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This page covers all configuration options available for Duckie agents. Access these settings by clicking on any agent in Build → Agents.

Basic Settings

Name & Description

  • Name — Displayed throughout the app and in analytics
  • Description — Help your team understand what this agent does
To edit: Click the agent name or description in the header.

Status

Agents can be:
  • Active — Available for deployments and testing
  • Archived — Hidden from lists, deployments disabled

Starting Logic

The starting logic defines how your agent handles conversations. Choose one:

Runbook

A runbook is natural language instructions that guide the agent while allowing flexibility. When to use:
  • Conversations require judgment and adaptation
  • Process has a general structure but varies by situation
  • You want to leverage AI reasoning within guidelines
Learn more about Runbooks →

Workflow

A workflow is a visual graph that defines exact steps and branches. When to use:
  • Process must follow exact steps every time
  • Compliance requires predictable, auditable execution
  • Multiple tools must be called in a specific order
Learn more about Workflows →

Knowledge Configuration

Control what information the agent can access when searching.

Source Selection

Choose specific knowledge sources:
  • Toggle sources on/off individually
  • Agent will only search selected sources
  • Unselected sources are invisible to this agent

Tag Filtering

Alternatively, filter by knowledge tags:
  • Select tags to include
  • Agent searches all articles with those tags
  • More flexible than source selection

Strategy Tips

GoalApproach
Broad accessSelect all sources or don’t filter by tags
Domain-specificUse tags like “billing”, “technical”
Product-specificTag articles by product, filter per agent

Guidelines

Assign guideline sections that shape how the agent communicates.

Section Assignment

  • Check sections to include
  • Sections are combined when multiple are selected
  • Order doesn’t matter — all selected guidelines apply

Common Sections

  • Tone & Voice — How the agent should sound
  • Formatting — Response structure and length
  • Brand — Terminology and phrases
  • Domain — Product-specific instructions
Learn more about Guidelines →

Guardrails

Define safety constraints that protect customers and your brand.

Escalation Rules

Select rules that trigger handoff to humans:
  • Each rule defines a condition (e.g., “customer is angry”)
  • When triggered, agent escalates instead of responding
  • Multiple rules can be active simultaneously

Restrictions

Select hard limits on agent behavior:
  • Highest priority — checked before processing
  • Define what the agent cannot do or say
  • Provide alternative responses when triggered
Learn more about Guardrails →

Classification

Configure how the agent tags conversations for analytics.

Categories

Select categories the agent should assign:
  • Agent picks one category per conversation
  • Categories appear in breakdown analytics
  • Leave unselected to disable category assignment

Attributes

Select attributes to extract:
  • Agent identifies values for each attribute
  • Can be single or multi-select
  • Attributes appear in analytics and can be used for filtering
Learn more about Classification →

Tools

Configure which tools the agent can use.

Duckie Tools

Built-in capabilities (always available):
  • Responder — Generate and send responses
  • Knowledge Search — Search the knowledge base
  • Escalator — Hand off to humans
  • Ask and Wait — Ask clarifying questions

App Tools

Tools from connected integrations:
  • Automatically available when integrations are connected
  • Enable/disable specific tools per agent
  • Examples: Update Zendesk ticket, Create Jira issue

Custom Tools

Your own HTTP-based tools:
  • Created in Build → Tools
  • Enable per agent as needed
Learn more about Tools →

Advanced Settings

Conversation Memory

Configure how much conversation history the agent considers:
  • Full history — All messages in the conversation
  • Recent messages — Last N messages only
  • Summarized — AI-summarized context

Response Settings

  • Max response length — Character or word limits
  • Follow-up behavior — How to handle multi-turn conversations

Next Steps