Edition 2026.08 · Reviewed 2026-08-09
Agentic Engineering Patterns
Reusable implementation patterns for bounded delegation, independent verification, context, evidence, tools, runtime control, and agent lifecycle governance.
Bounded delegation envelope
Give an agent a defined outcome, a constrained action surface, and an authority that expires.
Generator–verifier separation
Separate production of an answer from independent challenge of its claims, behavior, and side effects.
Evidence-first delivery
Design the proof chain before agents begin producing the change.
Context manifest
Treat model-visible state as a versioned, testable runtime dependency.
Durable run ledger
Make every consequential agent run attributable, replayable, and dispositioned.
Tool-contract firewall
Put typed intent, policy, and effect checks between agent reasoning and enterprise action.
Risk-adaptive autonomy
Increase or reduce agent freedom from observed risk, evidence quality, and runtime state—not optimism.
Agent identity lifecycle
An agent without a current purpose and accountable owner must not retain production authority.