ruvnet/ruflo · error

Swarm not initialized

Error message

Swarm not initialized

What it means

spawnAgent() requires a prior successful initializeSwarm(); the swarmInitialized flag guards it and the throw happens before any agent bookkeeping. Note that shutdownSwarm() resets the flag, so spawning after a shutdown hits this until the swarm is re-initialized.

Source

Thrown at v3/@claude-flow/plugins/src/integrations/agentic-flow.ts:217

    for (const agentId of this.agents.keys()) {
      await this.terminateAgent(agentId);
    }

    this.swarmInitialized = false;
    this.swarmTopology = undefined;
    this.config.logger?.info('Swarm shutdown complete');
  }

  // =========================================================================
  // Agent Management
  // =========================================================================

  /**
   * Spawn a new agent.
   */
  async spawnAgent(options: AgentSpawnOptions): Promise<SpawnedAgent> {
    if (!this.swarmInitialized) {
      throw new Error('Swarm not initialized');
    }

    if (this.agents.size >= (this.config.maxConcurrentAgents ?? 15)) {
      throw new Error(`Maximum agent limit (${this.config.maxConcurrentAgents}) reached`);
    }

    const id = options.id ?? `agent-${this.nextAgentId++}`;

    if (this.agents.has(id)) {
      throw new Error(`Agent ${id} already exists`);
    }

    const agent: SpawnedAgent = {
      id,
      type: options.type,
      status: 'active',
      capabilities: options.capabilities ?? [],
      parentId: options.parentId,

View on GitHub (pinned to fa13ee4ad6)

Solutions

1. await integration.initializeSwarm(topology) before any spawnAgent call
2. Chain boot strictly: init swarm, then spawn agents, then orchestrate; store the init promise and await it everywhere it matters
3. If init can fail, catch it and abort boot before attempting to spawn

Example fix

// before
flow.initializeSwarm(topology); // missing await
await flow.spawnAgent({ type: 'coder' }); // Error: Swarm not initialized

// after
await flow.initializeSwarm(topology);
await flow.spawnAgent({ type: 'coder' });

await flow.initializeSwarm({ type: 'mesh' }); // 1. always first, always awaited
const agent = await flow.spawnAgent({ type: 'coder' }); // 2. then spawn

When it happens

Trigger: Calling spawnAgent() before await initializeSwarm(...) resolves (missing await or a race); initializeSwarm() having failed earlier so the flag was never set; spawning after shutdownSwarm() without re-init.

Common situations: Async boot races where a queue consumer starts spawning before the init promise settles; init errors swallowed upstream so callers proceed anyway; tests skipping the init step.

Related errors

• SwarmAdapter not initialized. Call initialize() first.
• Maximum agent limit (${this.config.maxConcurrentAgents}) rea
• Agent ${id} already exists
• Agent ${agentId} not found
• No available agents

AI-assisted analysis of ruvnet/ruflo@fa13ee4ad6 (2026-08-18). Data as JSON: /api/errors/2e53792eeaa1b242. Report an issue: GitHub.