Engineering Patterns for Reliable Agents

A thread you can test

Agent Evaluation

3 notes move from the word to a real choice at work — understand it first, then decide whether to use it.

READING THREADOPEN
3notes
HOW TO READStart where you are stuck, then follow the evidence and trade-offs

Each note stands alone, or becomes the next step in this thread.

Engineering Patterns for Reliable AgentsNo login

THE QUESTION THIS PAGE ANSWERS

ANSWER FIRST

What is Agent Evaluation, and which AI decisions does it change?

Without evals, fixing one bug creates three. Anthropic's Eval methodology This page keeps the related concepts, common mistakes, and practical notes in one reading thread.

DECISION RULE

First decide whether you are blocked by a definition, a choice, or verification; then choose the closest of the 3 notes below.

TRY NEXT

Start with “Why Evaluation Matters More Than Training,” then restate the conclusion using your own task.

WATCH FOR

Do not treat every method in a topic as interchangeable. The answer changes with the input, risk, and acceptance bar.

THIS QUESTION THREAD

Put the word back inside the choice it changes.

3 notes
Methodology

Why Evaluation Matters More Than Training

Without evals, fixing one bug creates three. Anthropic's Eval methodology

Engineering Patterns for Reliable Agents 6 min →
Hands-on

Three Graders: Code, Model, Human

Static assertions vs LLM-as-Judge vs human calibration — which fits which scenario

Engineering Patterns for Reliable Agents 5 min →
Case Study

Eval Pitfalls: Noise, Cheating & Regression

Infra noise causes 6pp errors, models recognize tests, Prompt changes may drop Eval by 3%

Engineering Patterns for Reliable Agents 5 min →