Set up interfaces and contracts

Use Node.js 20 or newer, TypeScript in strict mode, native fetch, Zod for runtime validation, and Vitest for tests. Install current package releases with npm install zod and npm install -D typescript tsx vitest @types/node; do not copy fictional version numbers. Put secrets in .env.local, commit only .env.example, and inject configuration at startup.

Design interfaces around unknown data. JSON from a model, provider, tool, or remote process is unknown until runtime parsing succeeds. Keep provider wire types at the adapter edge and expose a small domain type to the rest of the program.

The central domain contract is an explicit state machine with a final answer or a typed stop reason. Start from type AgentState = { messages: Message[]; steps: number; citations: string[]; status: 'running'|'done'|'blocked' }. That declaration documents compile-time intent; pair it with a Zod schema or an equivalent handwritten parser at every external boundary. Keep configuration such as AI_BASE_URL, AI_API_KEY, CHAT_MODEL, MAX_AGENT_STEPS outside source control. Variables are placeholders: consult your selected provider or local server documentation for real endpoint names and supported model IDs.

Define a Dependencies interface with parseInput, execute, parseOutput, now, and log. The production adapter may alternate one model decision with at most one validated tool execution per loop iteration; tests inject a deterministic fake. This split prevents network availability from deciding whether domain tests pass and makes cancellation, latency, and malformed responses reproducible.

import { z } from "zod";

const Env = z.object({
  AI_BASE_URL: z.string().url().optional(),
  AI_API_KEY: z.string().min(1).optional(),
  REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS: z.coerce.number().int().positive().default(15000),
});
export const env = Env.parse(process.env);

type AgentState = { messages: Message[]; steps: number; citations: string[]; status: 'running'|'done'|'blocked' };

The code is intentionally provider-neutral at the adapter boundary. AI_BASE_URL and model names are environment placeholders, not invented services. If the topic uses MCP, install the current official SDK and verify its exported paths against its release documentation. If a provider offers an official SDK, it can replace fetch inside execute without changing the domain contract. Always inspect the real provider’s documented request and response fields before connecting credentials.

Debug from deterministic code outward. First print the parsed configuration with secret values replaced by [set]. Next run the parser against a local fixture. Then run the orchestration with a fake dependency. Only after those pass should you inspect the real boundary. Capture status, content type, request ID, elapsed time, and a redacted response shape. Do not “fix” malformed data with a permissive cast; save it as a failing fixture and decide whether the contract or adapter is wrong.

For this chapter, the fastest diagnostic is to assert that the loop has a step budget, deadline, abort signal, and deterministic terminal states. When that assertion fails, stop before downstream work. Expected behavior is concrete: The agent searches once, cites kb://returns, and stops before MAX_AGENT_STEPS. A different but plausible sentence is not enough if the structural and policy checks fail.

• Strict TypeScript and runtime schemas are enabled.
• .env.example names variables but contains no secrets.
• Provider or protocol code is behind an injected adapter.
• Run npm run typecheck and npm test without provider credentials.
• Record expected terminal behavior beside the fixture so future changes remain reviewable.

A passing test is necessary but does not establish production quality. Review the fixture set for realistic distributions, stale assumptions, tenant boundaries, and expensive edge cases. When outputs are probabilistic, assert schemas, citations, chosen capabilities, stop reasons, and task rubric scores. Reserve exact string assertions for deterministic adapters and protocol framing.