AgentSkillsCN

dispatching-parallel-agents

dispatching-parallel-agents

SKILL.md

Dispatching Parallel Agents

Description

Pattern for handling multiple independent failures by dispatching concurrent agents. Use when 3+ independent problems exist across different domains that can be solved in parallel.

When to Use

  • •Multiple subsystems broken independently
  • •No shared state between failures
  • •Each fix is self-contained
  • •Parallel work won't create conflicts

When NOT to Use

  • •Related failures (fixing one solves others)
  • •Exploratory debugging (need full context)
  • •Problems require shared understanding
  • •Sequential dependencies exist

Core Principle

"Dispatch one agent per independent problem domain. Let them work concurrently."

Why Parallel?

  • •Faster resolution (3 problems in time of 1)
  • •Focused context per agent
  • •No context pollution between fixes
  • •Easy to integrate results

Why Not Always Parallel?

  • •Related problems need shared context
  • •Exploration requires system-wide view
  • •Conflicting changes cause merge issues
  • •Some fixes depend on others

Identification Pattern

Step 1: Group Failures by Domain

markdown
Test failures:
- src/auth/login.test.ts (3 failures) → Auth domain
- src/cart/checkout.test.ts (2 failures) → Cart domain
- src/user/profile.test.ts (1 failure) → User domain

Each is independent - fixing one doesn't affect others.

Step 2: Verify Independence

markdown
Ask for each group:
- Does it share state with other groups? NO
- Does fixing it require changes to other groups? NO
- Could fixes conflict with each other? NO

If all NO → Parallel is safe
If any YES → Sequential or combined approach

Task Creation Pattern

Each agent receives:

1. Specific Scope

markdown
BAD: "Fix all the tests"
GOOD: "Fix auth/login.test.ts - 3 failing tests"

2. Clear Goal

markdown
BAD: "Make it work"
GOOD: "Make all tests in auth/login.test.ts pass"

3. Constraints

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- Only modify files in src/auth/
- Don't change the test expectations
- Don't modify shared utilities

4. Expected Output

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Return:
- Files modified
- Tests now passing
- Summary of changes
- Any concerns

Execution Pattern

Dispatch Agents Concurrently

markdown
Agent 1: Fix auth/login.test.ts
Agent 2: Fix cart/checkout.test.ts
Agent 3: Fix user/profile.test.ts

All three run simultaneously.

Monitor Progress

markdown
While agents working:
- Check for early failures
- Watch for scope violations
- Ready to pause if conflicts detected

Integration Pattern

Step 1: Collect Results

markdown
Agent 1 returned:
- Modified: src/auth/login-service.ts
- Tests: 3/3 passing
- Summary: Fixed token validation edge case

Agent 2 returned:
- Modified: src/cart/checkout-service.ts
- Tests: 2/2 passing
- Summary: Fixed price calculation rounding

Agent 3 returned:
- Modified: src/user/profile-service.ts
- Tests: 1/1 passing
- Summary: Fixed null handling in profile update

Step 2: Verify No Conflicts

markdown
Check:
- No overlapping file modifications
- No conflicting changes to shared types
- No incompatible API changes

Step 3: Run Full Test Suite

bash
npm test
# All tests should pass including:
# - The 6 originally failing tests
# - All other tests (no regressions)

Step 4: Integrate Changes

bash
# If all agents used branches
git merge agent-1-auth-fixes
git merge agent-2-cart-fixes
git merge agent-3-user-fixes

Example Prompts

Agent Task Prompt Template

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## Task: Fix [specific test file]

**Scope**: Only modify files in [directory]

**Failing tests**:
1. [test name 1]
2. [test name 2]

**Constraints**:
- Do not modify test expectations
- Do not change shared utilities in src/utils/
- Do not modify types in src/types/

**Goal**: Make all tests in [file] pass

**Return**:
- List of files modified
- Summary of changes made
- Number of tests now passing
- Any concerns about the changes

Result Collection Prompt

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## Parallel Agent Results

**Agent 1 (Auth)**:
[Paste agent 1 results]

**Agent 2 (Cart)**:
[Paste agent 2 results]

**Agent 3 (User)**:
[Paste agent 3 results]

## Integration Checklist
- [ ] No file conflicts
- [ ] Full test suite passes
- [ ] Changes are isolated to domains
- [ ] Ready to merge

Conflict Resolution

If conflicts detected:

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1. STOP parallel execution
2. Identify conflicting changes
3. Decide which takes priority
4. Continue sequentially from conflict point
5. Learn: Update domain boundaries

Checklist

Before parallel dispatch:

  • • 3+ independent failures identified
  • • Failures grouped by domain
  • • Independence verified (no shared state)
  • • Scope boundaries clear
  • • Conflict potential assessed

After parallel completion:

  • • All agent results collected
  • • No file conflicts detected
  • • Full test suite passes
  • • Changes integrated successfully