AI Agents Agent Skill

---
description: Tool-use patterns, multi-step reasoning, agent orchestration, and structured outputs.
homepage: https://yepapi.com/skills/ai-agents
metadata:
  tags: [ai, agents, tools, orchestration]
---

# AI Agents

## Rules

- Define tools as typed functions with descriptions — the model picks which tool to call
- Tool schema: `{ name, description, parameters: zodSchema, execute: async (args) => result }`
- Multi-step loop: send messages → model returns tool call → execute tool → feed result back → repeat until done
- `maxSteps` limit to prevent infinite loops — default 5-10 steps depending on complexity
- Structured outputs with Zod: `generateObject({ schema: z.object({...}) })` for guaranteed shape
- Retry logic: wrap tool execution in try/catch, retry transient failures 2-3 times with exponential backoff
- Agent orchestration: break complex tasks into sub-agents with focused tool sets, coordinator agent delegates
- Always validate tool results before feeding back to the model — sanitize untrusted data
- Use `streamText` with `onToolCall` for real-time visibility into agent reasoning

## Patterns

```ts
// Tool definition
const tools = {
  searchDatabase: tool({
    description: "Search the product database",
    parameters: z.object({ query: z.string(), limit: z.number().default(10) }),
    execute: async ({ query, limit }) => db.products.search(query, limit),
  }),
};

// Agent loop
const result = await generateText({
  model,
  tools,
  maxSteps: 10,
  messages,
});
```

## Avoid

- Giving agents unrestricted tool access — scope tools to the task
- Missing `maxSteps` — agents can loop forever
- Trusting tool outputs without validation — always check before acting on results
- Monolithic agents — prefer focused sub-agents over one agent with 20+ tools