Topology Decision Tree

Not sure which orchestration topology to use? Follow this decision tree.

Quick Reference

Is the task simple and well-defined?
├── YES → SINGLE
└── NO  → Are subtasks independent?
    ├── YES → DISPATCH
    └── NO  → Do subtasks depend on each other?
        ├── YES → CHAIN
        └── NO  → Is there a clear lead agent?
            ├── YES → ORCHESTRATOR
            └── NO  → REVIEW

Topology Details

SINGLE

When: Simple, well-scoped tasks Example: "Explain this function", "Format this file" Agents: 1

CHAIN

When: Multi-step transformations where each step depends on the previous Example: "Read the file → analyze the code → generate a report" Agents: 2–3

DISPATCH

When: Independent subtasks that can run simultaneously Example: "Search for bugs in all modules at once" Agents: 2–10

ORCHESTRATOR

When: Complex task with a clear decomposition path Example: A lead architect decomposes the work and delegates to specialists Agents: 3–8

REVIEW

When: High-risk decisions requiring cross-validation, iterative refinement, or consensus Example: "Is this security vulnerability real or a false positive?" Agents: 2–5

Complexity-Based Selection

Commander automatically selects the topology based on task complexity:

Score	Auto-Selected Topology
0–20	SINGLE
20–40	CHAIN
40–60	DISPATCH
60–80	ORCHESTRATOR
80–100	REVIEW

Override the automatic selection:

npx tsx packages/core/src/cliEntry.ts run "task" --topology review