Research

The foundational papers behind ADPS.

The position paper

A Two-Dimensional Framework for AI Agent Design Patterns: Cognitive Function × Execution Topology
Huang & Zhou, 2026. arXiv:2605.13850 · Zenodo DOI 10.5281/zenodo.19036557

The paper introduces the two-axis framework, the 27 named patterns, and the five pattern-selection laws. It establishes the IP-priority timestamp for the framework (indexed two months before the Manning MEAP).

Abstract

Existing surveys of AI agent design either enumerate cognitive functions in isolation (perception, memory, reasoning, action) or describe execution topologies as architectural diagrams (chain, parallel, hierarchical). Neither view, taken alone, identifies a pattern: the same topology can implement architecturally distinct systems, and the same cognitive function can be realized through structurally different runtime shapes. We propose a two-dimensional framework that classifies agent design patterns along two orthogonal axes — cognitive function and execution topology — yielding a 7 × 6 matrix of 42 cells, of which 28 are populated by named patterns. The framework disambiguates patterns that otherwise share a name, identifies industrially empty cells that suggest under-explored design space, and supplies a coordinate system for the pattern-selection problem: given a task, which patterns sit at the intersection of the cognitive functions the task requires and the execution topologies its constraints permit.

Citation

BibTeX:

@article{huang2026twoaxis,
  title  = {A Two-Dimensional Framework for AI Agent Design Patterns:
            Cognitive Function × Execution Topology},
  author = {Huang, Jia and Zhou, Joey},
  year   = {2026},
  eprint = {2605.13850},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  primaryClass  = {cs.AI},
  doi    = {10.5281/zenodo.19036557},
  url    = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.13850}
}

Companion book

The framework is developed in full in the Manning book Designing AI Agents (Huang, 2026–2027, MEAP launched May 2026). The book includes ten chapters, twenty-eight patterns with structured definitions, four real-world case studies (financial lending, legal due diligence, network operations, healthcare triage), and a reference appendix with the full matrix.