Multi-Agent

Based on Anthropic’s “Building Effective Agents” framework.

Multi-agent orchestration delegates incoming requests to specialized agents based on the request type or domain. A coordinating agent acts as a router, automatically selecting the most appropriate specialized agent to handle each specific request, enabling focused expertise while maintaining a unified interface.

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When to Use

Use multi-agent orchestration when you have distinct request categories that benefit from specialized handling, such as support versus sales inquiries or different product domains. This pattern works best when each specialist agent can operate independently and when automatic routing based on request content is reliable. Avoid when requests frequently require multiple specialists or when the routing logic becomes complex.

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Implementation

This example demonstrates a customer service system where a coordinating agent automatically routes between support and sales specialists based on the nature of incoming requests.

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Agent Code

import { pickaxe } from "@hatchet-dev/pickaxe";
import z from "zod";
import { supportAgent } from "@tools/support-agent";
import { salesAgent } from "@tools/sales-agent";

const CustomerServiceInput = z.object({
  userMessage: z.string(),
});

const CustomerServiceOutput = z.object({
  response: z.string(),
  category: z.string(),
});

const customerServiceToolbox = pickaxe.toolbox({
  tools: [supportAgent, salesAgent],
});

export const customerServiceAgent = pickaxe.agent({
  name: "customer-service-agent",
  executionTimeout: "5m",
  inputSchema: CustomerServiceInput,
  outputSchema: CustomerServiceOutput,
  description: "Routes customer inquiries to specialized agents",
  fn: async (input, ctx) => {
    // AUTOMATIC ROUTING: Let the toolbox select the appropriate specialist
    const result = await customerServiceToolbox.pickAndRun({
      prompt: input.userMessage,
    });

    switch (result.name) {
      case "support-agent":
        return {
          response: result.output.response,
          category: "support",
        };
      case "sales-agent":
        return {
          response: result.output.response,
          category: "sales",
        };
      default:
        return customerServiceToolbox.assertExhaustive(result);
    }
  },
});

The pattern uses pickAndRun() for automatic agent selection based on the request content, with each specialist agent optimized for its specific domain. The orchestrator maintains a consistent interface while delegating to the most appropriate expert.

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Related Patterns

This pattern complements routing for complex decision trees and can be combined with human-in-the-loop for scenarios requiring specialist review or approval.