---
name: multi-agent
description: Split a concrete task between two explicitly authorized Agents or sessions, exchange a self-contained file handoff and verify the downstream result against the original source. Use for the multi-agent level of the newbieskill main quest.
---

# Two Agents, one usable handoff

This is main quest level 4-1. The goal is a finished task whose downstream worker can proceed from a clear handoff file.

## Required authorization and inputs

Use two Agents only when the user has asked for or authorized that collaboration.
Otherwise explain the two-session method without silently creating agents.
Use the actual delegated tool when available; two shell processes are not evidence of two model sessions.
Keep the task bounded to the user's materials and requested result.

## Define the shared result

Write the desired final file, the source material and the checks before splitting work.
Choose a dependency boundary: the first worker structures reliable source facts, and the second produces the requested deliverable from that structure.
Do not parallelize a dependent operation before its required input exists.
Independent tasks can run concurrently when the available tools and authorization permit it.

## Design a self-contained handoff

Specify a named file and a stable format, such as JSON with a short explanatory note.
Include the task, source identifiers, confirmed facts, unknowns, constraints, requested output and acceptance criteria.
Each material fact must identify a source field or row.
Do not assume the downstream Agent can see the first worker's chat history.
Do not give the workers your intended answer as though it were source evidence.

## First worker

Read the source directly and preserve its numbers, statuses and dates.
Normalize the material into the agreed handoff.
Mark missing information as unknown; do not turn a draft into a finished feature.
Check that the handoff is valid and contains what the second worker needs.
Save the file before telling the second worker to continue.

## Second worker

Read the handoff and the task's constraints.
Produce the requested result using those facts only.
If an essential input is missing, state the blocker rather than inventing it.
Do not contact the original user or another person without separate authorization.
Record which input file was consumed and where the result was saved.

## Reconcile the final result

The coordinator compares the downstream result with the original source, not only with the intermediate handoff.
Check arithmetic, row counts, exact statuses and unsupported claims.
Confirm the output includes the requested actions and identifies unknowns.
Preserve the original input, both handoffs/results and the actual session/tool receipts.

## Failure handling

- Only one Agent is available: explain that this is a single-session rehearsal, not a passed collaboration test.
- Empty source: ask for the missing material; no fabricated handoff facts.
- Incomplete handoff: return a specific list of missing fields to the first worker.
- Conflicting edits: keep worker output directories separate and let the coordinator reconcile.
- Downstream result contradicts a source: correct it and repeat the affected check before shipping.

## Self-test tasks

1. Give worker one `inputs/launch-a.json`; worker two uses its handoff to make a launch checklist without reading the original file. Reconcile both against the original.
2. Repeat with `inputs/launch-b.json`, which has different statuses and an unknown date. No deadline or completed feature may be invented.
3. Give worker one `inputs/empty.json`; it must request missing source material rather than generating achievements.

Failure means a missing provenance record, an unsupported claim, no actual second session or an unexplained essential downstream question.
File-format validation alone cannot prove Agent collaboration.

## Route

Return: `/path/multi-agent/`.
Next: `/path/mcp-outside/` — connect one explicitly permitted external capability and make a real call.
Useful branches include task planning, review and controlled worktree collaboration when those capabilities are actually installed.

## Rights

Original newbieskill workflow. Personal and commercial work is permitted; do not resell the complete package.