When would you use a managed agent runtime instead of an application-owned workflow?

Balances managed tool orchestration and state against explicit workflow control, portability, observability, authorization, and recovery.

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TL;DR

I consider a managed agent runtime when the task genuinely benefits from model-directed tool selection, managed conversation or execution state, and platform integrations. I prefer an application-owned workflow when the steps, approvals, and recovery rules are known and must be deterministic. In either case, tools enforce authorization and validate arguments outside the model.

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Agent runtime fit, workflow ownership, tool security, state, and operational trade-offs.

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Core answer
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Overview
A managed agent runtime can reduce orchestration work, but business authority must not disappear into it.
I consider a managed agent runtime when the task genuinely benefits from model-directed tool selection, managed conversation or execution state, and platform integrations. I prefer an application-owned workflow when the steps, approvals, and recovery rules are known and must be deterministic. In either case, tools enforce authorization and validate arguments outside the model.
Checkpoint
Stronger answer
Optional upgrade with examples, trade-offs, and sharper phrasing.
The comparison covers supported models and tools, execution limits, state retention, trace detail, human approval, retries, idempotency, regional availability, and cost. A managed runtime can accelerate a bounded assistant, but a payment or entitlement workflow is usually clearer as explicit application state. I prototype the difficult failure paths, not only the happy tool call, before adopting the runtime.

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Common mistakesCandidateCommon mistakesMistakes that weaken the answer or signal shallow understanding.Open details

Details

Using an agent runtime for a fixed deterministic process.
Giving the runtime broad credentials to simplify tool access.
Storing the only workflow state inside the provider.

When would you use a managed agent runtime instead of an application-owned workflow?

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