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An Agent definition combines a stable operational identity with an execution principal, runtime defaults, capabilities, and safety policy. This page documents the configuration accepted by the current Platform API and explains how it maps to the General, Identity, Runtime, and Tools sections in the Agents workspace.

Configuration model

Agent settings are intentionally split into three layers: The effective runtime behavior is derived from platform policy, the Agent policy, the Agent configuration, and the current trigger. A configuration value cannot broaden a permission denied by the service account, tenant policy, or a more restrictive Agent policy. The current Agents UI covers the common operating settings. Top-level metadata, the structured definition, and advanced automation policy are API-managed fields.
Updating config or policy replaces that complete nested object. Read the current Agent, preserve unchanged sibling fields, and submit its current version to prevent overwriting a newer edit.

Identity, ownership, and profile

Agent record

The Agent avatar is managed separately from the Agent update payload. Upload or clear it from the Agent detail rather than embedding image data in metadata.

Structured definition

Use config.definition for the stable, operator-owned role contract that is applied to autonomous work: Keep the definition focused on durable identity and policy. Put detailed procedures, examples, and large reference material in the governed Agent workspace so operators can review and maintain them independently. config.systemInstructions adds Agent-specific operating guidance. It is subordinate to platform safety policy and does not bypass approvals or access control.

Work mode and persona

The Agents UI also stores two profile presets:
  • workMode: balanced, coding, business, analyst, operator, or creative;
  • persona: friendly, pragmatic, professional, concise, calm, mentor, or assertive.
Use them to describe the intended working style and operator-facing tone. Put requirements that must consistently govern autonomous execution in definition and systemInstructions; profile presets are not security or completion policy.
Do not send the removed profile or meta objects. Use config.definition, workMode, persona, and top-level metadata instead.

Model, reasoning, and planning

Supported values

Choose the model and reasoning effort from task risk, ambiguity, latency, and cost requirements. Validate the selected combination with a representative bounded run before enabling recurring work.

Choose explicit operating defaults

For production Agents, set the intended model, reasoning effort, execution mode, planning policy, and limits explicitly. This makes reviews and environment promotion predictable without relying on release-specific UI defaults.

Permissions and tools

policy.defaultToolPermission controls calls without a specific override: Use policy.toolPermissions for capability-specific overrides. Select capabilities in the Tools tab, or use the current names returned by the Platform API instead of hard-coding undocumented identifiers. config.toolNames and policy.toolNames associate registered capabilities with the Agent. They are not a substitute for permission policy: execution still depends on the service account, instance policy, target access, and approval classification. See Approvals and plans for the decision model and Tools and skills for capability discovery.

Plugins

There are two attachment layers:
  • config.pluginIds contains the Agent-owned default plugin attachments;
  • policy.pluginIds contains governance-managed attachments applied to Agent work.
Both accept up to 64 plugin UUIDs. A direct run can add up to 32 registry plugins for that run without changing the Agent definition. Normal product configuration should reference active, reviewed registry plugins rather than embedding private integration configuration in the Agent payload. Plugin safety metadata, approval mode, side-effect classification, and operating limits remain enforceable after attachment. See Plugins.

Inbox and trigger delivery

config.automation.defaultDeliveryMode decides how Events, Schedules, and Agent handoffs enter the Agent when the trigger does not override it: The create form defaults to INBOX.

Inbox item fields

Use a deterministic de-duplication key for retried webhooks and recurring producers, for example invoice:2026-09:customer-42.

Direct run fields

A direct run requires instruction and can include:
  • triggerType, triggerRefType, and triggerRefId for correlation;
  • delaySeconds from 0 to 86,400;
  • a JSON state object for run-scoped context;
  • up to 32 additional pluginIds.
Do not use run state for secrets or durable files. Keep secrets in Secrets and persistent output in the Agent workspace.

Delegation and limits

Limits can be present in both config and policy. For concurrency and child limits, the lower configured or policy value wins. policy.maxTicks overrides config.maxTicks. merge_partial is effective when selected in either layer; otherwise failure mode is fail_parent. Start with one root run and two concurrent children. Increase concurrency only after the service account, downstream rate limits, idempotency, and output-merge behavior have been tested.

Memory configuration

config.memoryPolicy accepts: The create form enables memory and starts with four entries and 1,200 characters. These are recall preferences, not permission grants. Current memory tools and tenant policy enforce their own bounds and ownership checks, and the runtime does not turn every successful answer into memory automatically. Use Agent memory for durable operating knowledge, session checkpoints for in-progress continuity, and workspace files for large or exact content. See Memory and workspaces.

Workspace configuration

Every successfully created Agent receives a managed workspace. Workspace assignment is changed through its dedicated operation rather than generic Agent configuration: Workspace replacement is blocked while the Agent has active runs. An existing folder must be accessible under the applicable Agent and operator authorization; another Agent’s managed workspace cannot be attached as a shared folder.

Managed automation settings

Automation policy can define how approval-required work is escalated and how managed notifications are delivered. These settings record operator intent; they do not bypass runtime approval policy, identity, or target access. Treat advanced automation fields as managed configuration and validate the current OpenAPI schema before generating them programmatically.

Complete example

The following creation payload uses registry plugins and keeps policy separate from Agent-owned defaults:

Operate Agents

Run, inspect, recover, and scale durable Agent work.

Autonomous Agents

Return to the Agent product overview.
Last modified on September 5, 2026