PatternsAgent Patterns

Sub-Agent Orchestrator

Custom Agent implementation demonstrating the Agent interface abstraction with an orchestrator that routes queries to specialized sub-agents (research, analysis, support). Shows options passing and structured outputs.

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Problems solved

Technical challenges this implementation handles out of the box.

Implement a custom Agent that routes to specialized sub-agents
Pass typed options into research, analysis, and support agents
Return structured outputs from the orchestrator layer
Delegate queries without collapsing specialists into one prompt

Use cases

Products and workflows this pattern is designed to support.

Multi-agent support systems
Research versus analysis routing
Custom Agent interface tutorials
Specialist delegation architectures

Setup

Requirements, wiring steps, and what this pattern adds to your project.

Getting started

Pick how you want to pull this pattern in — then wire env vars and routes the same way.

1
Install from the preview toolbar
Copy the install command above and run it in your project — Pro patterns include a short-lived token.
2
Add environment variables to .env.local
OPENAI_API_KEY, EXA_API_KEY
3
Point client fetches at your API routes
Replace preview `/view/.../api/...` paths with `/api/...` in the installed files.
4
Customize the agent and tool files
Adapt prompts, tools, and stop conditions for your product — Copy for AI in the toolbar helps seed that work.
5
Run your dev server and open the pattern route
Install dependencies if needed, then start the app and verify responses.

Environment variables

OPENAI_API_KEYGet key
EXA_API_KEYGet key

Capabilities

AI SDK APIs

ToolLoopAgentcreateAgentUIStreamResponsetoolOutput.objectstepCountIsgatewayInferAgentUIMessage

Providers

OpenAI

External services

Exa

Files added

8 files

app/sub-agent-orchestrator/page.tsx
app/sub-agent-orchestrator/layout.tsx
app/api/orchestrator/route.ts
components/orchestrator-demo.tsx
lib/orchestrator-agent.ts
lib/sub-agents.ts
lib/types.ts
README.md

Dependencies

10 total

npm packages

AISDK@exalabs/ai-sdklucide-reactNext.jsReactsonnerZod

Registry components

badgeemptybutton

Critical files

lib/orchestrator-agent.ts
The orchestrator agent is the core of this pattern: it implements the Agent interface, routes queries to specialized sub-agents, and handles options and structured outputs. The UI and API route are repeatable; this file is what users need to recreate the block's functionality.
lib/sub-agents.ts
The sub-agents define the specialized agent implementations (research, analysis, support) that the orchestrator delegates to. Critical for recreating the multi-agent routing behavior.