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Execution modes

NucleusIQ uses the Gearbox Strategy—three execution modes that scale from simple chat to autonomous reasoning.

Comparison

Capability Direct Standard Autonomous
Memory Yes Yes Yes
Plugins Yes Yes Yes
Tools Yes (max 5) Yes (max 30) Yes (max 100)
Tool loop Yes Yes Yes
Task decomposition No No Yes
Critic (verification) No No Yes
Refiner (correction) No No Yes
Validation pipeline No No Yes

Tool limits are configurable via AgentConfig(max_tool_calls=N).

Direct

Fast, single LLM call. Best for Q&A and simple lookups.

agent = Agent(..., config=AgentConfig(execution_mode=ExecutionMode.DIRECT))

Standard

Tool-enabled, linear execution. Default for most workflows.

agent = Agent(..., config=AgentConfig(execution_mode=ExecutionMode.STANDARD))
# or omit — STANDARD is the default

Autonomous

Planning, multi-step execution with Critic/Refiner verification. For complex, high-stakes tasks.

agent = Agent(..., config=AgentConfig(execution_mode=ExecutionMode.AUTONOMOUS))

See also

  • Agents — Agent configuration
  • Tools — Built-in and custom tools