What does this workflow do?
An AI agent uses model outputs to choose actions, call tools, and update its plan. The relevant outcome is a completed task within its permissions, time limit, and budget.
o10Reviewed 2026-09-06
AI Agents inference
An AI agent uses model outputs to choose actions, call tools, and update its plan. The relevant outcome is a completed task within its permissions, time limit, and budget.
Workload design guide. Any example volumes or cost estimates below are illustrative, not measured customer results.
SummaryKey takeaways
What you need to know
Start with the core questions, then examine the examples and tradeoffs below.
01Deep dive
Design the workflow before choosing a model
Define the planner, tool interface, state, stop conditions, and approval boundaries. Separate read-only tools from actions that send messages, spend money, or change shared systems.
Define a representative input and an explicit acceptance criterion. Keep model and prompt versions with the result so quality changes can be investigated.
02Deep dive
Evaluate outcomes and failure modes
Measure task completion, tool-call correctness, unauthorized-action attempts, and cost per accepted task.
Evaluate the whole execution trace, including retries and failed branches. Include unavailable tools, malformed responses, ambiguous requests, and instructions embedded in untrusted documents.
Compare candidate routes on the same held-out examples. Report how many examples were evaluated and inspect failures rather than relying on a single average score.
03Deep dive
Roll out with a measurable cost baseline
Begin with one bounded workflow and inspect traces. Add extra agents only when the measured improvement justifies coordination cost and a larger failure surface.
Calculate cost per accepted outcome using input and output tokens, retrieval or tool fees, retries, and review effort. A lower token price is useful only if the total workflow still meets its requirements.
o10 can provide model routing for the inference steps. Your application remains responsible for workflow permissions, tool behavior, and deciding whether the final result is acceptable.
SourceMethodology
Measure performance and total cost on representative tasks before rolling out this workflow.
FAQFrequently asked questions
Common questions
What should be measured before changing the route?
Record the current workflow’s outcome quality, latency distribution, failure rate, and fully loaded cost. Compare the candidate on the same tasks and include failed attempts and retries.
Are the savings figures on this site guaranteed?
No. Calculator inputs and workload examples are illustrative. Establish your own baseline and measure the candidate under comparable conditions before projecting savings.
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See what you're overpaying →verified savings methodology · State of Inference Spend 2026