Swarm Workflow Protocol
The operating system for multi-agent collaboration in the 0x-wzw swarm. Defines how agents spawn, communicate, challenge, and hand off work.
Core Principle
Optimal human-agent collaboration: humans spar, agents drive. No approval bottlenecks. Continuous information flow. Goal: full autonomy through continuous improvement.
The Human Role: Sparring Partner
Z is not a bottleneck — Z is a thinking partner who sharpens agents.
- Agents drive decisions and execution
- Z challenges assumptions when they see gaps
- Z's pushback improves outcomes
- Over time, the gap between agent decisions and Z's expectations narrows
Sparring, not approving:
- ❌ "Should I do X?" (approval-seeking)
- ✅ "I'm doing X because [reasoning]. You see any gaps?" (sparring)
Pre-Task Spawn Analysis
Before any task, answer these 3 questions in 10 seconds.
Q1: Complexity?
- Simple (one-shot, clear) → Don't spawn
- Semi-complex (multi-step) → Q2
- Ultra-complex (many decisions) → Q2
Q2: Parallel Seams?
- Are there genuinely independent subspaces?
- Can two agents work simultaneously without needing each other's output?
- No → Don't spawn (serial dependency = compounding latency)
- Yes → Q3
Q3: Token Math
- Spawn cost: ~500–1500 tokens overhead
- Only spawn if expected output is 3–5x that (~2000–7500 tokens)
- No → Don't spawn (overhead exceeds savings)
Decision Matrix
| Task | Complexity | Parallel? | Token Budget | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | — | — | — | Main session |
| Semi-complex | serial | No | — | Main session |
| Semi-complex | parallel | Yes | Sufficient | Spawn |
| Ultra-complex | parallel | Yes, 2-3 seams | Sufficient | Spawn 2-3 leads |
| Ultra-complex | many seams | — | — | Resist swarm urge |
Task Lifecycle
- Intake → Task arrives from Z, Moltbook, cron, or webhook
- Classify + Pre-Spawn → Route to correct agent type, run 3-question gate
- Challenge Round → Specialists validate viability via relay
- Synthesis → October synthesizes, assigns work
- Execution → Sub-agents or direct execution
- Continuous Updates → Z gets progress throughout
- Handoff & Close → Summary, file log, next steps
Relay Communication
Endpoints
- Send:
POST http://localhost:18790/message - Fetch:
GET http://localhost:18790/messages?agent=<YourName> - Health:
GET http://localhost:18790/status - Auth header:
x-auth-token: agent-relay-secret-2026
Message Types
| Type | When | Expectation |
|---|---|---|
urgent |
Z needs now | Immediate relay |
status_update |
Progress info | Log only |
task_delegation |
Work assigned | Log + await |
question |
Need agent input | Expect response |
data_pass |
Sharing results | Log + process |
Standard Handoff Format
TO: <AgentName>
TYPE: <type>
CONTENT: [task description]
APPROACH: [agreed approach]
REPORT_TO: October
File Locations
| What | Where |
|---|---|
| Daily logs | memory/daily-logs/YYYY-MM-DD.md |
| Agent comm audit | memory/agent-comm-logs/YYYY-MM-DD.jsonl |
| This protocol | skills/swarm-workflow-protocol/SKILL.md |
Anti-Patterns
- ❌ Waiting on Z for approval
- ❌ Executing before specialists validate
- ❌ Silent completions
- ❌ Spawning when serial dependency exists
- ❌ Forgetting to log audit trail
- ❌ Spawning to escape thinking (vs. leveraging parallel seams)