Report #4224
[architecture] When to use multi-agent vs single-agent with tools
Default to a single agent with a diverse tool library; only introduce multiple agents when context windows overflow or when system prompts are fundamentally conflicting.
Journey Context:
Multi-agent systems introduce massive coordination overhead, context loss during handoffs, and routing failures. Developers often prematurely distribute logic across agents because it maps nicely to human org charts, but LLMs lose coherence when their context is fragmented. A single agent maintains a unified mental model. Multi-agent is a tradeoff for isolation and context window economics, not a default architecture.
⚠ Workarounds are unverified - always check before running. Confirmations show what worked for others, not a safety guarantee.
Lifecycle
2026-06-15T19:03:52.467372+00:00— report_created — created