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    Action Schema

    Process automationOperator schema
    Editorially reviewed on: 2 sources
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    The short answer · 17 words

    In short

    In automated planning, an action scheme is a parameterized description of an action with prerequisites and effects.

    Flow-alerta.cab (2026): Action Schema. https://flow-alerta.cab/en/glossar/action-schema. Editorially reviewed on: 09 October 2026.

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    Practical

    Important for formal planning and agentic systems when actions, preconditions and effects need explicit models. In current LLM agents, the term is not automatically equivalent to tool calling.

    Possible example: A warehouse planner describes “moving the pallet” with parameters for the pallet, starting and finishing place, required conditions and the changes in condition after the movement.

    Possible applications: formal workflow planning, resource and order planning, rule-based agents, simulation of process steps and validation of allowed action sequences.

    At a glance

    Core
    A scheme specifies under which modeled conditions an action is applicable and how it changes the state. By inserting concrete objects, an instantiated action is created; the real execution requires additional suitable interfaces and controls.
    Use
    Important for formal planning and agentic systems when actions, preconditions and effects need explicit models. In current LLM agents, the term is not automatically equivalent to tool calling.
    Example
    Possible example: A warehouse planner describes “moving the pallet” with parameters for the pallet, starting and finishing place, required conditions and the changes in condition after the movement.
    Limits
    Confuse action schema with API schema or JSON schema; model side effects and preconditions incompletely; press real uncertainty into deterministic rules; do not distinguish schema and concrete action.

    In context

    Tool Use / Function Calling

    Function Calling allows a model to suggest tool calls that an application executes in a controlled manner.

    Questions about this term

    What is the difference to a concrete action?

    The scheme contains parameters; a concrete action is created by occupying these parameters.

    Is every LLM tool an action scheme?

    No, this depends on the planning representation used.

    All details and background

    A scheme specifies under which modeled conditions an action is applicable and how it changes the state. By inserting concrete objects, an instantiated action is created; the real execution requires additional suitable interfaces and controls.

    ELI5 – Explained simply

    Like a template saying move X from A to B: the rules stay the same, while X, A and B are filled in for each case.

    Why it matters in practice

    Important for formal planning and agentic systems when actions, preconditions and effects need explicit models. In current LLM agents, the term is not automatically equivalent to tool calling.

    Example

    Possible example: A warehouse planner describes “moving the pallet” with parameters for the pallet, starting and finishing place, required conditions and the changes in condition after the movement.

    Pitfalls and limits

    • Confuse action schema with API schema or JSON schema; model side effects and preconditions incompletely; press real uncertainty into deterministic rules; do not distinguish schema and concrete action.

    Origin & history

    PDDL was introduced for planning competition in 1998. The expansion PDDL2.1 of Fox and Long appeared in 2003 and describes, among other things, actions with temporal and numerical properties.

    Use in mid-sized companies

    • Possible applications: formal workflow planning, resource and order planning, rule-based agents, simulation of process steps and validation of allowed action sequences.

    Related terms

    Matching Flow-alerta service

    AI opportunity analysis & roadmapAI potential analysis & roadmap: clarify tasks, data and interfaces before possible automation.

    Matching tool / use case

    View use casesFast downward for supported classical PDDL planning problems; possible use: determining permitted action sequences in a modeled process.

    Sources

    Quellenprüfung: 09.10.2026. Anwendungsbeispiele sind mögliche Szenarien, keine behaupteten Kundenfälle.

    Editorially reviewed on:

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