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Implementa.
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Agent harness

arquitectura

agent scaffolding

An agent harness is the software layer around an AI model that gives it tools, context, limits and traceability so it can act as an agent inside an organization.

Implementa formulation based on observed 2026 usage: several vendors (Workday, DXC and others) use "harness" for everything that is not the model itself: orchestration, permissions, memory, action evaluation and logging. The term has no standard definition or consensus yet; its scope differs by vendor.

How it differs from

Language model
The model reasons and generates text; the harness decides what it may do with that reasoning and keeps a record.
Agent gateway
A gateway is the checkpoint for agent traffic; the harness is the whole wrapper (tools, context, limits, traces).

Examples

  • A platform that decides which tools an agent may call and pauses sensitive actions for human approval.
  • An environment that records every agent step so it can be evaluated and audited afterwards.

FAQ

Is it a standard term?
No. It is an emerging 2026 usage and its meaning varies by vendor; ask what each offer actually includes.
Do you have to buy one?
Not necessarily: it can be built from open components or bought from a platform vendor. What matters is knowing who controls permissions and logs.

Related terms

agent-gatewayruntime-authorizationagent-audit-trail

Sources & further reading