A quick-reference model for structuring multi-agent teams in Claude Code.
8 composable topology patterns — a nod to Team Topologies thinking, applied to how work flows through agent teams. Browse the patterns, find what fits, and adapt.
Warning
Agent teams are experimental. They're disabled by default in Claude Code. Enable them by setting CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS to 1 in your settings or environment. See the official agent teams documentation for setup and known limitations.
Install as a Claude Code plugin from the yo61-skills marketplace:
/plugin marketplace add yo61/claude-skills
/plugin install agent-team-topologies
Then invoke the topology chooser with /agent-team-topologies:topology.
You get:
- 6 subagents — explorer, security-reviewer, perf-reviewer, test-reviewer, architect, implementer
topologyskill — interactive chooser that recommends a topology based on your goal- Hook script templates — quality gates and idle summary enforcement (see
.claude/hooks/README.md)
Prefer a manual install? Clone this repo and copy agents/, skills/, and .claude/hooks/ into your project's .claude/ directory.
| Pattern | Best For | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Parallel Explorers | Discovery, research, codebase mapping | Low |
| Review Board | Code review with distinct lenses | Low |
| Competing Hypotheses | Ambiguous bugs, architectural decisions | Medium |
| Feature Pod | Cross-layer feature delivery | Medium |
| Risky Refactor | High-risk changes needing plan approval | Low |
| Orchestrator-Only | Pure coordination, lead never codes | High |
| Quality-Gated | Enforcing completion standards (composable) | Overlay |
| Task Queue | Many small independent tasks | High |
Topologies are primitives, not monoliths — any teammate slot can itself become a topology. See the Composing Topologies guide for recipes.
All guides are on the documentation site:
- Getting Started — Enable agent teams, install configs, run your first topology
- Mental Model — Teams vs subagents, core concepts, selection heuristics
- Decision Tree — Expanded flowchart for picking the right topology
- Composing Topologies — Recipes for chaining, nesting, and combining patterns
- Anti-Patterns — 8 things NOT to do with agent teams
- Cost Guide — Token economics by topology, cost reduction strategies
- Best Practices — Operational guidance for running agent teams
See CONTRIBUTING.md for how to:
- Propose new topology patterns
- Submit real-world examples
- Improve agent definitions or hooks
MIT — use these patterns however you want.