Vol III · Section 1
Agent fundamentals
What makes something an agent, tool use, the agent loop, and when a workflow is better.
1What actually makes a system an agent, rather than an LLM call with extra steps?2When should you NOT build an agent — and use a workflow instead?3Walk me through how tool calling works end to end.4What makes a good tool for an agent?5Describe the agent loop. How does it know when to stop?6How do planning and reflection improve an agent, and when are they wasted effort?7How do you handle memory in an agent, and what is context engineering?8What is MCP, and why does agent tooling need a protocol?9When does a multi-agent or orchestrator-worker design help, and when does it hurt?10What are computer-use agents, and when are they the right tool?