docs(research): ai-orchestration integration memo#7
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Walks PR 542 (TanStack/ai) against workflow-core@0.0.1 file-by-file. Three integration options analyzed; recommends Path B (refactor ai-orchestration onto workflow-core). Concrete list of 18 files to delete (engine, primitives, runStore, server, registry, result, define-workflow — all superseded by workflow-core), 5-7 files to keep and refactor (defineAgent, invokeAgent, defineOrchestrator as closure-loop, defineRouter, types.ts, index.ts, optional withAgents middleware). Validates the agent layer can be expressed on workflow-core with zero engine changes — step bodies close over ctx, so ctx.emit forwards agent stream chunks inline. Optional withAgents middleware adds a typed ctx.agent(stepId, def, input) primitive for ergonomic invocation that reads structurally identical to Alem's existing yield* agents.x(input) style. Includes a before/after of Alem's article workflow (two changes per call site: yield* → await, plus stepId as first arg). Estimated refactor cost: one focused day. Updates research/README.md to include the new file.
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Memo on what can be removed from TanStack/ai#542 now that `@tanstack/workflow-core@0.0.1` is on npm, and how the AI-specific APIs there compose with the shipping engine.
TL;DR
Path B — refactor ai-orchestration to sit on workflow-core. Sheds 18 of 25 source files. The AI layer narrows to: `defineAgent`, `defineOrchestrator`, `defineRouter`, `invokeAgent` (kept as a helper for the three-shape detection), a slim AI-only `types.ts`, and an optional `withAgents` middleware that adds `ctx.agent(stepId, def, input)` for ergonomic invocation.
Key findings
What's in the doc
Test plan