Orchestrator :: Multi-Agent Orchestration System

Coordinate 8 specialized AI agents to deliver high-quality, tested code through structured development phases.

---

Overview

A multi-agent orchestration system that coordinates 8 specialized AI agents (Orchestrator, Researcher, Architect, UI Designer, Planner, Developer, Code Reviewer, Tester) to complete full-stack development projects.

Each agent operates through a Contract Router, using structured YAML task contracts with strict quality gates to ensure production-ready output.

---

Key Features

• 🎯 Triggered by natural language activation (e.g. "orchestrator")
• 📋 Contract-Router architecture (objective, inputs, acceptance criteria, routing)
• 🔄 TDD workflow: Research → Architecture → UI → Plan → Test (author) → Develop → Review → Test (validate)
• 🛤️ Smart routing (Minimal Fix, Feature Backend, Feature UI, Research-Heavy)
• ⚡ Parallel contract execution
• ✅ Quality gates between every phase
• 💾 Persistent state (.claude/orchestrator/state/)
• 📝 Artifacts stored per agent
• 🔒 Safe execution model (PowerShell hardened, dangerous commands blocked)
• 🤖 Orchestrator-first escalation (no user interruption)

---

Plugin System

Orchestrator is implemented as a local Claude plugin system.

The installer copies both plugins directly into your target project:

{your-project}/
└── .claude/
    └── plugins/
        ├── orchestrator/
        └── windows-dev-toolkit/

Included Plugins

• orchestrator — Multi-agent orchestration engine
• windows-dev-toolkit — Safe PowerShell tooling and automation

Claude loads plugins from .claude/plugins/ when you open the project. No external repo reference needed after install.

---

Installation

⚠️ Orchestrator is not an npm package. It installs by adding Claude plugin files to your project.

---

PowerShell Installer (Windows)

git clone https://github.com/rbenzing/Orchestrator.git
cd Orchestrator
.\install.ps1 -Target "C:\Path\To\YourProject"

This will:

• Copy plugin files into {your-project}/.claude/plugins/ (orchestrator + windows-dev-toolkit)
• Write the internal marketplace manifest to .claude/plugins/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
• Register the marketplace and enable both plugins in .claude/settings.json
• Copy .claudeignore into your project
• Write the toolPermissions security block to settings.json

Open your project in Claude Code after running the installer — plugins activate automatically.

---

Activation

After installation:

1. Open your project in Claude (VS Code or Claude Desktop)
2. Start a new chat session
3. Use one of the following prompts:

orchestrator

or

initialize orchestrator

or

start orchestration

If needed, force activation:

You are the Orchestrator agent. Initialize the system.

---

Verification

Ensure the system is correctly installed:

Expected settings.json entries

{
  "extraKnownMarketplaces": {
    "internal": {
      "source": { "source": "directory", "path": ".claude/plugins" }
    }
  },
  "enabledPlugins": {
    "orchestrator@internal": true,
    "windows-dev-toolkit@internal": true
  }
}

Confirm plugin files were copied into target project

{your-project}/.claude/plugins/orchestrator/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
{your-project}/.claude/plugins/windows-dev-toolkit/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
{your-project}/.claude/plugins/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json

Open the project in Claude Code after install

---

Quick Start

After activation, try:

• "Build a blog API with Node.js and PostgreSQL"
• "Create a JWT authentication system"
• "Develop a REST API with CRUD operations"

---

Example Workflow

You: Build a REST API with Node.js and PostgreSQL

[Orchestrator] Creating project brief...
[Researcher] Analyzing requirements...
[Architect] Designing system architecture...
[UI Designer] Creating UI specifications...
[Planner] Creating technical plan...
[Tester] Writing tests (TDD)...
[Developer] Implementing features...
[Code Reviewer] Reviewing code...
[Tester] Validating implementation...

---

How It Works

• Claude loads plugins listed in enabledPlugins in .claude/settings.json
• Each plugin defines agents, commands, skills, and hooks
• The Orchestrator routes work through structured contracts
• State is persisted to disk for reliability across sessions

---

Troubleshooting

If Orchestrator does not activate:

1. Check that .claude/plugins/orchestrator/ exists in your project and that enabledPlugins in .claude/settings.json contains "orchestrator@internal": true

2. Restart Claude / VS Code

3. Confirm plugin manifest exists:

{your-project}/.claude/plugins/orchestrator/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

4. Try manual activation:

You are the Orchestrator agent. Begin orchestration.

5. Ensure you opened the correct project root

---

Documentation

For detailed documentation, see .claude/orchestrator/README.md

Includes:

• Agent roles
• Contract lifecycle
• Routing strategies
• State persistence
• Security model

---

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

---

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See the LICENSE file for details.