Agent Orchestration Guide

Learn how to design, deploy, and manage complex multi-agent workflows.

What is Agent Orchestration?

Agent Orchestration is the process of coordinating multiple agents to work together towards a common goal. It enables complex workflows, parallel execution, and intelligent task distribution.

Orchestration Features

Core Capabilities:

• Multi-Agent Coordination - Coordinate multiple agents working together
• Workflow Design - Visual workflow designer with drag-and-drop interface
• State Management - Manage state across multiple agents
• Communication - Enable agents to communicate and share information
• Error Recovery - Automatic error handling and recovery
• Monitoring - Real-time monitoring of workflow execution

Advanced Features:

• Conditional Branching - Branch workflows based on conditions
• Parallel Execution - Execute multiple agents in parallel
• Sequential Execution - Execute agents in sequence
• Loop Support - Implement loops and iterations
• Dynamic Routing - Route tasks dynamically based on conditions
• Resource Management - Manage resource allocation across agents

Creating a Workflow

import { Workflow } from '@zgi/core';

const workflow = new Workflow({
  name: 'content-creation',
  description: 'Create and publish content'
});

// Add agents to workflow
workflow.addAgent('researcher', researchAgent);
workflow.addAgent('writer', writerAgent);
workflow.addAgent('editor', editorAgent);
workflow.addAgent('publisher', publisherAgent);

// Define workflow steps
workflow.addStep({
  name: 'research',
  agent: 'researcher',
  input: { topic: 'AI trends' }
});

workflow.addStep({
  name: 'write',
  agent: 'writer',
  input: { research: '$research.output' },
  dependsOn: ['research']
});

workflow.addStep({
  name: 'edit',
  agent: 'editor',
  input: { content: '$write.output' },
  dependsOn: ['write']
});

workflow.addStep({
  name: 'publish',
  agent: 'publisher',
  input: { content: '$edit.output' },
  dependsOn: ['edit']
});

Workflow Configuration Features

Workflow Definition:

• Named Steps - Define workflow steps with clear names
• Agent Assignment - Assign agents to specific steps
• Input/Output Mapping - Map outputs from one step to inputs of another
• Dependencies - Define step dependencies
• Conditions - Add conditional logic to steps
• Timeouts - Set timeouts for each step

Data Flow:

• Variable Substitution - Use variables from previous steps
• Data Transformation - Transform data between steps
• Aggregation - Aggregate results from multiple steps
• Filtering - Filter results based on conditions
• Validation - Validate data at each step

Error Handling:

• Retry Logic - Automatic retry on failure
• Fallback Steps - Define fallback steps on error
• Error Handlers - Custom error handling logic
• Compensation - Undo previous steps on failure
• Notifications - Notify on errors

Workflow Patterns

Sequential Workflow

const sequentialWorkflow = new Workflow({
  name: 'sequential-process'
});

sequentialWorkflow.addStep({ name: 'step1', agent: 'agent1' });
sequentialWorkflow.addStep({ name: 'step2', agent: 'agent2', dependsOn: ['step1'] });
sequentialWorkflow.addStep({ name: 'step3', agent: 'agent3', dependsOn: ['step2'] });

Sequential Workflow Features:

• Linear Execution - Execute steps one after another
• Dependency Tracking - Automatic dependency resolution
• State Preservation - Preserve state across steps
• Progress Tracking - Track progress through workflow
• Checkpoint Support - Save checkpoints for recovery

Parallel Workflow

const parallelWorkflow = new Workflow({
  name: 'parallel-process'
});

parallelWorkflow.addStep({ name: 'step1', agent: 'agent1' });
parallelWorkflow.addStep({ name: 'step2', agent: 'agent2' });
parallelWorkflow.addStep({ name: 'step3', agent: 'agent3' });
parallelWorkflow.addStep({
  name: 'aggregate',
  agent: 'aggregator',
  dependsOn: ['step1', 'step2', 'step3']
});

Parallel Workflow Features:

• Concurrent Execution - Execute multiple steps concurrently
• Resource Optimization - Optimize resource usage
• Load Balancing - Balance load across agents
• Synchronization - Synchronize parallel steps
• Timeout Management - Handle timeouts in parallel execution

Conditional Workflow

const conditionalWorkflow = new Workflow({
  name: 'conditional-process'
});

conditionalWorkflow.addStep({
  name: 'check',
  agent: 'checker'
});

conditionalWorkflow.addStep({
  name: 'process_a',
  agent: 'agentA',
  condition: '$check.output.type === "A"',
  dependsOn: ['check']
});

conditionalWorkflow.addStep({
  name: 'process_b',
  agent: 'agentB',
  condition: '$check.output.type === "B"',
  dependsOn: ['check']
});

Conditional Workflow Features:

• Conditional Branching - Branch based on conditions
• Expression Evaluation - Evaluate complex expressions
• Multiple Branches - Support multiple conditional branches
• Nested Conditions - Support nested conditions
• Default Paths - Define default paths

Loop Workflow

const loopWorkflow = new Workflow({
  name: 'loop-process'
});

loopWorkflow.addStep({
  name: 'process_items',
  agent: 'processor',
  loop: {
    items: '$input.items',
    variable: 'item',
    maxIterations: 100
  }
});

Loop Workflow Features:

• Iteration Support - Iterate over collections
• Loop Variables - Access loop variables
• Break Conditions - Break loops based on conditions
• Iteration Limits - Set maximum iterations
• Accumulation - Accumulate results across iterations

Workflow Execution

const execution = await workflow.execute({
  topic: 'AI trends',
  maxConcurrency: 5,
  timeout: 300000
});

console.log(execution.status);
console.log(execution.results);
console.log(execution.metrics);

Execution Features

Execution Control:

• Synchronous Execution - Wait for completion
• Asynchronous Execution - Non-blocking execution
• Streaming Results - Stream results as available
• Cancellation - Cancel running workflows
• Pause/Resume - Pause and resume workflows

Execution Monitoring:

• Real-time Status - Monitor workflow status in real-time
• Step Tracking - Track individual step execution
• Progress Reporting - Get progress updates
• Metrics Collection - Collect execution metrics
• Logging - Detailed execution logs

Result Management:

• Result Aggregation - Aggregate results from all steps
• Error Collection - Collect errors from all steps
• Metrics Reporting - Report execution metrics
• Result Caching - Cache results for reuse
• Result Export - Export results in various formats

Workflow Monitoring

const monitor = workflow.createMonitor();

monitor.on('step-started', (step) => {
  console.log(`Step ${step.name} started`);
});

monitor.on('step-completed', (step) => {
  console.log(`Step ${step.name} completed`);
});

monitor.on('workflow-completed', (result) => {
  console.log('Workflow completed', result);
});

Monitoring Features:

• Event Listeners - Listen to workflow events
• Metrics Tracking - Track performance metrics
• Alert System - Alert on errors or anomalies
• Dashboard - Visual workflow dashboard
• Reporting - Generate execution reports

Workflow Optimization

Performance Optimization:

• Parallel Execution - Maximize parallelization
• Resource Allocation - Optimize resource usage
• Caching - Cache intermediate results
• Load Balancing - Balance load across agents
• Timeout Tuning - Optimize timeout settings

Cost Optimization:

• Model Selection - Choose cost-effective models
• Token Optimization - Minimize token usage
• Batch Processing - Batch similar tasks
• Result Reuse - Reuse cached results
• Resource Scaling - Scale resources based on demand

Workflow Templates

Pre-built Templates:

• Content Creation - Research, write, edit, publish
• Data Processing - Extract, transform, load data
• Customer Support - Route, respond, escalate
• Quality Assurance - Test, review, approve
• Report Generation - Collect, analyze, report

Template Features:

• Customization - Customize templates for your needs
• Reusability - Reuse templates across projects
• Versioning - Manage template versions
• Sharing - Share templates with team members
• Marketplace - Access community templates

Next Steps

• Agent Development
• Tool Development
• Knowledge Retrieval
• API Reference