---
title: How Do DOT Pipelines Map To Agent Workflows?
slug: how-do-dot-pipelines-map-to-agent-workflows
type: query
created: 2026-06-17
updated: 2026-06-17
status: active
tags:
  - query
  - dot
  - workflows
  - agents
sources:
  - 2389-dark-factory-dot-file-2026-03-09
  - strongdm-attractor-nlspec
  - jleechanorg-dark-factory-repo
  - jleechanorg-agent-orchestrator-repo
related:
  - dot-pipeline
  - agentic-pipeline-runner
  - agent-orchestrator
  - tool-nodes-vs-llm-nodes
confidence: high
contradictions:
  - DOT can describe both agent work and deterministic tooling, so the mapping is not one node equals one agent.
bead_refs:
  - dark-factory-rr4
---

# How Do DOT Pipelines Map To Agent Workflows?

DOT pipelines map workflow structure to executable nodes. Some nodes invoke agents; others run deterministic tools, gates, joins, or human approvals.

## Mapping

- `plan`, `implement`, `fix`, `review`: usually LLM/coding-agent nodes.
- `test`, `smoke`, `score`, `lint`, `deploy`: usually deterministic tool nodes.
- `gate_*`: verdict nodes that route success, failure, or error.
- `human_gate`: explicit human approval or escalation.
- `wait_all` or joins: synchronization after fanout.
- `start` and `exit`: lifecycle markers.

## Agent Orchestrator Boundary

`inference:` A DOT runner can call [[agent-orchestrator]] to spawn or manage workers, but the DOT graph remains the process definition. The orchestrator owns session lifecycle; the graph owns workflow logic.