Which energy transport mechanism is primarily responsible for moving energy through the outer layers of Sun-like stars?

Convection.

Energy generated in the core must traverse the substantial distance to the surface through different mechanisms depending on the local density and temperature gradient within the star. In the deep interior of Sun-like stars, energy transport is dominated by radiation, where photons are absorbed and re-emitted, taking a long, slow path outward. However, in the cooler, more rarefied outer layers, convection becomes the dominant mechanism. This involves physical motion where hotter, less dense gas rises toward the surface, releases its energy, cools down, and then sinks back toward the interior to be reheated, creating circulatory currents that efficiently mix material and transport heat.