Why Cloud Agents vs CI/CD?
Many teams see cloud agents and think: “Isn’t this just CI?” Sometimes the answer is yes and that’s good. CI is excellent. This guide explains the boundary so you choose the right tool.
What CI/CD Is Great At
CI/CD Excels When
- Deterministic — the same inputs produce the same results
- Repeatable — runs consistently on every commit
- Policy-enforced — clear pass/fail rules
- Strongly testable — success can be verified automatically
Common CI/CD Tasks
- Run tests
- Build artifacts
- Enforce lint rules
- Run static analysis
- Execute fixed scripts
Where CI/CD Breaks Down
CI/CD is weaker when the work requires:- interpretation of changing signals
- multi-system context (errors + analytics + issues)
- generating patches with reasoning
- summarizing incidents across tools
- deciding next steps based on incomplete information
What Cloud Agents Add
Cloud agents are useful when the job is:- triage + propose
- interpret + summarize
- patch + open a PR
- coordinate across systems
CI is the best executor of deterministic checks. Cloud agents are best at interpreting signals and producing reviewable outcomes.
Practical Pairings for CI + Cloud Agents
Pattern 1: CI detects, Agent responds
- CI detects failure or policy issue
- Cloud agent proposes fix and opens PR
- Human reviews
Pattern 2: Agent prepares, CI verifies
- Cloud agent proposes changes
- CI runs tests and checks
- PR is only mergeable if CI passes
Pattern 3: Agent maintains, CI enforces
- Agent keeps dependencies tidy weekly
- CI ensures nothing breaks on merge
A Simple Decision Table
| If your work is… | Prefer… |
|---|---|
| deterministic & testable | CI/CD |
| interpretive & contextual | Cloud agent |
| needs a patch proposal | Cloud agent + CI validation |
| needs strict policy enforcement | CI/CD |