Workflows - Swarms

What are Workflows?

Workflows define how multiple agents coordinate and execute tasks. While individual agents handle discrete tasks, workflows orchestrate multiple agents to solve complex, multi-step problems. Think of workflows as the “choreography” that determines how agents interact, communicate, and build upon each other’s work.

Workflows transform independent agents into coordinated systems, enabling sophisticated multi-agent collaboration patterns.

Core Workflow Patterns

Swarms provides several fundamental workflow patterns, each optimized for different use cases:

Sequential Workflows

Pattern: Agents execute in a linear chain, where each agent’s output becomes the next agent’s input. When to Use:

Tasks with clear sequential dependencies
Data transformation pipelines
Multi-stage content creation
Step-by-step analysis processes

Characteristics:

Ordered execution: Agents run one after another
Data flow: Output of Agent N becomes input for Agent N+1
Deterministic: Same input always produces same agent sequence
Synchronous: Each agent waits for the previous to complete

Implementation

From swarms/structs/sequential_workflow.py:

from swarms import Agent, SequentialWorkflow

# Create specialized agents
researcher = Agent(
    agent_name="Researcher",
    system_prompt="Your job is to research the provided topic and provide a detailed summary.",
    model_name="gpt-4o-mini",
)

writer = Agent(
    agent_name="Writer",
    system_prompt="Your job is to take the research summary and write a beautiful, engaging blog post.",
    model_name="gpt-4o-mini",
)

editor = Agent(
    agent_name="Editor",
    system_prompt="Review and polish the content for clarity, grammar, and engagement.",
    model_name="gpt-4o-mini",
)

# Create sequential workflow
workflow = SequentialWorkflow(
    agents=[researcher, writer, editor],
    max_loops=1,  # How many times to run the entire sequence
)

# Execute the workflow
final_post = workflow.run("The future of artificial intelligence")
print(final_post)

Flow Diagram:

Task → Researcher → [Research Output] → Writer → [Draft] → Editor → [Final Output]

Advanced Configuration

workflow = SequentialWorkflow(
    name="Content-Production-Pipeline",
    description="End-to-end content creation workflow",
    agents=[researcher, writer, seo_optimizer, fact_checker],
    max_loops=2,  # Run the sequence twice for refinement
    output_type="dict",  # Return structured output
    autosave=True,  # Save conversation history
    verbose=True,  # Enable detailed logging
)

Use Cases

Content Creation

Research → Write → Edit → SEO Optimize → Publish

Data Processing

Extract → Transform → Validate → Load → Report

Document Analysis

Parse → Summarize → Classify → Extract Entities → Generate Insights

Code Generation

Spec → Design → Implement → Test → Document

Concurrent Workflows

Pattern: All agents receive the same task and execute simultaneously, producing independent outputs. When to Use:

Need multiple perspectives on the same problem
Parallel data processing
A/B testing different approaches
High-throughput batch processing

Characteristics:

Parallel execution: All agents run at the same time
Independent processing: Each agent works on the same input independently
Asynchronous: Agents don’t wait for each other
Resource-intensive: Uses multiple threads/processes

Implementation

From swarms/structs/concurrent_workflow.py:

from swarms import Agent, ConcurrentWorkflow

# Create expert analysts
market_analyst = Agent(
    agent_name="Market-Analyst",
    system_prompt="Analyze market trends and provide insights on the given topic.",
    model_name="gpt-4o-mini",
    max_loops=1,
)

financial_analyst = Agent(
    agent_name="Financial-Analyst", 
    system_prompt="Provide financial analysis and recommendations on the given topic.",
    model_name="gpt-4o-mini",
    max_loops=1,
)

risk_analyst = Agent(
    agent_name="Risk-Analyst",
    system_prompt="Assess risks and provide risk management strategies for the given topic.",
    model_name="gpt-4o-mini", 
    max_loops=1,
)

# Create concurrent workflow
concurrent_workflow = ConcurrentWorkflow(
    agents=[market_analyst, financial_analyst, risk_analyst],
    max_loops=1,
)

# All agents analyze the same task concurrently
results = concurrent_workflow.run(
    "Analyze the potential impact of AI technology on the healthcare industry"
)

print(results)

Flow Diagram:

                    ┌──→ Market Analyst → [Market Analysis]
                    │
Initial Task ───────┼──→ Financial Analyst → [Financial Analysis]
                    │
                    └──→ Risk Analyst → [Risk Assessment]
                             ↓
                    Combined Results Dict

Advanced Features

Real-time Dashboard:

concurrent_workflow = ConcurrentWorkflow(
    agents=[analyst1, analyst2, analyst3],
    show_dashboard=True,  # Display real-time progress
)

Streaming Callbacks:

def streaming_callback(agent_name: str, chunk: str, is_final: bool):
    print(f"[{agent_name}]: {chunk}", end="")
    if is_final:
        print(f"\n{agent_name} completed!")

workflow = ConcurrentWorkflow(agents=[agent1, agent2])
results = workflow.run(
    task="Analyze this data",
    streaming_callback=streaming_callback
)

Batch Processing:

tasks = [
    "Analyze company A",
    "Analyze company B",
    "Analyze company C",
]

results = concurrent_workflow.batch_run(tasks)

Use Cases

Multi-Perspective Analysis

Get market, financial, and risk perspectives simultaneously

Quality Assurance

Multiple reviewers check the same content concurrently

Batch Processing

Process multiple documents/records in parallel

A/B Testing

Test different prompt strategies simultaneously

Comparison: Sequential vs Concurrent

Aspect	Sequential	Concurrent
Execution	One at a time	All at once
Data Flow	Output → Input chain	Independent outputs
Speed	Slower (serial)	Faster (parallel)
Resource Usage	Lower (one agent active)	Higher (all agents active)
Use Case	Dependent steps	Independent analyses
Output	Single refined result	Multiple perspectives
Complexity	Simple, predictable	Requires result aggregation

Advanced Workflow Patterns

AgentRearrange (Custom Flows)

Pattern: Define complex, non-linear agent relationships using a simple syntax. When to Use:

Complex routing logic
One-to-many or many-to-one relationships
Dynamic agent selection based on results
Custom orchestration patterns

from swarms import Agent, AgentRearrange

researcher = Agent(agent_name="researcher", model_name="gpt-4o-mini")
writer = Agent(agent_name="writer", model_name="gpt-4o-mini")
editor = Agent(agent_name="editor", model_name="gpt-4o-mini")
reviewer = Agent(agent_name="reviewer", model_name="gpt-4o-mini")

# Define custom flow:
# researcher sends to both writer AND editor
# then both send to reviewer
flow = "researcher -> writer, editor; writer -> reviewer; editor -> reviewer"

rearrange_system = AgentRearrange(
    agents=[researcher, writer, editor, reviewer],
    flow=flow,
)

result = rearrange_system.run("Create a technical whitepaper")

Flow Diagram:

              ┌──→ Writer ───┐
Researcher ───┤              ├──→ Reviewer → Final Output
              └──→ Editor ───┘

Mixture of Agents (MoA)

Pattern: Multiple expert agents process tasks in parallel, then an aggregator synthesizes outputs. When to Use:

Leverage diverse expertise
Complex decision-making
Achieving state-of-the-art performance
Combining different approaches

from swarms import Agent, MixtureOfAgents

# Expert agents
expert1 = Agent(agent_name="Financial-Expert", ...)
expert2 = Agent(agent_name="Market-Expert", ...)
expert3 = Agent(agent_name="Risk-Expert", ...)

# Aggregator synthesizes expert opinions
aggregator = Agent(
    agent_name="Investment-Advisor",
    system_prompt="Synthesize expert analyses into actionable recommendations.",
)

moa = MixtureOfAgents(
    agents=[expert1, expert2, expert3],
    aggregator_agent=aggregator,
)

recommendation = moa.run("Should we invest in NVIDIA stock?")

Hierarchical Workflows

Pattern: A director agent creates plans and delegates to specialized workers. When to Use:

Complex project management
Team coordination scenarios
Hierarchical decision-making
Dynamic task allocation

from swarms import Agent, HierarchicalSwarm

worker1 = Agent(agent_name="Content-Strategist", ...)
worker2 = Agent(agent_name="Creative-Director", ...)
worker3 = Agent(agent_name="SEO-Specialist", ...)

# Director coordinates workers
swarm = HierarchicalSwarm(
    name="Marketing-Team",
    agents=[worker1, worker2, worker3],
    max_loops=2,  # Allow feedback loops
)

strategy = swarm.run("Develop Q1 marketing strategy")

Workflow Selection Guide

Use this decision tree to choose the right workflow pattern:

SequentialWorkflow

Choose when:

Clear step-by-step process
Each step depends on previous output
Linear data transformation

Examples: Content pipeline, ETL, document processing

ConcurrentWorkflow

Choose when:

Need multiple independent analyses
High-throughput batch processing
Parallel execution possible

Examples: Multi-analyst review, A/B testing, batch processing

AgentRearrange

Choose when:

Complex routing logic needed
One-to-many or many-to-one relationships
Custom orchestration required

Examples: Approval chains, multi-stage reviews, adaptive workflows

MixtureOfAgents

Choose when:

Multiple expert perspectives needed
Outputs must be synthesized
State-of-the-art performance required

Examples: Investment analysis, medical diagnosis, strategic planning

HierarchicalSwarm

Choose when:

Central coordination needed
Dynamic task allocation required
Project management scenario

Examples: Marketing campaigns, software development, event planning

Best Practices

1. Agent Specialization

Design agents with focused, well-defined roles:

# ✅ Good: Specialized agents
researcher = Agent(
    agent_name="Researcher",
    system_prompt="Expert researcher who gathers comprehensive, well-cited information."
)

# ❌ Bad: Generic agent
generic = Agent(
    agent_name="Agent",
    system_prompt="Do whatever is needed."
)

2. Clear Data Flow

Ensure agents produce outputs that the next agent can consume:

researcher = Agent(
    system_prompt="Research the topic and provide a structured summary with sources."
)

writer = Agent(
    system_prompt="Take the research summary and sources, and write an article."
)

3. Error Handling

Implement fallback strategies:

workflow = SequentialWorkflow(
    agents=[agent1, agent2],
    max_loops=1,
)

try:
    result = workflow.run(task)
except Exception as e:
    # Implement fallback
    result = fallback_agent.run(task)

4. Performance Monitoring

workflow = ConcurrentWorkflow(
    agents=[agent1, agent2, agent3],
    verbose=True,  # Enable logging
    autosave=True,  # Save conversation history
)

result = workflow.run(task)

# Access conversation history for analysis
history = workflow.conversation.get_str()

5. Resource Management

For concurrent workflows, be mindful of resource usage:

# CPU cores are automatically managed
# But you can control max_loops to limit iterations
workflow = ConcurrentWorkflow(
    agents=[agent1, agent2, agent3],
    max_loops=1,  # Limit iterations to control costs
)

Real-World Examples

Content Production Pipeline

# Sequential workflow for blog post creation
pipeline = SequentialWorkflow(
    agents=[
        Agent(agent_name="Researcher", system_prompt="Research topics..."),
        Agent(agent_name="Outliner", system_prompt="Create detailed outline..."),
        Agent(agent_name="Writer", system_prompt="Write engaging content..."),
        Agent(agent_name="SEO-Optimizer", system_prompt="Optimize for search..."),
        Agent(agent_name="Editor", system_prompt="Final polish and fact-check..."),
    ]
)

article = pipeline.run("The future of renewable energy")

Financial Analysis System

# Concurrent workflow for multi-perspective analysis
analysis_team = ConcurrentWorkflow(
    agents=[
        Agent(agent_name="Fundamental-Analyst", ...),
        Agent(agent_name="Technical-Analyst", ...),
        Agent(agent_name="Sentiment-Analyst", ...),
        Agent(agent_name="Macro-Analyst", ...),
    ],
    show_dashboard=True,
)

analysis = analysis_team.run("Analyze Tesla stock for Q1 2024")

Document Processing System

# Custom flow with AgentRearrange
flow = """
parser -> summarizer, entity_extractor;
summarizer -> report_generator;
entity_extractor -> report_generator
"""

doc_processor = AgentRearrange(
    agents=[parser, summarizer, entity_extractor, report_generator],
    flow=flow,
)

report = doc_processor.run(document_content)

Next Steps

Agents

Learn about individual agent capabilities

Swarms

Explore multi-agent collaboration patterns

Tools

Equip agents with external capabilities

API Reference

Complete workflow API documentation

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Agent Development

Multi-Agent Architectures

Deployment & Operations

Integrations

CLI Reference

​What are Workflows?

​Core Workflow Patterns

​Sequential Workflows

​Implementation

​Advanced Configuration

​Use Cases

Content Creation

Data Processing

Document Analysis

Code Generation

​Concurrent Workflows

​Implementation

​Advanced Features

​Use Cases

Multi-Perspective Analysis

Quality Assurance

Batch Processing

A/B Testing

​Comparison: Sequential vs Concurrent

​Advanced Workflow Patterns

​AgentRearrange (Custom Flows)

​Mixture of Agents (MoA)

​Hierarchical Workflows

​Workflow Selection Guide

​Best Practices

​1. Agent Specialization

​2. Clear Data Flow

​3. Error Handling

​4. Performance Monitoring

​5. Resource Management

​Real-World Examples

​Content Production Pipeline

​Financial Analysis System

​Document Processing System

​Next Steps

Agents

Swarms

Tools

API Reference

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

What are Workflows?

Core Workflow Patterns

Sequential Workflows

Implementation

Advanced Configuration

Use Cases

Concurrent Workflows

Implementation

Advanced Features

Use Cases

Comparison: Sequential vs Concurrent

Advanced Workflow Patterns

AgentRearrange (Custom Flows)

Mixture of Agents (MoA)

Hierarchical Workflows

Workflow Selection Guide

Best Practices

1. Agent Specialization

2. Clear Data Flow

3. Error Handling

4. Performance Monitoring

5. Resource Management

Real-World Examples

Content Production Pipeline

Financial Analysis System

Document Processing System

Next Steps