Dictionary entry Trending
multi-agent tax
also multiagent tax or coordination tax or collaboration tax
Definition of multi-agent tax
-
: the extra tokens, computation, time, complexity, or loss of performance caused by coordinating multiple AI agents instead of having one agent perform the underlying task
- The engineering team measured the multi-agent tax before adding more specialist agents to its coding workflow.
- Repeatedly copying the full project context into every subagent made the coordination tax larger than the benefit of parallel work.
Two meanings, one word
In everyday English
A tax is a required charge, or figuratively an extra cost imposed on an activity.
In AI
The extra tokens, computation, time, complexity, or loss of performance caused by coordinating multiple AI agents instead of having one agent perform the underlying task.
Origin & history
The word tax has long been used figuratively for an unavoidable overhead. Multi-agent tax and coordination tax became more visible in 2026 as developers measured the hidden cost of agent teams, including context duplication, handoffs, review, and integration. Research published that year used collaboration tax for a related, more formal measure of the performance lost when language-model agents must coordinate with one another.
Test yourself
Which of these is the meaning of multi-agent tax?
Cite this entry
"Multi-agent tax." AI Dictionary, Dadgogo, https://dadgogo.com/dictionary/multi-agent-tax/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.