skill-agent-topology

Audits multi-agent workflows to determine whether each agent boundary earns its coordination cost.

Updated Aug 15, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/GongYuanCaiJi/dsh-claude-octopus --skill skill-agent-topology-gongyuancaiji
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: skill-agent-topology
Source: https://github.com/GongYuanCaiJi/dsh-claude-octopus/tree/main/.claude/skills/skill-agent-topology
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/GongYuanCaiJi/dsh-claude-octopus --skill skill-agent-topology-gongyuancaiji

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Multi-agent workflows often accumulate agents, seats, and handoffs that cost more in coordination overhead than they deliver in value. This Skill audits an existing multi-agent setup, counts what each boundary between agents costs, compares it against what the boundary buys, and recommends whether to keep, remove, or restructure agents — including the valid outcome of collapsing to a single agent. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Boundary Cost Analysis: Enumerates every context crossing between agents and names concrete cost terms such as token burden, handoff loss, compression loss, semantic drift, verification burden, and governance overhead. - Gain Verification: Checks each boundary against gains a single agent could not produce, such as genuine specialisation, parallelism, cross-vendor diversity, or adversarial review. - Single-Expert Baseline Comparison: Benchmarks the topology against one capable agent doing the whole task, placing the burden of proof on each boundary. - Use Case: Before adding a fourth review agent to a slow pipeline, run this audit to produce a boundary table showing which crossings are earned and a verdict on whether to collapse, restructure, or keep the setup. ## Quick Start Audit my current multi-agent workflow and tell me whether each agent boundary earns its coordination cost or should be removed.

Frequently Asked Questions about skill-agent-topology

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I audit a multi-agent workflow for unnecessary agents?▼

List every point where context crosses between agents, name the cost at each crossing (handoff loss, compression, verification burden), and check whether each boundary buys something a single agent could not produce. The audit outputs a verdict: collapse, remove boundaries, keep, or restructure.

When should I remove an agent from a workflow?▼

Remove an agent when its boundary has no gain a single agent could not deliver, such as when two agents' inputs overlap heavily or when agreement costs multiple dispatches but adds no signal. Boundaries kept for safety, approval, or compliance reasons are excluded from removal recommendations.

What is the single-expert baseline in multi-agent evaluation?▼

The baseline is one capable agent doing the entire task with no internal transaction cost. Research cited by the audit found human-imitation topologies like pipelines and committees measuring below this baseline, so the burden of proof falls on each boundary to justify its existence.

Can this audit run on a workflow that has not been executed yet?▼

Yes, but the output is flagged as a prediction rather than a measurement. An audit of a described topology estimates costs, while an audit of a real transcript or run directory counts observed crossings, which is preferred.

When should I not use an agent topology audit?▼

Do not use it to pick a workflow for a new task, to decide whether to delegate to agents at all, to choose between providers or models, or for single-agent tasks where no boundaries exist to count.