Your First Claude Flow Swarm

This tutorial will guide you through creating your first swarm and understanding how Claude Flow works.

Prerequisites

• Claude Flow installed (npm install -g claude-flow)
• Basic command line knowledge
• Node.js 18+ installed

Step 1: Understanding Swarms

A swarm is a coordinated group of AI agents working together to complete a task. Each agent has specific capabilities and roles.

Step 2: Create a Simple Swarm

Let's create a basic "Hello World" application:

cd examples
../claude-flow swarm create "Build a hello world CLI application" \
  --name my-first-swarm \
  --output ./output/hello-world

What happens:

1. Claude Flow creates a swarm coordinator
2. Assigns agents based on the task
3. Agents work together to build the application
4. Output is saved to the specified directory

Step 3: Examine the Output

cd ./output/hello-world
ls -la

You should see:

• index.js - Main application file
• package.json - Node.js configuration
• README.md - Documentation
• test.js - Test file (if tests were requested)

Step 4: Run Your Application

npm install  # Install any dependencies
npm start    # Run the application

Step 5: Understanding Agent Roles

Check the swarm logs to see how agents collaborated:

cat ../../logs/swarm-*.log

You'll see agents like:

• Analyzer: Understood requirements
• Developer: Wrote the code
• Documenter: Created README
• Tester: Added tests

Step 6: Customizing Your Swarm

Try with more specific requirements:

../claude-flow swarm create \
  "Build a CLI calculator that supports add, subtract, multiply, divide" \
  --agents 3 \
  --strategy development \
  --name calculator-swarm

Parameters explained:

• --agents 3: Use 3 specialized agents
• --strategy development: Focus on code creation
• --name: Give your swarm a memorable name

Next Steps

1. Try different strategies:

   • research: For gathering information
   • analysis: For code review
   • testing: For test creation
   • optimization: For performance improvements

2. Use configuration files:

   bashCopy

   ../claude-flow swarm create "Your task" \
     --config ../01-configurations/basic/simple-config.json
   

3. Monitor swarm progress:

   bashCopy

   ../claude-flow swarm create "Your task" --monitor
   

Common Issues

Problem: Swarm takes too long

• Solution: Use --timeout 60000 to set limits

Problem: Not enough detail in output

• Solution: Be more specific in your task description

Problem: Want different output structure

• Solution: Include structure requirements in your prompt

Summary

You've learned to:

• ✅ Create a basic swarm
• ✅ Understand agent collaboration
• ✅ Customize swarm behavior
• ✅ Run generated applications

Continue to Tutorial 2: Working with Workflows