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N-to-N Topology

Most multi-agent systems are hub-and-spoke: one leader, many workers. connector.json supports full mesh — any agent talks to any agent.

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Topologies

Hub-and-Spoke (Claude Teams, Codex Plugin):
       Leader
      / | | \
     W  W  W  W
  Workers only talk to leader. Never to each other.

Star (with mailbox):
       Leader
      / | | \
     W──W──W──W
  Workers can message each other, but leader manages.

Full Mesh (connector.json N2N):
     A ─── B
     |\ /|
     | X  |
     |/ \|
     C ─── D
  Every agent talks to every agent. No hierarchy required.

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Why Full Mesh Matters

In a hub-and-spoke system: 
Worker A finds a bug → tells Leader → Leader tells Worker B to fix it
= 2 hops. Leader is bottleneck. Leader must understand everything.
In full mesh: 
Worker A finds a bug → tells Worker B directly → B fixes it
= 1 hop. No bottleneck. Peer-to-peer collaboration.

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The Spec

{
  "connector": "2.0",
  "name": "mesh-team",
  "type": "mesh",

  "agents": [
    { "id": "frontend", "model": "claude",  "prompt": "You own frontend code. Implement and maintain." },
    { "id": "backend",  "model": "codex",   "prompt": "You own backend API. Implement and maintain." },
    { "id": "devops",   "model": "gemini",  "prompt": "You own infrastructure. Deploy and monitor." },
    { "id": "qa",       "model": "sonnet",  "prompt": "You own quality. Test everything." }
  ],

  "communication": {
    "topology": "mesh",
    "any_to_any": true,
    "broadcast_channel": true
  },

  "task": "Build and deploy user authentication feature."
}
Four agents. No leader. Each owns a domain. They coordinate directly.

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How N2N Works

Frontend needs a new API endpoint:
  frontend → [mailbox] → backend: "I need POST /auth/refresh"
  backend → [mailbox] → frontend: "Done. Returns { token, expires_at }"
  frontend → [mailbox] → qa: "New endpoint ready for testing"
  qa → [mailbox] → backend: "POST /auth/refresh returns 500 with expired token"
  backend → [mailbox] → qa: "Fixed. Retry."
  qa → [broadcast]: "All auth endpoints passing. Ready to deploy."
  devops → [mailbox] → qa: "Deployed to staging. URL: ..."
  qa → [broadcast]: "Staging verified. Ship it."
No orchestrator needed for routine communication. Agents self-organize around the task.

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Broadcast Channel

Any agent can send to all: 
{
  "communication": {
    "broadcast_channel": true
  }
}

qa → [broadcast]: "Tests passing. Ready to deploy."
  → frontend sees it
  → backend sees it
  → devops sees it → starts deploy

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Observer Mode

The main session (you) can observe the entire mesh without participating: 
# Watch all communication
niia mesh --observe

  [frontend → backend] "Need POST /auth/refresh"
  [backend → frontend] "Done. Returns { token, expires_at }"
  [frontend → qa] "New endpoint ready for testing"
  [qa → backend] "POST /auth/refresh returns 500"
  ...

# Intervene when needed
niia mesh --broadcast "Stop. Change of plans. Use OAuth instead of custom tokens."
  → all agents receive the message
  → all agents adjust their work
You see everything. You can inject commands to any agent or broadcast to all. But you don’t have to — the mesh self-organizes.

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Mesh + Hierarchy

Full mesh doesn’t mean no structure. Agents can have specializations and natural leadership: 
{
  "agents": [
    { "id": "lead",     "model": "opus",   "prompt": "Technical lead. Make final decisions when agents disagree." },
    { "id": "frontend", "model": "sonnet", "prompt": "Frontend specialist. Consult lead for architecture decisions." },
    { "id": "backend",  "model": "codex",  "prompt": "Backend specialist. Consult lead for architecture decisions." },
    { "id": "qa",       "model": "haiku",  "prompt": "QA. Report to all. Block deploy if tests fail." }
  ],
  "communication": {
    "topology": "mesh",
    "escalation": {
      "disagreement": "lead"
    }
  }
}
Everyone talks to everyone. But when there’s disagreement, it escalates to the lead. Natural hierarchy emerges from rules, not from wiring.

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N2N + Cross-Machine

Full mesh across multiple machines: 
{
  "agents": [
    { "id": "frontend", "model": "claude",  "machine": "laptop" },
    { "id": "backend",  "model": "codex",   "machine": "server" },
    { "id": "devops",   "model": "gemini",  "machine": "server" },
    { "id": "qa",       "model": "sonnet",  "machine": "laptop" }
  ],
  "communication": {
    "topology": "mesh",
    "transport": "gateway"
  }
}
Frontend and QA on laptop. Backend and DevOps on server. Full mesh communication across machines via gateway relay. Every agent can message every other agent regardless of location.

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The Topology Spectrum

connector.json supports all topologies: 
Pipeline:    A → B → C → D           phases in connector.json
Dialogue:    A ↔ B                    type: "dialogue"
Meeting:     A ↔ B ↔ C               type: "meeting"
Hub-spoke:   L → [W, W, W]           pipeline with parallel workers
Star:        L ↔ [W ↔ W ↔ W]        pipeline + mailbox
Mesh:        A ↔ B ↔ C ↔ D           type: "mesh"
Tree:        A → [B → [C, D], E]     recursive teams

Choose the topology that fits the task.
One spec. All patterns.