What is the difference between a workflow and an agent?

Summary

In a workflow, your code defines the sequence of LLM calls and tools (prompt chaining, routing, parallelisation); in an agent, the model decides the next step dynamically in a loop. Workflows are more predictable and cheaper; agents handle open-ended tasks where the steps can't be known in advance.

Longer Answer

Many production systems are workflows with one agentic step. Prefer the simplest design that works, and add autonomy only where it measurably helps.

Key Points

• Workflow: code decides the steps.
• Agent: model decides the steps.
• Workflows are predictable and cheaper.
• Use the simplest design that works.