Coordinate Parallel AI Agents Without File Collisions

Supported agent systems can delegate bounded work, but simultaneous edits can conflict and additional workers consume resources. The ownership matrix below is our project-management method. It does not imply automatic communication between Claude Code and Codex.

Have a stable brief and a controller who can integrate results. If the work is one tiny label change, a single worker is usually easier to review. Parallelism is useful only when there are independent tasks worth the coordination cost.

Worker A owns contact.html and its markup tests. Worker B reviews keyboard behavior read-only and returns findings. The controller owns integration and the final browser pass. Nobody is allowed to rewrite the shared stylesheet until ownership is assigned.

• Dependency gate: B reviews the exact patch A marks ready, not a moving half-finished state.
• Budget: one implementation pass and one review pass before a checkpoint; ask before expanding scope.
• Deliverable: each worker returns files, checks, findings, and limitations.
• Conflict rule: if two tasks need the same file, stop and reassign it rather than racing to save.

1. Draw a task list with inputs, outputs, allowed files, and dependencies. Remove tasks that cannot run independently.
2. Assign one write owner per file or isolated checkout; give reviewers read-only boundaries.
3. Set a checkpoint and a stop rule for repeated failure, missing permissions, or expanding requirements.
4. Integrate one reviewed result at a time and rerun shared checks on the combined state. A worker’s passing test applies only to the state it tested.

Parallel work should produce independently inspectable artifacts and a final integrated result. The controller remains responsible for gaps between tasks, such as a markup change that invalidates a browser selector used by another worker.

Stop a worker when its input contract changes, when it touches another owner’s files, or when repeated retries add cost without new evidence. Do not keep idle agents running just to make the workflow look parallel.

• Does every editable file have exactly one owner?
• Are dependency gates tied to a real revision?
• Did the combined result receive verification after integration?