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Swarm

  • 4.3k installs
  • 1.1k repo stars
  • Updated July 30, 2026
  • langchain-ai/langchain-skills

swarm is a LangChain skill that fans out independent items to parallel subagent or model dispatches and merges structured results back into a table handle.

About

swarm is a LangChain agent skill for processing many independent items in parallel through a table handle workflow. create builds one row per file, glob match, or pre-parsed task record; run dispatches an instruction template with required responseSchema across rows and returns completed, failed, skipped, and failures counts. Omit subagentType for cheap direct model classification; set subagentType when rows need tools, file access, or multi-step reasoning. Sources include glob or filePaths for one-file-one-row work, or tasks arrays parsed inside eval from JSONL, CSV, or chunked readFile loops for large files. Aggregation uses rows with plain JavaScript filters and counts without spawning extra subagents. Chaining passes updates tables in place; filter supports equals, notEquals, in, exists, and and/or combinations for retries on failed rows. batchSize controls auto-batching capped at ten dispatches by default with optional per-row functions clamped between one and fifty. Technical notes require importing @/skills/swarm only in eval blocks that call it, cap console output around five kilobytes, and never write directly to .swarm directories.

  • create plus run table workflow with one row per independent unit of work.
  • responseSchema required; schema properties become row columns for structured outputs.
  • subagentType optional: omit for direct model calls, set for tool-using agentic loops.
  • Supports glob, filePaths, and parsed tasks sources with chunked readFile for large files.
  • Retry failed rows with filter exists false and aggregate via rows without extra subagents.

Swarm by the numbers

  • 4,334 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • +368 installs in the week ending Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
  • Ranked #181 of 16,546 AI & Agent Building skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Security screen: LOW risk (skills.sh audit)
  • Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
At a glance

swarm capabilities & compatibility

Capabilities
table creation from glob, files, or task records · parallel instruction dispatch with json schema o · auto batching and per row batchsize control · row filtering and chained multi pass runs · javascript aggregation via rows api
Works with
openai · anthropic
Use cases
orchestration · data analysis · code review
From the docs

What swarm says it does

One row = one unit of work — swarm handles batching automatically.
SKILL.md
npx skills add https://github.com/langchain-ai/langchain-skills --skill swarm

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Listed on Skillselion
Installs4.3k
repo stars1.1k
Security audit2 / 3 scanners passed
Last updatedJuly 30, 2026
Repositorylangchain-ai/langchain-skills

How do I classify, extract, or review hundreds of files or records in parallel with structured outputs and retry only failed rows?

Fan out independent work items across parallel subagent dispatches with structured JSON schema results and table-based aggregation.

Who is it for?

LangChain agents using @langchain/quickjs PTC with swarm_task that need parallel per-file or per-record processing and structured JSON results.

Skip if: Skip when work is a single item, requires sequential dependencies between rows, or lacks the quickjs swarm_task PTC tool.

When should I use this skill?

User needs to batch classify files, extract labels from JSONL records, review many TypeScript files, or retry only rows missing output columns.

What you get

A table with per-row schema columns plus run statistics for completed, failed, skipped rows and optional JS aggregation summaries.

  • multi-agent workflow results
  • batched processing output

By the numbers

  • MAX_BATCH_SIZE is 50 rows per auto-batch
  • createBatches allows a smaller final batch when totals are uneven

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

Swarm

Process many independent items in parallel. create builds a table handle; run fans work out across rows and merges results back. One row = one unit of work — swarm handles batching automatically.

Flow

1. Create. Build a table from a source — files, a glob pattern, or pre-parsed records. One row per item. Returns a handle. 2. Run. Dispatch an instruction template across rows. Results are merged back into the table. Returns { completed, failed, skipped, failures }. 3. Aggregate. Use rows() and plain JS to count, filter, or summarize. Do not spawn additional subagents for aggregation. 4. Retry. Re-run with filter: { column: "<col>", exists: false } to reprocess only failed rows.

Choosing a source

`glob` / `filePaths` — one file = one row. Use when each file is an independent unit of work. Each row gets { id, file }; the subagent reads the file itself via the {file} placeholder.

`tasks` — pass pre-built records directly. Use when the data lives inside a file (JSONL, CSV, JSON array). Read and parse the file first inside eval, then pass the records. One record = one row — do not group multiple items into a single row.

For small files (under ~500 lines), parse and create in one block:

const { create } = await import("@/skills/swarm");
const raw = await tools.readFile({ file_path: "/data.jsonl" });
const records = raw.trim().split("\n").map(l => JSON.parse(l));
const table = await create({ tasks: records });
console.log(table);

For large files, read in chunks of 500 lines to avoid truncation:

const { create } = await import("@/skills/swarm");
let records = [];
let offset = 0;
while (true) {
  const chunk = await tools.readFile({ file_path: "/data.txt", offset, limit: 500 });
  const lines = chunk.split("\n").filter(l => l.trim());
  for (const l of lines) { records.push({ id: `r${records.length}`, text: l }); }
  if (lines.length < 500) break;
  offset += 500;
}
const table = await create({ tasks: records });
console.log(table);

When the file is too large to parse and dispatch in one eval call, split across two blocks. Only the block that calls swarm functions needs the import:

// eval 1: parse only — no swarm import needed
const raw = await tools.readFile({ file_path: "/data.jsonl" });
globalThis.records = raw.trim().split("\n").map(l => JSON.parse(l));
console.log(`Parsed ${globalThis.records.length} records`);
// eval 2: create and dispatch
const { create, run } = await import("@/skills/swarm");
const table = await create({ tasks: globalThis.records });
const result = await run(table.id, {
  instruction: "Classify {text}",
  responseSchema: {
    type: "object",
    properties: { label: { type: "string" } },
    required: ["label"],
  },
});
console.log(result);

Passing filePaths: ["/data.jsonl"] would produce a table with one row pointing at the file — not one row per record inside it.

When to use subagentType

Omit subagentType for classification, extraction, labeling, and any task where a single model call with structured output is sufficient. This is the default and is significantly cheaper and faster — each dispatch is a direct model call, no tools, no iteration.

Set subagentType when the task requires tools, file access, or multi-step reasoning. Each dispatch runs a full agentic loop with the named subagent.

// Direct model call — classification, no tools needed
await run(table.id, {
  instruction: "Classify {text}",
  responseSchema: { type: "object", properties: { label: { type: "string" } }, required: ["label"] },
});

// Subagent — needs to read files and reason over multiple steps
await run(table.id, {
  subagentType: "reviewer",
  instruction: "Review {file} for security issues.",
  responseSchema: { type: "object", properties: { finding: { type: "string" } }, required: ["finding"] },
});

Instruction + context

instruction is a per-item template with {column} placeholders. Placeholders are resolved by the framework — your column names appear in prompts as references to the values listed alongside, never as raw template syntax. Subagents do the work — do not process items yourself in JS and write the results into rows.

context is free-form prose prepended to every subagent prompt. Use it for shared background: domain terms, classification rules, examples, etc.

const { create, run } = await import("@/skills/swarm");

const table = await create({ glob: "src/**/*.ts" });
const r = await run(table.id, {
  subagentType: "reviewer",
  instruction: "Review {file} for security issues. List findings or write 'no issues'.",
  context: "TypeScript Express backend using Prisma ORM. Focus on injection, auth bypass, path traversal.",
  responseSchema: {
    type: "object",
    properties: { review: { type: "string" } },
    required: ["review"],
  },
});
console.log(r);
// → { completed: 45, failed: 2, skipped: 0, failures: [...] }

Structured output

responseSchema is required. Schema properties become top-level columns on each row and constrain what subagents can return.

const { run } = await import("@/skills/swarm");
await run(table.id, {
  instruction: "Classify: {text}",
  responseSchema: {
    type: "object",
    properties: {
      sentiment: { type: "string", enum: ["positive", "negative", "neutral"] },
    },
    required: ["sentiment"],
  },
});
// Row after: { id: "r1", text: "...", sentiment: "positive" }

Batching

By default, swarm auto-batches to keep total dispatches under 10. For small tables (≤10 rows) each row gets its own subagent call. For larger tables, rows are grouped automatically.

Set batchSize to control grouping:

  • Number — uniform batch size for all rows. batchSize: 1 forces per-row

dispatch; batchSize: 20 groups in twenties.

  • Function(row, rowCount) => number. Returns the desired batch size

for each row. Rows with the same batch size are grouped together, then chunked. Allows mixed dispatch where some rows go solo and others batch.

const { create, run } = await import("@/skills/swarm");
const table = await create({ tasks: items });

// Complex items get individual attention; simple ones batch together
await run(table.id, {
  instruction: "Analyze {text}",
  responseSchema: {
    type: "object",
    properties: { analysis: { type: "string" } },
    required: ["analysis"],
  },
  batchSize: (row) => (row.token_count > 1000 ? 1 : 10),
});

Batch sizes are clamped to [1, 50] after evaluation.

Aggregation

After run(), use rows() and plain JS — no additional subagents needed.

const { rows } = await import("@/skills/swarm");
const data = await rows(table.id, { columns: ["sentiment"] });
const counts = {};
data.forEach(r => { counts[r.sentiment] = (counts[r.sentiment] || 0) + 1 });
console.log(counts);
// → { positive: 120, negative: 45, neutral: 35 }

Chaining passes

run updates the table in place — chain calls to accumulate columns.

const { create, run } = await import("@/skills/swarm");
const table = await create({ tasks: interviews });
await run(table.id, {
  instruction: "Classify sentiment of {text}",
  responseSchema: {
    type: "object",
    properties: { sentiment: { type: "string", enum: ["positive", "negative", "neutral"] } },
    required: ["sentiment"],
  },
});
await run(table.id, {
  filter: { column: "sentiment", equals: "negative" },
  instruction: "Summarize why {text} had negative sentiment.",
  responseSchema: {
    type: "object",
    properties: { summary: { type: "string" } },
    required: ["summary"],
  },
});

Action-only tasks

When subagents perform actions (write a file, apply a fix) rather than return data, use a simple schema with a status or marker field. The exists: false filter still works for retries.

const { create, run } = await import("@/skills/swarm");
const fixedSchema = {
  type: "object",
  properties: { fixed: { type: "string" } },
  required: ["fixed"],
};
const table = await create({ glob: "src/**/*.ts" });
await run(table.id, {
  subagentType: "fixer",
  instruction: "Add missing JSDoc to all exported functions in {file}.",
  responseSchema: fixedSchema,
});
// retry any that failed
await run(table.id, {
  subagentType: "fixer",
  instruction: "Add missing JSDoc to all exported functions in {file}.",
  responseSchema: fixedSchema,
  filter: { column: "fixed", exists: false },
});

Filtering

{ column: "status", equals: "done" }
{ column: "status", notEquals: "done" }
{ column: "category", in: ["A", "B"] }
{ column: "result", exists: false }      // not yet processed
{ and: [filter1, filter2] }
{ or: [filter1, filter2] }

Technical notes

  • Only import `@/skills/swarm` in blocks where you call swarm functions.

Data preparation (reading files, parsing, storing in globalThis) does not need the import. Destructure only what you use: { create }, { run }, { create, run }, etc.

  • Console output is capped at ~5 KB. Never log raw file contents —

log only counts and short samples.

  • **readFile inside eval returns raw content — no line-number

prefixes.** Request at most 500 lines per call. For files with more than 500 lines, loop with incrementing offset.

  • When building a table from a file, read it inside `eval`. Data read

inside the sandbox stays there; it never enters the agent's context window.

  • Never write to `.swarm/` directly. Always use create().
  • Everything the subagent needs must be in `instruction` + `context`.

Subagents can't see the agent's context.

  • Row ids must be unique. create() rejects sources that produce

duplicate ids. For tasks, that's a caller-side responsibility; for glob / filePaths, ids are auto-disambiguated by parent directory.

  • Unknown columns fail fast. If instruction references {foo} and

no matched row provides foo, run() throws before any subagent is dispatched.

API Reference

create(source)

Create a table. Returns a handle { id, count, columns }.

SourceDescription
{ glob: "src/**/*.ts" } or { glob: ["src/**/*.ts", "lib/**/*.ts"] }Match files by one or more patterns. Columns: id, file
{ filePaths: ["a.ts", "b.ts"] }Explicit file list. Columns: id, file
{ tasks: [{ id: "t1", text: "..." }] }Custom rows. Each must have id

run(tableId, options)

Dispatch work across rows. Returns { completed, failed, skipped, failures }.

OptionDefaultDescription
instruction(required)Template with {column} placeholders
responseSchema(required)JSON Schema (type: "object") — properties become row columns
contextProse prepended to every subagent prompt
filterOnly dispatch matching rows
subagentTypeName of subagent to dispatch to. When set, runs a full agentic loop. When omitted, runs a direct model call
batchSizeautoNumber or (row, rowCount) => number. Auto caps dispatches at 10; 1 = per-row; function = per-row sizing
concurrency10Max concurrent subagent dispatches (clamped to 1–10)

rows(tableId, options?)

Retrieve rows. Use for inspection and JS-based aggregation.

OptionDescription
filterOnly return matching rows
columnsProject to specific columns
limitMax rows returned

Related skills

How it compares

Choose swarm when tasks need delegated sub-agents and batching; use a single LangChain agent for straightforward one-shot generation.

FAQ

When should swarm omit subagentType?

Omit it for classification or extraction where a single structured model call is enough; it is cheaper and faster than a full agent loop.

How should large JSONL files become table rows?

Read and parse inside eval, optionally in five-hundred-line chunks, then pass records to create tasks rather than filePaths with one row per file.

How do I retry only failed swarm rows?

Re-run with filter column set to the output field and exists false so only unprocessed rows dispatch again.

Is Swarm safe to install?

skills.sh reports 2 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.

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