Flow engine
Run modes (ADR-0009)
production · preview · dry-run · replay · simulate · deterministic.
Every flow run picks a mode. Modes constrain what the flow can do, with matching guarantees about side effects, cost, and reproducibility.
| Mode | Network | Tools | LLM | Determinism | Use for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
real | yes | real | real | non-det | production |
preview | yes (read-only) | read tools | real | non-det | safe inspection |
dry_run | no | mocked | mocked | non-det | local dev |
replay | no | recorded | recorded | bit-identical | debug, audit |
simulate | no | scripted | scripted | bit-identical | test |
deterministic | yes | real | seeded | bit-identical | regulated workloads |
Why it matters
- Healthcare / finance —
deterministicmode pins seeds and round-trip schemas so an audit can reproduce the exact run six months later. - PR review —
previewlets a reviewer see what the agent would do without it actually merging. - Cost control —
dry_runlets agents run end-to-end in CI without burning provider credits.
Source: ADR-0009.