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A custom agent is a persona definition. It gives the agent a name, a role to enact, a goal to pursue, and behavioral guidelines that shape how it communicates. Where skills are procedural instructions for how to do a task, a custom agent defines who is doing it — the identity, context, and guardrails around the agent’s behavior. Think of it this way: you hire a specialist (the agent) and hand them a playbook of tasks (the skills). The agent’s persona determines how they approach the work — their expertise, tone, and priorities.
Custom agents management interface

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What makes up a custom agent

ComponentWhat it defines
NameThe agent’s identity (e.g., “Production Analyst”, “Support Rep”)
RoleWhat the agent does — its area of expertise
GoalThe outcome the agent should pursue whenever it is used
DescriptionDetailed behavioral instructions — tone, formality, what to emphasize, what to avoid
Data accessWhich data sources and knowledge bases the agent can query
Ontology scopeWhich objects, metrics, and dimensions are relevant
SkillsWhich skills the agent can execute

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Example

Here is what a custom agent definition looks like in practice:
FieldValue
NameSupport Rep
RoleCustomer service specialist
GoalResolve customer issues quickly and empathetically
Description:
You are a customer support specialist. Always greet the customer by name when available. Use a warm, professional tone. Acknowledge the customer’s frustration before jumping to a solution. Keep responses concise — no more than three paragraphs. If you cannot resolve an issue, escalate clearly and explain what happens next. Never promise refunds or credits without confirming the policy first.
The description is where you invest the most effort. It tells the agent how to behave — the tone, the boundaries, and the priorities that make it effective for a specific team or role.

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Why custom agents

Different teams need different things:
  • A sales agent that knows your pipeline metrics and CRM data
  • A finance agent that understands your accounting terminology and reports
  • An ops agent that monitors operational KPIs and can trigger alerts
Each of these agents might share some of the same skills (like generating a report or looking up a customer), but they differ in the data they access, the terminology they use, and the instructions that shape their responses.

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Custom agents vs. skills

Custom agentSkill
DefinesWho — a persona with identity, tone, and contextWhat — procedural instructions for a specific task
ScopeData access, ontology, behavioral guidelinesTrigger, inputs, steps, and output
ReuseEach agent is a unique configurationA single skill can be assigned to many agents
ExampleA finance agent scoped to accounting dataA “calculate work order variance” instruction set
You build custom agents to match your organizational structure, then equip each one with the skills it needs.

See examples by industry

Browse concrete agent and skill examples for manufacturing, customer service, insurance, and more.