Agent Coordination as a First-Class Problem
Most teams treat coordination as an afterthought. They build agents first, then figure out how to coordinate them. This is backwards.
Coordination isn't a feature to add later—it's a first-class problem that needs infrastructure from the start.
The Afterthought Problem
Teams build agents, then realize:
Agents duplicate work: Multiple agents analyze the same contract, process the same event, execute the same trade.
Agents conflict: Agents overwrite each other's state, compete for resources, step on each other.
Agents can't scale: Coordination breaks down as agent count grows. Ad-hoc solutions don't scale.
By then, it's too late. Coordination is bolted on, not built in.
First-Class Coordination
First-class coordination means:
Infrastructure from day one: Coordination primitives are part of the architecture, not added later.
Protocol-based standards: Open protocols that work across agents, not custom solutions.
Composable primitives: Task queues, message broadcasting, shared state, consensus—building blocks that compose.
On-chain state: Critical coordination state on-chain for verification and composability.
Why This Matters
Coordination designed from the start:
Scales naturally: Infrastructure handles coordination as agents grow.
Prevents conflicts: Atomic operations, optimistic locking, distributed locks prevent problems before they happen.
Enables ecosystems: Protocol-based coordination works across teams, not just within one team.
Reduces technical debt: No need to retrofit coordination later.
The Alternative
Teams that treat coordination as first-class:
Design for coordination: Architecture includes coordination primitives from the start.
Use infrastructure: Build on coordination infrastructure, don't build custom solutions.
Plan for scale: Design for distributed coordination, not just local orchestration.
Enable ecosystems: Build with protocols, not platforms, so agents can coordinate across boundaries.
Why This Matters Now
As agent deployments grow, coordination becomes critical. Teams that treat it as first-class from the start will scale smoothly. Teams that treat it as an afterthought will hit walls.
Coordination isn't a feature—it's infrastructure. And infrastructure needs to be designed from the start.
Part of the EchoRift infrastructure series. Learn more about EchoRift architecture.