Section guide

Hands-On Labs

Practical implementation paths and vertical slices.

Use when you want implementation practice and vertical slices.

Start with Lab Guide
Finish with Vertical Slice Examples
Reader outcome

Leave with runnable examples and a production gap list for each pattern you try.

Reusable artifact

A runnable slice with test evidence and a missing-production-controls list.

Reading order

18 chapters
  1. 01
    Lab Guide Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    The lab guide explains how to use runnable examples to connect patterns to code, tests, traces, and production gaps.

  2. 02
    Framework and Language Matrix Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    The framework and language matrix maps each lab to its language, framework style, runtime concern, and expected evidence.

  3. 03
    Lab Production Readiness Checklist Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    The lab checklist helps turn working demos into production candidates by naming the missing controls, evals, traces, and runbooks.

  4. 04
    01 - Tool-Using Agent Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    Lab 01 builds the smallest useful tool boundary: validate a proposed call, execute through code, label trust, and return structured results.

  5. 05
    02 - Agent Loop and Planning Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    Lab 02 separates planning from execution so the planner proposes steps while bounded code runs operations and records results.

  6. 06
    03 - Agentic RAG Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    Lab 03 builds an Agentic RAG boundary with scoped retrieval, grounded answers, and refusal or escalation when evidence is weak.

  7. 07
    04 - A2A Communication Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    Lab 04 builds typed agent-to-agent messages with correlation IDs, acceptance, refusal, errors, and cancellation states.

  8. 08
    05 - Multi-Agent Supervisor Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    Lab 05 builds a supervisor shape where one coordinator owns the goal, delegates bounded work, merges outputs, and produces the final answer.

  9. 09
    06 - Observability and Evals Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    Lab 06 adds trace data, regression tasks, expected outcomes, and trajectory checks to evaluate behavior beyond final answers.

  10. 10
    07 - Mastra Runtime Packaging Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student · Operator

    Lab 07 packages agents, tools, workflows, memory, trace events, and evals in a Mastra-style TypeScript runtime shape.

  11. 11
    08 - CrewAI Flows and Crews Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    Lab 08 uses a CrewAI-style Python shape to separate flow ownership from specialist crew collaboration.

  12. 12
    From-Scratch Mini-Framework Track Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    The from-scratch track builds a minimal agent runtime so engineers can see the framework ideas without framework magic.

  13. 13
    09 - Minimal Agent Loop Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    Lab 09 builds a minimal loop that receives a goal, asks for a typed decision, updates state, and stops for an explicit reason.

  14. 14
    10 - Tool Registry and Policy Gate Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student · Security

    Lab 10 extends the mini-runtime with a tool registry and policy gate so software decides whether a proposed tool call may run.

  15. 15
    11 - Context, Memory, Trace, and Evals Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    Lab 11 makes the mini-runtime inspectable with context packets, scoped memory reads, trace events, and trajectory evals.

  16. 16
    12 - LangGraph State Graph Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    Lab 12 models LangGraph-style state graphs with explicit state, nodes, edges, checkpoints, interrupts, and resume behavior.

  17. 17
    13 - AutoGen Transcript Evals Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    Lab 13 evaluates AutoGen-style team transcripts so multi-agent collaboration has reviewable messages, turn order, and stop reasons.

  18. 18
    Vertical Slice Examples Lab · Hands-on 45-90 min lab Builder · Student

    Vertical Slice Examples show how to combine patterns into small product workflows with clear runtime and evidence boundaries.