On-Demand AI Agent Delegation in Theia AI

AI-powered development environments are evolving beyond single, monolithic agents. The next step is collaborative AI — a network of specialized agents that each excel at a certain task and can delegate work to one another when needed.

In our latest demo, we showcase how this principle works in practice using the AI-powered Theia IDE and Theia AI, our open framework for building AI-native tools. The example: a coding agent and a GitHub agent that cooperate automatically to address code review feedback.

🎥 Watch the demo:

From Single Agents to Multi-Agent Collaboration

Traditional AI agents try to handle every request themselves — from fetching data to generating code. While this can establish comprehensive workflows, it can also lead to complexity, unreliability, and lack of transparency.

Theia AI allows an alternative approach. It allows developers to define dedicated agents for distinct roles. For example:

• A coding agent that writes and modifies source code.
• A GitHub agent that interacts with repositories and pull requests.
• A documentation agent that maintains READMEs or changelogs.

Each agent focuses on its core domain, following the single-responsibility principle — but thanks to agent-to-agent delegation, they can collaborate seamlessly when a task spans multiple domains.

On-Demand Delegation: Collaboration When It’s Needed

Instead of permanently wiring agents together (introduced in Theia AI a while ago), Theia AI also allows on-demand delegation. Delegation is expressed directly inside a prompt template, allowing one agent to temporarily call another only when the task requires it.

For example, a prompt might include:

“To retrieve the pull request details, delegate to the GitHub agent.”

This means the coding agent doesn’t need to know how to talk to GitHub — it simply requests help from the GitHub agent, which already has the context and permissions. Once the information is retrieved, the coding agent resumes its task, applies the feedback, and summarizes the results.

What makes this approach particularly powerful is that prompt templates can be reused and executed extremely easily. In the demo, we trigger the entire workflow by simply selecting the pre-defined template and entering a single variable — for example, the pull request number. This allows us to execute complex, multi-agent workflows with minimal effort and maximum flexibility.

This is dynamic AI collaboration: agents that remain independent but can spontaneously connect when needed.

The benefits of this architecture go far beyond GitHub automation:

• Reliability – Each agent uses domain-specific knowledge and tools.
• Transparency – Delegations are visible and user-controlled.
• Extensibility – New agents can be added without breaking existing ones.
• Reusability – The same agents and templates can power different workflows across tools.

On-demand delegation can create a scalable AI ecosystem — one where agents act like human teammates, combining their expertise to achieve shared goals. While this approach can significantly enhance capabilities and modularity, it’s important to note that agent-to-agent delegation can also introduce unnecessary complexity if agent responsibilities are defined too narrowly. This challenge in agent design remains fluid due to the rapidly evolving capabilities of LLMs. Fortunately, Theia AI as a flexible framework provides tool builders and agent creators with the adaptability to shape their agents optimally, allowing them to strike the right balance between specialization and versatility as both requirements and capabilities evolve.

Try It Yourself

🧠 Download the AI-powered Theia IDE to explore agent delegation in action.

📺 Watch the full YouTube demo.

🧰 Learn more about Theia AI.

Build Your Own AI-Native Tools

Theia AI is an open framework for building AI-native tools and IDEs that combine specialized agents, transparent collaboration, and flexible integration.

At EclipseSource, we help teams adopt this paradigm — whether you want to build a coding companion, a domain-specific design assistant, or a multi-agent engineering tool.

👉 Services for Building AI-Enhanced Tools and IDEs

👉 Training and Support for AI-Native Software Engineering

👉 Contact us to discuss your AI-native tool project

💼 Follow us: EclipseSource on LinkedIn

🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: EclipseSource on YouTube

🎥 Also watch: