> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.meetorbis.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Agents

> AI agents are automated workers you configure to run tasks in the background — analyzing your CRM data, generating insights, and taking actions on your behalf on a schedule.

AI agents are workers you create and configure inside Orbis. Each agent runs on a schedule, executing tasks you assign to it — like analyzing relationships, enriching contact data, or drafting follow-up suggestions. Agents work in the background so you don't have to.

## What agents do

Agents can handle a range of tasks inside your CRM:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Relationship intelligence" icon="network">
    Identify contacts you haven't reached out to recently, flag relationships at risk, or surface people worth reconnecting with
  </Card>

  <Card title="Contact enrichment" icon="user-plus">
    Research contacts and fill in missing context, job titles, or company information
  </Card>

  <Card title="Follow-up suggestions" icon="reply">
    Draft follow-up messages or summaries after meetings and calls
  </Card>

  <Card title="Board task execution" icon="columns-3">
    Work through tasks on a kanban board — researching, summarizing, or generating content for each card
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Creating an agent

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Agents">
    In the left sidebar, click **Agents**. If you have no agents yet, you'll see an empty state with a **Create Agent** button.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click New Agent">
    Click the **New Agent** button in the top-right corner.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name your agent">
    Give the agent a descriptive name — for example, "Relationship Monitor" or "Research Agent". You can also choose an emoji to identify it visually.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set a role (optional)">
    Add a role description like "Founder" or "Social Media Manager" to give the agent context about how it should respond.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign a board (optional)">
    If you want the agent to work through tasks on a specific kanban board, select that board here. An agent assigned to a board can be designated as the **Board Lead**, giving it primary responsibility for that board's tasks.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure the heartbeat interval">
    The heartbeat interval controls how often the agent checks for new work. Options range from every 5 minutes to every 6 hours. Choose based on how time-sensitive the agent's tasks are.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Customize personality and behavior (optional)">
    Use the **Soul Template** field to define the agent's personality and approach in plain text — for example, "You are a concise, direct assistant focused on relationship building. Always prioritize warm introductions over cold outreach."

    You can also set a **Communication Style** (e.g., "direct, concise, practical") to tune how the agent writes.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the agent">
    Click **Create Agent**. The agent starts in **Provisioning** status and becomes **Active** once it's ready.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Agent statuses

| Status           | What it means                                                         |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Active**       | The agent is running and will process tasks on its heartbeat schedule |
| **Provisioning** | The agent was just created and is being set up                        |
| **Inactive**     | The agent is paused — it won't process tasks until reactivated        |
| **Error**        | Something went wrong; check the agent's health tab for details        |

## Viewing and managing agents

From the **Agents** page, each agent card shows its name, status, assigned board, and when it was last active.

Click an agent card to open its detail page, which has four tabs:

* **Overview** — current status, assigned board, and soul template preview
* **Health** — connection status, last seen time, and last health check
* **Skills** — capabilities assigned to this agent
* **Configuration** — edit name, board assignment, soul template, and identity profile

To activate or deactivate an agent, click the **Activate** or **Deactivate** button in the header, or use the dropdown menu on the agent card.

## Agent skills

Skills extend what an agent can do. Each skill gives the agent access to a specific capability — like reading emails, searching contacts, or calling an external API.

To add a skill to an agent:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the agent">
    Click the agent you want to configure.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go to the Skills tab">
    Click the **Skills** tab in the agent detail page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a skill">
    Click **Add Skill** and search or browse the skill catalog. Click a skill to assign it to the agent.
  </Step>
</Steps>

To remove a skill, click the **×** button next to the skill in the agent's Skills tab.

<Note>
  Skills are sourced from the skill catalog, which your organization can extend. Skills are organized by category — for example, search skills, communication skills, or data skills.
</Note>

## How agents interact with your data

By default, agents **read** your CRM data to generate insights and suggestions. They can:

* Search and analyze your contacts, interactions, notes, and threads
* Generate summaries and recommendations
* Create notes and draft content

When an agent is assigned to a board, it can also **take action** on board tasks: picking up a task, executing it, and marking it complete.

<Warning>
  When an agent executes a board task that involves creating or modifying records — like creating a contact or saving a note — those changes are written to your workspace. Review completed tasks in the board view to verify the results.
</Warning>

Agents do not send emails, make calendar changes, or modify your contacts directly unless explicitly configured to do so via skills that enable those actions.

## Configuring agent behavior

You can adjust an agent's behavior at any time from the **Configuration** tab of the agent detail page:

| Setting                | What it controls                                              |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**               | Display name for the agent                                    |
| **Board**              | Which kanban board the agent works on                         |
| **Board Lead**         | Whether this agent is the primary lead for its board          |
| **Soul Template**      | Free-text description of the agent's personality and approach |
| **Identity Profile**   | Role, emoji, and communication style settings                 |
| **Heartbeat Interval** | How often the agent checks for and processes new tasks        |

To edit, click **Edit** in the agent's header, make your changes, and click **Save**.

<Tip>
  The Soul Template is the most powerful way to shape agent behavior. Be specific: describe the agent's focus area, preferred tone, and any constraints — for example, "Focus only on contacts in the climate tech sector. Always suggest a personal connection angle for follow-ups."
</Tip>