pi-config/extensions/pi-crew/skills/delegation-patterns/SKILL.md

name, description

name	description
delegation-patterns	Subagent/team delegation workflow. Use when splitting work across pi-crew teams, direct agents, async background workers, chains, or parallel research/review tasks.

delegation-patterns

Use this skill when deciding how to delegate work.

Source patterns distilled

• pi-subagents: foreground/background/parallel/chain execution, fork/fresh context, worktree isolation, result watcher
• pi-crew: src/extension/team-tool/run.ts, src/runtime/team-runner.ts, src/runtime/task-graph-scheduler.ts, builtin teams/*.team.md, workflows/*.workflow.md
• Existing pi-crew skill: task-packet

Rules

• Delegate when tasks span multiple files/subsystems, need planning/review/verification, or can be independently researched.
• Do not parallelize edits to the same file, symbol, migration path, manifest/lockfile, or generated schema unless explicitly sequenced.
• Use read-only explorer/reviewer roles for source audit; implementation workers should receive narrow task packets.
• For async/background work, provide concrete objective, scope, constraints, outputs, and verification. Do not spin in wait loops; retrieve results when notified or when needed.
• For chain-style work, pass dependency outputs forward explicitly and require downstream workers to read upstream artifacts first.
• Use worktree isolation for risky parallel code-changing tasks when repository cleanliness and merge plan allow it.
• Require workers to report blockers and smallest recoverable next action rather than making broad assumptions.

Task packet checklist

• objective
• scope/paths
• allowed edits vs read-only areas
• constraints and project rules
• dependencies/input artifacts
• expected output artifacts
• acceptance criteria
• verification commands
• escalation conditions

Anti-patterns

• Sending broad “fix everything” prompts to multiple editors in one workspace.
• Waiting for async workers by sleeping/polling when result notifications exist.
• Letting review workers modify files.
• Claiming completion without durable artifacts or verification evidence.

Verification

For orchestration changes:

cd pi-crew
npx tsc --noEmit
node --experimental-strip-types --test test/unit/team-recommendation.test.ts test/unit/task-output-context-security.test.ts test/integration/phase3-runtime.test.ts
npm test