Learning path · Agents & Orchestration · 61
Planning and Reasoning
Decomposing goals into steps, choosing tools, and revising plans when observations contradict assumptions.
Why it matters
- Separates toy chatbots from task-completion systems.
- CoT and structured plans reduce derailment.
- Must be bounded to prevent runaway token spend.
Key ideas
- Task decomposition
- Replanning
- Explicit plans
Planning modules emit explicit step lists—search docs, compare options, draft email—for execution and audit. Replan when tools error or facts change. Expose plans to users for sensitive workflows so they can edit before execution. Cap replanning iterations; infinite "let me try another approach" loops burn budgets overnight. Persist plans as structured artifacts users can edit; free-form chat plans are hard to audit after incidents. Ship only after eval gates pass on representative production failures.
Updated 2026-08-09 · Full learning path