Broad intuition · Study map 31 of 85
Agents: models inside a control loop
Suggested preparation: RAG: bring an open book to generation
Picture it
A tool call is a proposed action interpreted by software. A workflow follows a designed path; an agent can choose its next step. Each extra turn creates another chance for latency, failure, and unintended action.
What to understand
- Tool schemas, structured outputs, state, memory, and orchestration
- Timeouts, bounded loops, permissions, retries, and human review
Follow the references
1 · Engineering article
Anthropic · Building effective agents ↗Compare the workflow patterns with the agent loop. Identify where deterministic code would suffice.
You understand it when…
Design a safe stopping condition for an agent that repeatedly searches but never finds evidence.
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