AI engineering glossary · Agents tools MCP
What is durable execution?
Durable execution: A way of running workflows so that progress survives crashes and restarts, by recording each completed step and replaying it rather than repeating it. It is valuable for agents that run for hours or wait on people.
Durable execution: an example
A refund workflow that waits three days for approval resumes correctly even if the server was redeployed in between.
Related terms
More Agents tools MCP terms
- Episodic memory
- Error recovery
- Escalation
- Evaluator-optimizer pattern
- Fallback
- Generative agents
- Grounding (agents)
- Guardrails for agents
Where you learn it
Durable execution is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.