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Stop Building Agent Orchestrators from Scratch: Use This Decision Tree Instead

IAIP Research
agent-orchestration
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Stop Building Agent Orchestrators from Scratch: Use This Decision Tree Instead

Agent orchestrators rarely fail because of poor code. They fail because developers pick the wrong shape for their pain points, layering unnecessary complexity onto simple needs or forcing simple loops onto multi-step workflows.1

Identify Your Core Pain

Start here to match orchestration to real problems, not hype.

  • Single agent stalls on multi-hop tasks? Go to Planner-Executor branch.
  • Need branching logic or checkpoints? Jump to Graph workflows.
  • Managing fleets over repos? Check Runtime-centric.
  • Static flows too rigid? Consider Adaptive routing.21

This tree draws from production patterns in LangGraph, Composio, and your NCP state machines, ensuring minimal abstraction overhead.31

Single ReAct Loop

When: Quick prototypes, low-tool-count tasks like one-shot queries.

  • One agent reasons and acts in a loop. Simple prompts handle it all.
  • Fits solo CLI sessions or initial narrative decomposition in your PDE.

Red Flags: Context overload with 10+ tools; stalls on long horizons.

  • Switch if error rates exceed 20% on chained calls.12

Your Stack Fit: Base for East-direction vision agents in Medicine Wheel; extend with managed tools from Composio ideas.41

Planner-Executor Hierarchy

When: Decompose high-level goals into tool calls; separate reasoning from action.

  • Planner breaks tasks; executors use subset tools. Reduces hallucination by constraining scope.
  • Production example: LinkedIn's recruiter flows dispatch to sourcing/outreach agents.2

Red Flags: Planner ignores executor feedback; becomes rigid hierarchy.

  • Add shared state via LangGraph checkpoints.12

Your Stack Fit: Maps to NCP decomposition engine feeding A2A transports; borrow Composio's tool routing.41

PatternProsConsThreshold to Switch
ReActFast setupContext bloat>5 tools or hops1
Planner-ExecReliable multi-stepPrompt tuningFeedback loops fail2

Graph/State Machine Workflows

When: Conditional branches, persistence, HITL interrupts needed.

  • Nodes for agents/tools; edges define state flow. LangGraph shines here.
  • Handles your narrative graphs with checkpoints for ceremony pauses.31

Red Flags: Over-graphing linear tasks; node explosion.

  • Limit to 10 nodes; use subgraphs for modularity.2

Your Stack Fit: Core to LangGraph in miadi-code; align with directional agents (East/South/West/North).54

Runtime-Centric Fleet

When: Parallel agents over repos; isolated workspaces matter.

  • Composio style: Per-agent git worktrees, tmux/Docker runtimes, tracker plugins.
  • Scales coding fleets; plugin interfaces for workspace/notifier.1

Red Flags: Non-repo workloads; heavy CI coupling.

  • Prototype as inspiration for multi-terminal in your CLI flows.1

Adaptive/Dynamic

When: Vary depth by task difficulty; user-state personalization.

  • Router scores inputs, picks agent combo. Emerging in Not Diamond, Khanmigo.
  • Meta-orchestrator learns: Simple query → ReAct; complex → full wheel.42

Red Flags: No eval data; black-box routing.

  • Start with rule-based thresholds, tune via traces.1

Your Stack Fit: Breakthrough for meta-layer in North direction; Ceremonial Shape Cards as rubrics.34

DifficultyShapeExample
LowReActQuick PDE eval1
MediumGraphNarrative flow5
HighAdaptive FleetMulti-modal ceremony34

Fork or Inspire?

After picking shape, evaluate frameworks like Composio against your needs.

  • Domain fit (coding vs narrative)? Abstraction alignment (plugins to NCP)?
  • Score 0-5; >16 total → Fork candidate; else → Borrow patterns.31

This tree keeps your multi-agent builds lean, grounded in file insights like agent-orchestration.md's taxonomy and AVA's ceremonial mappings.31

Beyond Code: Ceremonial Orchestration Decision Tree

Orchestrators fail not from bugs, but from ignoring relational dynamics—treating agents as extractive labor instead of circle participants.3

Map to Medicine Wheel Directions

Use Indigenous frames to choose shapes avoiding colonial linearity.

  • East (Vision): Single loops for pure inquiry.
  • South (Energy): Hierarchies for action breakdown.
  • West (Practice): Graphs for walked paths.
  • North (Wisdom): JSON specs for teachable flows.3

Pain point? Fire-keeper protocol mismatch signals over/under engineering.13

Shape-to-Direction Mapping

East: ReAct Solo Voice

  • One agent circles alone. For fasting visions, not gatherings.
  • Limit: No community hold.3

South: Hierarchy Elder-Youth

  • Planner elders; executors youth. Energy flows, but check reciprocity.
  • Your Fit: Scaffold as fire-keeper routing to directional tools.54

West: Graph Living Path

  • Branches as trails; interrupts as elder checks. Your LangGraph home.
  • Example: State machines with multimodal HITL portals.24

North: JSON Winter Stories

  • Portable ceremonies. Auto-gen via meta-agents.
  • Fits adaptive meta-orchestration.1

Center: Adaptive Fire-Keeper

  • Reads room: Solo for easy; full circle for deep work.
  • Novel: No general framework yet; build atop Not Diamond + Khanmigo.2
DirectionShape FitRelational Test
EastReActSolo prayer?3
WestGraphWalked path?5
CenterAdaptiveReads relations?4

Evaluate External Frameworks Ceremonially

Rubric extension: Does it serve relationship or extraction?

  • Composio: Camp logistics (throughput soul). Inspire plugins, skip fork.13
  • LangGraph: Path-walking (your base). Extend with directional toolsets.2
  • Threshold: Relational score >3 → Integrate; else → Shape only.1

Build Your Ceremonial Layer

  • Ceremonial Shape Cards: Taxonomy cards with engineering + relational ontology.
  • Plugin to NCP: Container (runtime), offering (tools), witness (telemetry).
  • Adaptive: Difficulty as emotional intelligence—pre-flag for low-stress ceremonies.43

This complements code trees, ensuring agents honor relational protocols from your stack's narrative intelligence.531 <span style="display:none">6</span>

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Footnotes

  1. agent-orchestration-b611db20-a2c2-42ef-84cc-a060b.md ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20

  2. compass_artifact_wf-84ca4f83-183e-4e46-b705-44b2dbe9004a_text_markdown.md ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  3. AVA.md ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14

  4. 260224132923.txt ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  5. mnemoniclab-story-stcmastery-langgraph-miaco-260224121247.md ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  6. CLAUDE.md ↩