> ## 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.

# Agents Overview

> Learn about Duckie agents and what they can do

Agents are the AI assistants at the heart of Duckie. Each agent is a configured AI that handles customer conversations or Duckie configuration tasks according to your instructions, resources, and deployment settings.

{/* Screenshot: Agents page showing agent cards with names, descriptions, and usage stats */}

## What is an Agent?

An agent is a complete AI assistant configured with:

* **Start mode** — Autonomous, Duckie Assistant, workflow, or runbook behavior
* **Instructions** — The agent's role, scope, and decision rules
* **Knowledge** — Sources it can search for information
* **Guidelines** — Rules for communication style and tone
* **Guardrails** — Safety constraints and escalation rules
* **Tools** — Actions it can perform (respond, search, escalate, call APIs)

Think of each agent as a specialized team member trained for a specific job.

## Agent Capabilities

Agents can:

| Capability                        | Description                                                         |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Respond to customers**          | Generate and send replies across Zendesk, Slack, Intercom, and more |
| **Search knowledge**              | Find relevant information from your connected documentation         |
| **Follow procedures**             | Execute runbooks or workflows you define                            |
| **Delegate to sub-agents**        | Call specialized agents for focused parts of a conversation         |
| **Take actions**                  | Create tickets, update records, send messages, call APIs            |
| **Escalate**                      | Hand off to humans when guardrails trigger                          |
| **Classify**                      | Tag conversations with categories and attributes                    |
| **Use structured working memory** | Query and update attached Agent Tables during autonomous runs       |

## Start Modes

Every agent has a start mode:

| Mode                 | Best for                                                                  | How it works                                                                                                                                              |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Autonomous**       | Open-ended support where the agent needs to choose what to research or do | Starts from agent instructions and decides which runbooks, workflows, knowledge, and tools to use                                                         |
| **Duckie Assistant** | Managing Duckie configuration through a copilot-style agent               | Uses the autonomous runtime, but focuses on instructions and tools instead of support resources like runbooks, guidelines, guardrails, and classification |
| **Workflow**         | Deterministic processes                                                   | Starts at a selected workflow and follows its nodes and branches                                                                                          |
| **Runbook**          | One flexible procedure                                                    | Starts from a selected runbook and follows its instructions                                                                                               |

<Card title="Autonomous Agents" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/agents/autonomous-agents">
  Learn how to configure agents that decide which resources and tools to use at run time.
</Card>

<Card title="Duckie Assistant Agents" icon="robot" href="/agents/duckie-assistant-agents">
  Learn how to configure Duckie copilots that work with Duckie objects.
</Card>

<Card title="Sub-Agents" icon="diagram-project" href="/agents/sub-agents">
  Learn how autonomous agents and workflows can delegate work to other agents.
</Card>

## Agent Configuration

{/* Screenshot: Agent detail drawer/page showing all configuration tabs */}

### Knowledge Sources

Control what information the agent can access:

* Leave knowledge tags empty to allow all connected and custom knowledge
* Use knowledge tags to narrow what's searchable
* Mix connected sources with custom articles

### Guidelines

Shape how the agent communicates:

* Tone and voice (friendly, professional, casual)
* Response format and length
* Brand terminology and phrases
* Domain-specific instructions

### Guardrails

Define safety boundaries:

* **Escalation rules** — When to hand off to humans
* **Restrictions** — What the agent cannot do or say

### Classification

Configure how conversations are tagged:

* Categories (Billing, Technical Support, etc.)
* Custom attributes (Priority, Product Area, etc.)

## Multiple Agents

You can create multiple agents for different purposes:

| Strategy        | Example                                             |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| **By team**     | Billing Agent, Technical Support Agent, Sales Agent |
| **By channel**  | Slack Agent (casual), Zendesk Agent (formal)        |
| **By customer** | Enterprise Agent (high-touch), Self-serve Agent     |
| **By product**  | Product A Agent, Product B Agent                    |

Each agent can have completely different knowledge, guidelines, and behavior.

## Agent vs Runbook vs Workflow

| Concept                   | What It Is                                                                             | Example                                                                                                |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Agent**                 | The complete AI assistant with instructions, resources, tools, and deployment settings | "Support Agent"                                                                                        |
| **Autonomous mode**       | A start mode where the agent decides which resources and tools to use                  | "Research the issue, read relevant runbooks, call tools as needed, then respond"                       |
| **Duckie Assistant mode** | A copilot start mode for working with Duckie objects                                   | "Update agent instructions, review workflows, and edit guidelines through MCP tools"                   |
| **Runbook**               | Flexible instructions the agent follows                                                | "When a customer asks about refunds, verify their order, check eligibility, process or explain policy" |
| **Workflow**              | Visual process with explicit steps and branches                                        | Start → Check Order → Decision: Eligible? → Yes: Process Refund / No: Explain Policy                   |

An agent can start autonomously, as Duckie Assistant, from a workflow, or from a runbook. It then combines that start mode with the configuration that applies to that mode.

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Create an Agent" icon="plus" href="/agents/creating-agents">
    Step-by-step guide to your first agent
  </Card>

  <Card title="Agent Configuration" icon="sliders" href="/agents/configuration">
    Deep dive into all settings
  </Card>

  <Card title="Autonomous Agents" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/agents/autonomous-agents">
    Configure flexible agents for open-ended conversations
  </Card>

  <Card title="Duckie Assistant Agents" icon="robot" href="/agents/duckie-assistant-agents">
    Configure Duckie copilots for working with Duckie objects
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sub-Agents" icon="diagram-project" href="/agents/sub-agents">
    Delegate work to specialized agents
  </Card>

  <Card title="Workflows" icon="diagram-project" href="/workflows/overview">
    Learn about visual workflows
  </Card>

  <Card title="Runbooks" icon="book-open" href="/runbooks/overview">
    Learn about flexible, AI-driven runbooks
  </Card>
</CardGroup>