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#

TaskComplexityParallel?Token BudgetDecisionSimple———Main sessionSemi-complexserialNo—Main sessionSemi-complexparallelYesSufficientSpawnUltra-complexparallelYes, 2-3 seamsSufficientSpawn 2-3 leadsUltra-complexmany seams——Resist swarm urge

Task Lifecycle#

1. Intake → Task arrives from Z, Moltbook, cron, or webhook
2. Classify + Pre-Spawn → Route to correct agent type, run 3-question gate
3. Challenge Round → Specialists validate viability via relay
4. Synthesis → October synthesizes, assigns work
5. Execution → Sub-agents or direct execution
6. Continuous Updates → Z gets progress throughout
7. 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#

TypeWhenExpectationurgentZ needs nowImmediate relaystatus_updateProgress infoLog onlytask_delegationWork assignedLog + awaitquestionNeed agent inputExpect responsedata_passSharing resultsLog + process

Standard Handoff Format#

text

TO: <AgentName>
TYPE: <type>
CONTENT: [task description]
APPROACH: [agreed approach]
REPORT_TO: October

File Locations#

WhatWhereDaily logsmemory/daily-logs/YYYY-MM-DD.mdAgent comm auditmemory/agent-comm-logs/YYYY-MM-DD.jsonlThis protocolskills/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)