An AI agent is defined by a loop, not a linear 8-step pipeline. The production pattern: decision gate, augmented LLM, the agent loop, context engineering.
agents
agent-loop
architecture
workflow-patterns
context-engineering
tool-use
orchestration
evals
A viral infographic frames agent-building as an 8-step pipeline — that's a parts list, not an architecture. The actual defining mechanism is a loop: gather context, take action, verify, repeat. Equally important: the workflow-versus-agent decision up-front. A deterministic workflow is often the better choice over an agent — lower cost, predictable behavior, easier to test. This field guide walks through the augmented-LLM pattern, the decision-gate for workflow-vs-agent, the mechanics of context engineering (what goes in, what stays out, what gets compressed), and the most common failure modes of production-grade agents. With concrete code patterns and a decision checklist you can apply to your next use case.
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