Claude Swarm — Multi-Agent Orchestration with SDK

What is Claude Swarm?

Claude Swarm is a Python-based multi-agent orchestration system built on the Claude Agent SDK. It uses a three-phase architecture: Opus 4.6 decomposes tasks into dependency graphs, parallel waves of Haiku workers execute them with pessimistic file locking, and Opus reviews all outputs for integration issues. Features a real-time htop-style TUI dashboard.

Answer-Ready: Claude Swarm orchestrates multiple Claude agents with Opus decomposition and Haiku worker execution. Three-phase architecture: decompose → execute in parallel waves → quality gate. Real-time TUI dashboard, budget enforcement, YAML topology, session replay.

Best for: Teams orchestrating multiple Claude agents for large codebases. Works with: Claude Agent SDK, Claude API. Setup time: Under 5 minutes.

Architecture

Three Phases

Phase 1: DECOMPOSE (Opus 4.6)
  Task → Dependency Graph → Parallel Waves

Phase 2: EXECUTE (Haiku Workers)
  Wave 1: [task-a, task-b] (parallel, no deps)
  Wave 2: [task-c] (depends on a+b)
  Wave 3: [task-d, task-e] (depends on c)

Phase 3: QUALITY GATE (Opus 4.6)
  Review all outputs → Flag integration issues

Key Features

Real-Time Dashboard

┌─ Claude Swarm ────────────────────────────┐
│ Budget: $1.23 / $5.00  Tasks: 3/7        │
│                                           │
│ Worker-1  ████████░░  task-a  [running]   │
│ Worker-2  ██████████  task-b  [done]      │
│ Worker-3  ░░░░░░░░░░  task-c  [waiting]   │
│ Worker-4  ████░░░░░░  task-d  [running]   │
└───────────────────────────────────────────┘

FAQ

Q: How does it prevent file conflicts? A: Pessimistic file locking — only one worker can modify a file at a time. Others wait.

Q: Can I limit costs? A: Yes, set budget.max_cost in YAML. Swarm stops when budget is reached.

Q: Does it work with Claude Code? A: Claude Swarm uses the Claude Agent SDK directly, not Claude Code. It is a separate orchestration tool.