Agent
An agent is an autonomous software program powered by a large language model (LLM) that can plan, reason, and execute multi-step tasks. Unlike a simple chatbot that responds to a single prompt, an agent operates in a loop — observing its environment, deciding what to do next, calling tools, and repeating until the goal is complete.
How an Agent Works
Agents follow a core perceive-plan-act cycle:
- Perceive — Receive a task description plus any context (files, tool results, prior conversation)
- Plan — Use the LLM to reason about the next action
- Act — Call a tool (read a file, run a command, send a message, call an API)
- Observe — Receive the tool result and loop back to Plan
This loop continues until the agent decides the task is complete or asks a human for input.
Agents vs. Chatbots
| Dimension | Chatbot | Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Interaction model | Single turn (Q&A) | Multi-turn autonomous loop |
| Tool access | Typically none | Files, APIs, shell, browsers |
| Memory | Stateless | Can persist state across steps |
| Goal orientation | Respond to prompt | Complete a defined objective |
Agents in Claude Code
Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding assistant. It operates as an agent inside your terminal — reading files, running tests, editing code, and iterating until a task is done. Claude Code agents connect to AgentRQ via MCP to send notifications and wait for human approval before taking risky actions.
Key Properties of a Well-Designed Agent
- → Goal-directed — Pursues an objective rather than just responding
- → Tool-using — Can call external systems to affect the real world
- → Self-correcting — Detects failures and tries alternative approaches
- → Human-in-the-loop ready — Knows when to pause and ask for guidance