A useful agent changes state
Once an agent can create records, send messages, update systems, or trigger downstream work, response quality is no longer enough. Each tool call needs an explicit authority boundary and a known consequence.
Plans should be inspectable
The system should expose which sources, tools, parameters, and assumptions produced an action. High-impact steps may require approval, while low-risk reversible actions can be automated within a defined policy.
Recovery must be designed
Networks fail, tools return partial results, and users change requirements mid-workflow. Durable agents need idempotent actions, resumable state, timeouts, retries, and a clear handoff path instead of blindly repeating work.
Evaluate the complete workflow
Measure task completion, correction effort, unsafe action avoidance, tool-selection quality, latency, cost, and reviewer confidence. An agent that writes elegant messages but creates operational cleanup is not performing well.
Apply this thinking to a real system.
We can map the operating constraint, evidence requirement, and safest path to a representative proof.
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