01
Automation
Automation usually means a fixed rule. When this happens, do that. It is great when the job is predictable and the steps do not need much judgment.
02
Workflow
A workflow is the bigger piece of repeatable work. It includes the trigger, the context it needs, the output, and what happens if a person needs to review it before it goes out.
03
Agent
An agent is the AI doing some reasoning inside the workflow. It is not the whole system by itself. Most teams do not need to obsess over the word agent. They need the weekly digest, the content brief, or the alert to show up reliably.
04
The simple mental model
If it helps, think of it this way: the workflow is the recurring job, the automation is the wiring around it, and the agent is the AI part doing the thinking inside it.