A thread you can test
Agent Design Patterns
4 notes move from the word to a real choice at work — understand it first, then decide whether to use it.
Each note stands alone, or becomes the next step in this thread.
THE QUESTION THIS PAGE ANSWERS
ANSWER FIRSTWhat is Agent Design Patterns, and which AI decisions does it change?
Predefined flows vs model-driven decisions — Anthropic's two categories of Agent systems This page keeps the related concepts, common mistakes, and practical notes in one reading thread.
First decide whether you are blocked by a definition, a choice, or verification; then choose the closest of the 4 notes below.
Start with “Workflow vs Agent: Know What You Want First,” then restate the conclusion using your own task.
Do not treat every method in a topic as interchangeable. The answer changes with the input, risk, and acceptance bar.
THIS QUESTION THREAD
Put the word back inside the choice it changes.
Workflow vs Agent: Know What You Want First
Predefined flows vs model-driven decisions — Anthropic's two categories of Agent systems
Five Workflow Patterns
Prompt Chaining / Routing / Parallelization / Orchestrator-Workers / Evaluator-Optimizer
From Prompt Engineering to Context Engineering
Curating the optimal Token combination for each inference round — prompt writing is just one piece
Three Context Tactics
Compaction, structured notes, sub-Agent architecture — three context management strategies for long tasks