slug: ai-agents
title: "AI Agents — Tool Use, Planning, and Autonomous Workflows"
version: 1.0.0
description: "Learn how AI agents combine LLMs with tools, the agent loop, MCP, planning strategies, and safety considerations."
category: ai-and-llm
tags: [ai-agents, tool-use, planning, autonomous, mcp, function-calling]
difficulty: advanced

xp:
  read: 20
  walkthrough: 50
  exercise: 30
  quiz: 25
  quiz-perfect-bonus: 15

time:
  quick: 5
  read: 25
  guided: 60

prerequisites: [llm-fundamentals]
related: [ai-pair-programming, rag-fundamentals]

triggers:
  - "What are AI agents?"
  - "How do AI agents use tools?"
  - "What is function calling?"
  - "How do autonomous AI workflows work?"

visuals:
  diagrams: [diagram-mermaid, diagram-architecture]
  quiz-types: [quiz-drag-order, quiz-matching]
  playground: bash
  slides: true

sources:
  - url: "https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/build-with-claude/tool-use"
    label: "Anthropic Tool Use Documentation"
    type: docs
  - url: "https://modelcontextprotocol.io"
    label: "Model Context Protocol (MCP)"
    type: docs