version: "1.0.0" name: legion description: Select optimal subagent topology (hierarchical, mesh, ring, star) based on task structure; adds Ruflo-style swarm intelligence to Superpowers type: process

Swarm Coordination

Overview

LEGION — A legion is a large, coordinated force organized into precise, independent units. When invoked: selects the optimal agent topology for the task — parallel (independent tasks), pipeline (sequential stages), hierarchical (orchestrator + specialists), or mesh (peer review) — and coordinates execution across all agents.

Core principle: Match agent topology to task structure — the right coordination pattern prevents chaos and maximizes parallelism.

Announce at start: "Running LEGION to select agent topology and coordinate."

Topology Selection

Independent tasks, no coordination needed → STAR (see patterns/star.md) Sequential stages, each transforms previous output → RING (see patterns/ring.md) Exploration, multiple hypotheses, no clear structure → MESH (see patterns/mesh.md) Plan execution, coordinator + specialists → HIERARCHICAL (see patterns/hierarchical.md)

Load the matching pattern file for full prompt templates and examples.

Quick Reference

Swarm Size Guidelines

10 agents: coordination overhead exceeds parallelism benefit. >15 agents: decompose into separate projects.

Hybrid: Hierarchical-Mesh (Adaptive)

Complex projects with both exploration and execution:

PHASE 1: Exploration (Mesh) — explore angles, synthesize requirements
PHASE 2: Planning (Hierarchical) — coordinator writes plan, decomposes tasks
PHASE 3: Execution (Hierarchical) — workers execute, coordinator reviews
PHASE 4: Integration (Mesh) — collective debugging and integration

Consensus for Disagreement Resolution

Majority: 3 agents agree A, 2 agree B → proceed with A, document dissent. Weighted: Security decision → security-architect vote 3x weight. Byzantine: f < n/3 faulty agents. With 4 agents: tolerate 1 faulty opinion. If no majority → escalate to human.

Swarm Auto-Triggering

Auto-trigger when ALL of:

1. Task touches 3+ independent files
2. No sequential dependency between changes
3. Total estimated work > 20 minutes single-threaded

Auto-trigger announcement:

DETECTING: This task touches N independent files with no cross-dependencies.
AUTO-TRIGGERING: <topology> swarm (N spokes/workers)
Topology rationale: [reason]

Do NOT auto-trigger for: bug fixes (investigate first), tasks < 3 files, shared state changes.

Integration with Existing Skills

Red Flags

Never:

• Use Ring when tasks are independent (waste of parallelism)
• Use Mesh for implementation (no coordination = chaos)
• Use Hierarchical for exploration (coordinator bottlenecks creativity)
• Use Star when subtasks have dependencies (integration fails)
• Deploy >10 agents without clear coordination plan

Final Rule

Topology determines success — match structure to task
Hierarchical for execution | Mesh for exploration
Ring for pipelines | Star for parallel work