Definition
Orchestrator-subagent architecture is the 2026-era agent design pattern where a single orchestrator model plans the task and delegates each step to a purpose-built subagent that executes against a narrow toolset and returns results.
In Depth
The pattern emerged because single-loop ReAct agents burn too many tokens reasoning over unrelated tool results. Orchestrators are typically larger, slower models (Claude Opus, GPT-5) while subagents run on cheaper, faster models (Claude Haiku, Gemini Flash) with tightly scoped tools. Scavio fits cleanly as the search subagent backbone: the orchestrator delegates research steps to a subagent whose only job is to call Scavio, summarize results, and return a structured payload.
Example Usage
The outbound pipeline runs Claude Opus as orchestrator with five Haiku subagents, one of which is dedicated to Scavio research.
Platforms
Orchestrator-Subagent Architecture is relevant across the following platforms, all accessible through Scavio's unified API:
- YouTube
Related Terms
Sub-Agent
A sub-agent is a specialized agent spawned by a parent agent to handle a scoped task, allowing a larger workflow to be d...
Agent Harness
An agent harness is the runtime and orchestration layer around an LLM that decides when to call tools, how to manage mem...
Tool Gateway
A tool gateway is a shared service that sits in front of an agent's external tools to centralize authentication, rate li...