Concepts
Agent Lifecycle
System-level agent management workflow
Overview
The Agent Lifecycle is a System/Control Workflow that defines how agents are managed within the system. Unlike the Agent Loop (which describes internal execution), the Lifecycle governs system-level responsibilities: registration, discovery, execution management, and evaluation.
The Four Phases
1. Registration
Agents declare their capabilities and constraints to the system:
- Capability declaration
- Resource requirements specification
- Constraint definition
- Metadata registration
Learn more: System Registry
2. Discovery
The system exposes agents for selection and routing:
- Capability-based discovery
- Dynamic service discovery
- Load balancing mechanisms
- Failover protocols
Learn more: System Registry
3. Execution Management
The OS assigns tasks and monitors progress:
- Task assignment interfaces
- Real-time monitoring
- Error handling
- State management
- Policy enforcement
4. Evaluation
Outputs, logs, and performance are reviewed:
- Performance monitoring
- Quality assessment
- Compliance verification
- Adaptation mechanisms
Lifecycle vs Loop vs Workflows
Understanding the distinction is crucial:
| Concept | Layer | Purpose | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifecycle | System | Agent management | OS/Platform governance |
| Loop | Cognitive | Internal execution | Single agent reasoning |
| Workflows | Operational | Task orchestration | Multi-step processes |
- Lifecycle exists outside any specific workflow—it's the system contract
- Loop executes inside workflows—it's the cognitive engine
- Workflows orchestrate during Execution/Evaluation phases—they're the macro patterns
Reference: Anthropic: Building Effective Agents
Next Steps
- Explore Workflow Taxonomy to see operational patterns
- Read the full specification in AGENTS.md Section 3.2.1