Orchestrators, sub-agents, crews, delegation, and handoffs — the vocabulary of systems where agents work together.
Key vocabulary
Orchestrator agent — the coordinator that decomposes tasks and delegates to sub-agents.
Sub-agent — a specialised agent that receives a delegated sub-task and returns results.
Crew — a named group of agents with defined roles working toward a shared goal.
Handoff — transferring control from one agent to another, with context.
Agent-to-agent protocol — the defined format for how agents pass tasks and results.
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
In a multi-agent system, the orchestrator agent is responsible for:
Orchestrator = the coordinator. It breaks the high-level goal into sub-tasks, assigns each to the right sub-agent, collects results, and synthesises the final output.
2 / 5
When a team says “we delegate the code review sub-task to the security sub-agent,” delegation means:
Delegation = assigning a sub-task with necessary context. Good delegation includes: clear task description, relevant context, expected output format, and constraints.
3 / 5
An agent handoff occurs when:
Handoff = passing the baton. Agent A hands off to Agent B with accumulated context (what has been done, what is needed, what constraints apply). Must include enough context to continue without losing progress.
4 / 5
A crew in multi-agent frameworks refers to:
Crew = a structured team of agents with roles (Researcher, Writer, Reviewer) and a shared goal. This pattern makes multi-agent collaboration explicit and manageable.
5 / 5
An agent-to-agent protocol defines:
Agent-to-agent protocol (e.g., MCP) standardises communication between agents. Defines: task format, context structure, result format, error codes, and cancellation signals.