Notes on agents, software, and work.
Systems / August 16, 2026 / 11 min read
Agent scaffolding: where task setup meets the agent harness
Agent scaffolding surrounds an LLM with tools and structure; a responsibility map separates task setup from state, approvals, evaluation, and recovery.
Systems / August 16, 2026 / 10 min read
Agent iteration: build loops with verification and stop conditions
Agent iteration is a bounded observe, act, and verify loop with records, budgets, stop conditions, retry limits, and handoff rules.
Systems / August 16, 2026 / 10 min read
AI for solopreneurs: build a stack you can control
The best AI stack for a solopreneur fits one workflow's value, authority, evidence, cost, and recovery needs before any tool is chosen.
Systems / August 16, 2026 / 10 min read
LangGraph vs OpenAI Agent SDK: choose by control surface, not feature count
LangGraph fits persistence-heavy, finely controlled workflows; OpenAI Agents SDK fits scoped assistants, delegation, and built-in tracing.
Systems / August 16, 2026 / 10 min read
MCP servers architecture: choosing local, remote, state, and trust boundaries
MCP server architecture choices turn on execution location, maintenance, authorization, session state, and context cost, not tool count.
Systems / August 16, 2026 / 10 min read
MCP servers vs agents: where each layer belongs
Agents handle ambiguous, multi-step work; MCP servers expose tools and data. One architecture can combine both, with direct APIs for predictable paths.
Systems / August 16, 2026 / 11 min read
LangGraph human in the loop: where to interrupt and how to resume safely
LangGraph human in the loop routes consequential actions through policy-driven interrupts and keeps resumed nodes replay-safe.
Systems / August 16, 2026 / 12 min read
Prompt engineering vs context engineering vs harness engineering: which control surface should you change?
Prompt engineering shapes instructions, context engineering curates information, and harness engineering controls the agent runtime.
Systems / August 16, 2026 / 10 min read
AI agents for small business: choose by consequence, not popularity
Choose AI agents for small business by matching each workflow's consequence and reversibility to permissions, approval gates, and recovery.