Agent runtime boundaries
A notes-level model for separating intent, tools, and evidence in an agent loop.
1 min readAI Agent · Engineering Notes
Note / example: this is a design sketch, not a report of a shipped runtime.
An agent loop becomes easier to reason about when its boundaries are explicit.
Three useful boundaries
- Intent is a request, not an execution.
- A tool call is a candidate action, not proof of success.
- Evidence belongs to the loop and should be inspectable.
Keeping these layers separate gives an evaluation a place to attach.