Coding

Multi-Agent Software Development

Overview

What It Is

Agent teams that simulate software development workflows with specialized roles like architects, developers, reviewers, and testers collaborating on code generation and maintenance.

Agent Types
Product Manager AgentArchitect AgentDeveloper AgentCode Reviewer AgentQA/Test AgentDevOps AgentDocumentation Agent
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Deep Dive

Overview

Multi-agent software development systems, pioneered by frameworks like MetaGPT, simulate the collaborative structure of human development teams. Each agent specializes in a phase of the software development lifecycle, passing artifacts between roles.

Architecture (MetaGPT Style)

Requirements → Product Manager → User Stories
                     ↓
              Architect Agent → Design Docs
                     ↓
              Developer Agent → Code
                     ↓
              Reviewer Agent → Reviewed Code
                     ↓
                QA Agent → Tests
                     ↓
              DevOps Agent → Deployment

Agent Roles

Product Manager Agent

  • Translates requirements into user stories
  • Prioritizes features
  • Defines acceptance criteria

Architect Agent

  • Designs system architecture
  • Selects technologies and patterns
  • Creates technical specifications

Developer Agent

  • Writes code following specifications
  • Implements features
  • Handles bug fixes

Code Reviewer Agent

  • Reviews code for quality, security, style
  • Suggests improvements
  • Enforces standards

QA/Test Agent

  • Writes unit and integration tests
  • Validates functionality
  • Reports bugs to developer

DevOps Agent

  • Manages CI/CD pipelines
  • Handles deployment
  • Monitors production

Breakthrough: Claude Code (2025)

Claude Code represents the "asynchronous coding agent" paradigm—prompt it with a task, and it works independently, filing a Pull Request when complete. This model, combined with multi-agent collaboration, is reshaping how software is built.

Key Patterns Used

  • Hierarchical Pattern: PM → Architect → Developer hierarchy
  • Handoff Pattern: Artifacts passed between roles
  • Reflection Pattern: Code review as self-critique
  • Tool Use Pattern: IDE integration, git, testing frameworks

Evaluation Challenges

  • Code correctness is necessary but not sufficient
  • Design quality is subjective
  • Integration with existing codebases requires context
  • Security vulnerabilities may not be caught by tests

Common Failure Modes

  • Hallucination: Fabricated APIs or libraries
  • Context Drift: Requirements lost through the pipeline
  • Over-Engineering: Agents add unnecessary complexity
  • Test-Code Mismatch: Tests that don't actually validate requirements
Evaluation Challenges

Code quality has many dimensions beyond correctness: maintainability, security, performance, style. Evaluating design decisions requires domain expertise. Long-term code health is hard to measure upfront.

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PreviousMulti-Agent QA & Testing
Tags
codingsoftware-developmentmetagptcode-reviewdevops

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