Context Course

0. Welcome to the Context Course

1. Skills: Portable Knowledge for Code Agents

2. MCP: The Model Context Protocol

3. Plugins: Bundling Tools for Distribution

4. Subagents: Orchestrating Multi-Agent Workflows

Unit 4: Subagents Subagent Patterns Using Subagents Quiz 1: Subagent Concepts Hands-On: Multi-Agent Workflow Quiz 2: Multi-Agent Workflows

5. Hooks: Observing and Guarding the Agent Lifecycle

6. Bonus: Nano Harness — Build Your Own Agent

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Quiz 1: Subagent Concepts

Test your understanding of subagent patterns, architectures, and when to use them.

Question 1: What is a subagent?

A subagent is a different agent platform (like switching from Claude Code to Codex) A subagent is a skill that runs in the background while the main agent works on something else A subagent is a child agent process spawned by a parent agent to handle a subtask in isolation, then report results back A subagent is a way to run the same agent twice for redundancy

Question 2: What is the fan-out / fan-in pattern?

Fan-out/fan-in spawns multiple subagents, each handling a sequential stage; each stage waits for the previous to finish Fan-out/fan-in spawns multiple independent subagents in parallel, waits for all to finish, then combines results Fan-out/fan-in requires a supervisor agent to coordinate the subagents Fan-out/fan-in is the only pattern you should ever use

Question 3: What is the pipeline pattern?

Pipeline pattern runs all subagents in parallel to maximize speed Pipeline pattern chains subagents sequentially, where each stage's output becomes the next stage's input Pipeline pattern requires 10+ subagents to be effective Pipeline and fan-out/fan-in are the same thing

Question 4: When should you reach for subagents?

Use subagents when you have 10+ files to read or 3+ independent pieces of work Always use subagents if your task takes more than 1 minute Use subagents only for parallel work; never for sequential tasks Use subagents for every task; they always make things faster

Question 5: What is the supervisor pattern?

Supervisor pattern spawns all subagents in parallel to maximize speed Supervisor pattern has a parent agent directing multiple specialist subagents, each with different tools and expertise Supervisor pattern requires more than 10 subagents to be effective Supervisor pattern means all subagents have identical tools

Summary

If you got 4-5 correct, the core subagent patterns are in place. If not, revisit the patterns lesson before moving into the hands-on workflow.

Key Takeaways

Subagents are isolated child agents, not separate platforms or background skills
Fan-out / fan-in is parallel; pipeline is sequential; supervisor coordinates specialists
The best signal for subagents is independent or clearly staged work that justifies the coordination overhead

Next Steps

Next, put these patterns to work in the hands-on multi-agent workflow.

Update on GitHub

←Using Subagents Hands-On: Multi-Agent Workflow→

Quiz 1: Subagent Concepts Question 1: What is a subagent?Question 2: What is the fan-out / fan-in pattern?Question 3: What is the pipeline pattern?Question 4: When should you reach for subagents?Question 5: What is the supervisor pattern?Summary Key Takeaways Next Steps