Subagents already support parallel execution. The key is background mode.
When a subagent runs in background mode, the parent agent dispatches it and moves on immediately without waiting for the result. This means multiple subagents work simultaneously.
The current limit is 4 parallel subagents, which is perfect for your setup. CEO coordinates, and CMO + Operations + CTO run in parallel.
A few practical tips:
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In your CEO agent’s prompt, explicitly say: “Dispatch subagents in parallel, up to 4 at a time.” Without this, the model sometimes only uses 3 out of 4 available slots.
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Structure the workflow so the CEO agent delegates independent tasks to the other 3 agents in background mode, then collects results. Example flow:
- CEO receives a task
- Dispatches CMO, Operations, and CTO as background subagents with specific instructions
- Waits for all to complete
- Synthesizes the results
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Each subagent gets its own context window, so they won’t interfere with each other.
Docs for reference: Subagents | Cursor Docs It covers foreground vs background modes and the full config format.
One known limitation: if you ever need more than 4 subagents at once, the extras wait for the entire first batch to finish instead of filling slots as they free up. For your 4-role setup this shouldn’t be an issue, but it’s good to know. There’s a community workaround for larger workflows here: Parallel subagents: next batch waits for entire previous batch to finish
Let me know how it goes.