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An AI app is a software product that uses AI to perform a task. An AI agent is an execution pattern in which a system selects steps, uses capabilities and responds to feedback toward a goal. An app can contain an agent; an agent can also run as a background service or an imported workflow.
They are not mutually exclusive product categories. The useful distinction for a developer is how the product is acquired and operated versus how its work proceeds. This guide focuses on packaging and operational ownership. For conversational behavior and tool control, use agent versus chatbot.
Separate the product from its runtime
| Layer | Question to answer | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Product | What does the user acquire? | Hosted application, native client or workflow file |
| Interface | How does the user request work? | Form, conversation, API or schedule |
| Execution | Who chooses intermediate operations? | Fixed code, model-assisted routing or agent loop |
| Operation | Who runs and maintains it? | Developer, customer or workflow-platform operator |
A scheduled workflow is not automatically an agent. It may execute a fixed series of steps. A form-based application can nevertheless contain agent behavior behind the interface. Evaluate these layers independently.
Hosted application
A hosted product gives users access to a service operated by its developer. The operator manages deployment, authentication, storage, model calls and support. The user may not see the agent runtime at all.
For an illustrative document-processing app, the interface might accept a file and return an analysis. Internally, a fixed pipeline may be enough. If the system selects additional checks according to what the file contains, that behavior belongs to the execution layer, not the download format.
Explain what happens to uploads, how long jobs can run and how failures appear. A polished interface does not remove the need for isolation between users or a spending boundary around expensive work.
Native client
A desktop or mobile installation places an interface on the device. It does not establish that inference or agent execution occurs there. The client may call a developer backend or use a local model, and those paths have different requirements.
Document the actual processing location. If the client uses remote services, explain accounts and connectivity. If it runs locally, document hardware requirements and model installation. Do not describe a local interface as local inference without checking.
The Windows guide explores that device decision. Installation, subscription and model execution remain separate responsibilities even when users encounter them in one product.
Importable workflow
A workflow file is a package that another runtime imports and executes. The customer may need a particular platform version, extensions, credentials and separately paid services. The workflow author should explain those prerequisites before distribution.
An export can contain fixed automation, model calls or agent-like selection. Its file extension alone does not establish autonomy. Show the expected input, output and configuration rather than relying on the word “agent.”
Theaimart's agent documentation describes distribution of workflow files. The listing does not provide a managed execution sandbox, inject user credentials or operate a run-history service. Users configure and run the workflow in its target platform.
Who pays for inference?
For a hosted app, the operator may pay providers and charge users through a subscription or usage allowance. For an imported workflow, the user may supply provider credentials and pay external services directly. Hybrid arrangements also exist.
State the arrangement explicitly. A free workflow file can still create provider charges. A paid download does not necessarily include ongoing inference. A marketplace visit does not establish entitlement to an external service.
Set resource boundaries in the runtime that performs the work. A listing description cannot prevent an agent from looping or retrying. Specify limits for input size, execution time, steps and concurrency, then test how the system stops.
Credential ownership changes the support problem
When the developer operates a hosted service, its credentials must remain in the trusted server environment. When a user imports a workflow, they normally configure their own connections. Never distribute a reusable package containing production keys.
Support instructions should distinguish a missing credential, inadequate scope, provider limit and invalid input. Ask for minimal diagnostic information rather than private prompts or secret tokens.
If multiple customers use the same hosted agent, enforce tenant separation at each data and tool boundary. Reusing an agent definition does not justify sharing conversation memory or tool credentials between accounts.
Updates and compatibility
A hosted app can be updated centrally, but it still needs rollback and migration planning. A downloaded workflow may remain on an older version indefinitely. Include a version identifier, changelog and compatibility information so users can identify what they are running.
When a dependency changes its API, test the workflow in a fresh target environment. Do not assume an export that imports successfully also completes the intended task. Verify the final effect and failure paths.
For a breaking update, explain the migration and how to preserve user configuration without copying credentials into a public example. Keep a previous version available where appropriate and identify security-sensitive changes clearly.
Make the listing match the operational model
A hosted-app listing should explain the launch destination and account requirements. A workflow listing should explain the runtime, import process, permissions and separately billed services. An MCP server package needs client configuration and connection details.
Do not use one generic description for all three. A user deciding whether to open a website needs different information from someone importing automation with permission to change records.
Use the publishing guide for applications and the agent publishing guide for workflow packaging. If the integration itself is the product, read where to publish an MCP server.
A product decision worksheet
Before choosing a format, record the user task, execution location, credential owner, billing owner, support owner and update mechanism. Add the evidence required to verify completion and the recovery path after partial failure.
Prefer a hosted app when users need an operated service and you can support it. Prefer an importable workflow when users need control inside a compatible environment and can manage its prerequisites. Use agent behavior only when dynamic step selection helps the task.
No format makes an application automatically safe or useful. Test the actual experience and keep the public claims within the supported behavior. Explore the AI Apps category and Theaimart marketplace for related software and distribution guidance.