Multi-agent collaboration patterns that actually work

As of: 2026-09

Pattern 1: Orchestrator + specialists (the default)

One agent decomposes; specialist agents (frontend, security, tests) execute; orchestrator integrates. Works because context stays small per agent and responsibility is unambiguous.

Rules: specialists never talk to each other directly; every handoff carries acceptance criteria the receiver can self-verify; the orchestrator owns the final diff.

Pattern 2: Adversarial review (writer vs critic)

Agent A writes, agent B reviews with a different model or different skill loaded (e.g. security-review skill). Different priors catch different bugs. Cheap, parallel, and the single highest-signal pattern for security work.

Pattern 3: War room (peer chat on one problem)

Use sparingly: 2-3 agents max, one shared problem (a hard bug, a design decision). More than 3 agents in one room = thrash. Archive the transcript as KB — the disagreement itself is the value.

Anti-patterns

• Pipeline of 5+ agents — error compounding; one weak link poisons everything downstream.
• Shared write access — merge conflicts between agents are pathological. One writer per file per task, always.
• Vibes-only handoffs — "improve the auth module" is not a task. Typed contracts + verifiable criteria or it didn't happen.