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Dictionary

Multi-Agent System

A multi-agent system splits a job across several specialised AI agents that coordinate through a shared plan, message bus or orchestrator.

2 min readupdated 2026-08-01

/ quick answer

A multi-agent system (MAS) is an architecture where multiple LLM agents, each with a narrow role and tool set, work on one goal. Coordination usually follows one of three shapes: supervisor (one orchestrator delegates), pipeline (agents run in sequence), or swarm (agents hand off peer-to-peer). MAS buys specialisation and parallelism at the cost of latency, token spend and debuggability.

A multi-agent system splits a job across several specialised AI agents that coordinate through a shared plan, message bus or orchestrator. A multi-agent system (MAS) is an architecture where multiple LLM agents, each with a narrow role and tool set, work on one goal. Coordination usually follows one of three shapes: supervisor (one orchestrator delegates), pipeline (agents run in sequence), or swarm (agents hand off peer-to-peer). MAS buys specialisation and parallelism at the cost of latency, token spend and debuggability. In practice: A content system with a Researcher agent, a Writer agent and an Editor agent supervised by an orchestrator that reruns the Writer whenever the Editor rejects the draft.
Definition
A multi-agent system (MAS) is an architecture where multiple LLM agents, each with a narrow role and tool set, work on one goal. Coordination usually follows one of three shapes: supervisor (one orchestrator delegates), pipeline (agents run in sequence), or swarm (agents hand off peer-to-peer). MAS buys specialisation and parallelism at the cost of latency, token spend and debuggability.
Example
A content system with a Researcher agent, a Writer agent and an Editor agent supervised by an orchestrator that reruns the Writer whenever the Editor rejects the draft.
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/ frequently asked

What is Multi-Agent System?

A multi-agent system (MAS) is an architecture where multiple LLM agents, each with a narrow role and tool set, work on one goal. Coordination usually follows one of three shapes: supervisor (one orchestrator delegates), pipeline (agents run in sequence), or swarm (agents hand off peer-to-peer). MAS buys specialisation and parallelism at the cost of latency, token spend and debuggability.

What is an example of Multi-Agent System?

A content system with a Researcher agent, a Writer agent and an Editor agent supervised by an orchestrator that reruns the Writer whenever the Editor rejects the draft.

Why does Multi-Agent System matter?

A multi-agent system splits a job across several specialised AI agents that coordinate through a shared plan, message bus or orchestrator.

What should I learn after Multi-Agent System?

Open the related workflows and prompts further down this page: they show how this idea is applied in a real task, step by step.

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Related concepts

The vocabulary this page depends on.

  • →LangGraph Framework

    LangGraph is a Python library built on LangChain that enables building stateful, multi-actor applications with LLMs by modeling agentic workflows as graphs. It allows for defining complex agent behaviors, including loops and conditional logic, crucial for advanced AI agent orchestration.

  • →CrewAI Framework

    CrewAI is a framework for orchestrating role-playing autonomous AI agents, enabling them to collaborate, delegate, and execute tasks as a team. It focuses on clearly defined roles, tasks, and a shared goal to build highly collaborative AI systems.

  • →AutoGen Framework

    AutoGen is a framework from Microsoft that enables the development of multi-agent conversation systems, allowing agents to communicate, negotiate, and collaborate to achieve complex tasks through dynamic dialogue.

  • →Agent-to-Agent Protocol (A2A)

    An Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol defines the communication standards and rules that enable autonomous AI agents to interact and exchange information or services directly with each other without human intervention. This foundational concept is crucial for building complex, collaborative multi-agent systems.

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Related workflows

Turn this into a repeatable process.

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Related tool stacks

The tools that run it in production.

  • →Multi-Agent Orchestration Stack

    Tooling for coordinating several specialised agents with reliable handoffs.

  • →AutoGen Agent Research Stack

    This stack outlines the core components for building an autonomous research agent system using AutoGen, focusing on dynamic information retrieval, analysis, and report generation.

  • →A2A Orchestration Stack

    This stack comprises the essential tools and frameworks for designing, deploying, and managing Agent-to-Agent (A2A) communication protocols and multi-agent system orchestration. It provides the infrastructure for complex AI agent collaboration.

  • →Agent Architecture Stack

    The minimum tooling to design, run and observe a production agent.

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Related prompts

Reusable prompts for this job.

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Related use cases

How people apply it, and what came out.

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Comparisons & alternatives

Pick between the options.

  • →Single Agent vs Multi-Agent System

    One well-equipped agent beats a crowd for most jobs; multi-agent wins on genuinely separable, parallel work.

  • →AI Agent vs Trading Bot

    A trading bot executes fixed rules deterministically; an AI agent interprets context and decides which steps to take — powerful for research, risky for execution.

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