---
title: "environments: ezo labs research"
updated: "2026-10-30"
type: CollectionPage
---

# environments

research from ezo labs on environments, newest first. the index of all research is [ezo labs research](https://ezolabs.io/research.md).

## [How many subagents is too many? We gave ours 12 slots; the median used 1.3.](https://ezolabs.io/research/agent-fleet-occupancy.md)

EZO-R-2026-03 // environments // 2026-10-30

**Slots waited on work.** Allowed 12 workers at once, the typical build kept about 1.3 busy (1.31 over 47 builds). In the six biggest, new work came 8 to 12 times too slowly to fill them.

html at [/research/agent-fleet-occupancy](https://ezolabs.io/research/agent-fleet-occupancy).

## [Let your lead agent only plan: fewer turns, same score](https://ezolabs.io/research/planner-only-swarms.md)

EZO-R-2026-02 // environments // 2026-10-30

**Fewer turns, same score.** In three paired runs of one task, a lead agent that only plans took 9 turns instead of 17 and compacted 4 times, not 5. All 168 tests passed. Total tokens did not fall.

html at [/research/planner-only-swarms](https://ezolabs.io/research/planner-only-swarms).