Agent Workflows and Multi-Agent Systems

One agent can perform many tasks, but complex work often benefits from a structured workflow.

Single-agent workflow

A single agent receives the goal, chooses tools, acts, evaluates the result, and repeats. This is simple to build but can become difficult to debug when the task grows.

Orchestrated workflow

An orchestrator assigns distinct steps to specialized components. For example, one component gathers information, another analyzes it, and a third verifies the final answer.

Multi-agent systems

Multiple agents may cooperate, debate, negotiate, or supervise one another. They can resemble a small organization with roles such as researcher, planner, executor, reviewer, and manager.

Why decomposition helps

• Each role can use a different model or toolset.
• Failures are easier to locate.
• Permissions can be limited by role.
• Critical steps can require independent verification.

Why multi-agent systems can fail

More agents also mean more messages, more latency, higher cost, duplicated work, and new coordination errors. A multi-agent design should be used because the workflow requires specialization—not because it sounds more advanced.