Pattern for progressively refining context retrieval to solve the subagent context problem. Use when a subagent lacks the context it needs and retrieval must be refined across passes.

Iterative Retrieval Pattern Solves the "context problem" in multi agent workflows where subagents don't know what context they need until they start working. When to Activate Spawning subagents that need codebase context they cannot predict upfront Building multi agent workflows where context is progressively refined Encountering "context too large" or "missing context" failures in agent tasks Designing RAG like retrieval pipelines for code exploration Optimizing token usage in agent orchestration The Problem Subagents are spawned with limited context. They don't know: Which files contain relevant code What patterns exist in the codebase What terminology the project uses Standard approaches fail: Send everything : Exceeds context limits Send nothing : Agent lacks critical information Guess what's needed : Often wrong The Solution: Iterative Retrieval A 4 phase loop that progressively refines context: Phase 1: DISPATCH Initial broad query to gather candidate files: Phase 2: EVALUATE Assess retrieved content for relevance: Scoring criteria: High (0.8 1.0) : Directly implements target functionality Medium (0.5 0.7) : Contains related patterns or types Low (0.2 0.4) : Tangentially related None (0 0.2) : Not relevant, exclude Phase 3: REFINE Update search criteria based on evaluation: Phase 4: LOOP Repeat with refined criteria (max 3 cycles): Practical Examples Example 1: Bug Fix Context Example 2: Feature Implementation Integration with Agents Use in agent prompts: Best Practices 1. Start broad, narrow progressively Don't over specify initial queries 2. Learn codebase terminology First cycle often reveals naming conventions 3. Track what's missing Explicit gap identification drives refinement 4. Stop at "good enough" 3 high relevance files beats 10 mediocre ones 5. Exclude confidently Low relevance files won't become relevant Related [The Longform Guide](https://x.com/affaanmustafa/status/2014040193557471352) Subagent orchestration section continuous learning skill For patterns that improve over time Agent definitions bundled with ECC (manual install path: agents/ )

iterative-retrieval