Review Prompt or Workflow Chaining

A chain is a linked sequence of steps, prompts, tools, or decisions that work together in an AI workflow.

Prompt or workflow chaining connects steps so the output of one prompt, tool, or decision becomes input to the next. The sequence may be fixed in code or chosen as work proceeds.

Chaining can make complex work observable and testable at each handoff. It also creates dependencies: an early error can propagate unless later steps validate their inputs.

One step extracts facts from documents, a second checks the facts against policy, and a third drafts a response using only the validated set.

A longer chain is not automatically more capable. Every added step introduces latency, cost, failure modes, and another boundary that needs verification.

Each step hands something to the next.

* [[workflow|Workflow]] * [[orchestration|Orchestration]] * [[prompt|Prompt]] * [[handoff|Handoff]]

* [Anthropic, “Building Effective Agents”](https://www.anthropic.com/engineering/building-effective-agents) — defines prompt chaining as a sequence in which each model call processes the previous call’s output.

* Compare [[workflow|Workflow]], [[orchestration|Orchestration]], [[prompt|Prompt]], and [[handoff|Handoff]] to place Prompt or Workflow Chaining in the surrounding system. * Follow the cited source material above for the method, standard, or research context behind this draft.