Start with the action
An agent becomes consequential when it can change a system. Separate reading information from taking action, and give each tool the narrowest scope the workflow needs.
Make approval part of the workflow
Place review before sensitive actions. Show the proposed change, its destination and its consequences. Record the decision alongside the eventual tool result.
Design for failure
A timeout is not proof that an action failed. Use idempotency, explicit state and reconciliation before retrying operations that can create duplicate effects.
01Understand
02Connect
03Evaluate
04Operate
All engineering notes