$swarm
Skill that distributes work to multiple agents in parallel (legacy variant of $team)
TL;DR
$swarm distributes tasks to multiple agents simultaneously. Since $team now handles the same role, $team is recommended for new work.
How to invoke
$swarm "implement frontend, backend, and tests in parallel"Also activated by magic keywords swarm, team, coordinated team.
$swarm vs $team
| Item | $swarm | $team |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Legacy / variant | Current standard |
| Capabilities | Parallel agent execution | Parallel lanes + stage routing |
| Recommended | Existing workflow compatibility | New work |
$team supports stage-aware routing (plan → exec → verify → fix). Use $team for new work.
When to use it
| Good fit | Avoid |
|---|---|
| Parallel tasks that split independently | Requirements still unclear |
Need to maintain existing $swarm workflows | When lanes might conflict |
For work that needs a single owner over parallelization, $ralph is safer.