Koutian Wu

Koutian Wu

He/Him/His

AI4Geoscience PhD student@UT-Austin. ex-Undergrad@USTC.

Atomize: Building a Task-Breaking Agent System Inspired by Goblin Tools

1 minute read

Published:

TL;DR

Yuxuan and I have been discussing AI agent ideas for a while. Yesterday, we finally decided: we’re building Atomize, a task-breaking agent system evolved from Goblin Tools.

The Spark: Goblin Tools

Goblin Tools is a fantastic collection of small, simple AI tools designed for when things feel too big or complicated. Their Magic ToDo feature breaks down tasks into manageable subtasks—exactly what people with ADHD or executive dysfunction need.

But we see a bigger opportunity here.

Why Atomize?

The core insight is simple: breaking down complex tasks into atomic subtasks is the foundation of effective AI agents.

Goblin Tools does this for humans. We want to build a system that does this for AI agents AND humans, with a more sophisticated architecture under the hood.

The Architecture (For Founders & Developers)

End users don’t need to know this, but as founders and developers, we need to understand the underlying system:

Meta Agent Architecture Source: arXiv 2407.15734

The key components:

  1. Meta Agent - Receives the main task and orchestrates the breakdown
  2. Subtask Distribution - Routes subtasks to appropriate handlers:
    • Direct Function Calls for simple operations
    • Inner Agents for more complex subtasks
  3. Shared Memory - Context and state passed between agents
  4. Task Completion - Results aggregated and stored

This architecture allows for:

  • Recursive task decomposition
  • Context preservation across subtasks
  • Parallel execution where possible
  • Memory-efficient handling of complex workflows

What We’re Building

Atomize will take the user-friendly simplicity of Goblin Tools and combine it with:

  • A robust meta-agent architecture for complex task handling
  • API-first design for developers
  • Open-source core with premium features
  • Integration with existing productivity tools

The Journey Begins

We’ve talked about this idea multiple times but kept going back and forth. Yesterday, we finally committed. The decision crystallized when we realized:

  1. The problem is real (everyone struggles with overwhelming tasks)
  2. The solution exists in fragments (Goblin Tools proves the UX)
  3. The technology is ready (LLM agents have matured)
  4. We have complementary skills to build this

Stay tuned for updates on our progress.

Co-founder: Yuxuan Cao

Inspiration: Goblin Tools

You May Also Enjoy