Pattern Category · 04
The failure and accountability layer for multi-agent runs. Picks up where Multi-Agent Orchestration ends — handling failures that are network-level, not single-agent, and conflicts that are structural rather than technical.
When one subagent in a network fails, the run does not automatically fail — but its validity becomes conditional. The partial failure surface must isolate which agents stopped, whether their failure affects downstream agents, and whether the orchestrator considers the run recoverable. The human must understand the failure's blast radius before deciding whether to continue, repair, or abort.
Required components
When two or more agents return contradictory results — different answers to the same question, conflicting recommendations, or incompatible data — the run cannot close without a human decision. The conflict must be surfaced explicitly, showing which agents produced which outputs, what the discrepancy is, and what the downstream consequences of each resolution path would be. Auto-resolution is never acceptable.
Required components
Post-run accountability for multi-agent workflows cannot be reconstructed from individual agent logs. The aggregate audit composes the full network footprint — every agent's actions, every handoff, every consent event, every tool call — into a unified view that allows cross-agent inspection while preserving per-agent drilldown.
Required components