Interactive Delegation Graph
This interactive visualization shows a complex delegation hierarchy for a coding task (implementing a new feature with authentication, API, and database components).
Understanding the Visualization
Section titled “Understanding the Visualization”Node Types
Section titled “Node Types”| Icon | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 👤 | Human | Ultimate authority and oversight |
| 🎯 | Coordinator | Plans and routes tasks (high leverage) |
| 🤖 | Agent | Designs/analyzes but doesn’t execute |
| ⚡ | Executor | Writes code or makes changes |
| ✓ | Verifier | Reviews and validates (read-only) |
Risk Levels
Section titled “Risk Levels”Risk is determined by a combination of:
- Permissions scope (what can the node access/modify?)
- Potential impact (what’s the blast radius of mistakes?)
- Position in hierarchy (can it influence other nodes?)
Key Patterns to Notice
Section titled “Key Patterns to Notice”-
Coordinator Risk: The Task Planner has elevated risk despite limited permissions—its position gives it leverage over the entire system.
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Defense in Depth: Security-critical paths (Auth Implementer) have dedicated verifiers (Security Reviewer).
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Permission Scoping: Each executor has write access limited to specific directories, not the entire codebase.
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Read-Only Defaults: Designers and verifiers have read-only access—they can influence decisions but can’t directly cause harm.
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Isolated Low-Risk Tasks: Documentation is handled by a separate low-risk executor outside the main task chain.
Delegation Risk Calculation
Section titled “Delegation Risk Calculation”The delegation risk values shown ($/month) represent the expected cost from potential failures:
Delegation Risk = Σ P(harm mode) × Damage(harm mode)High-risk nodes like the Auth Implementer ($300/mo) have:
- Access to sensitive data (secrets, auth logic)
- Ability to introduce security vulnerabilities
- Higher probability of consequential mistakes
Low-risk nodes like the Doc Writer ($20/mo) have:
- Isolated scope (only /docs/)
- Limited blast radius
- Easy to verify and correct
Try It Yourself
Section titled “Try It Yourself”Explore the graph above to understand:
- Which nodes have the highest delegation risk?
- Where are the “choke points” where controls would be most effective?
- Which paths lead to the highest-impact components?
- How does the tree structure limit blast radius compared to a fully-connected system?
See Also
Section titled “See Also”- Framework Overview — Core concepts behind this visualization
- Exposure Cascade — How risk flows through hierarchies
- Hierarchy Visualization Research — Other visualization approaches