Graph Foundations in Graph Engineering

Lessons in this section

1. Loop or Graph?

   Not everything should be a graph. See when one loop with a checker is the better shape, when work needs a graph of nodes, edges and shared state, and how to tell the two apart.

2. Nodes, Edges, Shared State

   Write a state contract: every field has one writer, every node reads only the fields it needs, and a checkpoint lets a crashed run resume.

3. Prompt Chaining

   Split one fat node into investigate, then write. The writer starts clean with a typed handoff, never sees the dead ends, and gets the answer right.

4. Routing

   Send each ticket down the right path: a cheap path for easy work, a careful path with a human gate for risky work, and a safe fallback when the router is unsure.

5. Parallelization

   Run independent checks at the same time without breaking them: one field per branch, a timeout on every join, and a join policy that says what happens when a branch is missing.

6. Orchestrator-Workers

   When the work list is only found while running, an orchestrator starts workers for it. Cap width, depth and spend, record what it really started, and keep a kill switch.

7. Evaluator-Optimizer

   A fixer and a checker go round until the work passes. Give the loop real exits for oscillation, no progress, a flat score and a budget, report a stop on a bound clearly, then export your first graph pack.