What Everyone Gets Wrong About "Agents" — Even Heavy Claude Users Can't Define One
The people who ask me this most aren't beginners — they're strong engineers who use Claude and Codex every day: "I've honestly never quite figured out what actually counts as an agent." It's not that they don't get it — the word has been stretched to mean everything, and therefore nothing. By the end you'll have one question that tells you, on the spot, whether anything claiming to "build an agent" actually is one.
Jul 5, 2026·8 min read