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Agent Lifecycle and Configuration

An effective AI Agent is built through iteration. Start with a narrow role, configure only the capabilities it needs, test representative requests, and revise the configuration when results do not meet your criteria.

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Lifecycle

1

Define

State the Agent’s purpose, intended users, supported tasks, and boundaries. Decide what a successful response looks like.
2

Configure

Set the identity, system prompt, model, abilities, templates, modalities, knowledge, apps, and team members that the use case requires.
3

Test

Test common requests, edge cases, ambiguous requests, and requests the Agent should refuse or hand off. Check factual accuracy and tool use separately from tone.
4

Distribute

Select and configure the appropriate Distribution Channel. Re-test permissions, inputs, outputs, and user experience in that channel.
5

Maintain

Review feedback and failures. Update instructions and knowledge when requirements change, then repeat the test set.

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Workflows

Workflow templates in B-Bot Hub An Agent defines behavior and capabilities. A Workflow is a server-executed, multi-step automation. DeepAgents supports multi-step work inside an agent interaction.

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Configuration Primitives

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Identity and System Prompt

Identity fields explain who the Agent is to users. The system prompt defines how it should work. Keep product facts and frequently changing information in maintained knowledge sources instead of embedding them in a long prompt.

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Model

The model performs language and reasoning work. Model availability and supported features depend on configured providers. Select a model by testing it against your own quality, latency, and cost requirements rather than relying on a general ranking.

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Abilities and Templates

  • Abilities provide reusable behavior modes.
  • Templates provide reusable starting prompts.
Neither adds external data or permissions by itself.

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Knowledge

Knowledge can ground responses in maintained documents or structured sources. Retrieval does not guarantee that every relevant item will be selected, so test important questions and keep source material current.

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Apps, Tools, and Team Members

Apps and tools extend what an Agent can access or do. Team members divide work among Agents. Apply the minimum permissions needed and define which capability should handle each task.

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Modalities

Modalities determine the supported forms of input and output. Confirm that the selected model, provider, and Distribution Channel support the required combination.

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Conversation Settings

Conversation-level settings can change how an Agent behaves for one session. When diagnosing a result, record both the Agent configuration and any session overrides.

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Configuration Layers

This is a conceptual flow. A capability must be configured and permitted before the Agent can use it.

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Evaluation Checklist

  • Does the Agent stay within its role?
  • Are factual claims supported by the available context?
  • Does it ask for missing information?
  • Does it avoid inventing tool results or completed actions?
  • Are sensitive or irreversible actions reviewed?
  • Does the complete Distribution Channel experience work as intended?
  • Can a maintainer understand and update the configuration?

Edit an Agent

Configure identity, abilities, models, apps, and team members.

Training

Add documents, QA pairs, or fine-tuning when the use case requires them.

Modalities

Configure supported input and output types.

Distribution Channels

Make an Agent-based experience available to users or systems.