Working with multiple agents on the same file.

[dsidlo]

Q: It seems like it would be a bad idea to have multiple agents working on different function within the same source file. Would you agree that this is the case?

• Potential solutions.
  • Craft agent prompts in such a way that only on agent works on a given file.
  • Agents can create worktrees and merge changes after tests pass.

[wladimiiir]

It really depends on the specific use case. For example, if you have functions that are isolated from each other, multiple agents should have no issue updating them simultaneously. Since they only replace a specific section of the file, the edit tool will work fine as long as Agent A’s changes do not overlap with Agent B's. Even if Agent A makes an edit in the meantime, Agent B’s attempt will fail because the original text is no longer present; however, it will then re-read the file section and apply the update again.

If you expect multiple agents to make more extensive changes to a file, worktrees are a better option, though they might introduce conflicts when merging them back, which could require additional work afterward.