Add parallel agent support to epic planning workflow

Author: JeffallanCreated Feb 5, 2026Updated Feb 5, 2026
Labelsenhancementworkflow

Problem

Epic planning workflows currently execute sequentially: fetch epic → get child tickets → read design docs → scan codebase → generate document. Usage analytics show sessions frequently timeout or end mid-process (68 partially achieved, 57 not achieved outcomes).

Proposal

Modify create-epic-plan to launch parallel agents for independent information gathering:

Agent Task Blocks On
Agent 1 Fetch epic + child tickets from ticketing system Nothing
Agent 2 Scan codebase for affected modules Nothing
Agent 3 Read linked design documents Nothing
Agent 4 Analyze test patterns and coverage Nothing
Synthesis Merge results into planning document All above

Benefits

  • Reduces wall-clock time for epic planning
  • Sessions less likely to timeout mid-workflow
  • Each agent can retry independently on failure

Implementation Notes

  • Use Task tool with run_in_background: true for parallel execution
  • Add synchronization checkpoint before synthesis phase
  • Relates to #50 (Context Persistence) and #52 (Error Recovery)

Context

From usage report: 4,147 hours logged, with epic planning being the most common workflow (92 sessions). Parallelization could significantly improve completion rates.