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Agents

Agents are the autonomous workers that power your agentic apps.

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Overview

An agent is a specialized AI entity with:
  • A defined scope of responsibilities
  • Instructions that guide behavior
  • Access to tools for taking actions
  • Connected knowledge for context
The orchestrator routes user requests to the most appropriate agent based on their descriptions and capabilities.

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In This Section

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Create an Agent

Step-by-step guide to building agents.

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Agent Profile

Configure name, description, model, and context.

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Instructions

Write effective agent instructions.

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Best Practices

Design patterns for reliable agents.

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Quick Example

# Agent Definition
name: Support Agent
description: Handles customer support inquiries for order and product issues

model: gpt-4o
context_window: 50

scope: |
  - Order status inquiries
  - Product information
  - Return and refund requests
  - General support questions

instructions: |
  You are a helpful customer support agent.

  Guidelines:
  - Be concise and friendly
  - Always verify order numbers before providing details
  - Offer alternatives when items are unavailable
  - Escalate billing disputes to the billing team

tools:
  - get_order_status
  - search_products
  - initiate_return

knowledge:
  - product_catalog
  - support_faqs

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Agent Lifecycle

┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│   Create    │────▶│   Configure │────▶│    Test     │
└─────────────┘     └─────────────┘     └─────────────┘
                                              │
                                              ▼
┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│   Monitor   │◀────│   Deploy    │◀────│   Validate  │
└─────────────┘     └─────────────┘     └─────────────┘

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1. Create

Define the agent’s identity, scope, and purpose.

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2. Configure

Add instructions, connect tools, and link knowledge sources.

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3. Test

Validate behavior with test conversations and edge cases.

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4. Validate

Run diagnostics to ensure all dependencies are properly configured.

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5. Deploy

Publish the agent as part of your agentic app.

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6. Monitor

Track performance, review conversations, and iterate.

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Agent Types by Use Case

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Customer Service Agents

Handle inquiries, process requests, and resolve issues. 
scope: Order tracking, returns, product questions
tools: CRM lookup, order management, ticketing
knowledge: FAQs, product docs, policies

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Sales Agents

Qualify leads, answer questions, and guide purchases. 
scope: Product recommendations, pricing, checkout assistance
tools: Product search, cart management, payment processing
knowledge: Product catalog, pricing, promotions

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HR/Employee Agents

Support internal employees with HR and IT tasks. 
scope: Leave requests, benefits, IT support
tools: HR systems, ticket creation, knowledge search
knowledge: HR policies, IT guides, company wiki

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Process Agents

Execute business workflows and automate tasks. 
scope: Document processing, approvals, data entry
tools: Document extraction, workflow triggers, database updates
knowledge: Process documentation, compliance rules

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Key Concepts

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Agent Selection

The orchestrator selects agents based on:
  1. Description matching: How well the agent’s description matches user intent
  2. Scope alignment: Whether the task falls within the agent’s defined scope
  3. Tool availability: Whether the agent has tools needed for the task
Write clear, specific descriptions to improve selection accuracy.

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Agent Handoffs

Agents can transfer control to other agents when:
  • The task falls outside their scope
  • A specialized agent is better suited
  • The user explicitly requests a different capability
Handoffs preserve conversation context so users don’t need to repeat information.

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Stateless Execution

Each agent interaction is stateless by default. Agents receive:
  • The conversation history (within context window)
  • User profile data (if configured)
  • Tool and knowledge access
They do not retain memory between conversations unless explicitly designed to do so.