Question library
Explained questions for the decisions developers make.
What the Deterministic Rules Engine Does
Once facts are validated, the rules engine evaluates the current workflow state and chooses the permitted next step.
Workflow State and the Ledger
A multi-turn workflow needs a reliable memory of what has happened. That is different from merely sending the whole chat history back to an LLM.
Graphs, Nodes, and Transitions
A workflow can be represented as a graph:
Out-of-Scope Intent Handling
A useful concept I learned is Out-of-Scope (OOS) Intent Detection, sometimes called Out-of-Domain (OOD) Intent Handling.
Guardrails and Authorization
A robust architecture uses multiple layers of protection:
Connectors and External Actions
A workflow often needs to retrieve or update information through APIs, databases, or external services. These integrations are commonly called connectors or tools.
Why Scripted Testing Matters
An important lesson is to test the deterministic engine without depending on live LLM variability.
Reusable Engine vs. Application
Another useful architectural distinction is between a workflow engine and the application that uses it.
LLM-Driven vs. Deterministic Workflow
| Area | LLM-driven workflow | LLM-assisted deterministic workflow | |---|---|---| | Natural-language understanding | LLM | LLM | | Next-step selection | Primarily LLM | Explicit workflow rules | | Business decisions | Model-guided | Rule-d
Challenges and Practical Lessons
Keep the LLM's responsibility narrow
A Practical Implementation Checklist
Understand the architecture, its boundaries, and the practical engineering trade-offs.
Key Takeaways
My biggest learning is that AI understanding and business control should be separate concerns.
MCP Foundations: Problem, Mental Model, and Boundaries
Learning objectives
End-to-End Request Flow and Trust Boundaries
Learning objectives
JSON-RPC 2.0: Requests, Responses, Errors, and Notifications
Why it exists
Initialization, Lifecycle, and Capability Negotiation
Why it exists
Tools: Discovery, Schemas, Invocation, and Results
Why tools exist
Resources, Resource Templates, Prompts, and Completions
Resources
Difficulty is an editorial estimate. Completion means you chose to mark a question as understood.