Parent Agent Vs Subagent

ORCA Framework enforces a clear boundary between the parent orchestrator and subagents.

Parent Rules

Only the parent communicates with the user.

The parent should:

• decide whether to delegate
• choose the orchestration pattern
• assign work
• gather results
• reconcile conflicts
• enforce approvals and guardrails
• produce the final answer

Subagent Rules

Subagents do not reply directly to the user.

A subagent should:

• perform a narrow task
• stay within scope
• use only allowed context and tools
• return structured output
• escalate clearly if blocked

Required Clarity

Every subagent should be told:

• that it is acting as a subagent
• what it owns
• what it must not do
• what output shape it must return
• how it should verify its slice
• when it must escalate instead of guessing