---
title: "Flows: Concepts"
description: "When to use Flows, when not to use them, and key design constraints for production orchestration."
icon: "arrow-progress"
mode: "wide"
---

## When to use

- You need deterministic orchestration, branching, and resumable execution.
- You need explicit state transitions across steps.
- You need persistence, routing, and event-driven control.

## When not to use

- A single prompt/response interaction is enough.
- You only need one agent call without orchestration logic.

## Core decisions

| Decision | Choose this when |
|---|---|
| Unstructured state | Fast prototyping, highly dynamic fields |
| Structured state | Stable contracts, team development, type safety |
| `@persist()` | Long-running workflows and recovery requirements |
| Router labels | Deterministic branch handling |

## Canonical links

- Reference: [/en/ai/flows/reference](/en/ai/flows/reference)
- Patterns: [/en/ai/flows/patterns](/en/ai/flows/patterns)
- Troubleshooting: [/en/ai/flows/troubleshooting](/en/ai/flows/troubleshooting)
- Examples: [/en/ai/flows/examples](/en/ai/flows/examples)

## Existing docs

- [/en/concepts/flows](/en/concepts/flows)
- [/en/guides/flows/mastering-flow-state](/en/guides/flows/mastering-flow-state)
- [/en/learn/flowstate-chat-history](/en/learn/flowstate-chat-history)