Maxim Nikitin, founder of the studio ITSalt, developed a plugin called pepper-orchestrator to manage AI agents in complex software projects. The tool is designed to address issues like limited context windows, hidden dependencies between modules, and unreliable self-testing by agents.
The orchestrator functions by breaking down a primary goal into smaller, manageable work packages. It assigns these tasks to independent sessions, each operating within its own repository or worktree. This approach prevents agents from overwriting each other's changes and ensures that the overall project state is maintained in a central file rather than in volatile chat sessions.
The system employs four roles: the human owner, the orchestrator, module sessions, and sub-agents. The orchestrator acts as the single entry point, planning tasks and verifying results. Sub-agents perform independent reviews and testing in isolated environments, ensuring that code is validated before being merged into the main project.
The plugin was refined through a project for zaryady.ru, which involved updates across 6 repositories and 40 work packages over 12 days. The methodology ensures that dependencies are identified before conflicts occur, and it allows for parallel development by managing access to shared files and sequencing merges.
