Multi-Task: Parallel Batch Orchestration

Overview

When users present tasks that decompose into multiple independent work units, serial execution wastes time. This skill guides you to identify batch opportunities, construct self-contained prompts for each unit, and dispatch them as parallel subagents via the Task tool — completing in minutes what would otherwise take much longer sequentially.

The core insight: a single message can contain multiple Task tool calls, and they all execute concurrently. Your job is to make each subagent's prompt fully self-contained (they cannot see this conversation) and to coordinate the results.

When to Use This Skill

Strong signals:

• User says "process all files in X folder"
• User provides a list: "do A, B, C, D for each of these..."
• User mentions "batch", "bulk", "every", "each", "all N files"
• A folder contains multiple files needing the same operation
• User wants multiple pages/components/reports generated

Also consider using when:

• User describes repetitive work that you'd otherwise do in a loop
• The task involves 3+ independent units of similar type
• Processing time per unit is non-trivial (reading/transforming documents, generating code, etc.)

Do NOT use when:

• Tasks have strict sequential dependencies (output of task N feeds into task N+1)
• There are fewer than 3 work units (overhead isn't worth it)
• The task is a single complex operation that can't be decomposed
• User explicitly asks for serial processing

The 6-Step Workflow

Step 1: ANALYZE — Understand the Work

Before dispatching anything, enumerate what needs to be done:

1. List all work units — files to process, pages to build, items to transform
2. Identify the operation — what happens to each unit (extract, convert, summarize, generate, etc.)
3. Check for shared context — do all units need the same template, config, or reference data? If so, read it once now and include it in every subagent prompt.
4. Detect dependencies — are any units dependent on others? If yes, read references/advanced-patterns.md for dependency handling strategies. If all units are independent (the common case), proceed directly.
5. Count the units — this determines your dispatch strategy:
   • 3-10 units: single wave, all parallel
   • 11-50 units: dispatch in waves of 8-10
   • 50+ units: run 2-3 pilot tasks first to validate your prompt, then dispatch the rest in waves

Present your analysis to the user:

Found N work units: [brief list]
Operation: [what will happen to each]
Shared context: [any common dependencies]
Dependencies: [none / description]
Strategy: [single wave / M waves of ~K / pilot + waves]

Wait for user confirmation before dispatching, especially for large batches.

Step 2: PLAN — Decompose into Task Units

For each work unit, define: