Agent Network Best Practices
limit-agent-links
general > limit-agent-links
Guidance
This rule validates that external agents don't exceed the recommended maximum of 10 agent links in their metadata configuration. Agent links define connections to other agents within the network. Excessive links create management complexity, performance degradation, and difficult-to-debug orchestration flows. Limiting agent links enforces focused agent design where each agent has a clear, manageable set of dependencies instead of an overly connected hub that couples too many concerns. This constraint requires the decomposition of complex workflows into multiple specialized agents instead of monolithic agents with too many connections. The rule applies to external agent metadata configurations in Agent Network specifications. It provides an architectural guideline for scalable, maintainable agent networks.
Message
Agent has too many agent links defined. Limit the number of links to 10 or fewer to maintain optimal performance and reduce management complexity.
Examples
valid
schemaVersion: 1.0.0
agents:
customer-service-agent:
metadata:
platform: agentforce
protocol: a2a
# 3 agent links - within the maxCount: 10 limit
links:
- agent:
ref:
name: crm-agent
- agent:
ref:
name: analytics-agent
- agent:
ref:
name: notification-agent
invalid
schemaVersion: 1.0.0
agents:
customer-service-agent:
metadata:
platform: agentforce
protocol: a2a
# 12 agent links - exceeds the maxCount: 10 limit
links:
- agent:
ref:
name: crm-agent
- agent:
ref:
name: analytics-agent
- agent:
ref:
name: notification-agent
- agent:
ref:
name: integration-agent
- agent:
ref:
name: database-agent
- agent:
ref:
name: file-agent
- agent:
ref:
name: email-agent
- agent:
ref:
name: calendar-agent
- agent:
ref:
name: payment-agent
- agent:
ref:
name: inventory-agent
- agent:
ref:
name: reporting-agent
- agent:
ref:
name: security-agent
Applies to metadata