Agent Orchestration

Advanced multi-agent coordination and workflow orchestration

Overview

Agent orchestration in NikCLI enables sophisticated coordination between multiple AI agents to handle complex, multi-faceted development tasks. The orchestration system manages agent communication, task distribution, conflict resolution, and result integration.

Multi-Agent Coordination

Seamless collaboration between specialized agents

Workflow Management

Define and execute complex development workflows

Conflict Resolution

Automatic resolution of agent conflicts and disagreements

Result Integration

Intelligent merging and synthesis of agent outputs

Orchestration Patterns

Sequential Orchestration

Pipeline Pattern

# Sequential agent pipeline
/orchestrate sequence "full-stack-authentication" --agents "
  backend-expert: Create authentication API with JWT
  react-expert: Build login/register components  
  security-expert: Review and harden security
  testing-expert: Create comprehensive test suite
"

Parallel Orchestration

Concurrent Development

# Parallel agent execution
/orchestrate parallel "microservices-development" --agents "
  backend-expert: User service API
  backend-expert: Product service API  
  backend-expert: Order service API
  react-expert: Admin dashboard
  devops-expert: Container orchestration
" --max-concurrent 3

Race Condition Handling

# Multiple approaches, best result wins
/orchestrate race "performance-optimization" --agents "
  performance-expert: Database optimization approach
  react-expert: Frontend optimization approach
  backend-expert: Caching optimization approach
" --select-best-result

Hierarchical Orchestration

Supervisor Pattern

# Supervisor agent coordinates others
/orchestrate supervisor universal-agent --subordinates "
  react-expert: Frontend development
  backend-expert: API development
  devops-expert: Infrastructure setup
" --task "Build complete e-commerce platform"

Advanced Workflow Design

Conditional Workflows

Decision Trees

# Conditional agent selection
/orchestrate conditional "project-setup" --rules "
  if project.type == 'react': use react-expert
  if project.type == 'vue': use vue-expert
  if project.database == 'postgres': include database-expert
  if project.deployment == 'aws': include devops-expert
"

Adaptive Workflows

# Workflow adapts based on results
/orchestrate adaptive "code-review" --adaptation "
  if security-issues-found: add security-expert
  if performance-issues-found: add performance-expert
  if test-coverage-low: add testing-expert
"

Feedback Loops

Iterative Refinement

# Continuous improvement loop
/orchestrate iterative "component-development" --loop "
  react-expert: Create component
  testing-expert: Test component
  performance-expert: Analyze performance
  react-expert: Refine based on feedback
" --max-iterations 3

Communication Protocols

Inter-Agent Communication

Message Passing

# Configure agent communication
/orchestrate communication --protocol message-passing --format "
  {
    'from': 'agent-id',
    'to': 'agent-id', 
    'type': 'task-completion|question|result',
    'data': 'message-content',
    'context': 'relevant-context'
  }
"

Shared Context

# Shared workspace for agents
/orchestrate shared-context --workspace "project-context" --access "
  react-expert: read-write components/
  backend-expert: read-write api/
  testing-expert: read-write tests/
  all-agents: read project-docs/
"

Conflict Resolution

Voting Systems

# Democratic decision making
/orchestrate conflict-resolution voting --scenario "
  Issue: Choice between REST vs GraphQL API
  Participants: backend-expert, react-expert, performance-expert
  Resolution: Majority vote with expert weighting
"

Workflow Templates

Development Lifecycle Templates

Full-Stack Development

# full-stack-workflow.yml
name: "Full-Stack Development"
phases:
  planning:
    agents: [universal-agent]
    tasks: ["analyze requirements", "create architecture"]
  backend:
    agents: [backend-expert]
    depends_on: [planning]
    tasks: ["API development", "database schema"]
  frontend:
    agents: [react-expert]
    depends_on: [backend]
    tasks: ["component development", "integration"]
  testing:
    agents: [testing-expert]
    depends_on: [backend, frontend]
    tasks: ["unit tests", "integration tests"]
  deployment:
    agents: [devops-expert]
    depends_on: [testing]
    tasks: ["containerization", "CI/CD setup"]

Code Review Workflow

# code-review-workflow.yml
name: "Comprehensive Code Review"
agents:
  primary: [universal-agent]
  specialists: [security-expert, performance-expert, testing-expert]
workflow:
  - step: initial-review
    agent: universal-agent
    output: overall-assessment
  - step: security-review
    agent: security-expert
    condition: security-concerns-detected
  - step: performance-review
    agent: performance-expert
    condition: performance-concerns-detected
  - step: final-integration
    agent: universal-agent
    inputs: [all-specialist-reviews]

Specialized Workflows

Microservices Deployment

# Microservices orchestration
/orchestrate template microservices-deployment --services "
  user-service: backend-expert
  product-service: backend-expert
  order-service: backend-expert
  api-gateway: devops-expert
  frontend: react-expert
  monitoring: devops-expert
" --coordination "service-mesh"

Monitoring and Control

Orchestration Dashboard

Real-Time Monitoring

# Orchestration monitoring
/orchestrate dashboard --real-time --metrics "
  agent-utilization
  task-completion-rate
  workflow-progress
  resource-usage
  error-rates
"

Workflow Control

# Workflow control operations
/orchestrate control --workflow workflow-id --action "
  pause: Pause workflow execution
  resume: Resume paused workflow
  abort: Stop workflow and cleanup
  restart: Restart from last checkpoint
  debug: Enable detailed logging
"

Performance Analytics

Workflow Metrics

# Analyze workflow performance
/orchestrate analytics --workflow-id abc123 --metrics "
  total-duration: 45m 23s
  agent-utilization: 87%
  parallel-efficiency: 92%
  bottlenecks: [database-design: 15m]
  success-rate: 98%
"

Real-World Examples

E-commerce Platform Development

# Complete e-commerce orchestration
/orchestrate sequence "e-commerce-platform" --agents "
  universal-agent: Project planning and architecture design
  backend-expert: User authentication and product APIs
  react-expert: Product catalog and shopping cart UI
  backend-expert: Payment processing and order management
  react-expert: User dashboard and order tracking
  security-expert: Security audit and vulnerability assessment
  testing-expert: End-to-end testing and quality assurance
  devops-expert: Production deployment and monitoring setup
" --parallel-phases "backend-expert,react-expert" --quality-gates

Microservices Migration

# Legacy to microservices migration
/orchestrate parallel "microservices-migration" --agents "
  universal-agent: Migration strategy and planning
  backend-expert: API gateway implementation
  backend-expert: User service extraction
  backend-expert: Product service extraction
  backend-expert: Order service extraction
  react-expert: Frontend service integration
  devops-expert: Container orchestration setup
  testing-expert: Integration testing strategy
" --dependencies "
  api-gateway → user-service,product-service,order-service
  frontend → api-gateway
  testing → all-services
" --rollback-strategy "blue-green"

Performance Optimization Sprint

# Multi-agent performance optimization
/orchestrate iterative "performance-optimization" --agents "
  performance-expert: Performance analysis and bottleneck identification
  backend-expert: Database query optimization and caching
  react-expert: Frontend bundle optimization and lazy loading
  devops-expert: Infrastructure scaling and monitoring
  testing-expert: Performance testing and benchmarking
" --iterations 3 --success-criteria "
  page-load-time < 2s
  api-response-time < 200ms
  bundle-size < 500kb
  lighthouse-score > 90
"

Best Practices

Effective Orchestration Design

Clear Task Boundaries

Define clear responsibilities and interfaces between agents

# Well-defined boundaries
/orchestrate plan "e-commerce" --boundaries "
  backend-expert: API + database only
  react-expert: UI components + state only
  devops-expert: deployment + monitoring only
"

Proper Dependencies

Establish correct dependency relationships between tasks

# Dependency management
/orchestrate dependencies "
  database-schema → api-endpoints → frontend-integration → testing
" --parallel-where-possible

Error Handling

Implement robust error handling and recovery mechanisms

# Error handling strategy
/orchestrate error-handling --strategy "
  retry: 3 attempts with exponential backoff
  fallback: switch to universal-agent if specialist fails
  checkpoint: save progress every 10 minutes
"

Resource Management

Monitor and manage computational resources effectively

# Resource limits
/orchestrate resources --limits "
  max-concurrent-agents: 5
  memory-per-agent: 2GB
  timeout-per-task: 30m
"

Optimization Strategies

Parallel Optimization

# Maximize parallelization
/orchestrate optimize --parallel --analysis "
  identify-independent-tasks
  maximize-agent-utilization
  minimize-waiting-time
  balance-workload
"

Advanced Features

Machine Learning Integration

Predictive Orchestration

# ML-powered workflow optimization
/orchestrate ml-optimization --features "
  historical-performance-data
  agent-specialization-patterns
  task-complexity-analysis
  resource-usage-prediction
" --optimize "workflow-efficiency"

Adaptive Agent Selection

# Intelligent agent selection
/orchestrate adaptive-selection --criteria "
  task-complexity
  agent-current-load
  historical-success-rate
  estimated-completion-time
"

Custom Orchestration Patterns

Event-Driven Orchestration

# Event-driven workflows
/orchestrate event-driven --triggers "
  code-commit: trigger-testing-workflow
  test-failure: notify-relevant-agents
  deployment-success: trigger-monitoring-setup
"

Next Steps

VM Agent

Learn about the VM Agent for secure isolated development

Advanced Automation

See complex orchestration examples in action

Performance Optimization

Optimize orchestration performance and efficiency

API Integration

Integrate orchestration with external systems

Start with simple sequential workflows, then gradually introduce parallel and conditional patterns. The orchestration system is most effective when agents have clearly defined roles and responsibilities.