ENIAC/IAS-Style State-Transition Protocols for Reliable AI Agent Execution

AI agents are powerful but often unreliable in multi-step tasks. They drift from instructions, skip validations, expand scope, or self-declare success without evidence.

This white paper introduces a practical control layer inspired by classic computing:

• ENIAC-mode : Fixed, linear, “wired” procedures for repeatable tasks
• IAS-mode : Stored-program execution with branching, flags, recovery, and explicit program counter

It proposes turning loose prompt-based skills into strict, verifiable state-transition protocols :

input state → operation → output state → verification gate → next state

Includes:

• A concrete Strict Skill Schema (YAML-friendly)
• External validators & execution kernel design
• Real examples (SQL debugging, VBA review)
• The new role of Agent Skill Engineer

Especially relevant today : a timely opportunity for developers to build reliable agent workflows while creating enterprise-grade automation.

→ Full (AI generated) white paper in repo ENIAC/IAS-Style State-Transition Protocols for Reliable AI Agent Execution https://osf.io/q8egv/files/osfstorage/6a20b02ef378e08fb9a94d5a

Feedback welcome — especially from those building production agents, LangGraph/CrewAI users, or enterprise automation teams.

Let’s make AI agents not just smarter, but procedurally stable.