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cloud.google.com·7h ago
System Design
Martin Fowler·Jul 28·5 min read
The Orchestrator's Tax
TL;DR
Subagents are valuable not just for saving time but for managing the orchestrator's cognitive load. They help maintain focus by offloading unnecessary reasoning tasks.
✦ Why It Matters
Establish clear guidelines for using subagents to enhance your team's cognitive efficiency today.
Key Takeaways
- Limit the number of subagents to avoid context pollution.
- Avoid unnecessary status checks that clutter the orchestrator's context.
- Group tasks requiring similar knowledge to reduce duplicated effort.
- Establish clear rules for when to delegate tasks to subagents.
How It Works
Subagents are designed to offload reasoning from the orchestrator, allowing it to focus on critical tasks. By establishing rules for delegation, such as merging tasks that share file ownership, the orchestrator can maintain a cleaner context, reducing cognitive load and improving decision-making.