Volume 16 of 20 · PDF edition

In progress

Agents and AI Coding Systems

For builders of tool-using, coding, computer-use, and deep-research agents that must work safely over long horizons.

Read every available chapter online for free. The paid edition is a focused, carefully typeset volume PDF with future chapters, updates, and errata included.

Written chapters
16 written chapters
Planned chapters
8 planned chapters
Approximate pages
~510 pages
Price
$24 one-time
Language AI Handbook, Volume 16: Agents and AI Coding Systems cover

Author and edition details

About the author and Volume 16 PDF edition

Michael Brenndoerfer, author of Language AI Handbook

Michael Brenndoerfer

Michael has spent more than a decade working across software engineering, data, AI, and business. He writes to understand difficult ideas more deeply and to share what he learns in a clear, practical way.

Edition
Volume 16 PDF 2026.08.0
Published
Last reviewed

Focused learning path

What this volume covers

  • Code Generation
  • Tool Use and Agents
  • Long-Horizon Agents and Interoperability

Audience and prerequisites

Where this volume fits

For builders of tool-using, coding, computer-use, and deep-research agents that must work safely over long horizons.

Prerequisites: Assumes decoder models from Volume 9; Volume 15 is recommended.

Free online preview

Start with “Code LLM Training

Covers code training data, code tokenization, fill-in-the-middle training, code pre-training objectives.

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Exact contents

16 chapters available now

The current PDF contains every linked chapter below. The remaining 8 planned chapters will be added through free volume updates.

Part XLVII: Code Generation

  1. 01
    Code LLM Training

    Covers code training data, code tokenization, fill-in-the-middle training, code pre-training objectives.

  2. 02
    Code Understanding

    Covers code explanation, bug detection, code review, code search.

  3. 03
    Code Completion

    Covers completion context, completion ranking, completion latency, completion UX.

  4. 04
    Code Generation

    Covers docstring-to-code, test-to-code, code generation strategies, generation quality.

  5. 05
    Code Execution

    Covers sandboxed execution, execution feedback, iterative refinement, execution safety.

  6. 06
    Code Evaluation

    Covers functional correctness, pass@k metric, code benchmarks, beyond correctness.

Part XLVIII: Tool Use and Agents

  1. 01
    Tool Use Motivation: Why LLMs Need External Tools for Accuracy

    Discover why LLMs require external tools to overcome knowledge cutoffs, computational limits, and hallucinations. Learn about tool-augmented AI systems.

  2. 02
    Function Calling: Structured Tool Use for Large Language Models

    Learn how function calling enables LLMs to invoke external tools and APIs through structured JSON schemas, bridging natural language and executable code.

  3. 03
    ReAct Pattern: Interleaving Reasoning and Action for LLM Agents

    Learn how the ReAct pattern enables LLM agents to interleave reasoning with tool execution. Master thought-action-observation loops for autonomous AI systems.

  4. 04
    Tool Selection for LLM Agents: Routing Strategies and Implementation

    Master LLM tool selection through embedding-based routing, hybrid strategies, and semantic interfaces. Learn to build scalable multi-tool agent systems.

  5. 05
    Agent Architectures: Control Loops, State & Planning

    Master LLM agent architectures including control loops, state management strategies, planning mechanisms, and termination conditions for autonomous AI systems.

  6. 06
    Agent Memory Systems: From Context to Persistent Storage

    Learn how AI agents manage short-term context and long-term memory. Explore vector databases, retrieval algorithms, and memory hierarchies that enable persistent, learning systems.

  7. 07
    Agent Evaluation: Metrics, Benchmarks and Safety Standards

    Learn to evaluate AI agents with task completion metrics, trajectory analysis, and safety testing. Covers WebArena, SWE-bench, GAIA, and OSWorld benchmarks.

  8. 08
    Planning

    Covers task decomposition, goal-directed planning, plan execution, plan revision and recovery.

  9. 09
    Multi-Agent Systems

    Covers agent coordination, communication protocols, role assignment, multi-agent benchmarks.

  10. 10
    Agent Safety

    Covers unsafe action prevention, agent alignment, sandboxing, monitoring and intervention.

Part XLIX: Long-Horizon Agents and Interoperability

  1. 01
    Computer-Use and Browser AgentsPlanned

    Screenshots, accessibility trees, action spaces, grounding, recovery, and evaluation on real interfaces.

  2. 02
    Coding and Software-Engineering AgentsPlanned

    Repository navigation, test-driven changes, execution feedback, code review, and long-running tasks.

  3. 03
    Deep-Research AgentsPlanned

    Search, source selection, evidence synthesis, citation integrity, uncertainty, and reproducible research traces.

  4. 04
    Durable and Asynchronous Agent WorkPlanned

    Checkpoints, resumability, queues, idempotency, retries, deadlines, and state across long-running workflows.

  5. 05
    Model Context ProtocolPlanned

    MCP clients, servers, tools, resources, prompts, capability negotiation, transport, and trust boundaries.

  6. 06
    Agent-to-Agent ProtocolsPlanned

    Discovery, task delegation, status, artifacts, interoperability, and failure semantics across agents.

  7. 07
    Human Approval and Control BoundariesPlanned

    Approval gates, reversibility, escalation, authority, interruption, and clear ownership of consequential actions.

  8. 08
    Long-Horizon Agent EvaluationPlanned

    Functional success, partial credit, recovery, cost, time, safety, and contamination-resistant task suites.

Volume 16 PDF

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Version history

Kept current, not frozen in time

Each PDF purchase includes future editions. When the book changes, the updated copy appears in My books at no extra cost.

Current release

Edition 2026.08.0

Initial volume-library release with 19 written PDFs, a Volume 3 placeholder, and no combined edition.