Splitting work across several agents goes wrong in two places, and both of them look fine on paper.
This walkthrough uses the tool's public README and checked-in example files. Run the command from a repository checkout with Node.js 22+; inspect the source before using it on your own files.
Run the checked-in example
# A plan that can be dispatched: three waves, one blocked lane. Exits 0.
node bin/subagent-lane-planner.mjs \
--plan examples/plans/feature-split.json --root examples/sample-repo
# The same run, writing the lane packets outside the repository.
node bin/subagent-lane-planner.mjs \
--plan examples/plans/feature-split.json --root examples/sample-repo \
--packet-out build/example-packet.json
# A plan that cannot be dispatched as written. Exits 1.
node bin/subagent-lane-planner.mjs \
--plan examples/plans/unbuildable.json --root examples/sample-repo
# A prerequisite nobody has checked. Exits 2, incomplete, no plan.
node bin/subagent-lane-planner.mjs \
--plan examples/plans/unchecked-prerequisite.json --root examples/sample-repoRead the result
The two shapes of exit 2 are deliberate. A configuration error means the run never had a subject, so there is nothing to report about. An input that could not be read means the run had a subject and failed to obtain evidence about it, and a consumer needs the report to know which input was not read.
Where this check stops
Limits may also be set in a --config file ({ "schemaVersion": "1", "limits": { ... } }); a flag overrides the file, and an unknown key in either is refused.
Before adapting the command to your own workflow, review the accepted inputs, exit codes and safety boundaries in the README.
Compiled with AI assistance from checked-in public documentation and example scripts. Run the example and review the repository's current documentation before relying on its result.