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Skills and tools

Control what each agent can do with tools and tool groups, teach it how with skills, and approve risky actions in Pending.

Thing What it does Where
Tool One action, such as “send an email” or “query a table”. Settings > Tools
Tool group A bundle of tools. Granting a group is the only way an agent gets tools. Settings > Tool groups
Skill Written instructions that teach an agent how to do something well. A skill grants no tools. Settings > Skills

An agent can do exactly what its tool groups hold. A skill about page editing without page tools teaches it to explain, not to edit.

Give an agent a capability

  1. Open Settings > Tool groups and find a group with the tools you need. To make one, click New, name it and pick its tools.
  2. Open Settings > Agents, pick the agent, and go to Behaviour.
  3. Add the group under Tool groups. The Effective tools box shows what the agent can now use.
  4. Save.

The change applies from the agent’s next turn.

Gate a tool behind your approval

  1. Open Settings > Tools and pick the tool.
  2. Switch on Requires operator confirm, then save.

From now on, each call waits in Pending. Sending email is gated this way by default. Keep anything that sends, deletes or spends gated until you trust it.

The Enabled switch on a tool turns it off for every agent at once.

Approve or reject in Pending

The Pending menu item shows a count when something waits.

  1. Open Pending.
  2. Read the arguments, not only the tool name. They show what will actually happen, such as the recipient and text of an email.
  3. Click Approve & run or Reject.

Background runs also stop here to ask you a question, or to ask for more budget. Answer in the small form shown.

Nothing in Pending has happened yet. Its history at the bottom shows what was decided.

Write a skill

  1. Open Settings > Skills and click New.
  2. Fill in Name and Description, and write Instructions (markdown). For example: “When you quote a price, show VAT on its own line.”
  3. Save, then attach it on the agent’s Behaviour tab under Skills.

A skill change takes effect on the next message.

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