n. / Agents and tools
Agentic workflow
Definition
An agentic workflow is a multi-step process in which a language model helps decide what happens, as opposed to a fixed pipeline where code decides every step. Many are a mix, with some fixed stages and some model-chosen ones.
In more detail
Fixed steps are cheaper, faster and easier to test. Model-chosen steps handle open-ended tasks. A common pattern is to keep the overall flow in code and let the model decide only inside a step, such as which tool to call. Tracing the whole workflow as one run shows where the model's freedom helps and where it causes failures.
Example
A claims workflow always runs intake, then validation. Inside validation, an agent decides which documents to request before passing the case on.
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