From 4a4fa907f5f1ba51845e404e295a34f92516a773 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: someiyoshino-lab Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:39:55 +0900 Subject: [PATCH] docs(rules): add Delegation Completion Contract to agent orchestration rules (#2471) The 'Parallel Task Execution' rule encourages agents to spawn subagents, but defines no completion contract. Observed failure mode: subagents followed the rule, spawned their own children, and returned 'waiting for background agents' as their final answer. All children completed successfully, but their results were orphaned because a parent whose turn has ended cannot receive completion notifications - leaving zombie 'running' tasks and lost work. Adds three rules that apply at every delegation depth: 1. Your final message IS the deliverable (never end with 'waiting') 2. If you delegate, you own collection (no fire-and-forget) 3. Decompose only when work cannot fit in one context --- rules/common/agents.md | 10 ++++++++++ 1 file changed, 10 insertions(+) diff --git a/rules/common/agents.md b/rules/common/agents.md index d7dd1be9..4d1dfb4c 100644 --- a/rules/common/agents.md +++ b/rules/common/agents.md @@ -41,6 +41,16 @@ Launch 3 agents in parallel: First agent 1, then agent 2, then agent 3 ``` +## Delegation Completion Contract + +Applies to every agent at every depth (parent, child, grandchild): + +1. **Your final message IS the deliverable.** Never end your turn with "waiting for background agents" — a spawned task is not a completed task. Ending your turn while children are running orphans their results (completed children cannot notify a parent whose turn has ended). +2. **If you delegate, you own collection.** Wait for results, integrate them, then return. Fire-and-forget delegation is forbidden. +3. **Decompose only when the work cannot fit in one context.** Do not re-delegate a task already sized for a single agent — depth is an outcome, not a plan. + +> Rationale: observed failure mode — research agents followed "Parallel Task Execution" above, spawned children, and returned "waiting" as their final answer. All children completed successfully but their results were orphaned. The parallel rule without a completion contract produces zombie tasks. + ## Multi-Perspective Analysis For complex problems, use split role sub-agents: