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CCDV-F · Domain 1 of 8 · 3 lessons · about 66 min

Domain 1: Agents and Workflows

When to build an agent and when a workflow, how to construct agents with the Claude Agent SDK and hooks, and the common agent patterns. 14.7% of CCDV-F.

This domain is 14.7% of CCDV-F, about 8 of the 53 questions. It asks three questions a developer faces before and while building with Claude: should this be an agent at all, how do I build one, and which proven patterns keep it working.

The vocabulary is small. A workflow runs Claude through steps your code defines in advance. An agent lets Claude decide the next step itself, in a loop, using tools. A subagent is a second agent started by the first to handle a piece of the work in its own context. A hook is your own code that runs at a fixed moment in the loop, such as before a tool call, and can allow, change or block what happens.

The recurring test: use the least autonomy that does the job. A predictable task belongs in a workflow; an open-ended one may need an agent. Where an action must always or never happen, enforce it in code, with a hook or a check, rather than hoping the prompt holds.

What the exam guide tests

The official CCDV-F guide lists 3 skills for this domain. Exam questions are written against them, and so are the lessons: each row says where it is covered.

Lessons

1. 1.1 Workflows, agents and supervisors: choosing the architectureWhen a task needs a workflow and when an agent, the five workflow patterns, how supervisor hierarchies work, and what subagents buy and what they cost.22 min
2. 1.2 Building Claude agents: the Agent SDK, custom loops, hosting and hooksHow to build a Claude agent with the Agent SDK or your own loop, when to self-host or use Managed Agents, and how hooks make required steps happen every time.23 min
3. 1.3 Agent patterns and the frameworks that package themThe patterns inside most agents (tool-use loops, subagents, memory, context-window management) and what frameworks like LangGraph package and hide.21 min

Practice question

From the CCDV-F bank, tagged to this domain. Every answer option is explained. Nothing is stored, nothing to sign up for.