choosing a Pattern

With five orchestration patterns available, how do you pick the right one? Start with the simplest approach that solves your problem — don't over-engineer.

Decision Flowchart

graph TD
    S[Start: Define your task] --> Q1{Does the task need<br/>tools and reasoning?}
    Q1 -->|No| D[Direct LLM Call<br/>No agent needed]
    Q1 -->|Yes| Q2{Can ONE agent with<br/>good tools handle it?}
    Q2 -->|Yes| SA[Single Agent]
    Q2 -->|No| Q3{Do sub-tasks have<br/>a clear order?}
    Q3 -->|Yes, linear pipeline| SEQ[Sequential]
    Q3 -->|No| Q4{Can sub-tasks run<br/>independently?}
    Q4 -->|Yes, parallel| CON[Concurrent]
    Q4 -->|No| Q5{Do agents need to<br/>see each other's work?}
    Q5 -->|Yes, shared discussion| GC[Group Chat]
    Q5 -->|No| Q6{Does input type<br/>determine which<br/>agent runs?}
    Q6 -->|Yes, classification| HO[Handoff]
    Q6 -->|No, adaptive plan| MAG[Magentic]

    style D fill:#4CAF50,color:white
    style SA fill:#4CAF50,color:white
    style SEQ fill:#2196F3,color:white
    style CON fill:#FF9800,color:white
    style GC fill:#9C27B0,color:white
    style HO fill:#F44336,color:white
    style MAG fill:#607D8B,color:white

Comparison Table

Factor Single Agent Sequential Concurrent Group Chat Handoff Magentic
Complexity Low Low-Medium Medium Medium Medium High
# Agents 1 2-5 chain 2-5 + aggregator 2-5 + manager 1 + N specialists 1 + N workers
Parallelism No No Yes No No Possible
Adaptability N/A Low (fixed) Low (fixed) Medium Medium High
Context cost Low-Medium Low per stage Medium (N × input) High (growing) Low per specialist Low per worker
Best for Most tasks Refinement pipelines Multi-perspective analysis Collaborative work Classification + routing Complex, dynamic tasks

Pattern Selection Guide

Start with Single Agent

Most tasks are best served by a single agent with well-chosen tools and a focused system prompt. Only add complexity when you have a clear reason:

The Single Agent Test

Before choosing a multi-agent pattern, ask: Can I solve this with a single agent that has good tools and a well-crafted system prompt? If yes, stop there.

When to Add Agents

Signal Pattern
"This task has distinct, ordered phases" Sequential
"I need multiple independent analyses" Concurrent
"The agents should debate/critique each other" Group Chat
"Different input types need different expertise" Handoff
"The plan may change based on what we discover" Magentic

Combining Patterns

Patterns aren't mutually exclusive. Common combinations:

graph TD
    H[Handoff: Triage] --> S1[Sequential: Research → Draft → Edit]
    H --> C1[Concurrent: Multi-analyst review]
    H --> SA[Single Agent: Simple queries]

    style H fill:#F44336,color:white
    style S1 fill:#2196F3,color:white
    style C1 fill:#FF9800,color:white
    style SA fill:#4CAF50,color:white
  • Handoff + Sequential: Triage routes to a multi-stage pipeline
  • Handoff + Single Agent: Triage routes to specialized single agents
  • Magentic + Concurrent: Manager dispatches parallel worker tasks
  • Sequential + Group Chat: Pipeline where one stage uses maker-checker

Common Mistakes

Mistake Why It's Wrong Fix
Using multi-agent for everything Adds complexity without benefit Start with single agent
Too many agents Coordination overhead dominates Combine roles where possible
Shared state everywhere Hard to debug, race conditions Prefer structured handoffs
No max iterations Runaway loops Always set max_iterations
Passing full history everywhere Token waste, context pollution Use fresh context or structured objects

Real-World Mappings

Real Problem Recommended Pattern Why
Customer support chatbot Single Agent or Handoff Most queries are simple; handoff for specialized teams
Content creation pipeline Sequential Clear stages: research → write → edit
Investment analysis Concurrent Independent perspectives combine for better decisions
Code review workflow Group Chat (Maker-Checker) Iterative refinement between generator and reviewer
Incident response Magentic Dynamic plan with multiple specialist workers
Document processing Sequential or Concurrent Depending on whether stages are ordered or independent

Key Takeaways

  1. Start simple — single agent first, add complexity only when needed
  2. Match the pattern to the task structure, not the other way around
  3. Patterns can be combined for complex workflows
  4. Context strategy matters as much as pattern choice — see Context Management
  5. Max iterations and error handling are non-negotiable regardless of pattern — see Reliability

References