Routed Graph Handoff: Adaptive Format Selection for Multi-Agent LLM Delegation

Abstract:Multi-agent LLM systems coordinate through natural-language messages that consume 40--60\% of their token budget. Replacing these with structured graphs reduces cost but fails on tasks requiring adaptive reasoning. We propose \textbf{Routed Graph Handoff}, where a lightweight LLM router (155 tokens, 0.15\% overhead) selects between a typed dependency graph and natural language for each delegation. On four benchmarks (1,050+ trajectories), the routed system matches or exceeds NL-only on every task: \textbf{+12.7\,pp} on $\tau$-retail at 3.2$\times$ compression ($p{<}0.01$), \textbf{+8.7\,pp} on BrowseComp at 2.2$\times$ compression ($p{<}0.05$), and parity on BFCL and AppWorld. Without the router, graph-only delegation regresses 14.6\,pp on AppWorld; the router eliminates this at near-zero cost. A graph-aware executor prompt is required: the same schema without interpretation guidance yields no gain. An oracle analysis reveals 8.6\,pp of additional headroom, motivating execution-time adaptive routing as future work.

Computation and Language (cs.CL); Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI)

arXiv:2608.25277 [cs.CL]

(or arXiv:2608.25277v1 [cs.CL] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2608.25277 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

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