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docs: restructure DECISIONS.md to signal openness on MCP and A2A 

Split decisions into "Won't Do" (handoffs, checkpointing) and "Open to
Adoption" (MCP, A2A). Feature parity is a race that can be caught;
network effects from protocol adoption create a different kind of moat.

- MCP marked as "Next up" with optional peer dependency approach
- A2A marked as "Watching" with clear adoption trigger criteria
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JackChen 2026-04-09 03:16:38 +08:00
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30
DECISIONS.md
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@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
# Architecture Decisions
This document records deliberate "won't do" decisions for the project. These are features we evaluated and chose NOT to implement — not because they're bad ideas, but because they conflict with our positioning as the **simplest multi-agent framework**.
If you're considering a PR in any of these areas, please open a discussion first.
This document records our architectural decisions — both what we choose NOT to build, and what we're actively working toward. Our goal is to be the **simplest multi-agent framework**, but simplicity doesn't mean closed. We believe the long-term value of a framework isn't its feature checklist — it's the size of the network it connects to.
## Won't Do
These are paradigms we evaluated and deliberately chose not to implement, because they conflict with our core model.
### 1. Agent Handoffs
**What**: Agent A transfers an in-progress conversation to Agent B (like OpenAI Agents SDK `handoff()`).
@ -20,18 +20,30 @@ If you're considering a PR in any of these areas, please open a discussion first
**Related**: Closing #20 with this rationale.
### 3. A2A Protocol (Agent-to-Agent)
## Open to Adoption
**What**: Google's open protocol for agents on different servers to discover and communicate with each other.
These are protocols we see strategic value in and are actively tracking. We're waiting for the right moment — not the right feature spec, but the right network density.
**Why not**: Too early — the spec is still evolving and adoption is minimal. Our users run agents in a single process, not across distributed services. If A2A matures and there's real demand, we can revisit. Today it would add complexity for zero practical benefit.
> **Our thesis**: Framework competition on features (DAG scheduling, shared memory, zero-dependency) is a race that can always be caught. Network competition — where the value of the framework grows with every agent published to it — creates a fundamentally different moat. MCP and A2A are the protocols that turn a framework from a build tool into a registry.
### 4. MCP Integration (Model Context Protocol)
### 3. MCP Integration (Model Context Protocol)
**What**: Anthropic's protocol for connecting LLMs to external tools and data sources.
**Why not now**: Our `defineTool()` API lets users wrap any external service as a tool in ~10 lines of code, and adding MCP would introduce `@modelcontextprotocol/sdk` as a new dependency plus transport layer management, breaking our 3-dependency minimal principle. However, the MCP tool ecosystem has grown significantly — many services now ship MCP servers directly, and asking users to re-wrap each one via `defineTool()` creates unnecessary friction. **This decision may be revisited** when community demand is clear or a lightweight integration approach emerges (e.g., optional peer dependency).
**Status**: **Next up.** MCP has crossed the adoption threshold — Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code all ship with built-in support, and many services now provide MCP servers directly. Asking users to re-wrap each one via `defineTool()` creates unnecessary friction.
**Approach**: Optional peer dependency (`@modelcontextprotocol/sdk`). Zero impact on the core — if you don't use MCP, you don't pay for it. This preserves our minimal-dependency principle while connecting to the broader tool ecosystem.
**Tracking**: #84 (planned)
### 4. A2A Protocol (Agent-to-Agent)
**What**: Google's open protocol for agents on different servers to discover and communicate with each other.
**Status**: **Watching.** The spec is still evolving and production adoption is minimal. But we recognize A2A's potential to enable the network effect we care about — if 1,000 developers publish agent services using open-multi-agent, the 1,001st developer isn't just choosing an API, they're choosing which ecosystem has the most agents they can call.
**When we'll move**: When A2A adoption reaches a tipping point where the protocol connects real, production agent services — not just demos. We'll prioritize a lightweight integration that lets agents be both consumers and providers of A2A services.
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*Last updated: 2026-04-07*
*Last updated: 2026-04-09*