The Agent Substrate Test

The Agent Substrate Test asks one question before an agency commits to any agent builder: if the vendor disappeared tomorrow, what would the client still own? Agent shells are cheap and interchangeable; the durable asset is the substrate underneath them, meaning the workflow logic, the permission model, the test suite, and the data path. Agencies that buy only the shell inherit a demo. Agencies that own the substrate inherit a retainer. The test has three checks: can the agent logic be exported as reviewable artifacts (ctx.traits versions agent behavior as typed, auditable code modules rather than drifting prompts), can the interface carry the agency's brand and domain (Chipp deploys under custom domains with 20+ integrations, FormWise packages methodology into branded SmartForms and CoPilots), and can execution survive a vendor swap (Workflow Builder keeps the editor in-house while swapping Temporal, LangGraph, or Inngest underneath). Score each platform on those three before pricing the engagement.