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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.duckie.ai/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

This guide walks you through creating and configuring a new Duckie agent from scratch.

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Before You Start

For the best experience, have these ready before creating your agent:
PreparationWhy
Knowledge sources connectedSo your agent has information to work with
Guidelines createdSo your agent knows how to communicate
Runbooks, workflows, or agent instructionsSo your agent knows what to do
Tools configuredSo autonomous agents can take the right actions
You can create an agent without these and add them later, but your agent won’t be very useful until configured.

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Creating a New Agent

1

Navigate to Agents

Go to Build → Agents in your Duckie dashboard.
2

Click Create Agent

Click the Create Agent button to open the creation drawer.
3

Enter Basic Information

Fill in the basics:
  • Name — A descriptive name (e.g., “Support Agent”, “Billing Bot”, “Technical Help”)
  • Description — What this agent does (optional but helpful for your team)
4

Select a Mode

Choose how the agent should operate:
  • Autonomous — Write instructions and let the agent decide which resources and tools to use
  • Workflow — Select a workflow for deterministic, step-by-step execution
  • Runbook — Select a runbook for one flexible procedure
5

Configure the Mode

For autonomous agents, add instructions, choose model settings, and configure access to tools, runbooks, and workflows.For workflow or runbook agents, select the workflow or runbook the agent should start with.
6

Save

Click Create to save your new agent. The agent detail view will open.

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Configuring Your Agent

After creating, configure these sections in the agent detail view:

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Instructions

Autonomous agents include an Instructions editor. Use it to define the agent’s job, boundaries, escalation expectations, and how it should choose between available resources. Learn more about Autonomous Agents →

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Knowledge

Select which knowledge the agent can access:
  1. Go to the Knowledge tab
  2. Leave Knowledge Tags empty to allow all knowledge, OR
  3. Select knowledge tags to filter available content
Start broad, then narrow. It’s often easier to leave tags empty first, then restrict based on testing results.

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Guidelines

Assign communication guidelines:
  1. Go to the Guidelines tab
  2. Select which guideline sections apply to this agent
  3. Guidelines are additive — select multiple sections to combine them

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Guardrails

Set up safety constraints:
  1. Go to the Guardrails tab
  2. Select Escalation Rules that should trigger handoff to humans
  3. Select Restrictions that define hard limits on agent behavior

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Classification

Configure how conversations are tagged:
  1. Go to the Classification tab
  2. Select which Categories the agent should assign
  3. Select which Attributes to extract

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Tools

For autonomous agents, use the Tools section to control which Duckie tools, app tools, custom tools, and MCP tools the agent can call.

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Testing Your Agent

Before deploying, always test in the playground:
1

Open Playground

Go to Test → Playground.
2

Select Your Agent

Choose your newly created agent from the dropdown.
3

Send Test Messages

Try various scenarios:
  • Common questions your customers ask
  • Edge cases and unusual requests
  • Messages that should trigger escalation
4

Review and Iterate

Check responses and execution steps. Adjust configuration as needed.

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Best Practices

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Naming

  • Use clear, descriptive names: “Billing Support Agent” not “Agent 1”
  • Include the purpose or team in the name
  • Add descriptions explaining what the agent handles

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Configuration

  • Start simple — Begin with basic configuration and add complexity as needed
  • Test thoroughly — Use the playground before every deployment
  • Iterate — Refine based on real results, not assumptions
  • Limit powerful tools — Give autonomous agents only the write actions they need

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Deployment

  • Testing first — Start new agents in testing mode before live traffic
  • Review responses — Check test runs before going live
  • Monitor closely — Watch performance metrics after going live

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Common Patterns

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General Support Agent

  • Autonomous mode for broad triage and research
  • Broad knowledge access (all sources)
  • Friendly, helpful guidelines
  • Escalation rules for angry customers and complex issues
  • Categories: Billing, Technical, Account, General

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Specialized Agent

  • Autonomous mode with allowlisted runbooks, workflows, and tools
  • Narrow knowledge access (tagged sources only)
  • Domain-specific guidelines
  • Strict guardrails for the domain
  • Specific categories and attributes

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Triage Agent

  • Autonomous mode or a deterministic workflow, depending on how fixed the triage process is
  • Minimal knowledge (just enough to categorize)
  • Short, clarifying responses
  • Quick escalation to specialized agents or humans
  • Focus on classification over resolution

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Next Steps

Agent Configuration

Deep dive into all settings

Autonomous Agents

Configure flexible agents for open-ended conversations

Test in Playground

Validate before deploying

Create a Deployment

Connect to a customer channel