Creating Your Own AI Agents

Build AI agents for recurring tasks, use pre-built templates, or customize them to match your workflow.

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Key Benefits and Use Cases

Custom agents are saved, named, and versioned agents designed for a specific task, role, or recurring workflow.

The main benefit: you set up an agent once and can reuse it over and over.

You can use a custom agent to:

• Use it in chat

• Mention it in comments

• Run it on a task or project

• Use it in automations

• Run it on a schedule

• Share it with your team

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What is a Custom Agent?

A custom agent gets a specific task and its own configuration.

This includes:

• Name

• Description

• Instructions or system prompt

• Model

• Tools

• Skills

• Connectors

• Avatar

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How to Create an Agent

You create and manage custom agents in the Agent Library.

You can create new elements there as well as open and configure existing ones.

1. Click the Library button in the top right corner and select the Agents section.

2. Click the + Agent button

4. A dropdown menu gives you two options:

   • Custom Agent: Create a completely personalized agent based on your ideas
   • Use Template: Use an existing template as a starting point for your new agent

   Select Custom Agent to continue with creation.

5. Choose your starting method

   • Create with AI: Let AI help you create the agent
   • Create Manually: Configure the agent yourself from scratch

1. Give your agent a name and description

2. Define the agent's task and instructions

3. Choose the model, tools, skills, and connectors

4. Set an avatar if needed

5. Test the agent and improve its configuration

Which changes are possible depends on your access level. Editable entries show their configuration and editing options. Read-only elements can still be used and viewed but not changed.

Many changes are saved automatically while you edit. There's no separate Save step in these areas.

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Using Pre-built Agents with Templates

You don't always have to create a custom agent from scratch.

The Agent Library offers curated templates created by awork. These already include:

• System prompt

• Sensible model and reasoning settings

• Appropriate tools

Open the Library, click the + Agent button, and select Use Template to create a normal, fully editable agent in your workspace from it.

Available Agent Types

The presets cover typical agency tasks, including:

• Review briefings

• Plan projects

• Check project and portfolio health

• Review time tracking

• Prepare meeting follow-ups

• Prepare campaign strategies

• Review personas

• Check brand safety

The templates are usable even if your workspace initially has little relevant context.

Some templates can even help you create the needed context if it's missing.

Customizing Templates

A template is not a fixed agent. After clicking Use Template, you get a normal custom agent that you can edit.

For best results, you should adapt a preset to your requirements early on:

• Describe the specific task - Explain exactly what the agent should do

• Add company knowledge - Provide company-specific rules and guidelines

• Add appropriate connectors - Presets don't include external app connectors by default

• Provide existing context directly - Point to relevant information instead of letting the agent guess

This is especially important for agents like briefing or brand safety agents that depend on company-specific guidelines.

You can always use a fresh version of the original preset if you want to start over with the default configuration.

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Using a Custom Agent

You can run a custom agent in several ways.

In Chat

1. Create a new thread

2. Select a custom agent

3. Write your message

4. The thread uses this agent's configuration

The custom agent's model and other settings are applied and can be temporarily overridden in the chat.

In Comments

You can mention a custom agent with @ in a comment.

On a Task or Project

On tasks and projects, you can select a custom agent from a dropdown field.

When you select the agent, it runs immediately. This doesn't permanently assign it as the responsible party.

For customer-facing language, it's: Run the agent on a task or project.

In Automations

A custom agent can be used as a step in project automation.

On a Schedule

A custom agent can run automatically on a schedule.

Any user with edit access to the agent can set up a schedule.

A schedule:

• Can run at most once per hour

• Can include additional instructions

• Can optionally receive a project or task as context

• Gets automatically disabled after three consecutive failed runs

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Skills for Custom Agents

Skills are reusable instructions or expertise that an agent can use.

You can create a skill:

• In the Agent Library

• Directly within a custom agent

• By importing from a compatible skill package

Skills from the Library

A reusable library skill belongs to its creator and can be connected to multiple agents.

This way, a procedure can be maintained centrally and used in multiple agent configurations.

Skills Within an Agent

A skill you create directly in an agent belongs exclusively to that agent.

It becomes active immediately and doesn't appear as a reusable skill in the general library.

For skills, you can set things like name, description, instructions, supporting files, and required access.

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Connectors for Custom Agents

Connectors allow an agent to use external systems via MCP.

A connector and an authenticated connection are two different things:

• Connector - Describes which external system can be used

• Connection - Is a specific authenticated identity for this connector

A connector can have multiple connections.

Adding Connectors to an Agent

Each custom agent has its own list of connected external tools.

You can:

1. Select an existing workspace connector

2. Create a new connector

3. Select one or more available connectors through search

A newly created connector is immediately connected to the agent.

Only the connectors connected to the agent will appear in its configuration afterward.

Available Connectors

There's a curated catalog with around 30 ready-made connectors, including for example:

• Slack

• Notion

• GitHub

• HubSpot

• Salesforce

• Google Workspace

• Microsoft 365

Most connectors can be connected with a single click. Some require their own API credentials for the respective application.

If an application isn't in the catalog, you can also add another MCP connector via its URL.

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Sharing Connectors and Connections

For shared agents, editors can determine how connections are used.

They can choose whether:

• Each user uses their own connection

• A specific connection is provided by the agent

Connections themselves have their own sharing logic.

A connection is private initially. It can then be shared with the entire workspace, specific teams, or individual users.

Only the owner of a connection or a workspace administrator can manage or remove a shared connection.

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Sharing Agents and Skills

Custom agents and reusable skills can be selectively shared.

For agents and skills, you can grant access to:

• The entire workspace

• Specific teams

• Individual users

There are two access levels:

• View/Use - The user can use the agent and utilize the linked skills

• Edit - The user can change the agent's configuration and sharing

Edit access automatically includes View/Use access.

A user with access to an agent doesn't need to be separately granted access to each skill used within it to use the agent.

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FAQ

What's the difference between the awork Agent and a custom agent?

The awork Agent is the built-in agent for general tasks and works without setup.

A custom agent is configured, saved, and shared for a specific task or recurring workflow.

Do I have to build a custom agent myself?

No. You can start with a curated preset and edit it afterward.

Can I change a preset later?

Yes. Use Template creates a normal, fully editable custom agent.

Can I apply a custom agent to a task or project?

Yes. You can select the agent and run it directly on the task or project.

Can an agent run automatically?

Yes. A custom agent can be run in an automation or on a schedule.

Can custom agents use external apps?

Yes. You can connect appropriate connectors to the agent for this.

What's the difference between a connector and a connection?

The connector defines the external system. The connection is the specific authenticated identity used to access it.

Can I share a custom agent with my team?

Yes. Agents can be shared with the entire workspace, specific teams, or individual users.