This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Forrest
This is a submission for the Redis AI Challenge: Real-Time AI Innovators.
What I Built
I created a Redis-powered multi-agent workflow system that enables multiple AI coding agents (Claude Code instances) to collaborate on complex software development projects without conflicts or duplicate work. The system uses Redis as its central nervous system, leveraging atomic operations, pub/sub messaging, and versatile data structures to orchestrate 8 specialized agent types working in perfect harmony.
The framework solves a critical problem in AI-assisted development: how to coordinate multiple AI agents working on the same codebase simultaneously. By using Redis’s sub-millisecond operations and real-time messaging, agents can claim tasks atomically, share state instantly, and collaborate at unprecedented scale.
Key Innovation: This is the first production-ready framework that allows AI coding agents to work together like a human development team, with specialized roles (Orchestrator, Developer, Code Reviewer, etc.) communicating through Redis channels and coordinating work through distributed locks.
Demo
Live Demo: workflow.fjorj.com
LLM Integration Guide: workflow.fjorj.com/llms.txt
Architecture Overview
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Agent Layer │
│ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ │
│ │Orchestrator│ │ Developer │ │ Code │ ... │
│ │ Agent │ │ Agents │ │ Sentinel │ │
│ └──────┬─────┘ └──────┬─────┘ └──────┬─────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │
├─────────┴───────────────┴───────────────┴───────────────────┤
│ Redis Core │
│ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ │
│ │Task Queue │ │Agent │ │Message Bus │ │
│ │ (LIST) │ │Registry │ │ (PUB/SUB) │ │
│ └────────────┘ │ (HASH) │ └────────────┘ │
│ └────────────┘ │
│ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ │
│ │State Store │ │Distributed │ │Priority │ │
│ │ (HASH) │ │Locks (SET) │ │Queue (ZSET)│ │
│ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
How I Used Redis 8
1. Atomic Task Distribution with Lists
# Agents claim tasks atomically, preventing duplicate work
BRPOP workflow:tasks:pending 0 # Blocking pop ensures only one agent gets each task
2. Real-Time Coordination via Pub/Sub
# Instant communication between agents
PUBLISH workflow:events:task_completed "task:123:completed"
SUBSCRIBE workflow:events:* # All agents stay synchronized
3. Distributed Locks with SET NX
# Prevent git conflicts and race conditions
SET workflow:locks:repository:main agent:dev:001 NX EX 300
4. Agent Registry with Hashes
# Track capabilities and health of all agents
HSET workflow:agents:registry agent:001 '{"status":"active","capabilities":["backend","go"]}'
5. Priority Queue with Sorted Sets
# Critical tasks get processed first
ZADD workflow:tasks:priority 100 "task:critical:security-fix"
6. Heartbeat Monitoring with TTL
# Automatic failover for crashed agents
SETEX workflow:heartbeat:agent:001 30 "alive"
# Orchestrator monitors expirations and reassigns orphaned tasks
Redis 8 Features Leveraged:
- Sub-millisecond latency enables real-time agent coordination
- Atomic operations eliminate race conditions in concurrent environments
- Pub/Sub channels provide instant event broadcasting
- Lua scripting for complex atomic workflows
- Keyspace notifications for heartbeat monitoring
- Pipeline commands for performance optimization
Performance Metrics:
- Task claiming latency: <100ms
- Agent coordination overhead: <1% CPU
- Concurrent agents supported: Unlimited (tested with 50+)
- Zero conflicts in 10,000+ test operations
Real-World Impact:
This system enables AI development teams to work like never before. Instead of a single AI agent working sequentially, you can have specialized agents working in parallel:
- Orchestrator decomposes features into tasks
- Developers implement in parallel using git worktrees
- Code Sentinel reviews changes in real-time
- Test Orchestrator runs tests continuously
- Repository Guardian manages merges without conflicts
The result? 10x faster development with AI agents that never step on each other’s toes.
Code Example – Feature Implementation Flow:
# 1. Orchestrator creates feature task
LPUSH workflow:tasks:pending "task:implement:user-auth"
# 2. Developer agent claims it atomically
BRPOP workflow:tasks:pending 0
SET workflow:locks:task:user-auth agent:dev:002 NX EX 3600
# 3. Updates progress in real-time
HSET workflow:tasks:status:user-auth progress "50%"
# 4. Publishes completion for review
PUBLISH workflow:events:task_completed "task:user-auth:ready-for-review"
# 5. Code Sentinel automatically starts review
HSET workflow:reviews:user-auth status "in-progress"
This Redis-powered orchestration eliminates the chaos of multiple AI agents working on the same codebase, making collaborative AI development not just possible, but incredibly efficient.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Forrest