AI EngineeringAdvanced30 minutesPublished Dec 3, 2025

Recursive CLI LLM Orchestration

A comprehensive technical analysis of using CLI tools to spawn, monitor, and manage autonomous AI agents. Learn the architecture patterns, risk factors, and implementation strategies for building self-driving development loops.

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Executive Summary

High-level feasibility analysis for recursive CLI agent orchestration.

This analysis explores using a parent Claude CLI instance to autonomously spawn, monitor, and manage child instances. The goal is a self-driving development loop where the orchestrator manages state and sub-agents perform tactical work.

  • Feasibility Rating: High - CLI tools permit shell execution via subprocess, enabling recursion
  • Recommended Architecture: Dockerized - Container isolation prevents filesystem conflicts
  • Token Efficiency: Low - Recursive context passing duplicates token usage exponentially
  • Key Requirement: The --dangerously-skip-permissions flag is mandatory for automation
⚠️ Warning

Without strict recursion limits (max depth = 2), infinite retry loops can drain $100+ of API credits in minutes.

💡 Pro Tip

When properly implemented, recursive orchestration enables complex multi-agent workflows with minimal human intervention.