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A thread is a conversation or run inside an agent. It is the place where the model receives a request, calls tools, writes files, asks for approvals, and produces output. The agent keeps the durable workspace; the thread keeps the execution flow for one piece of work. You can start a thread with a prompt, stream updates while it works, and inspect logs after the fact. The runtime handles the harness work around the model: context loading, tool-call execution, retries, compaction, and error recovery. That lets the thread continue through longer tasks without forcing your app to orchestrate every model step. Threads are also where user steering happens. If the work changes, add new input to the running thread instead of throwing away the agent state. If a tool call needs approval, the thread pauses until the approval is resolved or times out. The important split is simple: your application creates and observes threads, while the running thread decides which allowed tools to call. When your product needs to react to thread progress without watching the stream, subscribe to the thread.* and turn.* webhook events instead of polling.