Interactive Topology Explorer
Pick a task shape. Commander’s deliberation engine maps similar signals onto one of five canonical topologies. This page is a decision aid — not a substitute for plan.
Decision tree
Is the task a single clear question with one owner?
YES → SINGLE
NO ↓
Does work form a strict pipeline (A then B then C)?
YES → CHAIN
NO ↓
Can specialists work in parallel then merge?
YES → DISPATCH
NO ↓
Does a lead need to delegate and re-plan?
YES → ORCHESTRATOR
NO ↓
Is quality / risk high enough to require critique?
YES → REVIEW
else → start with DISPATCH or ask `commander plan`Topology cards
SINGLE
| Agents | 1 |
| Best for | FAQ, simple explain, one-shot transform |
| Cost | Lowest |
| Risk | No peer review |
bash
npx tsx packages/core/src/cliEntry.ts plan "what does this function do?"
# often → SINGLECHAIN
| Agents | Sequential stages |
| Best for | Analyze → implement → verify pipelines |
| Cost | Medium |
| Risk | Stage failures block the line |
bash
npx tsx packages/core/src/cliEntry.ts plan "migrate the auth module then update callers"
# often → CHAINDISPATCH
| Agents | Parallel specialists + synthesizer |
| Best for | Research, audits, multi-angle analysis |
| Cost | Higher (parallel) |
| Risk | Merge conflicts in synthesis |
bash
npx tsx packages/core/src/cliEntry.ts plan "audit this repo for security vulnerabilities"
# often → DISPATCHORCHESTRATOR
| Agents | Lead + workers |
| Best for | Large, ambiguous, multi-module work |
| Cost | High |
| Risk | Lead bottleneck / over-delegation |
bash
npx tsx packages/core/src/cliEntry.ts plan "redesign the billing system end to end"
# often → ORCHESTRATORREVIEW
| Agents | Producer + critic / merge |
| Best for | High-risk code, security-sensitive output |
| Cost | Medium–high |
| Risk | Extra latency |
bash
npx tsx packages/core/src/cliEntry.ts run "task" --topology reviewQuick chooser
Answer mentally, then confirm with plan:
| If your task is… | Try |
|---|---|
| One question, one answer | SINGLE |
| Ordered steps that depend on previous output | CHAIN |
| Multiple independent investigations | DISPATCH |
| Unknown scope; need a manager agent | ORCHESTRATOR |
| Correctness > speed | REVIEW |
Force a topology
bash
npx tsx packages/core/src/cliEntry.ts run "your task" --topology dispatch --stream
npx tsx packages/core/src/cliEntry.ts plan "your task" --topology reviewCanonical names: single · chain · dispatch · orchestrator · review (CLI casing may vary — see commander --help).