Orchestrator-Worker Pattern

The orchestrator-worker pattern is the most common production multi-agent architecture: a central orchestrator agent manages a pool of specialized worker agents, dynamically assigning subtasks based on each worker's capabilities and the requirements of the current step. Unlike the simpler orchestrator pattern where the orchestrating agent does all reasoning and merely delegates execution, the orchestrator-worker pattern gives workers genuine autonomy, each running its own agent loop with its own tools and system prompt, making independent decisions within the scope of its assigned subtask. The key design challenge is the handoff contract, meaning how the orchestrator and workers communicate results, errors, and progress without creating tight coupling that defeats the purpose of specialization.