Four Ways to Run a Multi-Agent Team: Coordinate, Route, Collaborate, Tasks

One Team, Four Execution Strategies

Multi-agent teams are the future of complex AI workflows. But "multi-agent" is not a single pattern — it's a category. The way a customer support triage system should orchestrate is fundamentally different from how a research team or a data pipeline should work.

thinnestAI now supports four distinct execution modes for teams, each optimized for a different orchestration pattern. Select yours from the Team Configuration modal's visual mode picker — four cards, one click.

The Four Modes

Coordinate

The leader agent analyzes the task and delegates subtasks to specific team members based on their expertise. Multiple members may work on a single request, each handling a different piece. The leader synthesizes the results.

When to use: Research tasks, complex analyses, multi-step processes where different expertise is needed at each step.

Route

The leader examines each incoming request and routes it to the single most appropriate team member. Only one member handles each request. Fast and cost-efficient.

When to use: Customer support triage, department routing, intent classification.

Collaborate

Every team member works on every request simultaneously. Each contributes their perspective, and the leader synthesizes all outputs into a unified response.

When to use: Code reviews (security + performance + style), research where multiple viewpoints improve quality, brainstorming.

Tasks

Each member has a fixed, pre-defined task assignment. No dynamic delegation — each step executes its assigned work. Pipeline-grade reliability.

When to use: ETL pipelines, sequential processing (extract → validate → transform → notify), manufacturing-style workflows.

thinnestAI vs. Competitors: Multi-Agent Orchestration

Capability	thinnestAI	CrewAI	AutoGen	LangGraph
Execution modes	4 (Coordinate, Route, Collaborate, Tasks)	2 (Sequential, Hierarchical)	Custom code only	Custom graph definition
No-code mode selection	Visual modal — one click	YAML configuration	Python code	Python code
Visual flow editor	Yes — drag and drop	No	No	No (LangGraph Studio is separate)
Built-in HITL gates	Yes — per-team and per-tool	Partial	Manual implementation	Manual implementation
Cost optimization	Route mode runs only one agent per query	No — all agents run	Depends on implementation	Depends on implementation

Choosing the Right Mode

• Default to Coordinate if you're unsure — it's the most flexible
• Use Route when cost matters and requests have clear single-owner classification
• Use Collaborate when quality matters more than speed (multiple perspectives improve accuracy)
• Use Tasks when your workflow is a fixed pipeline with predictable steps

Get Started

All four modes are available on all plans. Open the Flow Editor, add a Team node, and select your mode. Your agents are ready to work together — exactly the way you want them to.

Build a Multi-Agent Team Free →

No credit card required • 4 modes included • Visual configuration