list_agentsLABSCO SUMMARY
Inspect before you dispatch — that is the whole cost model.
Every dispatch spawns a full Claude session, so the cheap lookup that reads an agent's config, detected MCP servers and CLAUDE.md preview without spawning anything is the tool you should reach for first. The README is equally clear about when not to use it: if you can do the task yourself, dispatching is the expensive answer. Budget, timeout and tool allowlists are per agent, so a gateway agent with wide permissions does not hand those permissions to everything else.
What it is
An MCP server for cross-project delegation. Each registered agent is a project directory; dispatching to one spawns a separate claude -p session inside it, so the agent inherits that project's MCP servers, instructions and tooling rather than working blind from your context. Related projects can be bundled into a group with a shared brief, so one session can coordinate work spanning code, deploy and verification.
What you get
- The configured agents listed with health, detected MCP servers, stacks and databases, read from each project's own files —
list_agents - A cheap detailed lookup that reads an agent's config and CLAUDE.md and README previews without spawning a session, so you can confirm the fit before paying for a probe —
inspect_agent - One-shot delegation with the result cached, so identical requests inside the TTL return instantly —
dispatch - Asynchronous and parallel dispatch, streaming, multi-turn dialogue, plus status, wait, cancel and result retrieval —
dispatch_async,dispatch_parallel,dispatch_stream,dispatch_dialogue,dispatch_session,dispatch_status,dispatch_wait,dispatch_cancel,fetch_result,dispatch_jobs,dispatch_gc - Groups as a descriptive layer: an orchestrator-facing
descriptionthat is never injected into a member's prompt, and a member-facingshared_contextthat is prepended automatically when you dispatch with a group —list_groups,inspect_group - Agents managed at runtime with their own permission mode and allowed or disallowed tool lists —
add_agent,update_agent,remove_agent - Cache inspection and clearing —
cache_stats,cache_clear - Per-agent limits that are configuration rather than hope: budget, timeout, model, concurrency and dispatch depth
Requirements
The Claude Code CLI installed and authenticated — claude --version must print a version before anything else works; OAuth, API key and subscription authentication are all supported. Python with pip install agent-dispatch or pipx install agent-dispatch. agent-dispatch init writes the config and registers the MCP server with Claude Code at user scope; agent-dispatch add <YOUR_AGENT_NAME> <YOUR_PATH> registers a project directory as an agent, with descriptions generated from the project's files. agent-dispatch test <YOUR_AGENT_NAME> dispatches a real task and exits 0 on success, and agent-dispatch doctor verifies the whole install. If a test fails with a permission error, --allowed-tools "Bash,Read,Grep" is the least-privilege fix and --permission-mode bypassPermissions the blunt one. Groups are managed with the agent-dispatch group CLI or by editing agents.yaml.
Setup effort
One command — pip install agent-dispatch
USE CASES
01
Reaching a tool that only exists in another project
Dispatch to the agent whose directory has that MCP server configured — container logs through an infra agent, a query through a database agent — instead of duplicating the configuration.
02
Coordinating work that spans several repositories
Bundle the projects into a group so the shared facts ride along automatically and the orchestrator brief stays out of member prompts.
03
Running several delegations at once
Fire them in parallel or asynchronously, then check status and collect results rather than blocking on each in turn.
04
Keeping a delegated agent on a short leash
Give it an explicit allowed-tools list and a budget, so a dispatch cannot quietly expand into something expensive.
21 tools
Listed in project docs. Your client may show a different list.
inspect_agentlist_groupsinspect_groupdispatchdispatch_sessiondispatch_paralleldispatch_streamdispatch_dialoguedispatch_asyncdispatch_statusdispatch_waitdispatch_canceldispatch_jobsdispatch_gcfetch_resultadd_agentupdate_agentremove_agentcache_statscache_clearBEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
21 tools named in the project's documentation.
Where it runs
The documented client runs the server on your machine.
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
TERMINAL
pip install agent-dispatchMCP Clients
Claude Code
CLAUDE CODE · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"agent-dispatch": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "$(which agent-dispatch)",
"args": [
"serve"
]
}
}
}
