Glossary
Agent Orchestration
The layer that coordinates multiple AI agents, tools, and models in one system.
Definition
Agent orchestration is the architectural layer that decides which agent handles which request, in which order, and with which tools — the operating system of a multi-agent AI application. Orchestration handles routing, state management, tool dispatch, error recovery, and cost/latency optimization.
Context
As enterprise AI moves from single-purpose chatbots to multi-agent systems, orchestration becomes the highest-leverage design decision. Common patterns include supervisor-worker (a router agent dispatches to specialists), pipeline (agents in sequence), and event-driven (agents triggered by workflow events). Frameworks like LangGraph, LlamaIndex, and native provider tools have matured to support production orchestration.