AI engineering glossary · Agents tools MCP
What is plan-and-execute?
Plan-and-execute (also called Plan-then-execute, Planner-executor): An agent pattern with two phases: a planner first writes the full list of steps, then an executor carries them out one by one, often with a cheaper model. It saves calls versus re-planning every turn, but needs a way to fix the plan when a step fails.
Plan-and-execute: an example
A planner writes 'search, extract, summarise'; an executor runs each step and returns results to the planner only if something breaks.
Related terms
More Agents tools MCP terms
- Planning (agents)
- Procedural memory
- Program-aided language model
- Read-only tool
- Reflection
- Replanning
- Retry with backoff
- Router pattern
Where you learn it
Plan-and-execute is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.