Agents are Bourne's automation layer. They trigger compliance, documentation, and integrations during or after a guided task. For the worker-facing guidance experience, see Guided Tasks.

Creating an Agent

This guide explains the different methods for creating a new agent within the Bourne AI console.

There are two main approaches to creating a new workflow:

  1. Creating from a Prompt (Automated Setup)
  2. Creating Manually (Blank Setup)

Method 1: Creating from a Prompt

This method leverages AI to build the initial structure of your workflow based on a natural language description.

  1. Navigate to the Agent Workflow List: Go to the main "Agent" section.
  2. Locate the Prompt Input: At the top of the page, find the text input field labeled "Create a team workflow from a prompt...".
  3. Describe Your Workflow: Type a clear description of the team you want to create. Be specific about the goal and the types of agents involved.
    • Example: "Create a research team with a researcher agent and a writer agent to summarize news articles."
    • Example: "Build a customer service workflow that first tries to answer FAQs and then escalates to a human support agent if needed."
  4. Initiate Creation: Either press the Enter key or click the button with the sparkle icon
  5. Review and Configure: The system will process your prompt and attempt to create the corresponding agents and workflow structure. You will automatically be redirected to the new workflow's configuration page, where you can review, modify, and finalize the setup (e.g., assign specific LLMs, add tools, refine instructions).

This method is ideal for quickly generating a starting point for common workflow patterns.

Method 2: Creating Manually

This method starts you with a blank canvas, allowing you to build the workflow from scratch.

  1. Navigate to the Agent Workflow List: Go to the main "Agent" section.

  2. Click the "New Workflow" Button: Locate and click the button labeled "New Workflow"

  3. Use the Keyboard Shortcut (Optional): Alternatively, press ⌘⇧Y on a Mac or Ctrl+Shift+Y on Windows/Linux.

  4. Configure the Blank Workflow: You will be redirected to a new, empty workflow configuration page. Here you will need to define the core components:

    • Workflow Title: Give your workflow a descriptive name.

    • Add Agents: Click the "Add Agent" button

      • Role: A brief name or title for the agent (e.g., "Researcher", "Email Responder").
      • Instructions/Backstory: Detailed instructions defining the agent's goal, capabilities, persona, and constraints. This is crucial for guiding the agent's behavior. If using the API Call tool, include the full web address (URL) of the service you want to connect to in the agent's instructions, along with any authentication details it needs.
      • LLM: Select the underlying Large Language Model (e.g., GPT-4o, Claude 3) the agent will use. A default model is selected if you don't choose one.
      • Message Context: Choose whether the agent should remember the entire conversation history ("Preserve") or start fresh with each interaction ("Refresh").
      • (Optional) Add Agent from Prompt: Similar to creating the workflow, you can describe the agent you want (e.g., "A helpful assistant that specializes in Python") and click the sparkle icon

    • Define Workflow Mode: Select how agents collaborate:

      • Sequential: Agents execute tasks one after another in the order they are listed.
      • Supervisor: One agent acts as a manager, delegating tasks to other agents and synthesizing the final response. You can optionally designate a specific agent by checking its "Is Supervisor?" box. If no agent is designated, a default supervisor configuration will be used.

    • Configure Connections: Depending on the mode, define how agents pass information or tasks (implicitly sequential or explicitly managed by the supervisor).

    • Assign Tools: Enable specific capabilities for each agent by searching for and adding tools. Tools are grouped into Social Media, Content Creation, Legal Research, Search & Research, Business Integration, and Automation. See the complete Tools & Integrations Reference for the current catalogue and detailed descriptions of every tool.

      For tools that need authentication, you'll need to:

      1. First set up the credential in Settings → API Credentials
      2. Then select that credential from the dropdown when adding the tool to your agent

      Popular tool examples:

      • USPTO Trademark Search: Research and monitor trademarks
      • Check Domain Availability: Check domain registration status across 500+ TLDs
      • Search Web (serper): Web searches using Google
      • Google Docs: Create and edit documents
      • LinkedIn Post: Publish to LinkedIn
      • Instagram Tools: Manage posts, comments, and insights
      • YouTube Tools: Comment moderation and video uploads
      • Browser Automation: Automate complex web interactions
      • API Call: Integrate with custom APIs

    • Add Knowledge Base Documents: If using the "Search Documents" tool, attach relevant files (PDF, DOCX, TXT, CSV, etc.) via the Media Manager (use the attach button, paperclip icon). These files form the knowledge base the agent can query.

    • Set Other Options: Configure any additional settings relevant to the workflow.

This method provides maximum control but requires you to define every aspect of the workflow manually.

Next Steps

After creating a workflow using either method, continue refining the agent instructions, tool configurations, and knowledge bases as needed. Test your workflow thoroughly to ensure it performs as expected. Refer to the Editing Agent Workflows documentation for more advanced details.