Project 42Start learning

Guided path · intermediate

Reliable Agent Workflows

Turn agent capability into dependable work through clear scope, permission boundaries, and evidence-based review.

12 modules689 minutesReliable Agent Operator badge
42
Complete the path to earnReliable Agent Operator

Who this is for

People using coding, research, or operations agents for work that must be checked and repeatable.

Your route

Modules

  1. 0142 min · intermediateDesign a Bounded Agent LoopTurn a goal into an observable plan-act-check loop with explicit state, budgets, approvals, and stopping conditions.Begin →
  2. 0245 min · intermediateDesign Typed Tool Contracts and Action ControlsGive an agent narrow, validated interfaces and enforce authority, idempotency, verification, and recovery outside the model.Begin →
  3. 0344 min · intermediateEngineer Context for Reliable DecisionsSelect, structure, budget, and refresh the information an agent needs while preserving provenance and trust boundaries.Begin →
  4. 0446 min · intermediateDesign Safe Agent Memory BoundariesSeparate short-lived context from durable memory and govern what may be written, retrieved, corrected, expired, and deleted.Begin →
  5. 0548 min · intermediateUnderstand MCP Architecture and ContractsModel the host, client, server, lifecycle, capabilities, primitives, and tool contracts that let AI applications connect to external context and actions.Begin →
  6. 0652 min · intermediateSecure MCP Trust BoundariesThreat-model remote and local MCP integrations, constrain authority, validate tokens and servers, and keep untrusted content from steering consequential actions.Begin →
  7. 0750 min · intermediateChoose Reliable Orchestration PatternsMatch deterministic workflows, model-directed routing, manager patterns, parallel work, and review loops to the uncertainty and control needs of a task.Begin →
  8. 0850 min · intermediateBuild Auditable Multi-Agent HandoffsTransfer control, context, authority, and evidence between specialized agents without losing user intent or creating hidden permission expansion.Begin →
  9. 0954 min · intermediateEvaluate Agent Behavior with EvidenceBuild representative, adversarial, and regression evaluation sets that measure outcomes, trajectories, safety, cost, and latency before agent changes reach production.Begin →
  10. 1052 min · intermediateObserve Agent Quality, Cost, and RiskInstrument agent runs with privacy-preserving traces, metrics, logs, and quality signals that support diagnosis without turning telemetry into a sensitive-data archive.Begin →
  11. 1156 min · intermediateOperate, Recover, and Improve Agent SystemsClassify failures across the full agent stack, contain impact, reconcile uncertain actions, recover safely, and turn incidents into verified improvements.Begin →
  12. 12150 min · intermediateReliable Agent Capstone: Design, Test, and OperateProve that an agent workflow can be understood, constrained, evaluated, observed, recovered, and handed off with evidence.Begin →