AI Agent Design

Core Principles

1. Agents Are Tools, Not Teammates

An AI agent is a system that uses an LLM to reason and take actions. It is not a person — it has no goals, desires, or understanding. Design agents as tools with clear boundaries, not as autonomous collaborators.

2. Autonomy is a Spectrum

Full autonomy is rarely the goal. The best agents operate on a spectrum: more human oversight for critical actions, more autonomy for routine tasks. Design for the level of autonomy that matches the risk.

3. Cache Everything, Guess Nothing

Agents have no memory between calls unless you design it. Every interaction, tool result, and decision must be explicitly stored and retrieved. Assume the agent remembers nothing unless you program it to.

4. Fail Predictably

Every agent will fail. The question is how it fails. Design for graceful degradation: when uncertain, ask for help. When stuck, escalate. When broken, stop safely.

5. Safety First, Speed Second

A fast agent that takes unauthorized actions is worse than a slow agent that double-checks. Build guardrails before building features.