Deployment Patterns

Hyphen agents operate in three patterns depending on where autonomy lives in your architecture. All three share the same governance model: structural permissioning, reasoning traces, stuck detection, and human escalation.

Decision Matrix

Pattern	Agent's Role	Best For	Autonomy Level
Agent as Step	One step in a deterministic workflow	Mostly-deterministic processes with one reasoning-heavy step	Low — workflow controls flow
Agent as Trigger	Smart ingestion and routing layer	Unstructured input that needs classification before processing	Medium — agent decides which workflow
Agent as Orchestrator	Coordinator of multiple workflows	Multi-step processes requiring dynamic coordination	High — agent controls the entire process

flowchart LR subgraph "Pattern A: Step" WA["Workflow"] --> AA["Agent Step"] --> WA2["More Steps"] end subgraph "Pattern B: Trigger" Input["Unstructured Input"] --> AB["Agent"] --> WB["Workflow"] end subgraph "Pattern C: Orchestrator" AC["Agent"] --> W1["Workflow 1"] AC --> W2["Workflow 2"] AC --> W3["Workflow 3"] end

Choosing a Pattern

Start with Pattern A (agent as step) if you have an existing deterministic process that needs AI judgment at one point — for example, a reconciliation workflow where matched records are processed automatically but exceptions need investigation.

Use Pattern B (agent as trigger) when input arrives in unstructured form and you need to classify, extract, and route before processing begins — for example, incoming emails that could be invoices, support requests, or vendor inquiries.

Use Pattern C (agent as orchestrator) when the process itself is dynamic — the agent needs to decide what to do next based on results from previous steps — for example, customer onboarding where sanctions screening results determine whether enhanced due diligence is needed.