Creating Your First Agent

Overview

Agents are markdown files that define AI workers. No code required—just structured prompts.

Step 1: Create the File

Create a new agent in your squad directory:

touch .agents/squads/research/summarizer.md

Step 2: Define the Agent

# Content Summarizer

## Purpose
Summarize long documents into actionable insights.

## Inputs
- Document or URL to summarize
- Target length (brief/detailed)
- Focus areas (optional)

## Outputs
- Executive summary (3-5 bullet points)
- Key takeaways
- Action items (if applicable)

## Instructions
1. Read the full document carefully
2. Identify the main thesis and supporting points
3. Extract actionable insights
4. Format as structured markdown
5. Keep summaries concise but complete

Step 3: Run Your Agent

squads run research/summarizer

Agent Structure Explained

Section	Purpose
Purpose	What the agent does (one sentence)
Inputs	What it needs to work
Outputs	What it produces
Instructions	Step-by-step prompt

Best Practices

Keep it focused

One agent, one job. Don’t try to make agents do everything.

Be specific in instructions

Vague instructions = unpredictable results. List concrete steps.

Define output format

Specify exactly how you want results formatted (markdown, JSON, etc).

Test iteratively

Run, review, refine. Agents improve with feedback.

Next Steps

Add to a Squad

Organize agents into teams

Use Memory

Give agents persistent context

Agent Permissions Working with Squads

​Overview

​Step 1: Create the File

​Step 2: Define the Agent

​Step 3: Run Your Agent

​Agent Structure Explained

​Best Practices

​Next Steps