5.6When to Use the Swarm Pattern

Best for:

• Maximum coverage breadth (each agent explores independently)
• Large codebases that can be cleanly partitioned by module
• Situations where speed matters (all agents run in parallel)
• When you can tolerate some duplication in exchange for thoroughness

Risks:

• Duplicate and conflicting tests (two agents testing the same function differently)
• Inconsistent style (each agent may generate different naming conventions)
• The reconciler must be smart about semantic deduplication -- two tests with different names but identical behavior

Mitigation:

• Invest heavily in the reconciler
• Provide all agents with the same style guide context
• Partition by code module (not by function) to minimize overlap