- Updated
- Version
- v1.8
- Sources
- 5 sources
- Status
- Published
AI agent
Agent
A system that pursues an objective by choosing actions, using tools, and observing their results in a bounded loop.
Level 1
Understand
Key difference
Unlike a chatbot, an agent is not limited to producing a conversational answer: it can select and sequence authorized actions.
Everyday phrases
- an agent that delegates actions to tools
- a loop that observes, decides, then acts
- an assistant that executes actions within limits
Example
An agent inspects a repository, changes a component, then runs its tests within granted permissions.
Counter-example
A FAQ that returns a prepared answer without choosing or executing an action is not an agent.
Level 2
Apply
Continue with a guide
Related concepts
Understand → Recognize → Choose → Compare
Pack for your agent
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Implement correctly
Use Agent deliberately
# Ground Agent in your agent ## Objective Use “Agent” precisely in code, documentation, and conversations: A system that pursues an objective by choosing actions, using tools, and observing their results in a bounded loop. ## Prerequisites - Inspect how the term is used today in the repository, documentation, and prompts. - Identify the neighboring notions already named: Chatbot, Workflow, Tool. - Preserve existing correct usages. ## Working definition A system that pursues an objective by choosing actions, using tools, and observing their results in a bounded loop. ## Decisive difference Unlike a chatbot, an agent is not limited to producing a conversational answer: it can select and sequence authorized actions. ## Example that counts as Agent An agent inspects a repository, changes a component, then runs its tests within granted permissions. ## Counter-example A FAQ that returns a prepared answer without choosing or executing an action is not an agent. ## Acceptance criteria - Every use of the term matches the working definition. - Edge cases are settled with the decisive difference, not by intuition. - Neighboring notions (Chatbot, Workflow, Tool) are named with their own term. ## Guardrails - Show the proposed changes before any external action. - Do not publish, send, delete, pay for, or change remote state without explicit authorization. - Preserve unrelated changes and stop if the scope becomes ambiguous. ## Output format - Outcome or verdict. - Files or actions involved. - Checks run and observable evidence. - Remaining blockers or limitations.
- Requires · The agentic vocabulary already used in the repository and documentation
Why it works
- The notion is framed by a sourced working definition, not ambient usage.
- The decisive difference settles edge cases reproducibly.
- The example and counter-example bound the term on both sides.
Try next
Map the neighboring notions
# Map the neighboring notions ## Objective Extend the same rigor to the related notions (Chatbot, Workflow, Tool) so the project vocabulary stays coherent. ## Checks - List every neighboring notion used without a definition. - Apply its documented decisive difference. - Record the still-ambiguous cases for the next entry. ## Guardrails - Show the proposed changes before any external action. - Do not publish, send, delete, pay for, or change remote state without explicit authorization. - Preserve unrelated changes and stop if the scope becomes ambiguous. ## Output format - Outcome or verdict. - Files or actions involved. - Checks run and observable evidence. - Remaining blockers or limitations.
sha256:2c677c96411c52151f15201edc9af76dc240036e00d6dd22aa1fbdf2dfeee24a
Diagnose a problem
Fix a Agent mix-up
# Fix a mix-up around Agent ## Observed symptom [DESCRIBE THE SYMPTOM HERE] ## Observable checks - Compare the disputed usage with the working definition: A system that pursues an objective by choosing actions, using tools, and observing their results in a bounded loop. - Apply the decisive difference: Unlike a chatbot, an agent is not limited to producing a conversational answer: it can select and sequence authorized actions. - Confront the case with the documented counter-example: A FAQ that returns a prepared answer without choosing or executing an action is not an agent. ## Possible causes - The term is used for a neighboring notion (Chatbot, Workflow, Tool). - The observed form (interface, script, service) is confused with the actual behavior. - An alias (AI agent) carries a different meaning in the project. ## Bounded fixes - Rename or reclassify only the usages that contradict the working definition. - Document each choice by citing the decisive difference. ## Final verification - Reread every corrected occurrence against the documented example and counter-example. ## Guardrails - Show the proposed changes before any external action. - Do not publish, send, delete, pay for, or change remote state without explicit authorization. - Preserve unrelated changes and stop if the scope becomes ambiguous. ## Output format - Outcome or verdict. - Files or actions involved. - Checks run and observable evidence. - Remaining blockers or limitations.
- Requires · The agentic vocabulary already used in the repository and documentation
Why it works
- The diagnosis compares usage with documented criteria instead of an opinion.
- Fixes stay bounded to genuinely contradictory usages.
- The final verification runs back through the sourced example and counter-example.
Try next
Anchor the vocabulary in the project
# Anchor the vocabulary in the project ## Objective Turn the clarification into a reusable rule so the mix-up does not return. ## Checks - Add the working definition to the project glossary. - Link every neighboring term to its own entry. - Check new documents against the decisive difference. ## Guardrails - Show the proposed changes before any external action. - Do not publish, send, delete, pay for, or change remote state without explicit authorization. - Preserve unrelated changes and stop if the scope becomes ambiguous. ## Output format - Outcome or verdict. - Files or actions involved. - Checks run and observable evidence. - Remaining blockers or limitations.
sha256:25612583de89d1d065b5d090f69803eddd207b2a35eceb595cc973a3b0b18ed4
Pack digest: sha256:7a5a239a2dd0e56324a4336a762bed2cd6ee72b72e3c1cba14d579ff3163764d
Level 3
Verify
Sources
- https://www.anthropic.com/engineering/building-effective-agents
- https://cdn.openai.com/business-guides-and-resources/a-practical-guide-to-building-agents.pdf
- https://openai.github.io/openai-agents-python/running_agents/
- https://openai.github.io/openai-agents-python/agents/
- https://www.anthropic.com/research/trustworthy-agents
Revision glossary-v1.8:agent · 2026-08-03
- Sourced content digest
- sha256:adf9b55cf9895e074fb3a3fde5dafd6de2a754e419f9367ccdf23d24558a20b7