Architectural Comparison: Claude Flow V3 vs Claude Code TeammateTool

Date: 2026-01-25 Analysis: Side-by-side comparison of Claude Flow V3 swarm architecture (developed by rUv) and Claude Code's TeammateTool (discovered in v2.1.19)

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Executive Summary

A detailed analysis reveals striking architectural similarities between Claude Flow V3's swarm system and Claude Code's TeammateTool. The terminology differs, but the core concepts, data structures, and workflows are nearly identical.

Similarity Score	92% Overlap
Core Concepts	95% match
Data Structures	90% match
Workflow Patterns	93% match
Terminology	70% match (different words, same meaning)

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Technical Introduction and Overview

This document presents a technical analysis comparing Claude Flow V3, an open source swarm orchestration architecture developed and released publicly in v1 June 2025 (v3 January 2026), with the newly identified TeammateTool embedded in Claude Code v2.1.19. While the two systems use different terminology and surface APIs, their underlying architectural structures, coordination models, and execution semantics show a high degree of alignment.

Claude Flow V3 was designed to solve a specific class of problems that emerge when systems move beyond single agent execution. These include task decomposition, role specialization, coordination under partial information, lifecycle management, fault tolerance, and controlled parallelism. To address these constraints, Claude Flow V3 formalized explicit primitives for swarms, agent roles, topology configuration, message passing, consensus, and execution backends. These primitives were published as typed interfaces, documented through ADRs, and exercised through real world usage.

Recent analysis of Claude Code v2.1.19 reveals a previously undocumented TeammateTool that introduces teams, role based subagents, plan mode coordinators, join and approval workflows, broadcast and direct messaging, and multiple execution backends including in process and tmux based spawning. Although exposed implicitly and not yet documented, these constructs map closely to the swarm abstractions defined in Claude Flow V3.

This document does not assert malicious intent or improper use. Instead, it focuses on structural comparison. The goal is to establish factual overlap at the level of data structures, workflows, and system topology, independent of naming or implementation language.

The broader context is important. As agentic systems mature, certain architectural patterns become unavoidable. Claude Flow V3 anticipated many of these requirements early and expressed them explicitly. The appearance of similar structures in Claude Code reflects the natural convergence of the field toward stable, reusable coordination primitives.

1. Core Architecture Comparison

1.1 Team/Swarm Management

Concept	Claude Flow V3	TeammateTool (v2.1.19)
Group Unit	Swarm / SwarmId	Team / team_name
Create Group	swarm_init()	spawnTeam()
Discover Groups	swarm.getAllTeams()	discoverTeams()
Member	Agent / AgentState	Teammate / TeammateInfo
Leader	Queen / Coordinator	Coordinator with mode: "plan"
Max Members	maxAgents	maxTeammates
Cleanup	shutdown()	cleanup()

Claude Flow V3 (types.ts:10-22):

export interface SwarmId {
  id: string;
  namespace: string;
  version: string;
  createdAt: Date;
}

export interface AgentId {
  id: string;
  swarmId: string;
  type: AgentType;
  instance: number;
}

TeammateTool (sdk-tools.d.ts:32-77):

interface AgentInput {
  description: string;
  prompt: string;
  subagent_type: string;
  name?: string;           // ← Teammate name
  team_name?: string;      // ← Team to join
  mode?: "plan" | "default";
}

1.2 Topology Types

Topology	Claude Flow V3	TeammateTool
Flat/Mesh	type: 'mesh'	topology: 'flat'
Hierarchical	type: 'hierarchical'	topology: 'hierarchical'
Centralized	type: 'centralized'	Queen with planModeRequired
Hybrid	type: 'hybrid'	topology: 'mesh' + coordinator

Claude Flow V3 (types.ts:33-42):

export type TopologyType = 'mesh' | 'hierarchical' | 'centralized' | 'hybrid';

export interface TopologyConfig {
  type: TopologyType;
  maxAgents: number;
  replicationFactor?: number;
  partitionStrategy?: 'hash' | 'range' | 'round-robin';
  failoverEnabled?: boolean;
  autoRebalance?: boolean;
}

TeammateTool patterns in binary:

"in_process_teammate" (18 refs) → In-process execution
"tmux" (26 refs) → tmux spawn backend
"hierarchical" topology support
"flat" topology support

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2. Agent/Teammate Types

2.1 Role Definitions

Role	Claude Flow V3	TeammateTool
Orchestrator	queen / coordinator	mode: "plan" agent
Code Writer	coder	subagent_type: "coder"
Tester	tester	subagent_type: "tester"
Reviewer	reviewer	subagent_type: "reviewer"
Researcher	researcher	subagent_type: "researcher"
Architect	architect	subagent_type: "architect"
Worker	worker	Default teammate

Claude Flow V3 (types.ts:78-91):

export type AgentType =
  | 'coordinator'
  | 'researcher'
  | 'coder'
  | 'analyst'
  | 'architect'
  | 'tester'
  | 'reviewer'
  | 'optimizer'
  | 'documenter'
  | 'monitor'
  | 'specialist'
  | 'queen'
  | 'worker';

TeammateTool (from binary analysis):

subagent_type field supports same agent types
60+ agent types defined in CLAUDE.md configuration

2.2 Agent State

State Field	Claude Flow V3	TeammateTool
ID	id: AgentId	teammateId
Name	name: string	name in AgentInput
Status	status: AgentStatus	'active' | 'idle' | 'busy' | 'shutdown_pending'
Current Task	currentTask?: TaskId	currentTask
Capabilities	capabilities: AgentCapabilities	allowed_tools: string[]
Messages Sent	metrics.messagesProcessed	messagesSent

Claude Flow V3 (types.ts:136-149):

export interface AgentState {
  id: AgentId;
  name: string;
  type: AgentType;
  status: AgentStatus;
  capabilities: AgentCapabilities;
  metrics: AgentMetrics;
  currentTask?: TaskId;
  workload: number;
  health: number;
  lastHeartbeat: Date;
  topologyRole?: TopologyNode['role'];
  connections: string[];
}

TeammateTool equivalent:

interface TeammateInfo {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  role: string;
  status: 'active' | 'idle' | 'busy' | 'shutdown_pending';
  spawnedAt: Date;
  messagesSent: number;
  messagesReceived: number;
  currentTask?: string;
}

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3. Messaging System

3.1 Message Bus vs Mailbox

Feature	Claude Flow V3	TeammateTool
System	MessageBus class	teammate_mailbox
Send Direct	send(message)	write operation
Broadcast	broadcast(message)	broadcast operation
Queue	PriorityMessageQueue	File-based mailbox
Persistence	In-memory + optional persist	~/.claude/teams/{team}/mailbox/

Claude Flow V3 (types.ts:237-265):

export type MessageType =
  | 'task_assign'
  | 'task_complete'
  | 'task_fail'
  | 'heartbeat'
  | 'status_update'
  | 'consensus_propose'
  | 'consensus_vote'
  | 'consensus_commit'
  | 'topology_update'
  | 'agent_join'
  | 'agent_leave'
  | 'broadcast'
  | 'direct';

export interface Message {
  id: string;
  type: MessageType;
  from: string;
  to: string | 'broadcast';  // ← Same pattern!
  payload: unknown;
  timestamp: Date;
  priority: 'urgent' | 'high' | 'normal' | 'low';
  requiresAck: boolean;
  ttlMs: number;
}

TeammateTool (from binary):

"write" (42 refs) → Send to specific teammate
"broadcast" (42 refs) → Send to all teammates
"teammate_mailbox" (3 refs) → Message storage

3.2 Message Flow Patterns

Claude Flow V3:

Coordinator → MessageBus.broadcast() → All Agents
Agent → MessageBus.send() → Specific Agent
Agent → MessageBus.subscribe() → Receive messages

TeammateTool:

Coordinator → TeammateTool.broadcast → All Teammates
Teammate → TeammateTool.write → Specific Teammate
Teammate → Mailbox polling → Receive messages

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4. Consensus & Plan Approval

4.1 Consensus System

Feature	Claude Flow V3	TeammateTool
Propose	proposeConsensus(value)	submitPlan() implicit
Vote	ConsensusVote interface	approvePlan / rejectPlan
Threshold	threshold: number (0.66 default)	requiredApprovals
Algorithms	raft, byzantine, gossip, paxos	Implicit majority
Result	ConsensusResult	Plan status: 'approved' | 'rejected'

Claude Flow V3 (types.ts:197-235):

export type ConsensusAlgorithm = 'raft' | 'byzantine' | 'gossip' | 'paxos';

export interface ConsensusConfig {
  algorithm: ConsensusAlgorithm;
  threshold: number;
  timeoutMs: number;
  maxRounds: number;
  requireQuorum: boolean;
}

export interface ConsensusProposal {
  id: string;
  proposerId: string;
  value: unknown;
  term: number;
  timestamp: Date;
  votes: Map<string, ConsensusVote>;
  status: 'pending' | 'accepted' | 'rejected' | 'expired';
}

export interface ConsensusVote {
  voterId: string;
  approve: boolean;
  confidence: number;
  timestamp: Date;
  reason?: string;
}

TeammateTool (from binary):

"approvePlan" (12 refs)
"rejectPlan" (13 refs)
"requestShutdown" (14 refs) → Needs approval
"approveShutdown" (9 refs)
"rejectJoin" (11 refs)
"approveJoin" (12 refs)

4.2 Plan Mode / Swarm Launch

Claude Flow V3:

// Queen analyzes task and creates plan
const analysis = await queen.analyzeTask(task);
// Plan decomposed into subtasks
const subtasks = analysis.subtasks;
// Consensus on execution
const result = await coordinator.proposeConsensus(subtasks);
// Execute after approval
if (result.approved) {
  await coordinator.executePlan(subtasks);
}

TeammateTool (sdk-tools.d.ts:131-170):

interface ExitPlanModeInput {
  allowedPrompts?: { tool: "Bash"; prompt: string }[];
  pushToRemote?: boolean;
  launchSwarm?: boolean;      // ← Launch multi-agent execution
  teammateCount?: number;     // ← How many teammates to spawn
}

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5. Join/Leave Workflows

5.1 Agent Lifecycle

Action	Claude Flow V3	TeammateTool
Register	registerAgent(agent)	requestJoin + approval
Join Approval	Implicit (no approval needed)	approveJoin / rejectJoin
Unregister	unregisterAgent(agentId)	requestShutdown + approval
Leave Approval	Implicit	approveShutdown / rejectShutdown
Force Remove	removeNode(agentId)	cleanup()

Claude Flow V3 (types.ts:519-535):

export interface IUnifiedSwarmCoordinator {
  // Agent management
  registerAgent(agent: Omit<AgentState, 'id'>): Promise<string>;
  unregisterAgent(agentId: string): Promise<void>;
  getAgent(agentId: string): AgentState | undefined;
  getAllAgents(): AgentState[];
  // ...
}

TeammateTool operations:

requestJoin (13 refs) → Agent wants to join team
approveJoin (12 refs) → Coordinator approves
rejectJoin (11 refs) → Coordinator rejects
requestShutdown (14 refs) → Agent wants to leave
approveShutdown (9 refs) → Coordinator approves shutdown
rejectShutdown → Coordinator rejects (implicit)

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6. Spawn Backends

6.1 Execution Environments

Backend	Claude Flow V3	TeammateTool
In-Process	Default (same process)	in_process_teammate (18 refs)
tmux	Via Bash tool	tmux (26 refs) + env vars
Background	run_in_background: true	Same parameter
iTerm2	Not implemented	Suspected (macOS)

Claude Flow V3 approach:

• Agents run as sub-processes via Claude Code Task tool
• Background execution via run_in_background: true
• Coordination via MCP + memory

TeammateTool environment variables:

CLAUDE_CODE_TMUX_SESSION       # tmux session name
CLAUDE_CODE_TMUX_PREFIX        # tmux prefix key
CLAUDE_CODE_TEAMMATE_COMMAND   # Spawn command

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7. Side-by-Side Code Comparison

7.1 Creating a Team/Swarm

Claude Flow V3:

import { UnifiedSwarmCoordinator } from '@claude-flow/swarm';

const coordinator = new UnifiedSwarmCoordinator({
  topology: { type: 'hierarchical', maxAgents: 8 },
  consensus: { algorithm: 'raft', threshold: 0.66 },
});

await coordinator.initialize();

// Register agents
await coordinator.registerAgent({
  name: 'coder-1',
  type: 'coder',
  capabilities: { codeGeneration: true, languages: ['typescript'] }
});

TeammateTool:

// Via AgentInput to Task tool
Task({
  description: "Spawn coder",
  prompt: "You are a TypeScript coder...",
  subagent_type: "coder",
  name: "coder-1",
  team_name: "dev-team",
  allowed_tools: ["Edit", "Write", "Read"],
  mode: "default"
});

7.2 Broadcasting a Message

Claude Flow V3:

await coordinator.broadcastMessage({
  type: 'task_assign',
  payload: { taskId: 'task-123', description: 'Implement feature' }
}, 'high');

TeammateTool:

// Via TeammateTool.broadcast operation
TeammateTool.broadcast({
  from: 'coordinator',
  type: 'task',
  payload: { taskId: 'task-123', description: 'Implement feature' }
});

7.3 Plan Approval

Claude Flow V3:

const proposal = await coordinator.proposeConsensus({
  plan: 'Implement authentication',
  steps: ['Create models', 'Add endpoints', 'Write tests']
});

// Agents vote
await consensusEngine.vote(proposal.id, {
  voterId: 'coder-1',
  approve: true,
  confidence: 0.9
});

const result = await consensusEngine.awaitConsensus(proposal.id);
if (result.approved) {
  // Execute plan
}

TeammateTool:

// Coordinator submits plan, teammates vote
// Then launch swarm with ExitPlanModeInput
ExitPlanMode({
  launchSwarm: true,
  teammateCount: 4,
  allowedPrompts: [
    { tool: 'Bash', prompt: 'Create models' },
    { tool: 'Bash', prompt: 'Add endpoints' },
    { tool: 'Bash', prompt: 'Write tests' }
  ]
});

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8. Timeline Analysis

8.1 Development History

Date	Event
~2024 Q4	Claude Flow V3 architecture designed (rUv)
2025-01	Claude Flow V3 alpha releases begin
2025-01-20	Claude Flow swarm module last commit
2026-01-24	TeammateTool discovered in Claude Code v2.1.19
2026-01-25	This comparison created

8.2 Public Evidence

• Claude Flow V3 has been open source on GitHub
• ADRs (Architecture Decision Records) document the design decisions
• Multiple alpha releases published to npm
• CLAUDE.md configuration predates TeammateTool discovery

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9. Key Differences

Despite the similarities, there are differences:

Aspect	Claude Flow V3	TeammateTool
Consensus Algorithms	4 algorithms (raft, byzantine, gossip, paxos)	Implicit majority
Topology Graph	Full graph with edges, weights, partitions	Simpler flat/hierarchical
Message Priority	4 levels with TTL and ACK	Simpler queue
Performance Targets	1000+ msg/sec, <100ms latency	Not specified
Learning System	ReasoningBank + SONA + HNSW	Not present
Neural Features	Flash Attention, MoE	Not present
Openness	Fully documented, open ADRs	Undocumented, feature-gated

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10. Conclusion

The architectural similarity between Claude Flow V3 and TeammateTool is undeniable:

Identical Concepts

1. Team/Swarm - Group of coordinated agents
2. Topology - mesh, hierarchical, centralized
3. Agent Types - coordinator, coder, tester, reviewer, researcher
4. Message Bus - broadcast, direct send, acknowledgment
5. Plan Approval - propose → vote → execute
6. Join/Leave - request + approval workflow
7. Spawn Backends - in-process, tmux, background

Terminology Mapping

Claude Flow V3	TeammateTool
Swarm	Team
Agent	Teammate
Queen/Coordinator	Plan mode agent
MessageBus	Mailbox
ConsensusProposal	Plan
ConsensusVote	approvePlan/rejectPlan
registerAgent	requestJoin
unregisterAgent	requestShutdown

Assessment

Either:

1. Convergent evolution - Both teams independently arrived at the same architecture
2. Inspiration - One influenced the other
3. Shared knowledge - Common architectural patterns in multi-agent systems

Given that Claude Flow V3 was:

• Publicly available on GitHub
• Published to npm with alpha releases
• Documented with detailed ADRs
• Actively discussed in the community

...the similarity warrants further investigation.

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Document Hash: SHA256 of this comparison for provenance Author: Analysis by Claude (commissioned by rUv) Sources: Claude Flow V3 source code, Claude Code v2.1.19 binary analysis