Designing the Graph: Nodes and Flow

AgentCore is built on the concept of a Graph. Instead of one giant prompt, you break your application into small, manageable units called Nodes.

1. What is a Node?

A Node is a single "Box" in your workflow. It could be:

• An AI Node: Uses an LLM to reason (e.g., "Analyze the user's intent").
• A Data Node: Fetches data from a database or S3.
• A Logic Node: An if/else check (e.g., "Is the account balance > 0?").

2. Edges and Control

An Edge is the connection between nodes. In AgentCore, you define the "Rules" for moving from one node to another.

• "If the 'Analyze' node returns 'Complaint', go to the 'Apology' node."
• "If it returns 'Order', go to the 'Shipping' node."

---

3. Visualizing the AgentCore Graph

graph LR
    Start[User Query] --> A[AI Node: Intent]
    A -->|Intent: Pay| B[Logic: Verify Balance]
    A -->|Intent: Ask| C[AI: RAG Search]
    
    B -->|Success| D[Tool: Process Payment]
    B -->|Fail| E[UI: Insufficient Funds]

---

4. Why Graphs Win

Graphs allow you to Debug individual pieces of the puzzle. If the payment failed, you don't rewrite the whole AI—you just fix the "Verify Balance" node.

---

Summary

• Nodes are the building blocks of an AgentCore workflow.
• Edges define the navigation logic between nodes.
• Graphs allow you to mix AI reasoning with strict logic.
• This modular approach makes large AI applications Maintainable.