Choosing Graph, Flow, Loops, and Durable Workflows

Graph is one optional AIWG Flow profile. Choose it for explicit shared state, conditional routing, guarded feedback, fan-in reducers, mixed runtime bindings, or operator-visible checkpoint and route evidence. The source of truth remains the Flow artifact and run ledger; a diagram is only a view.

Pattern	Prefer it when	Avoid it when
Ralph loop	One worker improves one deliverable toward a local completion criterion	Several branches exchange typed state or need explicit joins
Plain Flow DAG	Dependencies are acyclic and routes are mostly unconditional	Feedback cycles or runtime route evidence are first-class
RLM task tree	The model should recursively decompose a large-context problem	Stable cross-runtime node and edge identity is required
Graph profile	Shared typed state, conditional routes, reducers, bounded cycles, and mixed adapters must be audited together	A short sequence or local loop already expresses the work
Durable code	Recovery semantics, long waits, transactions, and dynamic control are easier and safer in code	Portable declarative inspection is the primary requirement
Provider-native workflow	One provider owns execution and its native controls are sufficient	The workflow must move between providers or A2A/Sandbox runtimes
Airflow-style DAG	Deterministic batch tasks, schedules, and operational DAG discipline dominate	Model-driven cycles and HITL routes dominate

Do not use graph when

• a two- or three-step FlowPlaybook is already clear;
• a Ralph loop has one owner and one convergence criterion;
• recursive decomposition is local to an RLM node;
• the orchestration requires transactional or highly dynamic durable code;
• a provider-native workflow is intentionally provider-bound; or
• the only desired output is a visual diagram.

Graph shape does not prove reliability, quality, cost reduction, or better answers. Those claims remain blocked until composition evaluation and graph conformance evidence support them.

Inherited model

The profile inherits the Flow contracts documented in `agentic/code/addons/aiwg-utils/workflow/README.md` and `agentic/code/addons/aiwg-utils/workflow/docs/overview.md`. The Ops framework's domain-extension model remains the precedent: a domain adds vocabulary and constraints without replacing the shared Flow substrate. The Composition Engine supplies deterministic topology validation and execution projection; MissionConductor remains the durable ledger and policy owner.