{ "item_title" : "Agent = Model + Harness", "item_author" : [" Apurva Misra "], "item_description" : "AI agents, personal AI assistants, tool use, memory, MCP, workflow automation, and human-in-the-loop systems are rapidly converging around a simple idea: an agent is not just a model. An agent is a model plus the harness that lets it observe, reason, act, remember, and safely coordinate across tools. This book shows readers how to understand that harness by building their own practical agent/personal assistant one piece at a time. The book begins with the model as the simplest possible assistant, then gradually adds each layer that turns it into a useful agent: instructions, context, tools, memory, workflows, permissions, interfaces, and integrations. Each chapter follows the same practical pattern: introduce the piece of the harness, explain why it matters, show how modern agentic systems implement similar ideas, and then build a version of that piece into the reader's own assistant. Along the way, readers will learn how systems such as Claude Code, OpenClaw, Hermes, AI coding tools, and open-source agent frameworks use long-running sessions, tool calling, local and cloud execution, filesystem and browser access, messaging interfaces, reusable skills, MCP-style integrations, and human approval loops. Instead of becoming a product manual for any one tool, the book uses these systems as examples of a broader architectural pattern. By the end of the book, readers will understand what actually turns a model into a useful agent. They will have built a practical assistant step by step and will know how to extend it with new tools, workflows, memories, permissions, and interfaces as their needs evolve. They will also be able to evaluate commercial agentic tools more clearly by recognizing which parts of the harness those tools provide and which parts they still need to design themselves. What You Will Learn: ●Understand why an agent is more than a model and identify the core pieces of the agent harness.●Build a practical personal assistant step by step, starting with the model and adding context, tools, memory, permissions, workflows, and interfaces.●Recognize how modern agentic systems implement common patterns such as tool calling, long-running sessions, MCP integrations, reusable skills, and human approval.●Design safer agents using scoped permissions, human-in-the-loop workflows, logging, and controlled access to tools and data.●Create model-flexible assistant workflows for email, calendar, documents, coding, research, browser automation, and knowledge work.Who is this for: This book is for software developers, AI engineers, automation builders, technical founders, consultants, product managers, and technical power users who want to understand how modern AI agents and personal assistants are built. Readers should be comfortable with basic programming concepts and modern software tools, but they do not need deep machine learning expertise. The book is especially suited for professionals experimenting with AI agents, AI coding tools, MCP integrations, workflow automation, and personal or business productivity systems.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers2.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/9/79/886/883/9798868835865_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "59.99", "online_price" : "59.99", "our_price" : "59.99", "club_price" : "59.99", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }

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