@bluefly/openstandardagents 0.2.4

package/website/content/docs/architecture/execution-flow.md

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+# Execution Flow Architecture
+
+How user requests flow through an OSSA agent from start to finish.
+
+---
+
+## Overview
+
+This page visualizes the complete lifecycle of a user request through an OSSA-defined agent, showing:
+- User interaction points
+- Agent orchestration steps
+- LLM processing
+- Tool execution
+- Response generation
+
+---
+
+## Complete Execution Flow
+
+```mermaid
+sequenceDiagram
+    autonumber
+    participant User
+    participant App as Application Layer
+    participant Runtime as Agent Runtime
+    participant Orchestrator as Agent Orchestrator
+    participant Manifest as OSSA Manifest
+    participant LLM as LLM Provider
+    participant Tools as Tool Registry
+    participant API as External APIs
+
+    User->>App: Send Request
+    Note over User,App: "What's the weather in SF?"
+
+    App->>Runtime: Forward Request
+    Runtime->>Orchestrator: Initialize Agent
+
+    Orchestrator->>Manifest: Load OSSA Manifest
+    Note over Manifest: apiVersion: ossa/v0.2.x<br/>kind: Agent<br/>spec: {...}
+
+    Manifest-->>Orchestrator: Agent Config
+    Note over Orchestrator: Role, Model, Tools, Rules
+
+    Orchestrator->>LLM: Send Request + Context
+    Note over LLM: User message<br/>+ System prompt (role)<br/>+ Available tools
+
+    LLM-->>Orchestrator: Tool Call Request
+    Note over LLM: Function: get_weather<br/>Args: {city: "SF"}
+
+    Orchestrator->>Tools: Lookup Tool
+    Tools-->>Orchestrator: Tool Definition
+
+    Orchestrator->>API: Execute Tool
+    Note over API: GET /weather?city=SF
+
+    API-->>Orchestrator: Tool Result
+    Note over API: {temp: 68°F, sunny}
+
+    Orchestrator->>LLM: Send Tool Result
+    LLM-->>Orchestrator: Final Response
+    Note over LLM: "It's 68°F and sunny in SF"
+
+    Orchestrator->>Runtime: Format Response
+    Runtime->>App: Return Result
+    App->>User: Display Response
+    Note over User,App: "It's 68°F and sunny<br/>in San Francisco"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Step-by-Step Breakdown
+
+### Step 1-3: User Request Handling
+```
+User → Application Layer → Agent Runtime
+```
+
+**What happens:**
+- User sends a natural language request
+- Application layer receives and validates the request
+- Request is forwarded to the agent runtime for processing
+
+**OSSA's role:** None yet - this is application infrastructure
+
+---
+
+### Step 4-6: Agent Initialization
+```
+Agent Runtime → Orchestrator → OSSA Manifest
+```
+
+**What happens:**
+- Runtime initializes the agent orchestrator
+- Orchestrator loads the OSSA manifest (YAML/JSON)
+- Manifest is parsed and validated against the schema
+
+**OSSA's role:**
+- Defines agent configuration via manifest
+- Provides schema validation
+- Specifies role, model, tools, and constraints
+
+**Example Manifest:**
+```yaml
+apiVersion: ossa/v0.2.x
+kind: Agent
+metadata:
+  name: weather-assistant
+spec:
+  role: You are a helpful weather assistant
+  llm:
+    provider: openai
+    model: gpt-3.5-turbo
+  tools:
+    - type: function
+      name: get_weather
+      description: Get current weather for a city
+```
+
+---
+
+### Step 7-8: LLM Processing
+```
+Orchestrator → LLM Provider
+```
+
+**What happens:**
+- Orchestrator sends the user message to the LLM
+- Includes system prompt from OSSA manifest (`spec.role`)
+- Includes available tools from OSSA manifest (`spec.tools`)
+- LLM processes and determines if tools are needed
+
+**OSSA's role:**
+- Defines which LLM provider to use (`spec.llm.provider`)
+- Defines which model to use (`spec.llm.model`)
+- Defines system prompt (`spec.role`)
+- Defines available tools (`spec.tools[]`)
+
+---
+
+### Step 9-12: Tool Execution
+```
+LLM → Orchestrator → Tool Registry → External API
+```
+
+**What happens:**
+- LLM requests tool execution (e.g., `get_weather`)
+- Orchestrator looks up tool definition
+- Tool is executed against external API
+- Result is returned to orchestrator
+
+**OSSA's role:**
+- Defines tool schema in manifest
+- Specifies tool execution constraints
+- Defines error handling rules
+
+---
+
+### Step 13-14: Response Generation
+```
+Orchestrator → LLM → Final Response
+```
+
+**What happens:**
+- Tool result is sent back to LLM
+- LLM generates natural language response
+- Response includes tool data formatted for user
+
+**OSSA's role:**
+- Defines response formatting rules
+- Specifies output constraints
+- Controls token limits and timeouts
+
+---
+
+### Step 15-17: Response Delivery
+```
+LLM → Runtime → Application → User
+```
+
+**What happens:**
+- Final response flows back through the stack
+- Runtime formats response per OSSA spec
+- Application layer delivers to user
+
+**OSSA's role:**
+- Defines response structure
+- Specifies metadata to include
+- Controls observability data
+
+---
+
+## Alternative Flow: No Tools Needed
+
+```mermaid
+sequenceDiagram
+    autonumber
+    participant User
+    participant Runtime as Agent Runtime
+    participant Orchestrator as Agent Orchestrator
+    participant LLM as LLM Provider
+
+    User->>Runtime: "Tell me a joke"
+    Runtime->>Orchestrator: Process Request
+    Orchestrator->>LLM: Send Request + Role
+    Note over LLM: No tools needed
+    LLM-->>Orchestrator: Direct Response
+    Note over LLM: "Why did the chicken<br/>cross the road?..."
+    Orchestrator->>Runtime: Format Response
+    Runtime->>User: Display Joke
+```
+
+**What's different:**
+- LLM responds directly without tool execution
+- Faster response time
+- Simpler execution path
+
+---
+
+## Error Handling Flow
+
+```mermaid
+sequenceDiagram
+    autonumber
+    participant Orchestrator as Agent Orchestrator
+    participant LLM as LLM Provider
+    participant Tool as External Tool
+    participant ErrorHandler as Error Handler
+
+    Orchestrator->>LLM: Process Request
+    LLM->>Orchestrator: Tool Call
+    Orchestrator->>Tool: Execute Tool
+    Tool-->>Orchestrator: ❌ Error (API Down)
+
+    Orchestrator->>ErrorHandler: Handle Error
+    Note over ErrorHandler: Check OSSA manifest<br/>error handling rules
+
+    ErrorHandler->>Orchestrator: Retry Strategy
+    Orchestrator->>Tool: Retry Execution
+
+    alt Success
+        Tool-->>Orchestrator: ✅ Result
+        Orchestrator->>LLM: Continue
+    else Failure
+        Tool-->>Orchestrator: ❌ Still Failing
+        ErrorHandler->>LLM: Fallback Response
+        Note over LLM: "I'm having trouble<br/>accessing that data"
+    end
+```
+
+**OSSA's role in error handling:**
+- Defines retry policies (`spec.tools[].retry`)
+- Specifies timeout limits (`spec.tools[].timeout`)
+- Controls fallback behavior (`spec.errorHandling`)
+
+---
+
+## Key Takeaways
+
+### What OSSA Defines
+- ✅ Agent configuration (role, model, tools)
+- ✅ LLM provider and model selection
+- ✅ Tool schemas and constraints
+- ✅ Error handling policies
+- ✅ Response formatting rules
+
+### What OSSA Does NOT Define
+- ❌ Application layer routing
+- ❌ Runtime implementation details
+- ❌ LLM API communication protocols
+- ❌ External tool implementations
+- ❌ User interface rendering
+
+---
+
+## Execution Flow Properties
+
+| Property | Description | Defined In |
+|----------|-------------|------------|
+| **Role** | System prompt for LLM | `spec.role` |
+| **Model** | Which LLM to use | `spec.llm.model` |
+| **Tools** | Available functions | `spec.tools[]` |
+| **Timeout** | Max execution time | `spec.timeout` |
+| **Retries** | Error retry policy | `spec.errorHandling.retries` |
+| **Memory** | Conversation history | `spec.memory` |
+
+---
+
+## Performance Considerations
+
+### Latency Breakdown
+
+```mermaid
+gantt
+    title Typical Request Latency
+    dateFormat X
+    axisFormat %Ls
+
+    section App Layer
+    Request Validation    :0, 50
+
+    section Agent Init
+    Load Manifest        :50, 100
+    Parse & Validate     :100, 150
+
+    section LLM Call
+    Network Latency      :150, 300
+    LLM Processing       :300, 1500
+
+    section Tool Execution
+    Tool Lookup          :1500, 1550
+    API Call             :1550, 2050
+
+    section Response
+    Format Response      :2050, 2100
+    Return to User       :2100, 2150
+```
+
+**Optimization tips:**
+- Cache parsed OSSA manifests (Steps 5-6)
+- Use streaming for LLM responses (Step 8)
+- Parallelize tool calls when possible (Steps 10-12)
+- Implement response caching (Step 14)
+
+---
+
+## Related Documentation
+
+- [Stack Integration](stack-integration) - Where OSSA fits in your architecture
+- [Tool Integration Patterns](../Technical/Tool-Integration) - Detailed tool execution patterns
+- [Runtime Deployment](../Technical/Runtime-Deployment) - How to deploy OSSA agents
+- [Specification Deep-Dive](../Technical/Specification-Deep-Dive) - Full OSSA spec details
+
+---
+
+**Next**: [Stack Integration Diagram](stack-integration) - See where OSSA fits in your technology stack