> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.thinnest.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Multi-Agent Teams

> Build teams of AI agents that work together to handle complex tasks, delegate responsibilities, and deliver better outcomes.

# Multi-Agent Teams

A single AI agent is powerful. A team of agents working together is unstoppable.

**Teams** in thinnestAI let you combine multiple specialized agents into a coordinated group. Instead of building one monolithic agent that tries to do everything, you create focused agents and let them collaborate.

## Why Use Teams?

Think of it like a real company. You wouldn't hire one person to handle sales, support, billing, and engineering. You'd build a team where each person excels at their role.

Teams are useful when:

* **Tasks are complex** — A customer inquiry might need a support agent, a billing agent, and a technical agent working together.
* **Domains are distinct** — Your sales agent shouldn't need to know your entire knowledge base. Let a research agent handle that.
* **You need routing** — Different types of requests should go to different agents automatically.
* **Quality matters** — Specialized agents outperform generalist agents on domain-specific tasks.

## How Teams Work

A team consists of:

1. **Member agents** — The individual agents that make up the team. Each has its own model, instructions, tools, and knowledge.
2. **A team mode** — How agents coordinate with each other (route, coordinate, collaborate, or tasks).
3. **A team leader** (in some modes) — An orchestrator agent that delegates work and synthesizes results.

When a user sends a message to a team, the team mode determines how the message flows between agents.

## Creating a Team

### From the Dashboard

1. Navigate to **Agents** in the sidebar.
2. Click **Create Agent** and select **Team** as the type.
3. Add member agents — you can create new ones or select existing agents.
4. Choose a **Team Mode** (see [Team Modes](/docs/teams/team-modes) for details).
5. Configure the team leader's instructions (if applicable).
6. Save and test.

### From the Flow Editor

The visual flow editor gives you a drag-and-drop interface for building teams:

1. Open the **Flow Editor** from your agent's page.
2. Drag agent nodes onto the canvas.
3. Connect them to define the team structure.
4. Configure the team mode in the **Team Config** panel.
5. Deploy when ready.

### Via the API

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.thinnest.ai/agents \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Customer Service Team",
    "type": "team",
    "team_mode": "route",
    "team_members": [
      {"agent_id": "agent_support_123"},
      {"agent_id": "agent_billing_456"},
      {"agent_id": "agent_technical_789"}
    ],
    "instructions": "Route customer inquiries to the most appropriate agent."
  }'
```

## Team Configuration

| Setting                 | Description                                                                           |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Team Mode**           | How agents coordinate — `coordinate`, `route`, `collaborate`, `tasks`, or `broadcast` |
| **Member Agents**       | The agents in the team                                                                |
| **Leader Instructions** | Instructions for the orchestrator/router agent                                        |
| **Max Iterations**      | Maximum rounds of agent collaboration (prevents infinite loops)                       |
| **Response Format**     | How the final response is synthesized                                                 |

## Example: E-Commerce Support Team

Here's a practical example — a team that handles e-commerce customer inquiries:

| Agent             | Role                                 | Tools                   |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------ | ----------------------- |
| **Router**        | Classifies incoming requests         | —                       |
| **Order Agent**   | Checks order status, handles returns | Order API, Shipping API |
| **Product Agent** | Answers product questions            | Product Knowledge Base  |
| **Billing Agent** | Handles payment issues, refunds      | Payment API             |

Set the team mode to **Route**, and incoming messages automatically go to the right agent.

## Best Practices

* **Keep agents focused** — Each agent should have a clear, narrow responsibility.
* **Use descriptive names** — The team leader uses agent names and descriptions to make routing decisions.
* **Start simple** — Begin with 2-3 agents and add more as needed.
* **Test each agent individually** before adding it to a team.
* **Monitor team performance** — Check which agents handle the most requests and how often handoffs occur.

## Next Steps

* [Team Modes](/docs/teams/team-modes) — Learn about the four coordination modes in detail.
* [Agent Tools](/docs/agents/tools) — Add capabilities to your team members.
* [Knowledge Sources](/docs/knowledge) — Give your agents domain expertise.