- Updated
- Version
- v1.7
- Sources
- 5 sources
- Status
- Published
automated workflow · orchestrated workflow
Workflow
A predefined sequence of steps in which code or configuration controls the execution path.
Everyday phrases
- an agent that chains steps on its own
- automated steps in a predefined order
Key difference
A workflow fixes the path; an agent dynamically chooses its next actions within given boundaries.
Example
On every merge, run lint, tests, then build in a defined CI sequence.
Counter-example
An agent that decides which test to rerun after reading an error is not following only a fixed workflow.
Continue with a guide
Related concepts
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/multi_agent/
- https://docs.github.com/en/actions/concepts/workflows-and-actions/workflows
Revision glossary-v1.7:workflow · 2026-08-03
- Sourced content digest
- sha256:3e7e26fbdae9c98b15e8f3a7ac2430e4301c80a21fdd2ca7fac50df85b3c7edb
Understand → Recognize → Choose → Compare
Pack for your agent
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Implement correctly
Use Workflow deliberately
# Ground Workflow in your agent ## Objective Use “Workflow” precisely in code, documentation, and conversations: A predefined sequence of steps in which code or configuration controls the execution path. ## Prerequisites - Inspect how the term is used today in the repository, documentation, and prompts. - Identify the neighboring notions already named: Agent, Tool, Skill. - Preserve existing correct usages. ## Working definition A predefined sequence of steps in which code or configuration controls the execution path. ## Decisive difference A workflow fixes the path; an agent dynamically chooses its next actions within given boundaries. ## Example that counts as Workflow On every merge, run lint, tests, then build in a defined CI sequence. ## Counter-example An agent that decides which test to rerun after reading an error is not following only a fixed workflow. ## Acceptance criteria - Every use of the term matches the working definition. - Edge cases are settled with the decisive difference, not by intuition. - Neighboring notions (Agent, Tool, Skill) 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 (Agent, Tool, Skill) 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.
sha256:84c6cd5284e16d9f48e68a47ad60908f5f5cc4ed0c8f46c6af78ec17db9fd963
Diagnose a problem
Fix a Workflow mix-up
# Fix a mix-up around Workflow ## Observed symptom [DESCRIBE THE SYMPTOM HERE] ## Observable checks - Compare the disputed usage with the working definition: A predefined sequence of steps in which code or configuration controls the execution path. - Apply the decisive difference: A workflow fixes the path; an agent dynamically chooses its next actions within given boundaries. - Confront the case with the documented counter-example: An agent that decides which test to rerun after reading an error is not following only a fixed workflow. ## Possible causes - The term is used for a neighboring notion (Agent, Tool, Skill). - The observed form (interface, script, service) is confused with the actual behavior. - An alias (automated workflow, orchestrated workflow) 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.
sha256:3445037e48c9e0ce73fb06a840e992a6f180d7505048bac768610743855da6fc
Pack digest: sha256:f6d7b9d42ac82aab375411179388e5a429d143dcff49421de5f81e7b7c740791