Distributed Task Orchestrator
Decompose complex requests into independent atomic tasks, manage parallel execution, and aggregate results.
Quick Decision
code
Is task complex? (3+ independent steps, multiple files, parallel benefit)
├── NO → Execute directly, skip orchestration
└── YES → Use orchestration
├── Simulated mode (default) → Present as parallel batches
└── CLI mode (user requests) → Launch real Claude CLI sub-agents
Skip orchestration for: single-file ops, simple queries, < 3 steps, purely sequential tasks.
Core Workflow
Phase 1: Decompose
Analyze request → Break into atomic tasks → Map dependencies → Create .orchestrator/master_plan.md
markdown
# Task Plan ## Request > [Original request] ## Tasks | ID | Task | Deps | Status | |----|------|------|--------| | T-01 | [Description] | None | 🟡 | | T-02 | [Description] | T-01 | ⏸️ |
Status: 🟡 Pending · 🔵 Running · ✅ Done · ❌ Failed · ⏸️ Waiting
Phase 2: Assign Agents
Create .orchestrator/agent_tasks/agent-XX.md for each task:
markdown
# Agent-XX: [Task Name] **Input:** [parameters] **Do:** [specific instructions] **Output:** [expected format]
Phase 3: Execute
Simulated Mode (Default):
code
═══ Batch #1 (No Dependencies) ═══ 🤖 Agent-01 [T-01: Task Name] ⚙️ [Execution steps...] ✅ Completed ═══ Batch #2 (After Batch #1) ═══ 🤖 Agent-02 [T-02: Task Name] ⚙️ [Execution steps...] ✅ Completed
CLI Mode (When Requested): See cli-integration.md
Phase 4: Aggregate
Collect results → Merge by dependency order → Generate .orchestrator/final_output.md
Dependency Patterns
- •Parallel: T-01, T-02, T-03 → T-04 (first three run together)
- •Serial: T-01 → T-02 → T-03 (each waits for previous)
- •DAG: Complex graphs use topological sort
Error Handling
| Strategy | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Retry (3x, exponential backoff) | Timeouts, transient failures |
| Skip and continue | Non-critical tasks |
| Fail-fast | Critical dependencies |
Best Practices
- •Granularity: Target 1-5 min per task; split large, merge trivial
- •Parallelism: Minimize dependencies; use file-based data passing
- •State: Update
master_plan.mdon every status change
Reference Files
- •workflow.md - Detailed workflow specification
- •templates.md - Complete templates for all files
- •cli-integration.md - Claude CLI integration guide
- •examples.md - Practical examples