Loop vs Graph: when one agent is not enough
2026-08-01 · 5 min read
How to know that your loop has become a system, and how to decompose it into a multi-node graph without over-engineering.
The tipping point
A loop stops scaling when its prompt is trying to be three people at once. If the instruction contains 'first research, then write, then check', those are nodes, not sentences.
Decomposition checklist
- Split by role, not by paragraph
- Give each node one output contract
- Put quality checks in dedicated validator nodes
- Route failures backwards with explicit edges
- Add approval nodes before anything irreversible