Planning

Planning (sometimes called "Reasoning & Acting") decouples the strategy from the execution. Instead of reacting immediately to a user request, the agent pauses to decompose the goal into sub-goals, identifies dependencies, and creates an ordered list of steps. This allows agents to tackle complex, multi-step problems that require foresight.

When to Use

• Multi-Step Tasks: "Research X, then Y, then write a report comparing them."
• Dependency Management: When step B cannot start until step A is finished (e.g., compile code -> run tests).
• Resource Constraints: To optimize the usage of expensive tools or API calls.
• Error Recovery: If a step fails, the plan can be adjusted dynamically without restarting from scratch.

Use Cases

• Travel Itinerary: Searching for flights, hotels, and activities, then checking availability, then booking.
• Software Development: Designing a system -> Writing code -> Writing documentation.
• Data Analysis: Plan -> Data Collection -> Cleaning -> Analysis -> Visualization.

Implementation Pattern