---
name: ai-to-delegated
description: Best practices for getting a step-function leap in performance from other AI agents when instructing or communicating with them. Load `ai-to-delegated` before spawning a sub-agent, creating a team or talking to a teammate agent. Trigger words include “dispatch an agent”, “spawn a team”, and “talk with another ai”.
---

# AI → Delegated

Read all routes that match your current situation. Follow further links only when their stated condition applies.
Read each file once while its contents remain in context. Reconsider the routes when your situation changes.
For relationship definitions, see the plugin's [roles map](../../roles.md).

| Current situation | Read |
| --- | --- |
| Deciding whether delegation is worthwhile | [When to delegate](planning/when-to-delegate.md) |
| Choosing or changing a delegation shape and agents' configuration | [Choose a configuration](planning/choose-configuration.md) |
| The harness cannot set the model, thinking, or fork you chose | [Dispatch outside the harness](planning/dispatch-outside-the-harness.md) |
| About to dispatch, or currently supervising delegates | [Delegate coordination](coordination/delegates.md) |
| The session appears to span multiple hours or more | Also [Many-hours supervision](coordination/many-hours-supervision.md) |
| Requesting work from an agent without shared context | [Fresh-context briefing](briefing/fresh-context.md) |
| Briefing an agent with inherited context window | [Forked-context briefing](briefing/forked-context.md) |
| Examples of briefing delegates | [Briefing examples](briefing/examples.md) |
| Working alongside peers | [Peer coordination](coordination/peers.md) |
| About to commission, or currently supervising leaders | Also [leading leaders](coordination/leading-leaders.md) |

## Named configurations

If a configuration is already chosen, read its file directly. Each file routes the dispatcher and participants to the guidance they need.

- [Research fanout](configurations/research-fanout.md): independent research followed by synthesis.
- [Colloquium](configurations/colloquium.md): adjacent research efforts with live peer exchange.
- [Pair programming](configurations/pair-programming.md): agree on a plan, implement, and review once.
- [Hillclimber–watcher](configurations/hillclimber-watcher/protocol.md): optimize toward a measurable target with outside judgment.

These configurations are examples to generalize from. They are incomplete and evolving, not required structures.