From 1928e1d6937e4438bfed81c363b4403ebb84a87f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Andrew Chen Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:53:25 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 1/2] docs: restructure About Building Workflows to the about-procedural-task template This page is the NVIDIA tech-docs template-library's cited example for the "Introductory About Procedural Task Topic" template, but its heading structure had diverged from that template. Reorganizes the existing content under the template's prescribed H2 sections (Workflow Overview, Key Concepts, Common Approaches, Decision Factors), adds a per-agent "Best for" note to the agent list, and adds a Router-vs-Sequential comparison table. All existing prose, links, the YAML example, and the SPDX license header are preserved verbatim. New descriptive text (the "Best for" notes and the comparison-table cells) is sourced from the corresponding agent doc pages, not invented. Signed-off-by: Andrew Chen Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) --- .../about-building-workflows.md | 63 ++++++++++++++----- 1 file changed, 49 insertions(+), 14 deletions(-) diff --git a/docs/source/build-workflows/about-building-workflows.md b/docs/source/build-workflows/about-building-workflows.md index ea314e3e32..6a155eb5b9 100644 --- a/docs/source/build-workflows/about-building-workflows.md +++ b/docs/source/build-workflows/about-building-workflows.md @@ -19,7 +19,9 @@ limitations under the License. In NeMo Agent Toolkit, a workflow defines which [functions](./functions-and-function-groups/functions.md) and [models](./llms/index.md) are used to perform a given task or series of tasks. A workflow definition is specified in a [YAML configuration file](#understanding-the-workflow-configuration-file). The `workflow` section of the configuration file defines the workflow itself, and specifies a function, typically an [agent](../components/agents/index.md), which will orchestrate which functions and models are called to complete the given task. -## Understanding the Workflow Configuration File +## Workflow Overview + +### Understanding the Workflow Configuration File The workflow configuration file is a YAML file that specifies the [tools](./functions-and-function-groups/functions.md#agents-and-tools) and models to use in a workflow, along with general configuration settings. This section examines the configuration of the `examples/getting_started/simple_web_query` workflow to show how they are organized. @@ -57,28 +59,61 @@ workflow: This workflow configuration is divided into four sections: `functions`, `llms`, `embedders`, and `workflow`. The `functions` section contains the tools used in the workflow, while `llms` and `embedders` define the models used in the workflow, and lastly the `workflow` section ties the other sections together and defines the workflow itself. -The workflow itself is typically an agent, however any NeMo Agent Toolkit function can be used as a workflow. Refer to the [Agents](../components/agents/index.md) documentation for more details on the agents that are included in NeMo Agent Toolkit. +#### The `functions` section In this workflow, the `webpage_query` tool queries the LangSmith User Guide, and the `current_datetime` tool gets the current date and time. The `description` entry instructs the LLM when and how to use the tool. In this case, the workflow explicitly defines `description` for the `webpage_query` tool. +#### The `llms` and `embedders` sections + The `webpage_query` tool uses the `nv-embedqa-e5-v5` embedder, which is defined in the `embedders` section. +#### The `workflow` section + +The workflow itself is typically an agent, however any NeMo Agent Toolkit function can be used as a workflow. Refer to the [Agents](../components/agents/index.md) documentation for more details on the agents that are included in NeMo Agent Toolkit. + For details on workflow configuration, including sections not utilized in the above example, refer to the [Workflow Configuration](./workflow-configuration.md) document. -## Using Agents With Workflows +## Key Concepts + +Understanding these concepts will help you build workflows effectively. + +### Workflow + +A workflow defines which functions and models are used to perform a given task or series of tasks. The `workflow` section of the configuration file defines the workflow itself, and specifies a function, typically an agent, which will orchestrate which functions and models are called to complete the given task. + +### Configuration File + +A workflow definition is specified in a YAML configuration file. The file specifies the tools and models to use in a workflow, along with general configuration settings, organized into the `functions`, `llms`, `embedders`, and `workflow` sections. + +### Functions (Tools) + +The `functions` section contains the tools used in the workflow. The `description` entry instructs the LLM when and how to use the tool. + +### Agents + +The workflow itself is typically an agent, however any NeMo Agent Toolkit function can be used as a workflow. Refer to the [Agents](../components/agents/index.md) documentation for more details on the agents that are included in NeMo Agent Toolkit. + +### Control Flow Components + +Control flow components are offered by NeMo Agent Toolkit to direct how a workflow runs, including the [Router Agent](../components/agents/router-agent/index.md) and the [Sequential Executor](../components/agents/sequential-executor/index.md). + +## Common Approaches -The following are [agents](../components/agents/index.md) offered by NeMo Agent Toolkit: +The following are [agents](../components/agents/index.md) offered by NeMo Agent Toolkit. Choose the approach that best fits your needs. -- [Automatic Memory Wrapper Agent](../components/agents/auto-memory-wrapper/index.md) -- [ReAct Agent](../components/agents/react-agent/index.md) -- [Reasoning Agent](../components/agents/reasoning-agent/index.md) -- [ReWOO Agent](../components/agents/rewoo-agent/index.md) -- [Responses API and Agent](../components/agents/responses-api-and-agent/index.md) -- [Tool Calling Agent](../components/agents/tool-calling-agent/index.md) +- [Automatic Memory Wrapper Agent](../components/agents/auto-memory-wrapper/index.md) — **Best for**: wrapping any agent to provide automatic memory capture and retrieval without requiring the LLM to invoke memory tools explicitly. +- [ReAct Agent](../components/agents/react-agent/index.md) — **Best for**: performing ReAct (Reasoning and Acting) reasoning between tool calls. +- [Reasoning Agent](../components/agents/reasoning-agent/index.md) — **Best for**: reasoning ahead of time through planning rather than between steps (requires an LLM that supports reasoning). +- [ReWOO Agent](../components/agents/rewoo-agent/index.md) — **Best for**: decoupling reasoning from observations to improve tool usage and token efficiency for reasoning tasks. +- [Responses API and Agent](../components/agents/responses-api-and-agent/index.md) — **Best for**: tool use with OpenAI's Responses API, including built-in tools, MCP remote tools, and toolkit tools. +- [Tool Calling Agent](../components/agents/tool-calling-agent/index.md) — **Best for**: directly invoking external tools based on structured function definitions (requires an LLM with tool-calling support). -## Using Control Flow Components With Workflows +## Decision Factors -The following are control flow components offered by NeMo Agent Toolkit: +The following are control flow components offered by NeMo Agent Toolkit. Use the following comparison to select the right component. -- [Router Agent](../components/agents/router-agent/index.md) -- [Sequential Executor](../components/agents/sequential-executor/index.md) +| Factor | [Router Agent](../components/agents/router-agent/index.md) | [Sequential Executor](../components/agents/sequential-executor/index.md) | +|--------|------------------|-------------------| +| **What it does** | Analyzes incoming requests and directs them to the most appropriate branch based on the request configuration. | Chains multiple functions together, where each function's output becomes the input for the next function. | +| **How it runs** | Pairs a single-pass architecture with intelligent request routing to analyze prompts and select one branch that best handles the request. | Creates a linear tool execution pipeline that executes functions in a predetermined sequence without requiring LLMs or agents for orchestration. | +| **Best For** | Scenarios where different types of requests need specialized handling. | Linear pipelines where each function feeds the next; supports better error handling and optional compatibility validation. | From 58a8f74ca10733e4ba8e614f00cbcc7d92622aa3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Andrew Chen Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:11:58 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 2/2] docs: keep "Toolkit" capitalized in Responses API "Best for" note Addresses CodeRabbit review: body text must keep "Toolkit" capitalized. Rewords "toolkit tools" -> "NeMo Agent Toolkit tools". Signed-off-by: Andrew Chen Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) --- docs/source/build-workflows/about-building-workflows.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/docs/source/build-workflows/about-building-workflows.md b/docs/source/build-workflows/about-building-workflows.md index 6a155eb5b9..5985567428 100644 --- a/docs/source/build-workflows/about-building-workflows.md +++ b/docs/source/build-workflows/about-building-workflows.md @@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ The following are [agents](../components/agents/index.md) offered by NeMo Agent - [ReAct Agent](../components/agents/react-agent/index.md) — **Best for**: performing ReAct (Reasoning and Acting) reasoning between tool calls. - [Reasoning Agent](../components/agents/reasoning-agent/index.md) — **Best for**: reasoning ahead of time through planning rather than between steps (requires an LLM that supports reasoning). - [ReWOO Agent](../components/agents/rewoo-agent/index.md) — **Best for**: decoupling reasoning from observations to improve tool usage and token efficiency for reasoning tasks. -- [Responses API and Agent](../components/agents/responses-api-and-agent/index.md) — **Best for**: tool use with OpenAI's Responses API, including built-in tools, MCP remote tools, and toolkit tools. +- [Responses API and Agent](../components/agents/responses-api-and-agent/index.md) — **Best for**: tool use with OpenAI's Responses API, including built-in tools, MCP remote tools, and NeMo Agent Toolkit tools. - [Tool Calling Agent](../components/agents/tool-calling-agent/index.md) — **Best for**: directly invoking external tools based on structured function definitions (requires an LLM with tool-calling support). ## Decision Factors