Learning path

Agentic Engineering Fundamentals

Vendor-neutral loop: specify, plan, context, tools, execute, verify, retry, and approve.

1. 1Workflow · beginnerTask specificationA task specification defines outcome, scope, constraints, and verification for any coding agent—not just one vendor.
2. 2Workflow · beginnerPlan before executionHave the agent propose a short plan and file touch-list before it edits—so you can catch wrong approaches cheaply.
3. 3Context · beginnerProject instructionsProject instructions are durable repo-level guidance that coding agents load so they do not rediscover your process every session.
4. 4Context · intermediateContext pollutionContext pollution is when irrelevant files, logs, or tool output crowd the model’s window and degrade the next decision.
5. 5MCP · intermediateTools and resourcesIn MCP, tools are actions the model can invoke; resources are data the model can read.
6. 6Workflow · intermediateExecutionExecution is the agent actually editing and running commands—bounded by the plan, permissions, and verification gate.
7. 7Workflow · intermediateVerification loopsA verification loop requires the agent to prove done with an external check—then fix—until the check passes or you stop it.
8. 8Workflow · intermediateRetriesRetries are bounded re-attempts after a failed verification—each attempt should use new evidence, not blind repetition.
9. 9Workflow · intermediateHuman approvalHuman approval boundaries are checkpoints where an agent must stop for a person before risky or irreversible actions.