The coordinator provides detailed step-by-step instructions to the web search subagent, specifying exact…

Question

The coordinator provides detailed step-by-step instructions to the web search subagent, specifying exact search queries, source priorities, and date filters. Production monitoring reveals three issues: (1) the subagent reports “insufficient results” rather than trying alternative approaches when pre-specified searches fail, (2) research quality drops for emerging topics that don’t match expected patterns, and (3) the subagent rarely surfaces valuable tangential sources. What’s the most effective way to improve subagent adaptability?

Accepted Answer

D. Specify research goals and quality criteria (coverage breadth, source diversity, recency) rather than procedural steps, letting the subagent determine its search strategy.

Answer

A. Implement a topic classification step where the coordinator categorizes requests as “well-defined” or “exploratory” and uses different instruction styles for each category.

Answer

B. Add explicit fallback directives to the detailed instructions: “If specified searches yield fewer than N results, attempt alternative query formulations before reporting failure.”

Answer

C. Remove procedural details entirely, delegating with simple goals like “research X thoroughly” and relying on the subagent’s general capabilities.

Question 5