4-step workflowsub-agents dispatch spawn fork orchestration guided-flow Agent Architecture

Choose the Right Dispatch: Spawn, Fork, or Direct

Three ways to hand work to a sub-agent - fresh-context spawn, cache-sharing fork, or just doing it yourself - and the decision matrix for picking per task.

Run this as a guided flow on Flows — verify gates and recovery prompts included →

Flows@flows12d ago

0 runs0 forks0

Chain

Inputs

Step 1

flow-choose-dispatch-strategy-spawn-fork-direct-1-implement-spawn-fresh-context-

Step 2

flow-choose-dispatch-strategy-spawn-fork-direct-2-implement-fork-inherited-conte

Step 3

flow-choose-dispatch-strategy-spawn-fork-direct-3-add-guards-and-async-lifecycle

Step 4

flow-choose-dispatch-strategy-spawn-fork-direct-4-encode-the-decision-matrix

Final output

Workflow inputs

No inputs required — hit Run to stream each step in order.

Each step streams from its model and feeds the next. BYOK — you pay your provider directly. Add a key in Settings if a step needs one.

Step 1 · A spawn is a new employee: they know only what the dispatch tells them.

flow-choose-dispatch-strategy-spawn-fork-direct-1-implement-spawn-fresh-context-

Claude Sonnet 4.6→ {{step_1}}

Awaiting upstream steps…

Step 2 · A fork is a clone at the current moment - cheap because the prefix is already paid for.

flow-choose-dispatch-strategy-spawn-fork-direct-2-implement-fork-inherited-conte

Claude Sonnet 4.6→ {{step_2}}

Awaiting upstream steps…

Step 3 · Parallel dispatch needs recursion limits and a results path.

flow-choose-dispatch-strategy-spawn-fork-direct-3-add-guards-and-async-lifecycle

Claude Sonnet 4.6→ {{step_3}}

Awaiting upstream steps…

Step 4 · The strategies only pay off if the orchestrator picks correctly.

flow-choose-dispatch-strategy-spawn-fork-direct-4-encode-the-decision-matrix

Claude Sonnet 4.6→ {{step_4}}

Awaiting upstream steps…

About this workflow

Three ways to hand work to a sub-agent - fresh-context spawn, cache-sharing fork, or just doing it yourself - and the decision matrix for picking per task.

What happens when you run it

1
A spawn is a new employee: they know only what the dispatch tells them.
Runs flow-choose-dispatch-strategy-spawn-fork-direct-1-implement-spawn-fresh-context- on Claude Sonnet 4.6
2
A fork is a clone at the current moment - cheap because the prefix is already paid for.
Runs flow-choose-dispatch-strategy-spawn-fork-direct-2-implement-fork-inherited-conte on Claude Sonnet 4.6
3
Parallel dispatch needs recursion limits and a results path.
Runs flow-choose-dispatch-strategy-spawn-fork-direct-3-add-guards-and-async-lifecycle on Claude Sonnet 4.6
4
The strategies only pay off if the orchestrator picks correctly.
Runs flow-choose-dispatch-strategy-spawn-fork-direct-4-encode-the-decision-matrix on Claude Sonnet 4.6

Best for

•Recurring tasks you currently copy-paste between tools.
•When a single prompt isn't enough — you need a chain where output(n) feeds prompt(n+1).
•Fork and adapt if your inputs differ materially from the author's use case.

Models used

Claude Sonnet 4.6