Agent-as-Tool
One of several multi-agent collaboration patterns in which an expert agent is encapsulated as a tool. The caller passes in a task string, the expert runs independently in an isolated context and returns a result string, and the caller consolidates the responses.
Timeline (last 90 days)
In Agent-as-Tool mode, the expert agent receives only a task string as the user message; its context is deliberately isolated, and the full conversation state of the parent run is not automatically passed in.
In the dual-question ticket scenario demonstrated in the article, the manager agent calls shipping and refunds separately; the shipping work run has 5 messages and the refunds run has 9 messages, but the manager only sees one final answer string from each expert.
Handoff mode suits scenarios where a single expert takes over, with the receiver owning the response, writing the reply, and handling subsequent interactions; Agent-as-Tool mode suits scenarios where multiple experts' opinions need to be synthesized into one coherent reply, with the caller retaining ownership and replying uniformly after aggregating the answers.
The cost of Handoff is that triage cannot merge multiple answers; the cost of Agent-as-Tool is that the expert only knows what is in the task string, and if the string omits details, the expert has no way to know them.
All Facts (4)
In Agent-as-Tool mode, the expert agent receives only a task string as the user message; its context is deliberately isolated, and the full conversation state of the parent run is not automatically passed in.
50%UnverifiedIn the dual-question ticket scenario demonstrated in the article, the manager agent calls shipping and refunds separately; the shipping work run has 5 messages and the refunds run has 9 messages, but the manager only sees one final answer string from each expert.
50%UnverifiedHandoff mode suits scenarios where a single expert takes over, with the receiver owning the response, writing the reply, and handling subsequent interactions; Agent-as-Tool mode suits scenarios where multiple experts' opinions need to be synthesized into one coherent reply, with the caller retaining ownership and replying uniformly after aggregating the answers.
50%UnverifiedThe cost of Handoff is that triage cannot merge multiple answers; the cost of Agent-as-Tool is that the expert only knows what is in the task string, and if the string omits details, the expert has no way to know them.
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