Parallel Dispatch Skill

Coordinate multiple agents or work streams running concurrently.

Core Principle

Independent work should run in parallel.

If tasks don't depend on each other, running them sequentially wastes time.

Identifying Parallelizable Work

Can Run in Parallel

•✅ Independent file changes
•✅ Separate test suites
•✅ Unrelated code reviews
•✅ Different components
•✅ Parallel API calls

Must Run Sequentially

•❌ Code that depends on previous output
•❌ Database migrations (order matters)
•❌ Build before test
•❌ Test before deploy

Dependency Graph

code

       ┌─────────┐
       │  START  │
       └────┬────┘
            │
    ┌───────┴───────┐
    ▼               ▼
┌───────┐       ┌───────┐
│ Task A │       │ Task B │    ← Can run in parallel
└───┬───┘       └───┬───┘
    │               │
    └───────┬───────┘
            ▼
       ┌─────────┐
       │ Task C  │              ← Must wait for A and B
       └────┬────┘
            │
            ▼
       ┌─────────┐
       │   END   │
       └─────────┘

Dispatch Protocol

Step 1: Analyze Dependencies

yaml

tasks:
  - id: A
    depends_on: []       # Can start immediately
  - id: B
    depends_on: []       # Can start immediately
  - id: C
    depends_on: [A, B]   # Must wait
  - id: D
    depends_on: [C]      # Must wait for C

Step 2: Group by Wave

yaml

wave_1: [A, B]      # Start together
wave_2: [C]         # After wave_1 complete
wave_3: [D]         # After wave_2 complete

Step 3: Dispatch Wave

markdown

## Dispatching Wave 1

Starting parallel tasks:
- [ ] Task A: [description] → Agent 1
- [ ] Task B: [description] → Agent 2

Waiting for completion...

Step 4: Aggregate Results

markdown

## Wave 1 Results

Task A: ✅ Complete
- Output: [summary]
- Artifacts: [files changed]

Task B: ✅ Complete
- Output: [summary]
- Artifacts: [files changed]

Proceeding to Wave 2...

Parallel Patterns

Pattern: Code Review

yaml

parallel_reviews:
  - agent: security-engineer
    focus: Security vulnerabilities
  - agent: performance-engineer
    focus: Performance issues
  - agent: accessibility-auditor
    focus: Accessibility compliance

aggregation:
  combine: All findings into unified report
  deduplicate: Similar issues
  prioritize: By severity

Pattern: Multi-File Changes

yaml

parallel_changes:
  - file: src/components/Button.tsx
    change: Add loading state
  - file: src/components/Input.tsx
    change: Add error state
  - file: src/components/Select.tsx
    change: Add disabled state

merge_strategy: All changes are independent

Pattern: Test Suites

yaml

parallel_tests:
  - suite: unit
    command: npm run test:unit
  - suite: integration
    command: npm run test:integration
  - suite: e2e
    command: npm run test:e2e

wait_for: All suites to complete
fail_fast: true  # Stop all if one fails

Coordination Protocols

Handoff Between Agents

yaml

agent_1_output:
  status: complete
  artifacts:
    - src/components/Button.tsx
  notes: Added loading prop, needs testing

agent_2_input:
  receives: agent_1_output.artifacts
  task: Write tests for loading state

Conflict Resolution

yaml

conflict_detected:
  file: src/lib/utils.ts
  agent_1_change: Added formatDate function
  agent_2_change: Added formatCurrency function

resolution:
  strategy: merge_both  # Both changes are compatible
  # or: agent_1_wins / agent_2_wins / manual_review

Progress Tracking

markdown

## Parallel Execution Status

| Task | Agent | Status | Progress |
|------|-------|--------|----------|
| A | Agent-1 | 🔄 Running | 60% |
| B | Agent-2 | ✅ Complete | 100% |
| C | Agent-3 | ⏳ Waiting | 0% |

Error Handling

One Task Fails

yaml

on_failure:
  strategy: continue_others  # Don't block parallel work
  # or: fail_fast / retry

failed_task:
  id: B
  error: "TypeScript error in component"

action:
  - Complete other parallel tasks
  - Report failure in aggregation
  - Decide: fix and retry, or proceed without

Timeout Handling

yaml

timeout:
  per_task: 10 minutes
  total_wave: 30 minutes

on_timeout:
  - Cancel stuck task
  - Log partial progress
  - Continue with completed tasks

Output Aggregation

Merge Strategy

markdown

## Aggregated Results

### Completed Tasks
- Task A: Added Button component
- Task B: Added Input component

### Combined Changes
Files modified:
- src/components/Button.tsx (Task A)
- src/components/Input.tsx (Task B)

### Unified Test Results
- Unit tests: 45/45 passing
- Integration: 12/12 passing

### Issues Found
1. [Task A] Minor: Consider memo for Button
2. [Task B] Minor: Add aria-label to Input

Integration

Works with:

•/riper - Execute phase can parallelize independent tasks
•/review - Parallel code review from multiple perspectives
•code-review-workflow orchestrator - Multi-agent review